Purchase Power

We have so much more power as individuals in society than many of us realize - and it takes virtually no work to use it.

What you spend your money on says a lot about your values and shapes how companies do business.

According to Freakonomics, Walmart started selling organic products because of a demand for them.

Fair trade, organic, and eco-friendly products do not exist purely because some companies think it's the right thing to do - they exist because there is a market for them.

Not everyone has the money to buy ethically produced products, myself included.  But more people need to ask themselves if  the extra luxuries they spend their money on (such as alcohol, new clothing, and meals out) are worth the damage they cause to the environment or the suffering of people producing products in poor work conditions.

The grocery store is a good place to start.

I stopped buying cheap coffee and instead only buy fair trade, organic, shade grown coffee.  Coffee is a luxury I could live without, so if I figure if I'm not willing to spend the extra few dollars to make it ethical I won't buy it at all.  Plus, the coffee is much better tasting.

Many organic products are tastier than non-organice (i.e. apples).  Splurge a little on a couple grocery items each trip and you'll hardly notice a rise in your bill, though you may go home to more delicious meals.

As demand for ethical products rise, more will appear on store shelves and the prices will eventually begin to drop.

You might not make a huge difference, but buying cheap products produced in ways that harm people and the environment isn't going to do any good.