Ethical shopping

[FabianPattberg]

Hello members,

I wanted to start a new discussion on ethical shopping.

I am bringing this topic up because I recently read and article from G.Monbiot in the Guardian Weekly on ethical shopping.
There he was basically saying that ethical shopping has become a fashionable excuse for the people that are better of in life to congratulate themselves on going green and being ethically minded people. But at the same they are driving of in their SUVs and fly of to exotic destinations whenever they can.

Do you agree with this assessment?

What do think of ethical shopping? Do you think there is something such as that? I am interested in your definitions, experiences,.......everything really!

What do you think?

[Corey]

To be ethical you need to be ethical all the way, or are you truly ethical to begin with?

Whats the point of buying organic soap if the ingredients came from the 4 corners of the earth several times over. Sure we have chemical issues. but wouldn't it be more ethical to simply not buy soaps that were not local or full of toxins.

shopping from a global standpoint is unethical in that there is excess transportation of products. It is not done to get those products to those who actually need it but, supply it to those who are well off and do not need it to begin with. What is the driver? money and greed. There is no money to be made giving goods to those who can not afford it to begin with.

Example: shrimp caught off the coast of great Britain then sent to Korea to be shelled and packaged then sent back to Great Britain for consumption. How is buying that shrimp ethical? It is green eating shrimp, in that it is lower on the food chain.

That is why I have a problem with globalization in general and free trade in that the goods are shipped where it is not needed in order to generate profit.

[founder]

Originally Posted by sustainabilityforum

Hello members,

I wanted to start a new discussion on ethical shopping.

I am bringing this topic up because I recently read and article from G.Monbiot in the Guardian Weekly on ethical shopping.
There he was basically saying that ethical shopping has become a fashionable excuse for the people that are better of in life to congratulate themselves on going green and being ethically minded people. But at the same they are driving of in their SUVs and fly of to exotic destinations whenever they can.

Do you agree with this assessment?

What do think of ethical shopping? Do you think there is something such as that? I am interested in your definitions, experiences,.......everything really!

What do you think?

Some points for ethical shopping

For purchasing electrical devices, always take a good Wattmeter like
the Conrad energy monitor 3000 in the shop.

Most good salesman do not know the energy usage of the devices, they sell. So they are curious themselves.


When ever possible, I go shopping with my electric scooter

Shopping trolley

[Cerberus]

I shop ethically, I drive a small 4-cyl car, live in a small house, use flouro lightbulbs (have done for years). I am a student, I have little income, I am a vegan. I buy local produce wherever possible, attempt to grow a few veggies, buy ethical, animal product-free, products and rarely buy new clothes until my old ones have worn out.

Some people might do the Green Thing cos they are well off, and want to give themselves a pat on the back (who cares, it's better they do that than not, especially if they insist on driving a Hummer around town). I don't. I think it's dangerous to generalise, as there can be a social backlash to choosing ethical habits if they are made out to be only an option for the wealthy.

Using bi-carb soda, vinegar and borax for cleaning is cheap, easy and ethical. Eating vegan is cheap and ethical, but does require some extra effort in preparation.

Then there's the plastic bag issue while out shopping. I use fabric bags, and simply plonk all my veggies onto the counter. I invested in Tupperware stay-fresh containers years ago, so all the veggies come home, get washed, chopped and put into those for storage in the fridge. If I get asked if i want plastic bags.. I just say "Heck no... Australians use 6 billion plastic bags a year. Can you believe it?? I don't want any part of that".

[Mr.Joshua]

The effort to start this new trend in ethical shopping is great, but shouldn't there be particular guidelines and protocol to follow in order for someone to say they are an "ethical shopper"? For instance, one can only say they are an ethical shopper if they: take public transportation to get the products, drive a LEV car or better, or order a product online that is distributed from a warehouse within 100 miles from your home.

Overall, most people will only slightly alter their lifestyles to think that they're doing a good deed, but human nature, in most cases, simply wont allow us to drastically change our life styles to aid human kind and the environment. Right now this ethical shopping trend is baby steps, where people are only contributing to being sustainable through means that do not drastically affect them and their comfort zone. Education will take care of the ignorance, so maybe the next time around people will trade in their SUV for a ULEV or better. Speaking of human nature, most people wont change drastically unless there are concrete incentives, such as those great rebates for buying a hybrid.

It would be cool if being an ethical shopper had a 100% positive connotation and perhaps could be turned into a professional society: people educate themselves on the standards for ethical shopping and take an exam to get professionally licensed. What a great incentive that is attainable for the common man: John Dow, ES. [ethical shopper]