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great minds think alike: blogs of note

unplug

unplug magazine asks you to unplug from your current modes of thought and look at life in a new way, whether this means unplugging from our toxic consumer culture, mainstream society, the tv, or a limiting mindset. author megan prusynski explores life's alternatives and discusses activism, progressive thinking, and moving towards a "green" & sustainable life.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Green Living Goes Mainstream

It's definitely been a while since I've posted, sorry about that! Summer has been busy with trips, moving into a new house, and plenty of projects. Sorry for the long absence, and hopefully they'll be less frequent.

Even without watching TV or living in a major city, I have noticed a lot more companies advertising that they're "going green," a lot more blogs and movements dedicated to covering green issues, and in general a lot of chatter about sustainability. Maybe it's just the high gas prices or the latest trend, but green living has definitely gone mainstream. I'm just trying to decide whether this is a good thing.

Increased visibility for any good cause is definitely a positive thing. I'm glad to see so much discussion on green topics. But with celebrities and corporations jumping on the bandwagon, I have a hard time believing they're all sincere. I also have my doubts whether some of them know what they're talking about. In a time when greenwashing is prevalent, it helps to be a conscious and aware consumer.

How do you make truly green choices when there are so many phonies out there? Do your homework, know which issues are most important to you, get information from organizations focusing on those issues, and vote with your dollars whenever you have to make purchases. Better yet, if you truly want to live green you'll not only examine the companies you're buying from, but whether you really need to buy something at all. Consumerism has us believe that we need to buy something brand new when a used, homemade, or borrowed item could work just as well. Always be on the look out for the simplest solution, because simple living equals green living, and accumulating more stuff only leads to more pollution and waste.

I hope that going green and living sustainably is more than just a fad. We've only just begun to scratch the surface of what sustainability is all about, so it's something we're going to have to study and work towards for a long time to come. What we truly need is a paradigm shift and a new way of looking at the world and living in it. It seems that Hollywood's version of "going green," with all the glamour and none of the tough questions and realizations, isn't going to get us very far. I'm still glad it exists, but now it's time to push it farther. Green consciousness is rising in our culture, which is a beautiful thing, but we've got to awaken faster if we're going to act in time.

The true green revolution will require more than just individuals living green, it will require green ways of doing business, governing, producing energy, and feeding and sustaining an overpopulated planet. None of this is possible without a new perspective and a mindshift, which can only happen one mind at a time. Albert Einstein was right: "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it." If we're really going to change the world, the revolution starts within each of us.

Labels: activism, corpo-consumerism, environment/sustainability, lifestyle

Thursday, May 22, 2008

The Story of Stuff

In our consumer culture, stuff happens. It's hard to help it, but we buy, use, and throw away a lot of stuff. Mountains of stuff. And it's not just out of sight, out of mind - this stuff has to go somewhere, whether it's the ocean or the landfill. Even when trying to live as consciously as possible, it's hard to avoid stuff.

Today it seems we are defined not by what we do, or what we say, but by what we own. Our stuff. We accumulate and show off our stuff, play with it, lose it, break it, replace it. What did we ever do without it? Without a doubt, we are a materialist culture. We've become more consumers than citizens (much to the delight of the companies selling us all this stuff). This is just incredibly sad.

Since it's no fun to focus on the sad state of affairs that is society today, I turn your attention to The Story of Stuff. It's an informative, illustrated, and even entertaining look at stuff. Where it comes from, how it's produced, what it's made of, and where it goes after we're done with it. It shows quite nicely why our consumption based system just doesn't work in a world of finite resources. The site is made by the fine folks at Free Range Studios, a design/multimedia company fighting the good fight wile becoming mildly famous for Flash animated movies likeThe Meatrix and Store Wars. It's an eye-opening and empowering video, so make sure you watch the whole thing (it's only 20 minutes).

After watching The Story of Stuff, you'll probably be inspired to think a lot more about the things you buy, make, and throw away. You may want to start buying locally made products, boycotting big box stores, and re-using/recycling/composting every piece of waste that you can. Great, do it! The thought of a strip mall may make you ill once you learn about all the hidden, true costs of all the products that fill it. If not, watch it again. And then share it. Because we all use stuff, so we might as well know where it came from.

Consumerism and our own consumption are at the core of a lot of the problems we're faced with today: overpopulation, pollution, habitat destruction, worker exploitation, global warming, etc. We seriously need to get our consumption habits in check. Watching The Story of Stuff is a good way to start. There is more information on "another way" of doing things on the web site as well.

Labels: activism, corpo-consumerism, environment/sustainability, lifestyle

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

'Tis the Season

As the holiday season approaches, it's obvious the corporate consumerist machine is hard at work distilling desire in young and old alike. Christmas decorations and ads begin popping up before Halloween has passed, and each year they seem to come earlier and earlier. Their message: buy, buy, buy. As a result, many Americans end up deeper and deeper in debt, especially this time of year.

This is why time of year gives me a headache. Christmas means a lot to my family, and my mom always asks for a wish list, which I reluctantly put together although each year I feel more and more like the last thing I need is more stuff. Gift giving is part of our family tradition, and I do think gifts during the holidays are a great way to show friends and family how much you love and appreciate them. So it's always a dilemma at holiday time: to buy (supporting a system I don't agree with) or not to buy (possibly making myself look like scrooge).

Luckily, there are alternatives to buying into the corporate consumer holiday game. Instead of buying gifts from big box stores or corporations that get rich at the expense of people and the environment, the discerning holiday shopper can buy gifts from locally owned stores, local artisans, shops that focus on sustainability, or co-ops carrying fair trade and organic products. There are more and more choices for conscious consumers every day.

Other options include homemade gifts (although these take some time and preparation), home baked organic goodies, or "coupons" for services you can give to loved ones (such as a massage or yard work). I have given my homemade hemp soap, massage oil, or gemstone jewelry as gifts on several occasions, and food is always a good choice for someone that seems to have everything. I have also donated money to non-profit organizations in my gift recipient's name, a gift that can be very meaningful especially if the cause is something they are passionate about.

As "Black Friday" approaches and millions of people flock to the malls and the big box stores, I hope to stay at home and think up alternative gift ideas for everyone on my list. Black Friday has come to mean "Buy Nothing Day" (one of my favorite Adbusters campaigns) to me. It's certainly a perfect day to boycott consumerism. I hope you can resist the sales this Friday and start creating a more meaningful and less wasteful holiday season for you and yours.

On a related note, I must recommend a very delicious and completely cruelty-free centerpiece to your Thansgiving meal: TOFURKY! It has been my holiday staple for several years, and is entirely vegan despite its very convincing turkey taste. Give the turkeys something to be thankful for this year and try leaving them off your plate. (A hint from my kitchen: Tofurky is very easy to make if you follow the directions, but I recommend basting liberally and often with olive oil, soy sauce, and herbs for a juicy, delicious Tofurky even your meat-eating relatives will enjoy).

Labels: corpo-consumerism, environment/sustainability, lifestyle

Friday, December 08, 2006

Consumerism Season and a few links

Adbusters Buy Nothing Christmas The holiday madness has begun: advertising is pumped out, the malls are crowded, and people are maxing out their credit cards left & right. It's the season of spending, shopping, and generally going overboard while corporations rake in the profits. Meanwhile, there are people at organizations like Adbusters that are calling for the opposite, a Buy Nothing Christmas involving simply opting out of consumer culture and creating a new meaning for the holidays. Their efforts begin on Black Friday, dubbed "Buy Nothing Day" - a stark contrast to the busiest shopping day of the year.

I've been trying to simplify the holidays a bit the last few years, and I often give gifts of charity donations or home-made goodies. But consumerism can be hard to avoid, especially in my family. So I'm trying to make my gift dollars count by shopping locally and supporting activist organizations and sustainable companies. I've already put in an order on the PETA Catalog (there are great gifts for pets, vegetarians, animal lovers, and you can sponsor an animal in need in someone's name for a truly meaningful gift). I also came across a post on Sustainable Shopping on the blog of a fellow designer. Check out some of her very useful insights on sustainable living at SmallFailures.com.

Money is power, and how we spend our money, especially in the commercially-driven holiday season, sends a message. I advocate putting your money where your mouth is and supporting causes, organizations, and companies you believe in as you shop for holiday gifts. Other ideas include starting new holiday traditions that are less wasteful or commercial, like a recycled gift exchange or volunteering at a soup kitchen with the family on Christmas Eve. You can make homemade gifts (I'm making herbal soaps & oils, necklaces, and vegan holiday treats this year). Let's put more meaning into the season and a little less padding in the pockets of the greedy & already fortunate. Gifts of spirit, thoughtfulness, and compassion mean a lot more than any material or manufactured gift!

Just a little food for thought during the holiday season...

Labels: corpo-consumerism, environment/sustainability, lifestyle

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

What's worse than a Hummer? McDonalds selling toy Hummers to kids.

Ya know, I'm not a fan of huge corporations. I'm not saying they are all bad, but really the entire idea of a company that large is set up for failure and corruption. Corporations have the rights of people but about a million times the resources at their disposal. That's scary stuff. Things get particularly complicated when corporations combine forces, whether for a simple marketing gimmick or a huge lobbying campaign.

Two particularly nasty corporations are McDonald's (makers of cheap, overly-processed, factory-farmed garbage that is helping fuel our lovely obesity epidemic) and General Motors (makers of really heavy, gas guzzling SUVs including the behemoth HUMMER). Guess what McDonald's is enticing kids with in their Happy Meals? Toy HUMMERs.

Well, regardless of your thoughts on this, why not have a little fun while telling McDonald's & GM just what you think of them on RonaldMcHummer.com. You can learn about why HUMMERS are less than savory for the environment and kids themselves and create your own McDonald's sign and send it to Mc-D's. I went for the long-winded but passionate approach for the first picture. It's not likely that I will ever set foot in McDonald's again (if I'm lucky) so they're not really losing any business from me... but promoting gas-guzzling cars as "cool" and "fun" to impressionable youngsters while filling them full of chemical-laden, cruelly-produced processed crap is just about as low as it gets. So I had to say something. Come on! Do it for the kids!

My second attempt at a sign is a philosophy I've developed over the years by observing men that drive huge SUVs simply because they are cool or make them look macho (i.e. people that definitely don't need that gas-guzzler): they seem to be compensating for something. As I always say, the bigger the truck, the smaller the dick. Hehehe.

Be sure to check out the other signs that people have created and vote for your favorites. I think my fave is "Would You Like a War With That?" Other classics include "Destroying the Planet, One Burger at a Time" and "Supersize Your Ecological Footprint Today!" Making fun of corporations sure is fun, and as I have found out in recent years, boycotting companies you don't agree with is quite satisfying as well.

Labels: activism, art/culture, corpo-consumerism, environment/sustainability

Monday, June 05, 2006

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price

I watched a very enlightening (and unsettling) documentary last night, WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price. In the movie, many Wal-Mart employees, customers, factory workers, and ex-executives were interviewed. The effects of the big box store moving in on small town America are disasterous: the closing of small family-owned businesses, urban sprawl, inhumane sweatshops, and workers on welfare who can't afford health insurance... Wal-Mart plays a large role in the wreaking of communities, pollution, and proliferation of poverty that seem to run rampant in corporate America today. I highly recommend renting this video, it's a great inside look at what one company can do to communities all over the world.

There were some interesting facts in this film as well:

In 2004, a study released the UC Berkeley Labor Center found that "reliance by Wal-Mart workers on public assistance programs in California comes at a cost to taxpayers of an estimated $86 million annually; this is comprised of $32 million in health related expenses and $54 million in other assistance."

Wal-Mart Costs Taxpayers $1,557,000,000,00 to Support its Employees

Wal-Mart considers full-time 34 hours a week. The 34-hour per week full-time definition still is not the 40-hour definition employed by most businesses in America. Also, at Wal-Mart's stated average hourly wage of $9.68 per hour (source: WalmartFacts.com), a 34-hour week results in an annual wage of only $17,114—STILL below the poverty line for a family of four.

Wal-Mart currently faces lawsuits in thirty-one different States for wage and hour abuses potentially involving hundreds of thousand workers.

Federal Poverty Level Family of Four - $17,650
Average Wal-Mart Hourly Sales Employee Wages - $13,861

Wal-Mart gets huge subsidies to open doors from local governments: WAL-MART SUBSIDY NATIONWIDE: $1.008 BILLION

...Yeah, depressing, huh. Good thing I don't support those pricks. In a small town it's hard to avoid the Wal-Mart, but I've managed to steer clear of them for quite some time. This movie really hit home for me because Moscow recently stopped a Super Wal-Mart from being built on the East edge of town. Granted, we already have a regular Wal-Mart on the West end of town (in a tiny college town of just over 20,000!), and one was approved to be built 8 miles away in neighboring Pullman, Washington. But it's a small victory in a long and hard-fought battle against the evil giant. Now, if we could only get them to close up shop permanently...

Join me in Boycotting Wal-Mart, and for more information, check out Wal-Mart Watch or the movie's site, The High Cost of Low Price.

Labels: art/culture, corpo-consumerism