The Story of Stuff, and stuff.
Though it may seem obvious that we as Americans and/or inhabitants of an Americanized world are aware of our growing predisposition to consumerism, Annie Leonard's 'Story of Stuff' is an important and informatively concise 20-minute crash course in conscience consumerism. As someone who has certainly justified unnecessary purchases to compensate for a bad day, I highly recommend viewing this. Leonard initiates an insightful reminder of the environmental and socio-economic backlash to our culture's impulsive and destructive consumerism. While she provides the basics, it's up to us to offset this unhealthy self-indulgence and shift our focus to global awareness and sustainability.
Here are some helpful info-sites I enjoy in my quest for knowledge and conscience consumption:
The Better World Shopper: this $10 book breaks down the impact of companies and exposes the good, the bad, and the ugly behind the scenes.
Orion Magazine: The Gospel of Consumption by Jeffery Kaplan
Insider Guide to Austin: Organic Food, Special Groceries and Sustainable Living
Lauren Bush's FEED 100 bags available at Whole Foods: each purchase of a $29.99 FEED 100 reusable shopping bag will help provide 100 nutritious meals to children in Rwanda.
Toms Shoes: for each pair you purchase, a child in need will also receive a pair.
Goods For Good: helps get excess goods from the United States to children in need.
time to get all warm and fuzzy
It's time to dream up gift ideas, write those cards, and drink your way through uncomfortable reunions and holiday work parties. Thank God it comes only once a year. But in all fairness the holidays are a good reminder to think of others, the world around us, and strive to make small steps in the right direction.
Charlie Brown Christmas
Scrooged
Here are a couple sites I've come across where you can easily help others without spending a dime or leaving your chair. What a wonderful contradiction of being slothful AND outgoing. I'm actually kind of addicted to the Free Rice vocabulary challenge.
Free Rice - For each word you define correctly, 20 grains of rice are donated to help end world hunger.
The Hunger Site, etc. - Each tab on the site has an equally important cause and allows you to prompt a donation to the cause simply by clicking on the site. You can also buy holiday gifts through this site.
I also find a lot of great gift ideas at Ten Thousand Villages, which also practices fair trade.
Holiday Favorites:
Beck - Little Drum Machine Boy
Charlie Brown Christmas - Linus & Lucy
Joni Mitchell - River
James Brown - Funky Christmas
The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping
I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. ~Charles Dickens
