I spend money every day. You probably do too. Sometimes it’s boring things like rent, mortgage and utilities, or necessary things like grocery bills. But it can also be a random coffee, a new toy my kid doesn’t need or a cute top on clearance.
Right now my social media feed is flooded with people demanding action from the government regarding immigration policy. I’m not going to discuss that here. Because I can’t do anything about that. Yes, I vote and I can write to and call my representatives. But what most of us forget, is that we hold the power to change the world every day, through how we spend our money.
When ever we buy anything, we aren’t just making a purchase for ourselves, we are supporting a company and it’s policies, good or bad. Instead of making mindless purchases by the easiest means necessary, we can influence the future of people around the world with how we spend our money.
The Root Collective is a great example. The shoes this company sells are made by artisans in Guatemala. The fabric is woven by women in a weaving cooperative. Since the company was founded, some of the women of this cooperative have been able to afford to send their children to school for the first time. The shoemakers are mostly former gang members who would be otherwise unemployable.
So when you buy a pair of shoes from The Root Collective, it is literally life changing for the people who make them.
They are not a charity. Because while charity has it’s place, for-profit companies have the power to make long term strides in a way non-profits and NGO’s can’t.
Giving to charity is important, no doubt about it. They provide emergency aid and meet immediate needs. But long term, sustainable economic growth helps creative stable communities and keeps families together. Click To TweetFor that to happen, there have to be jobs that pay living wages. Large markets, like the United States, need to start paying attention to where and how the things we buy are made.
Most people don’t hesitate to donate money to charity but they balk at paying more for a higher quality item even though they know the person who made it was being paid a living wage. For-profit dollars have the power to do something that non-profit dollars do not, create jobs. Building businesses that employ people is needed to do that.
Sure, it’s easier to just order another item on Amazon or run into the nearest Old Navy or Target. We all do that sometimes. It takes effort and intentionality to consider if there is a better source for an item we are going to purchase.
Americans are big on our coffee, the lines at Starbucks can attest to that. If that was the only thing we changed, to buy coffee from fair trade or employee owned companies, especially from countries like Guatemala, and Honduras, you are making a measurable step towards keeping families together and providing a better life for future generations.
Chocolate is another great opportunity to make a better choice. If Americans bought ethically sourced chocolate just for Halloween, it would create a measurable difference in the statistics of buying trends, and certainly be life changing for those employed in the cocoa industry.
Fashion is another crucial area that is so huge I won’t even go into now. Even if you bought one item a year from a sustainable source instead of traditional fast fashion, that would be a place to start. (I now exclusively buy my underwear from PACT.)
It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing prospect. It’s about being deliberate and strategic in how we spend our money. We don’t have to wait for people with bigger platforms or more influence to change the world.
Our everyday purchases have the power to change the world, one dollar at a time. Click To TweetNext week I will talk more about how to start making ethical purchasing choices, and my personal journey with moving towards more intentional buying habits. But I didn’t want to leave you hanging until then. Check out this wonderful list put out by The Art of Simple, to help you use the purchases you make every day to help make the world a better place.
These are wonderful resources, Bethany! And you make great points about how making small choices can make a big difference for other people.
Yes! I think sometimes we don’t take very simple steps because we think they are too small to matter. But we vastly underestimate the power of large numbers of people making small changes.