Why Conscious Consumerism?

I used to be the queen of great bargains. Sales were my friend. Give me the rock bottom price, sister. A pair of pants for ten bucks? I am a friggin’ genius shopper! All good until about six years ago when I happened on a story about children as young as six years old being sold into forced labor to make soccer balls and weave carpets. All of the goodies were shipped and consumed by us bargain-shopping westerners. That’s when I had an epiphany. That’s when malls died a sudden horrible death for me and my life changed forever.

The truth is far worse than most of us realize. Beyond the extremes of child slavery, indentured labor, forced labor— whose numbers by the way are estimated to be in the millions— there are just plain sweatshops and rock bottom wage shops. Wages so low that surely the intention must be to keep the workers merely surviving but never, ever thriving. So when large corporations from the west move their factories overseas, do you think its because they are trying to merely be international and multi-cultural? No. It’s because they can get away with unspeakable labor conditions and destructive environmental practices in those countries that they would never be able to get away with in their own backyards.

You may be asking yourself ‘what’s that got to do with me?’ or ‘better them than us, right?’ The truth is we are all interconnected. When a country goes up in flames because its people are starving, its lands are depleted, its citizens are hopeless—we feel the impact here. In our backyards. Hopelessness begets violence. Violence begets more hopelessness, and it almost always spreads. It builds resentment, a world of fear, anger, frustration. A world that eventually turn its eyes on us. On you.

So the next time you wander into a store that is selling ten dollar tee shirts or ten dollar pants and think you have just struck gold— think again. What you have in front of you is a choice. A choice to use your money to applaud and reward companies that are lining their pockets while stripping the earth and degrading lives. Or a choice to use your money as a conscious consumer and reward those companies that balance profit with decency. The real great deal here, is let your money work toward a world that works for everyone.

For more information visit these sites:

Fair Trade Federation, Co-op America, Oxfam,

Kathryn Haydn-Hays
http://affirm-aware.org

Voices of Kidnapping

After lots of trial and tribulation, two kidnap victims were released today from Colombia, into the hands of Venezuela. The human toll of kidnapping and the struggle for freedom is far worse than most people realize:

Did you know that an estimated one in three of the world’s abductions occur in Colombia, making it the kidnapping capital of the world? Leftist Guerrillas, who control most of the countryside, have reportedly kidnapped nearly 10,000 people since 1990. The kidnappings have forced highway shutdowns⎯isolating and decimating entire regions⎯and ripped apart countless families. Today, approximately 4200 people are still being held hostage in Colombia, most are journalists, foreign visitors, and political enemies.

One program has become a lifeline to these captives–The Voices of Kidnapping radio program is the only way for thousands of families to communicate with their loved ones and over the program’s three hour broadcast, around 250 callers from around the world call in and voice messages of comfort and hope.

“Over the years, the program has become a brutal record of people’s lives,” says Herbin Hoyos, the creator and host of Voices of Kidnapping. He himself was abducted by the leftwing guerrilla group the” Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc)” 13 years ago. While captive, he witnessed time and time again people tied and bound to trees clinging to radios trying to stay connected with the outside world. “You only truly value your own liberty when it’s suddenly snatched away from you,” he says.

Kidnap victims do listen to the program. Framed letters of gratitude sent by released hostages, once avid listeners of the show, hang on the studio walls. And the radio program saves lives. “Released hostages have told me that listening to the show was the only thing that stood between them and suicide. It gave them the strength to carry on living,” says Mr Hoyos.

Although the two hostages were recently freed, countless others remain among the “vanished”.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

To leave a written message for the hostages, go to Voices of Kidnapping. Choose the name, then enter De (from), Asunto (Subject) and Mensaje (Message) and click on Enviar el mensaje (Send the message).

Visit this website for more ways to help: www.marc-gonsalves.com

Here’s to a a free world! Human rights issues are YOUR rights issues.

Affirm-Aware.org donates to NGO’s working to do good in the world and our profits fund our social philanthropic endeavors.

Kathryn

http://affirm-aware.org

Nominate a businesswoman for a gift

This is your chance to nominate a businesswoman for a free gift — a businesswoman who goes above and beyond the bottom line and courageously finds ways to make a social or environmental difference as well. Over the past few months I’ve run into a number of enterprising women who are dedicated to helping make this world a better place. Either because they have committed themselves to tackling environmental issues, or they are working toward social reform or they are simply running an ordinary business in the most extra-ordinary ways. Some of these have become my personal heroes… or heroines as the case might be. Undaunted, they stick to their principles during a time when principles seem to be in short supply and they make decisions not only by focusing on the mighty buck, but by also keeping their eye on a bigger and more selfless picture.

I’ve run into women who as business owners have taken financial hits simply because they have decided to forego doing business with companies which are not doing right by their employees. I’ve met women who have completely re-done their business model by going strictly organic, or carbon-neutral or sweatshop free. I’ve talked with women who work with the poor, the unemployed, the abused and lend them not only a voice, but teach them useable trades. These women are more than just business owners with a heart, they are on a mission. And they are changing the world…one giant leap at a time.

We all know these women, now is your chance to give them a boost, a gift, a helping hand. Each week until the end of the year, we at Affirm-Aware will pick one businesswoman from your votes and send her an affirmation shirt. The affirmation shirt can help remind her of her goals, dreams, inspirations and aspirations. They can surround her with positive energy and let her know she has friends who care. So send us her name, tell us a bit about her and why you are nominating her and which affirmation she needs the most: prosperity, love, peace, unity or faith. We’ll do the rest. This is our small way of helping make the world a little bit better.—And starting in January, we’ll start sending gifts to a few courageous businessmen too!

Peace!
Kathryn
http://affirm-aware.org