Allright, allright I have a confession that is really no confession at all. I have stated a thousand and six times right here on this blog that I am wanna be anti-consumer with a shopping addiction.
I jump on all of the socially conscious purchasing band wagons. I was a vegetarian for 7 years before I went back to the big mac (an exaggeration, at least, I have never had a big mac).
I went at least 5 years without stepping into a Walmart, and now I go there at least once a month.
I am knee deep into this boycotting made in China project now, and I am a sucker for things sold with an environmentally friendly selling point.
In short, I am the "green" marketers wet dream when I am at my most vulnerable.
Like today, I went to Walmart for ONE thing- stuffing for the crocheted toys I make my friends when they are having babies. I came out with over $50 worth of groceries and odds and ends.
My bounty included a $5.00 made in Ecuador organic cotton tee shirt. I am not an idiot when it comes to these things. I fully understand that purchasing any new-in-store tee shirt that comes from a land as far away as Ecuador cannot be considered an earth friendly act, no matter how large the word organic is printed on the inside label.
But the shirt was cute. The one I picked out had rainbows and shamrocks on it, and somehow the words "organic cotton" did make it seem more okay to buy it. In short, the green marketing strategies have worked on me. But not too much though, its not like I bought three organic cotton tee shirts. jeez. And, I did skip the three times as expensive grape purchase today that said "these grapes were grown with respect for the earth", no further information included. So I am not a total sucka.
But, is there any intrinsic value in large corporations like Walmart stepping into the green parade? Is there anything valuable about an organic cotton tee shirt sold at Walmart? Is making the word organic part of household vernacular important at all? Isn't Walmart now the biggest distributor of incandescent light bulbs? It seems like pushing Walmart towards sustainability is a good thing in the grand scheme. I know I'll never convince some people I know to shop for their kids at Goodwill, but they would shop at Walmart.
OR is the only way to really make an impact to push Local and Reused first, and only followed by organic and sustainable?
What if I could score an organic tee that was made in Illinois at the local thrift store? Wouldn't that be something? I'll keep my eyes out.
oh- and p.s.- for those following my mile project- 10 minutes and 58 seconds this morning.
1 comment:
Walmart sucks, but sometimes gets it right. They still have a cheap Dickies section which kicks ass and I love their $19 Levis. Damn, it's so hard to stay away from, yet so evil. Kind of like indulging in that plastic processed cheese which melts like no other on grilled cheese sandwiches, ya know?
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