Trying to follow

I’ll probably be linking to Lisa @ Corporate Babysitter a lot more as I continue to explore the ins and outs of raising my child in this extremely consumeristic world, but until I do, I recommend you check her out for yourself. Here’s a quote to get you started:

Sometimes I wake up in a cold sweat thinking about the corporate dollars spent on new ways to manipulate my children. In a world of mounting personal debt and limited natural resources, is this akin to offering a kid a lollypop to get in the car?

Read Corporate Babysitter

I’m not special. I happen to be just one of the six billion people that live on this planet. Whether your religious or not, the way I see it, we are all part of the human family, one great big, interconnected, multi-generational, inter-cultural, spread out, and fairly dysfunctional family. But, I’m not special, I’m just one more member of the family. It’s only fair that I share equally with the rest of the family, this great big planet that we live on. Above is a picture of my ecological footprint. It’s an improvement from how I was living last year, but still double what I’d like it to be.

I know it’s not right to make laws about things like this, but I don’t see why we as people aren’t a little more shameful of the way that we live? I mean if I took the 4.5 acres that were for my brother and hogged his plus mine, and a little of my sisters land all to myself, just so I could eat as I please and travel as I wanted to. People would scoff at me. Why is it then that nobody will probably ever call me out on my choices regarding this?

(ht: Josh) By the way there is a great conversation in the comment’s section over at Josh’s blog.

How Big is your Eco-Footprint?

Remember Josh, the guy I did the CRM (Corporate Responsibility Mondays) with a little while back? Well, him and his buddy Nick host a pretty popular podcast aimed at the “emerging” crowd. They’ve been on again off again, but always enjoyable, and with lot’s of interviews with “popular” folk. Anyways, Nick is heading to join an intentional community in Geneva called Shema, and is hoping to garner support through the podcast listeners, thus desiring to make the show a regular weekly event. Here’s were I come in.

As long as I can quit mumbling, I might have a chance at a regular monthly gig on the Nick and Josh Podcast, sort of a weekly exclusive were Josh and I will continue our conversations on Corporate Responsibility and discuss ways we are changing our lives to fall more in line with our values.

The first episode (that I’m in) mostly just involved us both chatting a little about what brought us to the point we are currently at and what we’d like to see happen through the podcast in the months to come. I’m not sure what it will end up like, maybe it will one day become the Nick and Josh (and some guy named Ariah) Podcast, but for now I’m happy with the honor of an occasional guest spot.

Enjoy the Show…

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Josh put together this brilliant two minute video about sweatshops from the words of a worker who makes some of the clothes you and I wear.

It’s a difficult balance, receiving the love and kindness friends and family show you through baby showers and gifts, and expressing to them and yourself your values and convictions, and doing your best to keep those values intact.  It’s tough, but we are making an honest effort at it, and as cute as those babyGap outfits might look, here’s three reasons why my child won’t be wearing their clothes.

1. It’s way too expensive.  Did you know a cute little dress and matching hat cost $50 at babyGap?! First of all, baby’s grow a ton in the first year so the $50 dress is going to last about a month at best. Second, there are a lot better uses for $50 then on one outfit for your child. I’d rather buy 20 outfits at the Goodwill and use the rest of the money to provide another girl in the world the opportunity to get an education.
2. Gap continues to abuse Human Rights. Yes, they’ve done a great job marketing their benevolence with the (RED) campaign (Instead, Buy Less Crap, pg-13 link), but they continue to be implicated in sweatshop labor and human rights abuse. I will applaud steps Gap takes to clean up their act, but until I’m confident other children aren’t slaving away making my children’s clothes, they won’t be wearing Gap.
3. Gap does not own me or my children. When I used to be into brand name clothing and I’d wear a shirt with a swoosh or other logo on it my dad would ask, “Are they paying you to wear that around?” I thought it was a stupid question at the time, now I see the light. The level of intense consumerism in this country is disgusting. My kids going to be cute, I guarantee it, and she doesn’t need a name brand outfit to look it. I’m shocked by how many little ones I’ve seen recently waddling around wearing designer clothing and dressed to walk a runway, rather then play in mud and stink up their diapers. I’m scared about what we are doing to the next generation of children. The corporate gods do not own me or my children, and we refuse to lay our credit cards and cash at their alter.