(posted by Katie for the lovely Sarah, whose adventures changing the world sometimes don’t include reliable internet access)
a while back our dear katie and wonderful millie put up lists of stores for the ‘yay’ and ‘nay’ piles, based on sustainability, worker treatment, environmental care, and other important matters to necessary consider when making a ‘good’ choice. reading their posts, i was taken back to the first time i saw this video:
watching this, its pretty clear what the message is, and that message will most likely make you uncomfortable (or like me, just break your heart). its hard, very hard, to access the right products and companies sometimes, especially if you find yourself living in a small city in a majority nation, where the notion of ‘ethical’ or even ‘environmental’ has yet to rise to the social surface. sometimes, places in the world are {rightfully} just trying to build their nation up and in that time unfortunate priorities are made.
but small changes, public dialogue, and commitment to pushing for what is unarguably morally right, can and will eventually help shift the way we view our consumption, our trade, and at the very core of it, one another. what a beautiful sign of humanity, to say that we we respect one another too much to make a sister endure long hours, toxic working conditions, and meager wages, just for the sake of having something pretty to wear out dancing.
now, i am no better than anyone else. i know that i am as much of the problem than any other shopper on queen st, and i am by no means pointing fingers or trying to shame anyone. even now i am currently writing this sitting in a dress from h & m. but i am conscious of the fact that i need to change, and i hope that over the next few years my personal choices will be ones that help nourish the world….. and having friends and blogs there to help steer you in the right direction is a fabulous first step 
it’s hard to pick your battles because, lets face it, it’s a sad minefield out there. it would be easy to say “you cant focus on it all,” but i challenge that. you may not be able to focus all you’ve got on every issue, but you are more than capable of making a few choices each day that can add to one amazing good vibration wave, causing real change even where you don’t expect it.
i encourage you to share this video (on your own blog perhaps?) and view the other videos in the EXIT project on exploitation at: http://www.mtvexit.org/video.php?lang=1&vdo_cat=2
lets keep the discussion of ‘yay’ and ‘nay’ piles going. share any tips, ideas, news, information, etc. that you have……..blogs are another great tool adding to this wave, so we might as well use it
all the sunshine rays and happy thoughts to you!
s*
