Happy Thanksgiving to all our US readers!
I thought that Thanksgiving Day (it’s T-giving Eve as I write, but I’d imagine this will be posted on T-giving Day) calls for a seasonal post.
I came across this neat site — which might come in handy for your holiday shopping — that I thought I’d share:
“The National Green Pages™ is a directory listing nearly 3,000 businesses that have made firm commitments to sustainable, socially just principles, including the support of sweatshop-free labor, organic farms, fair trade, and cruelty-free products.
For every category of conventional consumer goods and services, there are green businesses that can meet your needs. The National Green Pages™ lists baby care products, organic, fair trade, flavored teas, and fuel-efficient cars for rent among the thousands of products.
Green businesses listed in Co-op America’s National Green Pages™ have passed a screening process that qualifies them for membership in our Green Business Network™.”
Wal-Mart: The Green (& Human Rights) Equivalent to the Grinch or Scrooge
If you check it out, Wal-Mart gets a big fat “F” on the retailers scorecard, apparently due to its penchant for using sweatshops that treat their employees like slaves, pay them pitiful wages, and other nasty stuff.
I’m happy to say I’ve never set foot in a Wal-Mart. Yes, I know its prices are really low. But, so are Target’s — and Target gets at least a tad better score, a D+.
Patagonia: The Green Equivalent to Santa in ‘Miracle on 34th Street’
Patagonia is an example of a ”big name” national retailer that’s a member of the Green Business Network.
Cool outdoor gear to keep you and yours active and a top green (and remember “green” here includes human rights) score. What can beat that?
Black Friday
(For our non-US readers, “Black Friday” refers to the day after Thanksgiving. It has long been considered by retailers as the unofficial kick-off to the holiday shopping season.)
Interestingly (to me, at least), the term “Black Friday” has green (well, anti-green) roots.
The term reportedly originated in Philadelphia around 1970. Cab and bus drivers reportedly coined the phrase to describe all the traffic — specifically the black effects (exhaust) of the traffic.
Whether you will be shopping with — what retailers hope will be — the masses or can’t think of anything less enjoyable than doing so, enjoy your Friday if you have the day off from work. A day off from work sure isn’t ”black,” right?
