How often do we stop and think about the impact that our purchases make on our lives, our bodies, our minds, our economy, our political positions, our planet, our friends, our environment... everything?
Being that this is a pet based group I'll comment relating to pet products first...
In light of the recent pet food recalls, consider this:
Purina dog chow has a plant right here in Colorado... yup... made right here in the U.S.A and even in our home town. Yup!!! On your way to the airport you drive right by it on I-70, can't miss it... especially that wonderful smell of.... ugh... hang on... I just threw up in my mouth a little thinking about it...
So we, as consumers, might feel like we're making a smart choice by buying Purina just because it's made in the U.S. But do we ever consider what that means?
Did you know that New Zealand and Argentinean meat products are far superior to American meat products when it comes to cleanliness, health and humaneness? In America, “free range” often means that a large number of Cattle (for example) are kept in a pen that is an acre or (if they're lucky) more that is so crowded that all the grass is trampled down and covered in dung. There is no natural food so all the animals are fed products given to them by humans. Hay's and other feed products, purchased out of a store that sold it in a bag, that came from some other place... maybe in the US, maybe in China... who knows. Do you ever think to ask how the animals that are put into your pets’ foods were fed? What if all they ever got was expired gummy worms? (I’ve seen that on Animal Planet). How can that be healthy for your pet?
No matter where their feed products came from, it had to be grown, cut, processed, treated with preservatives, bagged, shipped, stored, purchased, stored again, purchased again, stored again and then fed... not exactly as fresh as grass.
In countries such as New Zealand the animals are actually "free range", meaning they are fewer and further between (therefore being treated more naturally and humanely) on lush fields of REAL LIVE GREEN GRASS, eating naturally, living naturally, etc. Grass fed cattle meat actually has 400 times more Conjugated Linoleic Acid then grain fed cattle. And CLA has been shown in lab studies to reverse and prevent obesity and cancer... now tell me American meat is the only way to go.... come on.... yeah, didn't think so.
I'm not saying that we should trust everything that comes from other countries... nor am I saying that we should not trust things from other countries. I'm simply making a point. The recent pet food recalls have encouraged everyone to refuse to purchase ANYTHING made in China... but did you know that when it comes to large industries production of carbon emissions that China's standards are actually stricter than America's, making them more environmentally conscious than most American facilities?
If you care about the products that you're purchasing, whether they are for yourself or for your pet, do research on THAT product and THAT Company before you make a purchase. Don't just assume that because it says "Made in the U.S.A." on the label that it's safe. Did you know that many rawhides are from South America and it says "Made in America" on the label because the LABEL was made in America? This is not restricted to pet products.
Be conscious. Take time to research and ask questions. Make a difference.
The only way that anything is ever going to change is if each and every one of us ups our standards of what is acceptable. If we verbalize what we do and don't like, but act according to what is convenient and not what we believe then things will keep going exactly how they always have.
Large corporations will continue to profit by taking advantage of lower class people and creating cheaper products that are less durable, costing us more money, more resources, more work, more effort and more junk in our landfills. And they'll continue to benefit from their moral UNconscious because we keep giving them our money. We cry and complain that we don't like their ways, we don’t like that they are rich and we are struggling to even eat and feed our families but our ACTIONS promote their industries. We chose to contribute our money to them because we fail to make the effort to find alternatives… we think they are our only options… they are not.
Next time you purchase your shampoo, take a look at the ingredients. What in the world do all of those long names mean? Don't know? ... Look online. What is Propylene Glycol? What? It can promote kidney failure? Really? I don't want that in my shampoo and my toothpaste and my lotion and everything else I use. Ask the company to stop using it or switch to another brand.
Next time you purchase sweat pants look at the label. Where was it made? Thailand? Call the company and ask what their manufacturing facility is like and if they can prove that they are using WELL paid workers and not slave labor.
Next time you purchase one of those really cute jackets with the "fake" fur (cuz we don't want to promote the fur trade industry), check the label. Where is it made? China? Did you know that the labeling for DOG AND CAT fur can be different than that of mink or other fur... they’re not stupid. American's no longer want to wear the cute animals that have been exploited for the use of their pelts in the past and they've demanded that those animals be listed on the labels so they can make a choice... well, the fur trade industry has wizened up to that. Dog and cat fur (that are often skinned while they're still alive) is not labeled as such. If you call the company and question where their fur is from than at least you'll be making a statement that you care and are not willing to compromise your standards for convenience.
You'll be making a contribution to changing the world. Changing the standards that we always think the rich corporations make for us.
You know why rich corporations are rich? Because we spend our money on them because we think they're convenient and we’re too lazy to find out otherwise. Wal-Mart, for example... we hate the way they treat their employee's, and use child sweat shops, and sell poisonous pet foods, but we shop there anyway.
We think these companies are in charge and we complain about us getting poorer and them getting richer.
Complaining doesn't change anything. Action does.
Asking them to change their ways while continuing to purchase their products until they make that change (because we just know they will... yeah right) won't make them change.
Not sticking to our own standards won't make a change.
Us spending less money is not what will make us richer. Getting a lot of discounts won't make us richer. Raising our standards so that everyone is really equal and is treated as such will make us richer.
If we demand that people be paid what they are worth then the corporations must trade quality and quantity equally... and those people that did the work (which are usually people like me and you) make more money, what they're worth, and they can go out and spend that money on things that will contribute to the well being of another person just like them.
We, as the struggling working class (and as well all know, even the rich are feeling poor right now with the way prices are raising on everything that puts money into the pockets of the REALLY rich, like gas), keep making our own problem worse.
We, as the struggling working class, purchase the cheapest things we can find because we think that's what we can afford. Those things are cheap because they were made by people that were paid .11 cents per day to make them, or were made by machines... that put struggling people like ourselves out of work... contributing to our problem.
We, as the struggling working class, eat the cheapest food we can find because we think that's what we can afford. That food is made in factories with the lowest standards, the cheapest ingredients made by the cheapest bidder, that is in cahoots with the richest pharmaceutical company that will profit off the people that are getting sick from the malnutrition they develop from eating the cheap food.... contributing to our problem.
See the cycle?
How can purchasing more expensive things solve the problem of us being poor?
Expensive is not the cure... CONSCIOUS is the cure.
Morally conscious, privately owned, ecologically friendly companies don’t just make expensive products.
Be conscious about the things you buy and where you buy them from.
Instead of purchasing a cheap dog bed made with cheap fabrics (in a machine based facility with no paid workers so all the profits go in the executives pockets and not into the products or into the pockets of people like you and me that need to feed their families) that will go in a landfill in a couple months, rather, purchase a bed that is hand crafted by a man in Seattle that is using fleece pieces from companies that would be throwing them in landfills. Not only are you contributing to a single person that is good at ONE thing, and not a corporation that generalizes in making a lot of cheap products that cost a lot, but you are contributing to the environment by actively promoting that persons effort to keep fleece out of landfills. AND, added bonus, you could spend $20 on a bed at Costco that you toss in the trash in 6 months when the seams fall apart and the stuffing all separates, or you could spend $90 on a bed by Big Shrimpy and only need a new cover for it in 5 years, and MAYBE, just maybe have to throw it away in 10 years.... which is better? I'd rather front $90 up front then nickel and dime myself through $400 of trash beds.
Again, this is not limited to pet products... this is you. This is your life. This is your planet. These are your decisions. YOU and your actions (Yes, yours... you do make a difference) are what create the environment around you... physically, emotionally, financially, and politically... you are contributing to this world and how it is run with every decision you make, ESPECIALLY through your purchases.
Be conscious.
To learn more about morally conscious companies, earth friendly products and more call 303-972-1926 or go to www.herospets.com
The website is a work in progress and will eventually have much more than it does now but there is some good information and some good links on it now to help educate you more about the differences you can make.
You can purchase off the website, you can email questions and you can especially contribute by posting topics here.
Thanks.

Our Freedom Of Choice Is Rapidly Disappearing!

The American consumer today is faced with a major challenge.

Even if a shopper wants to buy American products manufactured in the U.S., in many instances this is simply not possible because many of these "American" brands are just no longer made here.

This is taking away our freedom of choice in making consumer purchases. This article discusses this in more detail:

Click the Pic.!



The Choice Should Be Yours