Shop for Good Sunday
Today is Shop for Good Sunday. This holiday highlights businesses whose goods and services support values, not just making money and shuffling junk around. The founder Done Good lets you shop by type of product, by values, gift guides, and so on.
If you know what your friends and family value -- whether that's fair trade or sustainability or women-owned businesses -- then you can buy treats they might not ordinarily get because the good, responsible stuff tends to cost more. Pay attention to packaging: some companies just slap on a seal or few and call it good, but others really highlight the values aspect of their goodies with text or illustrations so your recipient will definitely notice it. The same goes for cards or gift wrapping in companies that offer that service.
Here are some other ideas...
* Cooperative means a worker-owned business. They also tend to be local. The most famous is a food coop, but craft ones are also pretty common. Artisans Cooperative offers handmade items. A credit union is basically a cooperative bank. Directories include Let's Go, National Co-op Directory (food), and US Worker.
* Give Back refers to companies that use charitable donations, volunteering, or other methods to return value to their communities or causes.
* Ethical Fashion is a catchall that includes fair trade, organic, and more. Here are some ethical fashion examples. See also ethical yarn.
* Fair Trade protects workers. Examples include International Fairtrade and Fair Trade USA.
* Local varies enormously by range (your town? your county? your state? within X miles?), but consistently refers to small businesses rather than chainstores. They keep more of your money in your community. Look for local businesses. Use Local Harvest to find CSAs, farms, and farmer's markets. Most community-supported agriculture sells next year's shares shortly after harvest ends, which makes December-January the boom time for that, because they need cash in hand before ordering seeds (which is also done around the same time). So if you have a foodie on your gift list, a share can make a great choice. Some CSAs or farms that sell value-added items (e.g. jelly, apple cider) but only keep a store open during the growing season will sell out remaining stock around this time too.
* Organic refers to products (food, clothing, etc.) produced in relatively natural ways. The meaning can vary a lot. Here are some certification organizations for farming and trade.
* Owned & Operated spans a wide range of disadvantaged groups or other themes to highlight their businesses such as family, people of color, or women.
* Pass It On means that the recipient of a benefit is required to share it with others somehow. Among the most famous examples is Heifer International, which distributes livestock with lessons on husbandry, and expects people to pass on some of the offspring to someone else. Some programs that teach skills expect their students to teach someone else too.
* Recycled / Upcycled products take used materials out of the wastestream and either refurbish them (upcycling) or turn them into completely new products (recycling). Browse Recycle More Plastic, Recycled Products Directory USA, and Recycled Products Directory Australia. Explore Ecologic Designs, Upcycle Shops, Upcycling Companies, and Venture Radar. While many of these products are prosaic, some are spectacular -- recycled sari yarn is a luxury that most fibercrafters would love. The actual yarn version is more recycled, the "ribbon yarn" version may be considered upcycling. You'll want eco-friendly wrapping supplies for these.
* Shade Grown applies to nontimber forest products such as coffee, chocolate, and mushrooms that are cultivated in a polyculture under taller plants. This is better for the soil and wildlife. See the Bird Friendly Coffee and Bird Friendly Cocoa seals from Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, other cocoa certifications, and other coffee certifications.
* Sustainable means using renewable resources in a way that protects their functionality over the long term, so for instance, farming that supports healthy soil. Here are some sustainability examples. This one also has a lot of synonyms. Explore Ecolabels and Green Business.
* Union Made applies to products produced by workers within a labor union. Thus it serves similar to Fair Trade in terms of ensuring that people have a safe and well-paying job. Find union-made products and services.
Shop your values at EarthHero, the Guild, Mindful Market, Wholesome Hub, or other directories. Progressive Shopper shows how aligned (or not) with your values a given vendor is while you shop online.
If you know what your friends and family value -- whether that's fair trade or sustainability or women-owned businesses -- then you can buy treats they might not ordinarily get because the good, responsible stuff tends to cost more. Pay attention to packaging: some companies just slap on a seal or few and call it good, but others really highlight the values aspect of their goodies with text or illustrations so your recipient will definitely notice it. The same goes for cards or gift wrapping in companies that offer that service.
Here are some other ideas...
* Cooperative means a worker-owned business. They also tend to be local. The most famous is a food coop, but craft ones are also pretty common. Artisans Cooperative offers handmade items. A credit union is basically a cooperative bank. Directories include Let's Go, National Co-op Directory (food), and US Worker.
* Give Back refers to companies that use charitable donations, volunteering, or other methods to return value to their communities or causes.
* Ethical Fashion is a catchall that includes fair trade, organic, and more. Here are some ethical fashion examples. See also ethical yarn.
* Fair Trade protects workers. Examples include International Fairtrade and Fair Trade USA.
* Local varies enormously by range (your town? your county? your state? within X miles?), but consistently refers to small businesses rather than chainstores. They keep more of your money in your community. Look for local businesses. Use Local Harvest to find CSAs, farms, and farmer's markets. Most community-supported agriculture sells next year's shares shortly after harvest ends, which makes December-January the boom time for that, because they need cash in hand before ordering seeds (which is also done around the same time). So if you have a foodie on your gift list, a share can make a great choice. Some CSAs or farms that sell value-added items (e.g. jelly, apple cider) but only keep a store open during the growing season will sell out remaining stock around this time too.
* Organic refers to products (food, clothing, etc.) produced in relatively natural ways. The meaning can vary a lot. Here are some certification organizations for farming and trade.
* Owned & Operated spans a wide range of disadvantaged groups or other themes to highlight their businesses such as family, people of color, or women.
* Pass It On means that the recipient of a benefit is required to share it with others somehow. Among the most famous examples is Heifer International, which distributes livestock with lessons on husbandry, and expects people to pass on some of the offspring to someone else. Some programs that teach skills expect their students to teach someone else too.
* Recycled / Upcycled products take used materials out of the wastestream and either refurbish them (upcycling) or turn them into completely new products (recycling). Browse Recycle More Plastic, Recycled Products Directory USA, and Recycled Products Directory Australia. Explore Ecologic Designs, Upcycle Shops, Upcycling Companies, and Venture Radar. While many of these products are prosaic, some are spectacular -- recycled sari yarn is a luxury that most fibercrafters would love. The actual yarn version is more recycled, the "ribbon yarn" version may be considered upcycling. You'll want eco-friendly wrapping supplies for these.
* Shade Grown applies to nontimber forest products such as coffee, chocolate, and mushrooms that are cultivated in a polyculture under taller plants. This is better for the soil and wildlife. See the Bird Friendly Coffee and Bird Friendly Cocoa seals from Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, other cocoa certifications, and other coffee certifications.
* Sustainable means using renewable resources in a way that protects their functionality over the long term, so for instance, farming that supports healthy soil. Here are some sustainability examples. This one also has a lot of synonyms. Explore Ecolabels and Green Business.
* Union Made applies to products produced by workers within a labor union. Thus it serves similar to Fair Trade in terms of ensuring that people have a safe and well-paying job. Find union-made products and services.
Shop your values at EarthHero, the Guild, Mindful Market, Wholesome Hub, or other directories. Progressive Shopper shows how aligned (or not) with your values a given vendor is while you shop online.