Wow, the Internet can really lead from one thing to another...
I dressed up just a little today because we took family pictures. I've really been enjoying wearing these dangle earrings that Calvin gave me for Christmas. It got me thinking about another pair that I got for Christmas that I have never worn. I went to look and them and they were Holly Yashi. hollyyashi.com I checked out the website because I've heard a lot of people talk about Holly Yashi and thought she might be local. I'm in love. I really like the jewelry. And I like the company. Everything is made in CA.
I've always liked cheap jewelry. I think it's fun to have a lot of colorful jewelry to choose from to accessorize with. I know you wouldn't know it from the stud earings I wear lately, but I look forward to the time when Brian is out of his grabby stage so I can actually wear dangle earrings and necklaces without worrying about them being ripped off. So anyway, after looking at the website and thinking about it, I decided I would rather invest just a little more (she actually has a lot under $25, so not a lot) and get fun jewelry that come from a source I can feel good about.
So my post was going to be, "No More Made in China Jewelry". But I realized , I really don't KNOW specifically why we should do a Made in China boycott. I know their environmental protection laws are more lax, and that may be enough, of a reason, but I wanted to find out what else is going on.
The more I learned, I realized the more I don't know. (I'm finding this to be a familiar theme!)
The first site I came to was this one; www.boycottmadeinchina.org
Which lead me to realize how clueless I was about what is going on in Tibet. So it looked it up; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibet
Which lead me to realize how clueless I was about the Dalai Lama. And then I remembered that I had heard about him coming to Sonoma County a few months back, which led me to this site; www.newcollege.edu/northbay/baconc_conc_overview.cfm Wow, I want to go there!
But back to my original question, should I boycott items made in China? Well the Dali Lama says yes. But a lot of the stuff I was finding seemed a little dated, and that concerns me. And some of the websites said this is a misguided boycott that will only hurt the people we are trying to help.
I do think that in general it is best to buy as locally as possible whenever possible. But is it always bad to buy from China? I want to do more research. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts- this was a long post so I expect some long comments!!!
5 comments:
Okay, I'll comment but it won't be much. I am still trying to find the right shampoo and organic food to buy and where to get the best deal :) China, the Dalai Lama, and Tibet are too over my head right now. I like to have a solid backing to my opinions so if I don't feel like I know enough, I back off. This is one of those small step moments for me. If I try to take on all that, I'll get overwhelmed. Once I solidify my thoughts on simple things I can go for the big ones! But you'll be the first I talk to because you are already there!
I can't stand when someone sees or hears one thing then is all for that one thing, so I like to gather as much info from all sides then make a decision. And that is a lot of info to gather, so I have to put that idea away 'cause the thought is already making me twitch :)
That jewelry is cool though! I really liked some of those pieces!!!
I had left a post, and then deleted it. As I said in another comment, I am researching more on the subject. I have my feelings on this, and without getting on a soapbox or speaking too much out of turn, I do want to share a quick set of thoughts.
First off, in my personal quest in doing what I can to better the world for Avery, I not only want to leave him with clean water, air and land, and all that is beautiful about Mother Earth, but I also want to leave him a better world in general. I know that all that is not enough, and that all that is not attainable just by my green efforts. It has to happen on a global level. And it has to happen on a social level, and unfortunately, a political level. And with that said, the environment I want to leave to his future and beyond is not just one that is of a visual beauty, but also socially beautiful.
From what I have been reading and hearing (news), China has very poor working conditions for it's labor force (stop and think about why it is all so cheap). It has very lax environmental policies that are rarely, if ever, enforced. A TIME article I read recently was talking about them preparing for the 2008 Olympics and considering shutting down ALL industries from any production for for something like six months to help clear the smog a bit. That is an extreme measure that makes me believe the air there is horrid, not to mention the waterways. And makes me believe that they really haven't been cleaning up their processes.
Also, with so much being made there, there are too many jobs lost here. And what the current administration is doing to increase our debt into the TRILLIONS, America is hugely in debt to China. It's almost backwards and it's becoming very scary.
And it pisses me off that places like Wal-Mart make like they are all American, when they have basically asked their suppliers to get the crap from China so it can be cheap. When they first opened, I could swear they were focused on the "Made in the USA", but not anymore. And don't get me started on how they operate as an employer.
And, yes, I'll admit, I like getting stuff cheap. And I have been a big consumer of all things cheap in the past. I am changing my buying habits and focus. It is very hard to not buy something made in China. But, I have realized that I can do without a lot of what I had been buying, and that which I cannot, well, I try to get away with less of it. It has drastically reduced my impulse and lazy style shopping.
So, even if it's not about a boycott, it can be about saving money, reducing the addition of cheap plastics in the system (and your closets), and making your shopping trips more adventurous! :-)
Like I said, I want to get some info together and post something more solid and coherent. I did a quick search when I first saw this post and most of the reports I am finding are directly tied to China - ie from the Embassy or their govt. Well, I don't trust those to be compeltely honest. I want info from an impartial source, one not influenced by politics. I am just now getting a moment to myself in over a week to even get on here, let alone do much else.
China has been a focus in my shopping lately only because nearly 85-90% of what you can find in any given aisle of nearly any store is made there. That alone made me want to do something. It didn't seem right to me to have hardly an option in where things I buy come from, and moreso, having such a lack of made in USA options. I also am trying to educate myself on the labor and environmental conditions of other manufacturing companies and countries, so I can be consistent and fair in these shopping choices.
Sorry for my rant. So much for no soapbox! I think I understand why my name came up for the political stuff for the group. :-) And I decided to go back to my original "name" since I might start getting political. :-)
I'm with you both as far as wanting and needing to do some in depth research.
Sarah I thought your comment was great and you can tell that this is something you are passionate about and thats awesome! It was pretty inspiring to read what you wrote.
I am sure there are made in the USA versions of most products and if the option is there (and at least semi-affordable) then I'd like to put more effort into finding and buying those products. Even without researching a ton I know that it takes a lot of "petroleum miles" to get those exports here and thats enough of a reason alone to at least try.
So I can't sign up for a full on boycott but I'll do what I can :)
Oh and just to clarify, I am against policies, not people. :-)
The USA is one of the largest contributors to CO2 emmissions globally (cars and otherwise - that paritally being how populated and land size we are), but since it is my country, I want to support it's businesses... and like Sarah said, hopefully cut down on "petroleum miles".
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