It was only a little over a month ago that I felt the need to delve deeper into how my clothes were being made--more how the people making my clothes were being treated. I set some goals and made this blog, knowing it would be a way to keep myself accountable. So here is my "check-in".
1. Buy less. "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."- Luke 12:15.
THIS IS HARD. There are so many lies I've tried to use to convince myself to buy things like "I deserve it," "It is on sale, so it doesn't really count," you know the type. These are all things that make us focus on ourselves and less on others. I heard a really good sermon last week talking about how we choose to live for the Lord or feed our earthly desires--the lust of our eyes. (1st John 2). I am amazed at how easily I sometimes want to settle for the lustful things I see with my eyes instead of the love in my heart.
2. Shop local thrift stores.
Here's the truth: the only progress I have made in this area is that I googled the thrift stores around our area. I still have yet to go look inside any. BUT since I am buying less, I haven't really stepped into that many stores in general.
3. Avoid the worst offenders.
Check- but since it's only been a month and a half, that isn't really saying much. Funny story, we had returns to make at Bergner's from before Christmas. I only had the gift receipts ( they were not gifts for us, but gifts we bought for other people and I somehow lost the real receipt). Anyway, after much pleading on my part for them to just give me my money, and their persitent refusal, I threw out, "but I don't want to buy clothes made in sweasthops!", somehow thinking that would solve all of the problems. The lady just stared at me and repeated her rambling about how the computer system wouldn't allow it..I think she was really saying,"Our computer system doesn't care what you think about sweatshops!"
4. Write a letter (or several).
I've sent a few e-mails, I hope they were actually read by the companies and not just deleted.
5. Support Fair Trade.
So many times I still want to justify buying the cheaper item. I did buy a delicious fair trade chocolate bar, and yes, fair trade does taste better ;). I am currently investigating some fair trade coffee options and have only purchased clothing from Zara.
6. Pray.
I've been praying- sometimes pray for safe conditions for these workers, but have mostly found myself praying against the greed of Americans that can feed the need for these kind of conditions. I pray against the injustices brought on these people by those who run the sweatshops--I pray that somehow God will be glorified through the ugliness that exists in sweatshops and human trafficking.
In sum, honestly there's been many days I've been tempted to just forget about it all. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by such a big problem and say "why bother?" It is easy to think, "What good are the little contributions I am making really doing? " But for now, I must continue fighting these urges. Because sometimes little changes can make a big difference. And after all, this isn't about ME. It's about those who don't get a say and don't have a choice and when I step back this kind of "sacrifice" isn't much of anything compared to what they have to endure.
When I come to visit you, perhaps we could go to a consignment shop on saturday. Lets try the "Brown Elephant" at 5404 North Clark Street and "McShane's Exchange Consignment" in Lincoln Park. I would suggest starting with consignment/resale shops if you are not much of a thrift store person. And you must take me to Zara, maybe I can find a birthday present for Tara there!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your honesty and willingness to keep pursuing such things. Have you found a place to buy groceries? That's my biggest thing. Like I know Target and Walmart and the big super stores have sweatshop problems, but then I think "is Jewel and Dominicks the same way and I just don't know about it?"
ReplyDeleteJayme- it is a date :)
ReplyDeleteLauren- According to "Responsible Shopper", Trader Joe's/Whole Foods are the best bet because they offer the most fair trade options. Because Whole Foods is so pricey, we have been shopping at Trader Joe's (plus Justin can't live without their orange chicken;).
Food like coffee and chocolate are just as bad if not worse in terms of labor practices. Other things like shrimp, etc. may even have issues--I would recommend researching any popular brands you typically buy on Responsible Shopper and it will tell you if they have unfair practices.