Progressive Democrat Issue 98: HOLIDAY SHOPPING FOR LIBERALS

Tis the season to consume...so here are some suggestions for places to buy your gifts that can combine quality products with social consciousness. I should also note that most of these places cut costs by relying on word of mouth. So please, spead the word!

Alonovo.com:

Founded by a reader in California, Alonovo.com lets you shop based on your ideals. You personalize your shopping. Their mission statement:

When you are about to purchase a TV, shoes, socks or an IPOD you can not only consider the price and the quality of the product, but can easily see what kind of behavior we are "buying into".

Our alonovo.com mission is to connect the concept of corporate behavior directly to the profit motive. When a corporation is evolving to balance people, planet and profit -everyone wins.

We are working to inform society in a very simple, visually appealing manner with regard to corporate behavior at their point of online purchase. And the reason is every time we make a purchase we are transferring power to a business. Is this power going to support ...

* Fair Labor or Sweatshops?
* Emission Reduction or Pollution?
* Recycling or Toxic Waste?
* Resource Conservation or Plunder the Earth?
* Political Neutrality or Undermine Democracy?
* Partner with Local Community or Destroy the Local Community Economy?

So by offering products from one of the leaders in the online shopping world (Amazon.com), trusted data from independent well-respected sources like KLD Research & Analytics, Inc., Social Accountability International and others, we provide a free experience that will gradually connect how a company behaves with their profit. And this is the importance of a large and growing alonovo.com community. If we are just a small group of people, we won't have much of an impact. However if you tell everyone you know about this service (and they tell everyone they know, and so on) we can be a large force that can make a tremendous impact in terms of how corporations conduct themselves.

When you purchase using alonovo.com, you are doing your part to send a clear message to businesses—we want blue skies, clean water, a fair and growing economy, intelligent use of our natural resources, safe and humane workplaces and sensible partnerships with local communities.

Beyond helping to shape social, environmental and political practices of businesses, you are also directly helping non-profit organizations that need funding for their critical work. We, the alonovo.com community contribute between 20% and 40% of our revenue (based upon your purchases through alonovo.com) to your cause of choice.

CLICK HERE to start shopping at Alonovo.com


NO SWEAT APPAREL:

All union made clothing, shoes and such from around the world. Rosie the Riviter t-shirts, kids clothes, footwear, you name it. Their mission statement:

produced by independent trade union members in the US, Canada, and the developing world. We believe that the only viable response to globalization is a global labor movement.

No Sweat defines the market for goods that support independent trade unions - the only historically proven solution to sweatshops. We market direct to consumers, relying primarily on internet sales for distribution. We provide a competitive product to you and a living wage to our workers.

To browse their store, click here:




SERRV:

A leader in fair trade...and very good products. We have often bought their products and always like them.

Their mission statement:

SERRV International, a nonprofit alternative trade and development organization. Our mission is to promote the social and economic progress of people in developing regions of the world by marketing their products in a just and direct manner.

Our goal is to alleviate poverty and empower low-income people through trade, training and other forms of capacity building as they work to improve their lives. SERRV has worked to assist artisans and farmers for more than 55 years through the following:

* Marketing their handcrafts and food products in a just and direct manner.
* Educating consumers in the United States about economic justice and other cultures.
* Providing development assistance to low-income craftspeople through their community-based organizations.

SERRV International was one of the first alternative trade organizations in the world and was a founding member of the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT).

We offer our artisan and farmer partners up to 50% advance payment on orders. This advance helps them to purchase raw materials and have a more regular income so they can avoid high interest rates from borrowing locally.

CLICK HERE to shop at SERRV.

There are many other good places to shop, but these are good places to begin. Enjoy your good old American consumerism while also feeling like a good liberal.

Click here to go back to THOUGHTS section and Table of Contents for this issue.