We are becoming closer to full awareness of what we all need to do to create a better world. The protests that are happening around us are signifying how uncomfortable we are with all the greed and lust of power that is controlling our world. How did we ever get to this point?
We stopped caring enough to incorporate F.A.C.E. values into how we spend our money. What are F.A.C.E. values? They are values for how to vote with your money everyday to make a difference and to send a message to the corporate powers that you no longer want them to be so careless. They may not hear us unless we start making our money talk!
F is for Fair Trade - If the person creating the product is suffering due to abusive work conditions and below humane wage compensation, you are not buying Fair Trade. The greed that has taken hold of our business practices are allowing working conditions and pay to be inhumane. We purchase products via the big box stores without realizing exactly how these products are made. Stop and think about it. Your purchase of Fair Trade can help reset this imbalance. This will only happen if you choose Fair Trade over the cheapness.
A is for American Made - You want to help job creation in our country? Start buying American Made and put our people back to work. The shipping of jobs overseas is crippling the majority. People are having trouble finding jobs because there are less jobs in our country than ever before. Also, make sure you vote for politicians that will keep jobs here and not ship them overseas. Your money and your vote can make a difference!
C is for Charities Paid - I'm so glad to see more social entrepreneurship and socially conscious business partnerships being created. Buy products that help charities help our world. You can buy gifts direct from some charities, shop at their thrift stores, etc., and you can purchase every day products that give a percentage to charities as well. Keep your eyes and ears open to these opportunities. They are everywhere now!
E is for Environment Saved - Not everyone believes our planet is in trouble. I look at all the crazy climate changes, the waste in our water, the pollution in our air, and the tons of land that is being used for garbage. Not to mention animal extinctions, rainforests being destroyed. And for what, in order to make money? Don't you want our future generations to be able to have an inhabitable planet? Living in the now on this point can actually be seen as a selfish act. Leaving it to the next generation to clean up our mess is heartless and irresponsible. So what can we do? We can recycle as best as we can. We can reuse instead of always going for the brand new. We can repair instead of throwing away something that can be easily fixed. We can make better choices everyday of the products we purchase to lessen the waste created. We can buy recycled materials. There are many ways we can use our money to send a message that we care about our environment.
So, make it a point to add F.A.C.E. values when you are being a good consumer. Vote everyday and vote often with each purchase you make and your money will speak volumes.
