Stuff

Here's my warning...I'm about to get on my soap box. Read on at your own risk.

Lately, I've been thinking so much about stuff. All the stuff we have in our lives - meaning the material items, not the stuff in terms of emotional baggage (because certainly, we all have our share of that as well!). The combination of having a child and moving into a home has especially amplified my awareness of these areas in my own life and in the world. Who knew that such a little person needed so many things? Who else has ever started packing up their belongings totally aghast at how much stuff they own? Am I the only one who walks into Home Depot and just wants to cry thinking about all of the options and wondering how I'm ever going to choose the "right" one? Yes, stuff. Can't live with it, certainly can't live without it.

This morning, I ordered our cloth diaper package. The moment seemed actually pretty anti-climatic considering the amount of research and preparation that went into it. We've watched friends cloth diaper and we've known for awhile now that we'd plan to do the same, but we didn't know that we'd be faced with so many options and routes and thus be faced with another opportunity to "make the right choice." But today, I ordered the diapers that will hopefully cover our little bambina's tush from 7-35 lbs., and I was reminded again about the stuff in my life. (In case you're curious, we're going with Tiny Tush Diapers. The diapers are locally made just under an hour from Madison. If you'd like to know more about why the heck we're doing this, I'd love to rattle off the reasons for you - since we've done a lot of research on it as of late - or check out this really great website for some good info.)

So back to the stuff (sorry for the diaper digression, one track baby mind these days...). A few years ago, my sister B introduced me to The Better World Shopping Guide and it literally changed the way that Paul and I live our everyday lives. I'd like to take this moment to encourage you to check it out for yourself. The basic premise of the book is that it ranks brands and companies in five categories - human rights, the environment, animal protection, community involvement and social justice. From the data generated in these five areas, products are given a "grade" A to F. The guide encourages consumers to be informed, conscious shoppers, arguing that as consumers we vote daily with how and where we spend our money. It makes sense, eh?

I know what some of you might be thinking, so I'm just going to say - this guide is not about liberalism or me being a Madison-loving-hippie. It's about using your wallet to convey the message that it matters to you how companies treat other people, treat the environment, care for nature, and contribute to their communities. Because when it comes down to it, I wish that I could be someone who didn't like to buy things or who grew all of my own food and lived on very, very little. I wish I could be that person, but I'm not, so I can at least be conscious and intentional about the companies that I'm willing to support and that I do support through buying their products.

If you go to the website, you can look at the rankings for anything from gas stations to retail stores to peanut butter and jelly. It's a pretty overwhelming amount of information, but ever so interesting. When Paul and I first got the book, we made the commitment to try our darndest to never buy from anything ranking "F" (and "D" as a general rule too). And for the most part, it's been so easy to abide by this change - it means that we cruise on by a Mobil gas station even if it's the cheapest gas, that we gave up our Sunday night frozen pizza by DiGiorno habit, and that we don't shop at Wal-Mart, but none of this has hindered us in the big picture. There are plenty of other choices, and we feel better saying "no" to Kraft and Nestle products knowing that they are ranked the way they are for a reason (have you heard about the Nestle baby formula scandal in developing countries?!? If not, it's enough to keep you away from a Nestle Chocolate bar for life!). And, like everything, in making this commitment we've had to find a balance - I still buy products that are only rated B or C, I do all of our grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, which is ranked A-, and not at Whole Foods, which gets a straight up A, etc. etc. You have to be reasonable, but that definitely still allows room for change and compromise.

Please take a moment to check it out...you might realize that the few extra cents you spend here or there, or the "sacrifice" that you make to wait and buy something until a mega-good sale on the expensive A rated item, just might be worth it in the long run. For quick reference, you can check out these easy to understand lists:

The 10 Best Companies (for the record, Seventh Generation is the number one ranking and their cleaning products are super reasonable price-wise, and safe too!)

The 10 Worst Companies

10 Small but Beautiful Companies

10 Essential Changes (you gotta start somewhere, and every little change helps, right?!?)

I'm certainly not saying Paul and I have it all figured out. As I sit and write this I'm surrounded by boxes and bags and baby clothes that need to be washed...we know that we own our own fair share of stuff and more. But I am saying that if we don't start somewhere, if we don't recognize our personal responsibility in the bigger picture of consumerism, it's really never going to get any better. For me, the Better World Shopping Guide is a wonderful way to hold myself accountable, and a tangible way of helping to make a difference with every dollar I do spend. It's good stuff (pun intended).