I kept track of all my purchases for one week between Friday, March 12th and Thursday, March 18th. Below I have listed what the item purchased is, where it was purchased, and the cost of the item/service. I am also supposed to classify each item with a screening criteria, "good, bad or ugly." This should force me to weigh all the factors involved such as: environmental impact, social impact, local or foreign, corporate or small business and so on.
- groceries from Superstore: $33.12 -UGLY-
- documentary film "No Impact Man" at the MB Eco-network film festival: $10 -good-
- raffle "donation" at film festival: $20: $20 -good-
- organic apple cider at film festival: $2 -good-
- donation to the homeless through UMSU: $2 -good-
- groceries from Organza: $44.31 -good-
- cell phone bill from Rogers: $52.11 -bad-
- stamps from Canada Post: $7.03 -good-
- coffee from Tim Hortons: $1.57 -UGLY
Good: $85.34 (49.6%)
Most of the items in the good category seem fairly intuitive. I went to the MB Eco-network's first environmental film festival last Friday night and it was great. I feel that my money was well spent because I met and talked with other environmentally-minded people and got to know them, so it was a very social event; also the money raised goes to the Eco-network (a smaller, local organization) and so helps support environmental issues. I was actually considering putting the raffle ticket that I bought in the bad category though, because although I wasn't really expecting to win anything (and thought of it more as a donation)...but in my heart I think I actually did want to win something, which is somewhat selfish. I think my own personal motivations should also count to some extent in the classification! I also donated some change to the "5 Days for the Homeless" campaign that UMSU had put on this week, which has positive social impacts. And I bought some stamps so I can pay my rent. I classified this under good because there really is no other way to pay my rent except by cheque. I pay my other bills by direct deposit to mimimize paper waste.
Last in the good category...Organza. I blogged about my struggles of shopping there last time. The cost and the distance to get there were my main issues. But I did it! It did hurt a little, but I did it. It mostly hurt because it was very very expensive. The broccoli cost ~$6.50 and somehow I accidentally picked up a cucumber that was $5.49! One cucumber! $5.49! As I exited the store, crossed the parking lot, waited at the bus stop, and rode the bus home I was chanting to myself..."You're doing a good thing. This is just how much food should cost. You're doing a good thing." Over and over. So yes, I had some anxiety, but I am proud of myself, and do plan to go back. I am going to shop for what I can from this grocery store from now on. But they definitely don't have everything so I will still need to shop at places like Safeway and Superstore. I also made a customer service call to Safeway requesting more variety in their organic produce section. In any case, I had never realized before that where and what I spend my money on really matters. And now I want to vote with my dollar. Every time I spend my money on something I want to be able to say, "I am proud to be supporting they way this product was produced, the people who made it, and the business that's selling it." I feel like I am making a small but significant mark on the economy. And more importantly, when I talk to others about my decisions, I will legitimately be able to say, "This is important..." and be able to back up my statement since my actions reflect my values. This is important enough that I will spend the little money I have on what I believe in. I hope it will help the other people in my life to think about the power they have in their spending habits as well.
Bad: $52.11 (30.3%)
The lone item in my bad category is my phone bill. My provider is Rogers and I truly detest them. In the past it has just been for their money-grabbing ways and horrid customer service. But now I realize there are many more reasons to detest them. We learned about "planned obsolescence" in class and I realize that this is exactly what Rogers and other cell phone providers do. They deliberately plan to have their cell phones go out of style and be outdated to prod the consumer/user to abandon it far before the end of its useful life. Or they are just poorly made! I'm SURE there is a way to make phones that aren't so easily damaged by water/condensation/temperature fluctuations.... Lately I've been noticing the Blackberry craze spreading like wildfire. I feel like screaming sometimes! "Don't you people realize it will never end!?" The next time I need a new cellphone (hopefully not for a long long time) I am getting one of those big, old clunky ones in protest!
However, I put this in the bad category because I really have no choice but to have a phone....and from what I hear, one provider is just as bad as the next. I am giving myself a break since there isn't really a better option.
Ugly: $34.69 (20.2%)
I put my Tim Hortons coffee in the ugly category. First of all, the cups that Tims gives out are not recyclable anywhere that I know of in Winnipeg. If you check out the Tim Hortons FAQ it says that their cup can be recycled but is not accepted for recycling everywhere at this time. My thought is that that could be said of pretty much anything. As far as I'm concerned, if it is not "practically" possible to be recycled it is bad, and they should redesign it so it can be. Also, Tim Hortons does not technically have fair trade coffee. It does support growers through "sustainability programs" though. The difference is that Fair Trade means that the growers are certified and are paid a certain amount for their beans, while the sustainability program means they are "building relationships" with farmers and providing them with financial assistance. Personally I would be happier knowing that the coffee producers were being paid a decent wage. Tims is a Canadian business, but not a small business by any means. And lastly I consider this an ugly purchase because I feel it's a nutritional waste.
My last ugly purchase was groceries from Superstore. I tried to minimize the ugliness by getting as much organic produce as I could, but some of the things I needed were not available organic. Superstore is another big business, generating tons of waste. I've seen first hand the plastic waste that is used for delivering shipments of goods, etc. and it is not pretty. Their cardboard is likely recycled because they would get money back for that. But the majority is ugly and I can't deny it. Since my dollar vote revelation my shopping here will be at the barest minimum.
Grand Total: $172.14
The largest percentage of my purchases were from the good category (49.6%). I think that if I did this over a month this percentage would be much higher because my rent (and tuition) is where the majority of my money goes. So this is a good thing...although I know I can do better! I want to do better!
I've always tried to keep a budget but I've never quite looked at it this way before. This Environmental Science class has me looking at everything in a new way. I was aware of many of the issues before but now I feel much more involved, and like I actually have an impact... I am wondering if what I do will make little ripples in the pond or add up to a big splash! I'm not going to hide it...I'm hoping to save the world. Hopefully this Supergirl's attempts to fly don't end with me falling on my face!
Works Cited:
Business Dictionary. Planned Obsolescence, 2010. Found at: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/planned-obsolescence.html Retrieved on: March 19, 2010.
Tim Hortons. FAQ, 2009. Found at: http://www.timhortons.com/ca/en/about/faq.html Retrieved on: March 19, 2010.
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