Deals For Me, Deals for the Planet

Like just about everyone else, I love a good deal. When daily deal sites started to become popular, I ate it up. I bought deals for things I never would have considered buying before. Of course I eventually realized that buying deals for things I wouldn't use wasn't helping me, and it certainly wasn't helping local businesses.

What took me a little longer was stopping my habit for fashion deals online. I received emails from sites like Gilt Group and Ideeli for daily fashion sales. My conscience (and my bank account) eventually got me to cancel those accounts and the tempting emails.

But I still miss the deals.

So imagine my delight when I discovered that there is a plethora of more responsible deal sites! Sure, I'm trying to curb my shopping. I know people don't need most of the things we purchase. But it's fun to let ourselves splurge on something a little indulgent every once in a while. Especially when that indulgence is a more responsible or sustainable one.

So here's a list of sites you can use to find great deals for yourselves.
I hope you'll cancel your regular daily deal and fashion sale emails and accounts, and stick to these more planet-friendly alternatives.

• BlissMo feaures daily sales on a range of ethical products. They also offer the BlissmoBox, which is a subscription service that offers a monthly surprise box of personal and food products.
• borganics will feature sales on organic and eco-friendly products, but does not appear to have sales live on the site yet. (as of 10/21/2012)
• DealGooder donates 50% of profits from each daily deal to a featured charity. They feature primarily businesses that operate out of Orange County, CA.
• ethicalDeal offers daily deals in various cities across Canada and the U.S.
• Ethical Ocean is one of my favorite new shopping sites. They feature reduced prices on all kinds of awesome stuff like clothes, gadgets, beauty products, food, and more.
• GreenDeals.org is known as the "Groupon for Greenies." It features deals from responsible companies and is run by Green America.
• Green Box Top currently only has local deals in San Francisco, but you can subscribe to receive information about national deals. Hopefully they'll expand soon!
• JP Selects offers daily sales, most featuring eco-friendly fashion.
• Loving Eco features greener brands and products, and gives 3% of net proceeds to a social or environmental cause.
• Pure Citizen is an online marketplace featuring ethical and sustainable brands. There are daily sales on clothing, wellness brands, food, gifts, and more.
• Strawberry Earth is based in Amsterdam, and features one ethical sale every week on things ranging from jewelry, to travel, to bicycles.
• The Ultimate Green Store touts itself as "The ultimate web-based destination for eco-conscious shoppers." It also features sales and a green deal of the day.
• Vegan Cuts has a daily offer, but also features a marketplace chock full of responsible products including fashion, food, beauty, and more.
• WinWin features deals in the Greater Los Angeles area.

One Plastic Bag

Every once in a while I forget to bring my reusable bags with me when I run my errands. I recently found myself picking up a few small things at the little grocery store near my parents' house. When I asked the cashier to fit everything into one bag, she insisted on double-bagging it so the bag wouldn't break. Uhm, you're kind of missing the point there, sweetheart. And when I got home I discovered that she'd wrapped an item it its own bag before packing it, so I actually wound up with three bags instead of just one. D'oh.

So I'm making another small change. I always keep a stash of reusable bags in my car to avoid these situations. But now I'm going to start keeping a reusable grocery bag in my purse too.

If you're not convinced that your occasional plastic bag makes that big of a difference, take a look at some of my favorite infographics about plastic bags.

 

This is a great visual, but take this inforgraphic with a grain of salt.
It was produced by a manufacturer of promotional reusable bags.

Before you go out and buy a reusable bag, check your junk drawer and ask your friends. They seem to be everywhere these days and, unfortunately, are being over-manufactured by companies who want to cash in on the growing trend. My mom is always asking me if I want the bag she was given for free and some store or other. You should have no problem getting your hands on at least one without spending a cent!


Further Reading
Here's an interesting range of information including arguments both for and against the banning of plastic bags, and the rising popularity of reusable bags.

• http://www.reuseit.com/learn-more/myth-busting/cheap-reusables-are-a-good-thing
• http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/10/05/Chinese-smear-mongers-push-US-plastic-bag-bans
• http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444165804578006832478712400.htm
• http://savetheplasticbag.com/ (wait, WHAT?)
• http://www.petside.com/article/dog-poop-cleanup-rethinking-plastic-bags

This Video is Just Fun

A Simple Message: Simplify

I came across this video on one of my new favorite blogs, Buy Nothing New for a Year. The message is simple, and beautiful. I hope I will able to conjure these sentiments the next time I'm tempted to buy something I don't need.

Responsible Fashion Choices from Fashioning Change

I won't say that they inspired this blog, but it was while I was trying to share their message via other online and social media that I decided to start it.

Fashioning Change is a Web site dedicated to being a one-stop-shop for fashion consumers seeking responsible alternatives to popular fashion.

I came across the site while searching for eco-friendly apparel options for my own wardrobe. Though my main concern was initially eco-friendly fashions, Fashioning Change has led me to consider human rights issues in apparel manufacturing as well. It is not enough for shoes to be made of organic vegan materials if they are still manufactured by underpaid child laborers. Fashioning Change presents clothing by comparing popular fashions to responsibly-made options. Using the site, fashion consumers can shop multiple responsible brands, and can search for items similar to old favorites. Like most consumers, I assumed that the eco-friendly or more responsible fashion options would all be more expensive than their more familiar alternatives, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that most items on the site are actually cheaper than their counterparts.

Shoppers can earn credits for sharing the site with their friends, which is great. I'm all about educating the masses about making responsible choices! Check out the "Wear This Not That" section for some great comparisons of trendy fashions and their responsible alternatives. It's not an exhaustive list of all the sustainable apparel brands out there, but it's a great place to start!