A New New Years Resolution

I'm going to keep my NYR from last year: to be more thankful, but I'm going to add a few goals for this year.  I want to do a better job watching how I spend my money, not only because I want to save more money, but because your wallet does a lot of talking for you.  You don't have to make a campaign contribution to vote with your money.  When you buy products, you are telling the producer/manufacturer, "I approve of this product and the processes used to make it."  For example, I love orangutans, but if I buy products that contain an ingredient that causes habitat destruction, what am I really saying?  So, I try not to purchase products that contain palm oil, because palm oil plantations are the number one reason that rainforests in Borneo are being cut down.  It takes a little effort to figure these things out, but it's important to me not just to support something with words, I want to support a cause where it really counts.  It's not always best to buy a product just because it's cheaper.  I want to know that my money is supporter a responsible company...how do their products affect the environment and the people who make them. 

So, the first thing on my list is to finally join a CSA this year.  I found out about CSAs in 2005 and I've been thinking about joining one since.  If you don't know what a CSA is, it's basically buying a share in an organic farm for a season and then getting a box of produce every week during the growing season.  This year, I'm actually going to do it because the food tastes better, it has more nutrients, it supports local farmers, and the growing practices help protect the environment. 

I'm not going to lie, sometimes I don't have time to research something, but I'm going to do it as often as I can before making purchases, especially major ones.  In addition, it's not always easy to find the information you need.  But, I'm going to put in a good faith effort to buy from companies that don't exploit the environment and treat their employees fairly.  I know I'll feel like a better person for doing it, even if it takes a little bit of my time and energy.