It’s that time of the year where we as consumers make endless holiday purchases! While getting into the holiday spirit is great, it’s important to understand that our purchasing decisions can make a difference in our community. If you need to buy products, choosing to buy products from a socially conscious point of view is a great way to participate in civic engagement during your every day routine. Buying fair trade and/or local products reduces or eliminates the need for mass production, causing pollution and unfair working situations, and benefits the artisan directly. By participating in this type of lifestyle, the local economy will grow and more individuals can earn their way out of poverty.
Strive to support your local economy through buying locally produced items and supporting local businesses. Buying locally not only supports our community and the people who work in it, but also reduces the environmental and financial impact of transporting products long distances. Buying local helps our community prosper and keep our local economy healthy, diverse, and stable. Learn about CIBA, the Corvallis Independent Business Alliance. Download the Willamette Valley Chinook Book App for free to get coupons to local, sustainable businesses.
According to AlternativeGiving.org, alternative gift giving (or virtual giving) is “a form of gift giving where the donor, instead of buying a gift for the recipient, makes a donation to a charitable organization in the recipient’s name and the organization provides an “alternative gift” or “virtual gift” – usually a certificate or card – for the recipient.” Some excellent examples of sites that provide alternative gift giving options include: , Carbonfund.org, ArborDay.org, and Alternative Gift Giving Locally with Community Services Consortium.
Go forth this season and partake in some socially conscious shopping activities this holiday season!
For more information on both Socially Conscious Shopping and Alternative Gift Giving, check out the OSU Center for Civic Engagement.
CATEGORIES: Community Sustainability