If we’re compelled to shop for family and friends, it doesn’t have to cost us the spirit of cheer and giving. If we find ourselves in conflict at the thought of consuming additional resources to placate a cultural bias of exchanging material goods, let’s be honest with ourselves and remember that by virtue of living and surviving we consume. Consumption on its own is not the root of all evils. It’s irresponsible and excessive consumption that causes havoc.
Shopping conscientiously is within our power. First, stay away from purchasing items that have a low likelihood of use or a negative environmental impact. These are subjective assessments, of course, but even asking yourself the questions might encourage you to consider items that have a lower environmental impact.
Instead of choosing an item on a whim or according to fads, think through what that person deeply enjoys and hence would use again and again, or consider a practical item that she could put to good use. Then translate that to the actual good. And while you’re going through that process, consider making the purchase online. Web shopping can be healthier, ecologically friendlier, supportive of small businesses, and more convenient than its traditional counterpart.
What’s So Good About Shopping Online?
For starters, you don’t have to be a master of Internet technologies to shop online. Any newbie with an interest or a surfer with average browsing skills will do just fine. Typing in an URL (Uniform Resource Locator) at your web browser beats the hassles of putting up with cranky, rude drivers in the parking lot who almost run you over so they can pull into the spot closest to the mall entrance. Then, too, you’ll also miss out on the joys of standing in line, waiting on cashiers, and dealing with stressed out moms and their babes on the verge of catastrophic tantrums. What a pity!
On the ecological front, with you at your computer there’s one less car using up gas and polluting the air, and you can feel good that your order didn’t involve the use of a paper catalogue that took trees to make, ink to pollute, and waste at the landfill. On the community support scale, you can also feel good that you have the option to consciously support the small business operator in town or across the country.
Add to these benefits the convenience of finding general to specialty items, once you know the URL, and it all spells out a highly tolerable experience. Whether to buy screen and cutter replacements for the discontinued electric razor you bought nine years ago, to gift your parent with a book, or to light up the face of your favorite, sweet-toothed vegan with a dairy-free, egg-free cheesecake, the web can show you the way.
Advantages to Small Businesses
A study conducted by Ernst & Young LLP and the National Retail Foundation early this year indicated that besides increasing online sales, the Net is boosting the level of purchases made via traditional means. The study also claimed that more and more surfers are jumping online to buy, investigate products, and browse the prospective items.
In some ways, the web can be a great business equalizer. Like the well-circulated cartoon with a caption that reads something like "On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog" while a dog sits at a computer typing away, a small business on the web can come across as professional, attractive, and useful as a large corporation.
The web offers smaller entrepreneurs a chance to offset business lost to the super malls. But the prospects are much greater: a commercial site — based on an intelligent, market-driven strategy with defined business objectives and purpose that offers customers ease of use, attractive design, product selection, technical reliability, accurate and up-to-date content, and at least some level of security payment integrity — presents the small business merchant with the opportunity to reach and maintain a significantly larger market cost effectively.
While the initial expense of developing an effective web presence and online ordering capability will cost, it can be a much more affordable option than traditional marketing tools. The cost of maintaining such a site current usually pales by comparison to the outlay of financial resources for the printing and mailing of thousands of brochures or flyers that will be obsolete with the first needed change to copy or graphic.
Web sites are not magical substitutes for a business marketing plan. Rather, they represent a multiplier to traditional media outlets that can significantly assist the exposure and sales elements of the overall plan.
Practical and insightful Q&As can reduce the amount of time representatives spend on the phone answering the same set of questions over and over. To the customer, they demonstrate business foresight. Not only does this information answer many questions, but it also gives them the convenience of reading those answers at whatever time of day or night suits them without having to hold for the next available customer service operator.
While some businesses have been slow to offer a web presence, others respond quickly based on the success they’ve had with their initial informational sites.
Greg Barber, president of PCW100 which sells post-consumer recycled paper and offers environmental printing services, embodies this scenario. "The Internet has made a believer out of me," says Barber. It’s no small wonder. Barber credits at least 30 accounts to his informational web site. These have not been insignificant contracts. They’ve included organizations such as the United Nations, Citizens for Environmental Citizenship, Natural Resource Defense Fund, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Environmental Law, The Threshold Foundation, Earth Pledge Foundation, Colgate University, and numerous grassroots foundations. For Barber an obvious advantage has been increased business for a low advertising cost. He’s currently working on plans to include a secure online ordering capability for smaller orders of two lines of paper.
All’s Well Online
Online shopping by itself doesn’t absolve us by definition from irresponsible or excessive consumption. But with a mindful attitude and a bit more care, it can save us — from losing sight of the things we can be especially grateful for during a season that should be uniquely happy, free of additional albeit unnecessary stress, and filled with opportunities to do the right thing by our planet.
Online Shopping Guide
To get you started on your conscientious shopping, here’s a sampling of web sites that you can browse for prospective holiday gifts:
Midwestern Businesses
Chicago Vegetarians Society’s Gift Pack
This innovative gift pack consists of a one-year single adult membership to the Chicago Vegetarians Society; a one-year subscription to Vegetarian Times; a Vegetarian Resource Group book entitled Conveniently Vegan; and the VRG ingredient list.
Auroma
Chicago’s most complete aromatherapy store offers essential oil products, health and beauty aid items, jewelry, candles, home deodorizers, books, and classes.
Clean Clothes Inc. & Maggie’s Organics
Based out of Ann Arbor, this company offers men’s, women’s, and toddler socks, and shirts and tee-shirts made out of organic cotton, linen, and hemp.
Rosley’s Rocks and Gems
The only "rock shop" in Chicago, this store offers minerals, jewelry, metaphysical and New Age crystals, mineral baths, Reiki wands, pet crystals, and the Chakra Game. The site appears to be information-based only, hence no online ordering capability at this time. The two times the author attempted to bring up the site, it never fully loaded.
Eli’s Cheesecake World
This Chicago-area dessert specialist sells a wide variety of cheesecakes that can be ordered online. The choices seem endless: Chocolate Chip, Original Plain, Peanut Butter Blast, Cluster Buster, Let’s Do Crunch, Oh My! Mud Pie, Toffee Talk, and a bunch more. You can even request sampler cheesecakes.
Candles Plus
Based in Geneva, Illinois, at Candles Plus you’ll find a large selection of candles, candle accessories, jewelry, and denim clothing.
Phillip’s Flowers
Flowers have been a family tradition for the Phillips since 1923 — except now you can order them online for your favorite loved one whether he’s in North America or abroad. Headquartered in Westmont, the online ordering capability allows you to shop by category of product, occasion, and price range.
Nationally-Based Businesses
The Electric Shaver Source
Don’t throw away that old shaver you can’t find parts for. This specialty shaver shop carries items such as screens and cutters for discontinued electric razors for the ultimate practical gift. They also carry a wide selection of new shavers.
PCW100
This company specializes in "100 percent post-consumer waste papers" such as Sandpiper (100 percent post-consumer) and New Life (100 percent chlorine process-free/75 percent post-consumer recycled), as well as Hemp, Kenaf, and Demin Jean Cotton papers. Online ordering capabilities for consumers are in the works.
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)
For the animal activist or sympathetic amongst your friends, this site offers cruelty-free, non-animal tested products such as mugs, magnets, bumper stickers, wallets, faux-fur hats made out of 100% recycled materials, tee-shirts, sweatshirts, all-purpose cleaners, laundry detergent, cards, bags, air-fresheners, books, videos reporting on animal experiments, treats for pets, and a 1999 guide to cruelty-free products.
The Simple Living Network
This site offers browsers a chance to obtain books, earth-friendly products, personal care products, herbs, natural soaps, videos, and to learn about newsletters and magazines that promote a more simple lifestyle.
Blooming Flower Cards
A small company that manufactures Eco-friendly greeting and gift cards made out of 100% post-consumer waste. Designed to be planted, the cards contain seeds within the handcrafted paper. They offer nine variations of wild flower cards that contain between six to 31 different plant species per card. You can choose from among herb, wildflower, chili pepper, and vegetable cards. Invitations and holiday cards are also offered. Currently, the only online capability is an email order form.
Aesop Online Catalog (The Leather Alternative)
For friends and family who prefer non-leather options for their attire and accessories such as wallets, handbags, briefcases, and backpacks. You’ll also find alternatives to leather in clothes, sandals, boots, and hiking and athletic shoes.
The Green Marketplace
At this Eco-shop within the auspices of EnviroLink you’ll find women’s, men’s, and unisex clothing, as well as clothing for children. Particularly enjoyable is the artwork by Koko the gorilla.
Planet Hemp Online
If you’d like to explore the plethora of sustainable fabric gift options available, check out this site that offers extensive hemp products such as accessories (e.g., wallets, socks, body care products, dog collars, CD-cases), clothing, bags and knapsacks, books and videos on hemp, foot and head wear, and household items.
Jade Mountain
For those wishing to offer practical gifts geared for sustainable living, this is a must-see site. With more than 5,000 products, it offers goods in the areas of wind generators, micro-hydro, and solar electric. You’ll also find items such as composting toilets and greywater systems, highly energy efficient appliances, lighting options, books and videos, and other educational products.
Real Goods
Another online store that offers a wide range of Eco products perhaps with a stronger focus on items for the individual in addition to the home. You can look for gift options amongst its bed and bath, body care, books, clothes, accessories, kitchen, outdoor recreation, and toy products. They also offer bigger items along the lines of clean air and water systems, lighting, etc.
Procrastination and stress during the holiday season abound. After all, how many of us genuinely yearn to join the hoards of humanity programmed like zombies to wonder into the bowels of endless mega malls? But whether you’ve vowed not to put things off — or you already have — the net offers gift solutions you, and the planet, can live with.