If you have been watching the news you may have seen a story about what happened in Zanesville, OH yesterday. Zanesville is less than 50 miles away from where I live (and we have family there) so I watched with horror as this all unfolded. A man who was incredulously permitted to own well over 50 exotic animals decided to let them loose and then take his own life. Before he killed himself he opened cages for 48 animals including grizzly bears, wolves, lions, Bengal tigers, and chimps.

I don’t know what the man was thinking but if he thought he was doing them a kindness by setting them loose then he was very much mistaken. When it was discovered what he had done it was dark and the weather was stormy. This meant that authorities had little choice but to shoot and kill all the animals they could find. Then the next day they killed the rest, minus a wolf or two that are still at large. I was so sad all morning after I found out that the solution was to kill all these beautiful animals. I know we couldn’t allow them to roam free and then freak out on innocent people but still… it breaks my heart.

And then after the sadness came the anger. What you may not hear on the news is that our current Governor and the local authorities are responsible for this.

I am pretty disgusted with my state right now. We USED to have a kick ass Democratic Governor and in January he put an emergency ban on exotic animal ownership in Ohio. This did not apply to those who already owned them BUT it also stated that any current owner who was convicted of cruelty to animals would have their animals confiscated. Our new Republican Governor decided to let this ban expire and he tabled it. This angers me because I don’t believe any citizen should be able to decide they want to keep Bengal tigers and Grizzly Bears in their backyard… it is insanity and it is cruelty to animals. This man supposedly had 18 Bengal Tigers!!! 18 for cripes sake… all dead now. If our law enforcement officials and our Governor were not total dunces, legislation would have been in place AND these animals would have been removed from this man’s property since he was convicted of cruelty to animals in 2005.

The Humane Society is calling for some action on this. If you live in Ohio I encourage you to complain, complain, complain until someone makes sure this never happens again.

Hot on the heels of a post about minimalism, I am posting about the benefits of ethical shopping. Aren’t the two mutually exclusive? I don’ think so.

We have so many problems globally and nationally that are a direct result of addiction to consumption. We are literally spending ourselves into a deeper, darker hole every year. Deciding to go minimalist is a wonderful step in combating this issue because it allows us to take a time out and evaluate what our values are. Once we see that “things” do not bring us happiness we can concentrate on our families, our hobbies, and all the activities and pastimes that truly add to the enjoyment of our lives… things which cannot be packaged in paper or plastic. With less consumption comes less stress about money and keeping up with a lifestyle that advertisements tell you should be your goal. Getting out of that consumer trap is very liberating and brings a sense of true freedom.

But I liken this tactic to going into a restaurant and being very dissatisfied with the way they do business so you simply decide to avoid eating out any more. The eatery will lose many customers but there will always be some who decide that what this particular place offers is the best their gonna get and keep going there. The eatery will also open up a few other locations under different names so that unhappy customers will think they are taking their business elsewhere but in actuality they are still supporting the same bad company. Nothing much changes. You could decide though that you will eat out on special occasions but only at places you have thoroughly vetted and that meet your demands for ethical business practices. You could also encourage your friends to eat at the winning places you have found. The bad business will start to notice that they are losing customers to these other businesses and will be none to happy. Even after extensive ad campaigns they see their competition getting an increasingly greater share of the market. They have no choice but to change the way they do business or become obsolete. By being picky about where you spend your hard earned dollars and by being vocal about your choices, you have made a difference in the mammoth job of changing the current economic system. Minimalism didn’t do that, conscious, ethical shopping did that.

In my mind minimalism and reducing our overall consumption are necessary steps in curbing our consumption addiction. But it will also be advantageous for us to be cognizant of the rest of our spending so that we make sure we get the most bang for our buck. We need to use both of these philosophies to create real change. This is more important than ever because we do not live in a capitalist society anymore. What we have here in the US is corporate socialism. Mega corporations have an unfair advantage in the market because they have people firmly entrenched in the fifth arm of the government. As Annie Leonard stated in The Story of Stuff…

In the United States there are about 900 advisory committees that provide peer review of scientific research, develop policy recommendations, and serve other functions to support good governance.

These committees influence legislation and policy in this country and corporations have a presence in all of them. There is no free market or open competition, not when the deck is stacked that way. We need to become activists for change in making sure corporations are not directing important policy, especially when it comes to the environment and human health. This can be done in large part by backing good legislation and making lots of noise about bad products and practices. The other thing we can do is funnel our money to companies who make ethical choices and who use their profits to better the world. It will not go unnoticed!

Even people who don’t have the time to volunteer, petition, picket, etc. can support ethical companies and causes by using their dollars as a voting mechanism. It is the easiest form of activism and frankly it drives me a little batty that more people don’t step up and USE the leverage that we all have. Why is the average mom okay with buying some Stouffer’s stuffing boxes and Nestle chocolate bars knowing that those dollars will go towards pushing formula in third world countries and to enslaving older children in labor? Would they feel the same if the boxes had pictures of malnourished babies and 12 year olds forced to work on cocoa plantations for 8 hours a day? We need to stop believing in the marketing and the pretty packaging and start finding out where our money is going and what it supports. Then we can decide who is worthy of our money and who is not.

A wonderful book that addresses this issue is Big Green Purse – Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World by Diane MacEachern. I have known Diane from green listservs and the blogging community for awhile and she is one incredibly smart cookie… plus her book ROCKS. It doesn’t encourage senseless spending or rampant consumerism but it does address the fact that everyone is still going to spend money on the products that matter to them. If money talks then we need to be aware of what our money is saying. It is all about using the power of our purses to affect change.

In the beginning chapters there are some great examples of how people influenced large companies to change their policies and/or product formulations to meet the demand of more ethical and aware consumers. It shows us that change is possible. I also like that is has a very measurable action plan in the book to decide to shift $1000 of your annual spending to green products. Its all about taking the products you already buy and will continue to buy and finding a better alternative. The first chapter goes over eco problems that can be addressed by reducing what you consume in the first place. The second chapter shows you how to evaluate companies and avoid greenwashing so you can narrow in on the best companies and products. Chapters 3-12 go through all the areas where you can shift your spending… cars, clothing, food, cosmetics, personal care products, cleaners, etc and shows you what to look for and what to avoid so you can make the best choice.

It is an important subject and an important book. I highly recommend it!

Pictured above: My fave Shopping cart baskets.

I absolutely loved the video from Annie Leonard called The Story of Stuff. Now she has come out with another video I love explaining why Cap and Trade is a rotten deal all around. I have been against it for awhile now since it puts the responsibility for cleaning up our planetary act directly in the hands of corrupt businessmen… think Enron and Goldman Sachs. It allows them to become profiteers in the business of saving the world all the while giving the worst polluters a bunch of free passes and not ensuring that third world countries aren’t left holding the bag for the wild pollution party we have been having for decades.

If you don’t quite understand why this is such a short sighted solution then this video should make it all very clear. Enjoy!

It amazes me that with so many animals living in shelters that we STILL have a need for pet stores and puppy breeders. It bothers me on so many levels. Even people who don’t profess to be “green” will often talk a good game about recycling and reusing because it is smart and efficient. But that’s resources. We can’t waste resources. But can we waste lives either? Why on earth would we choose to buy “new” when there are living, breathing, animals in shelters waiting for adoption. They go on waiting for homes while people who have to have a certain breed choose to shop at pet stores (many of which treat their animals badly) or they patronize breeders (many of which run their operations like factory puppy mills). It boggles my mind that we even have an industry for breeding specific animals or selling expensive animals when anyone who wants a pet can go right into their local shelters and adopt a pet for cheap… a pet who NEEDS you. Even if you think you HAVE to have a specific breed you may be able to find a rescue operation that caters to specific breeds. They have greyhound rescue centers, Labrador rescue centers, Rottweiler rescue centers, etc. You may just have to travel if you want a dog that way.

We have a new puppy in our lives (not ours, a relatives) and I love her like crazy but I admit I was a little peeved when I found out she came from a breeder. I mean you DO have a shelter less than 2 minutes from your door, hint, hint! I generally don’t like to guilt people but in this case… they can wallow in the guilt till their fingers get pruney.

Anyway, this new puppy has been making me want one and I swear I never thought I would. My two labs that I had since I was a kid died last year. One was a shelter animal  who had been abused and the other was her pup. I found my relationship with them changed after I had kids… and I feel guilty saying it but they seemed like more work I had to do and I resented them after awhile. I thought I would never want another but now that my kids are growing up I am feeling that twinge of puppy love.

Since we will likely be moving across country (yep that’s the plan) now is not a good time but when we get settled we “could” go shelter shopping. The kids would be thrilled. I have got to give it more thought but it would not even be a possibility that we could go order a dog from a breeder or go to a pet shop when so many animals are out there looking for homes.

According to the Shelter Pet Project:

• Each year approximately 4 million pets are adopted.
• Of the 8 million pets that enter animal shelters each year, approximately 3 million healthy and treatable pets are euthanized.
• It is estimated that 17 million people will acquire a pet within the next year. 
• To save all the healthy and treatable pets that are euthanized, we just need 3 million of these people to adopt.

So if you are looking to get a pet… got to a shelter. If you know someone who is thinking about getting a pet… encourage them to go to a shelter. Email them sad puppy photos if you have to! This is too important an issue. Anyway I got an email about this shelter project and had to write a quick post about it. If you are a die hard teacup poodle person and you breed or buy from breeders sorry to offend but animal shelter animals need to come first. With 17 million people buying pets there is NO reason we should ever have to euthanize good pets because nobody wants them.

This post is for my fellow Buckeyes (Ohio). No matter what side of the isle you are on… liberal or conservative I would hope that anyone who cares about the ethics and safety of food in Ohio will vote NO on Issue 2 come November.

This issue is no doubt being presented to us out of fear. Agribusiness in Ohio fears that one day they will be faced with legislation like what just went through California with Prop 2. Basically those dastardly Californians actually decided that livestock should have to be raised humanely. 

Ohio factory farmers want to head this type of legislation off by giving themselves a position of power NOW. By voting yes on Issue 2 in Ohio we will give agri-business representatives and their appointees the ability to create an agricultural board with unchecked power over livestock rules and regulations. Their power would be locked in by the constitution and never again would they have to worry about the people choosing for themselves how they want their food to be raised. It is a power grab. This issue will help ensure that they hold all the cards from now on.

If in the future the citizens of Ohio determine that some widely accepted agricultural practice is inhumane or unsafe for food production, we will have no recourse to fight it. Agribusiness will simply bring it to the board composed of all their own people, decide in their own favor,  and keep doing business as usual. There would be no plublic input, no forum for public comments, and no appeal. Their decision is FINAL.

Not only is it likely this board will be used to support unethical and inhumane production methods it could also be used to make it harder for small family farmers to operate, essentially allowing BIG agribusiness to weed them out.

Why should you care? Well, since we all eat food… and many of us try to eat lots of local food… I think we should have a say in the ethics and safety of our food production. We also have a right to choose our own food sources and we don’t want factory farms putting the little guys out of business and limiting our options. Even vegans will want to make sure that factory farms aren’t making their own rules for the humane treatment of animals. In short, factory farms and big agribusiness have no right to hijack our state constitution. If you are in Ohio vote NO on Issue 2!!