“‘When you are poor, environmental conservation is a luxury
that you cannot afford,’ says David Woollcombe , president of Peace Child
International, a nonprofit organization that works with local young people to
promote sustainability in less developed countries. ‘If you are cold, you don’t
care about conservation of forests, you care about keeping warm. This is why
many people say that poverty
is the greatest enemy, the greatest polluter of the environment.’” Thus, it
really is in our interest to support workers abroad who are fighting for better
working and living conditions. As
Woollcombe says, “the poor also lack the clout and the resources to keep their
environs from being exploited,” and it is up to us to take a stand in support
of their needs. 

Judging by the products and product information available on
the shelves large chain grocery stores (i.e. Dominicks
or Jewel),
it seems the average consumer has the desire to know what she is getting for
her dollar. As Mathew
Gerson, econsciousmarket.com founder, puts it: "consumers are
definitely ready to take a greater degree of control over where their dollars
are directed after their purchases are made." You’re not only looking at the nutrition
label anymore, you’re looking for the “USDA Certified Organic” label, the
“Local/Regional” label, the “Bird Friendly” label… our label consciousness
shows that we’re obviously concerned about the food we feed our families, the
coffee we drink, etc. This also
demonstrates our concern for the source of our products. It is not only
logical, but also more effective to promote sustainability at the source.

As Anne Wallace McAndrews, a writer and high-school teacher
in Long Beach, California, stated in an article discussing
shareholder activism, “You have to get inside so you can get to them,” ‘them’
signifying ‘the corporations,’ and ‘inside’ implying ‘become a
shareholder.’ Shareholders are, by
definition, part owners of the company in which they invest, so shareholder activists
can stand up for workers by using their “voting power and right to offer their
own ideas for what a company should do” in attempt to redirect a company’s
policy through resolutions. Of course, I’m not asking everyone to jump up and
invest in a corporation in order to put pressure on it… I am, however, asking
everyone to take some form of action
to demand corporate responsibility of companies whose workers provide us with everyday
items such as bananas, coffee, flowers, etc. In order to succeed in leading a “green” or sustainable lifestyle,
everyone involved in bringing us the products we consume in daily life must be
involved. It must be a global
effort.