Green Living 101: Smart Eco-nomics

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Spare Change

You've spent a fortune on textbooks, tuition and gasoline. If your pockets weren't threadbare before, they're gaping holes by now! Yet somehow, after selling your biology notes on eBay and skimping on laundry for a month, you've managed to scrape together enough change to make a shopping trip worthwhile. By now you've mastered the art of shopping for sales, discount outlets and sifting through thrift store racks for the best deals. Applying these same careful shopping techniques will make buying green just as affordable as buying conventional.

So where to begin? If you're headed to the mall, take a minute to browse Sweatshop Watch (www.sweatshopwatch.org) for a little background on sweatshops. You'd be surprised to find out just how many companies use unfair labor practices. Follow up by checking Trans Fair USA (www.transfairusa.org) for a list of fair-trade retailers.

Avoid the price-friendly allure of discount clothing stores, as they make up for low costs to the consumers by buying them at a low price from sweatshops. Instead, seek out clothing made in the United States. Purchasing clothing made in the U.S. and other first-world countries doesn't guarantee sweat-free products, but since these countries have more stringent labor laws and more effective enforcement, there is less of a chance of garment workers being exploited.

Feeling inspired? Do a little research and find out where the apparel sold in your school's bookstore is produced, and start a Sweat-Free campaign on your campus. Many students have been successful in convincing campus bookstores to stock sweat-free, organic cotton collegiate apparel in support of fair trade and the organic cotton industry. See "Sweat-Free College Sweatshirts" at www.thegreenguide.com.