View Full Version : Buying things but doing good at the same time
puglogic
11-30-11, 11:13am
I'm intrigued by concepts like this one:
http://www.springwise.com/retail/purchase-online-investment-solar-energy/
.....where people who buy things online are doing good with their money, while not spending any more than they would normally.
I always think this is the key to turning more people toward being more responsible environmentally.......make it painless, make it feel good.
Is this false hope on my part?
Re: the site you provided the link to, I see it states, "for every purchase made through the site, 10 percent of the purchase value is invested in solar energy". Sounds great, but for those using the site to shop and buy, it isn't the buyer who is reaping the rewards.
IMO, attaching perks to purchases doesn't make for a better environment, nor does it make shoppers more responsible. What I think makes for better shoppers (and consumerism in general) is applying good old-fashioned simplicity and frugality to the equation. Buy (and use) only what you need, and look to use only products that are reusable/less environmentally taxing.
Pinning success by motto's such as, "buy from us and do better for the environment", I don't buy it.
Re: the site you provided the link to, I see it states, "for every purchase made through the site, 10 percent of the purchase value is invested in solar energy". Sounds great, but for those using the site to shop and buy, it isn't the buyer who is reaping the rewards.
IMO, attaching perks to purchases doesn't make for a better environment, nor does it make shoppers more responsible. What I think makes for better shoppers (and consumerism in general) is applying good old-fashioned simplicity and frugality to the equation. Buy (and use) only what you need, and look to use only products that are reusable/less environmentally taxing.
Pinning success by motto's such as, "buy from us and do better for the environment", I don't buy it.
you know, I feel the same way about those advertisements that say, buy from us and we'll donate .10 to breast cancer research. Well, why don't you just donate the money anyway, without me having to buy from you. And then be quiet about it. People talk about McDonald's and it's evil food, but what McDonald's does for charity is amazing. And they don't go around bragging about it. They just do it. That's why, if I'm on the road and need a drink, I find a McDonald's.
I think the idea is this:
I'm going to buy an object because I feel I need it. It's a done deal, a decision I've made.
1) I can pay XXX dollars, and the company has pledged to donate a portion of what I pay to a cause I support.
or
2) I can pay the same XXX dollars, and the company can pocket the whole thing as profit, giving it to their shareholders and top execs as bonuses.
I guess I don't really see anything wrong with that. Now of course there's the cost of promotions - the cost associated with the crowing. That's another story.
I think companies that are dedicated to a certain cause - and who tell me about it -- are doing me a favor. They're saving me having to research each manufacturer I give money to, to learn whether they support something bigger than themselves.
I agree with Puglogic (love that name btw) as it does help me in determining where to a buy a product I would buy anyways. As far as buying things and doing good at the same time...well... probably buying recycled, reusable grocery bags would have mnore impact for the average person day to day.
Oh I agree. I'm glad some companies want to do good, and it's ok if they tell us about it. I just don't like it when they use their charity as a sales tactic. And really, if I don't buy their yogurt, won't they donate that money anyway? Won't they do it simply because it's a good thing to do? It's like they are saying, we want to give to this good cause, but only if you spend your money on us. But i suppose the bottom line is, they are giving something to the cause, maybe.
Originally posted by Puglogic.
1) I can pay XXX dollars, and the company has pledged to donate a portion of what I pay to a cause I support.
or
2) I can pay the same XXX dollars, and the company can pocket the whole thing as profit, giving it to their shareholders and top execs as bonuses.I see it differently. From my experience and perspective, very little (if any at all) of promised/pledged monies ever ends up being applied to the areas specified/outlined, and whatever does, doesn't amount to a pinch of (you know what) in the end. To be frank, I steer clear of companies/businesses who offer such. I find it off-putting.
My cousin recently sent me an e-mail that listed the salaries/bonus/benefit packages of many of the heads of non-profit charity organizations and they were outragous! She also compared them to the salary packages of the heads of most non-profit Veterans charity organiztions - all of which were zero - no salary or benefits of any kind. This is one of the reasons I support veterans groups over other groups, as I want my money going to those in need rather than those at the top for their high six-figure and beyond salaries. Here's some info:
The American Red Cross President and CEO Marsha J. Evans salary for the year was $651,957 plus expenses
· The United Way President Brian Gallagher receives a $375,000 base salary along with numerous expense benefits.
· UNICEF CEO Caryl M. Stern receives $1,200,000 per year (100k per month) plus all expenses including a ROLLS ROYCE . Less than 5 cents of your donated dollar goes to the cause.
· The Salvation Army's Commissioner Todd Bassett receives a small salary of only $13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing this $2 billion dollar organization. 96 percent of donated dollars go to the cause.
· The American Legion National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!
· The Veterans of Foreign Wars National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their
families and youth!
· The Disabled American Veterans National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!
· The Military Order of Purple Hearts National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!
· The Vietnam Veterans Association National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!
It's the culture, Spartana. My husband served 30 years so, as you know, I served 30 years. It was automatically assumed and assured that a military couple were both serving the military. I always did my 'time' at the schools, as well as library, CDC, packing boxes for deployed, and even some stints at the post office (this time of year, you know). One fall I remember being awakened in the middle of the night to help receive some pregnant women from, I can't even remember where but it was a hot spot and they needed to move vulnerable non-military out of there. Anyway, these women were in various states of due-ness and needed to be in processed real quick and either put up, or transported to the hospital. Many of them had small children with them so that just added to the fun! Anyway, I'm not surprised that the various commanders don't get anything, but really I think they should get something. But if I know my military, they get plenty in gratitude, as well as dinner invitations, help around the house, whatever they need. Both my husband (a veteran) and my daughter work at a VA and the veterans are rock stars there.
Those are some staggering numbers, Spartana. I love the Salvation Army, both in the way of shopping, and, knowing they are there to help. (Truly help).
Originally posted by Peggy.
you know, I feel the same way about those advertisements that say, buy from us and we'll donate .10 to breast cancer research. Well, why don't you just donate the money anyway, without me having to buy from you. And then be quiet about it.Good point. There's a lot to be said about that, and, IMO, this method speaks more highly of ones dedication towards donating (in general), as compared to those who simply paint a picture of such in hopes of increasing sales and in turn, assuring themselves a place in the market.
Spartana and all: check this snopes site about those executives' pay: http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/charities.asp
Spartana and all: check this snopes site about those executives' pay: http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/charities.asp
Thank you Lainey. Though I know about Snopes, I somehow don't always think of using it when I should.
Snopes is good. Don't know how accurate those figures are and may be misleading - or non-sense. But I know they do getr a good salary.
Peggy - Just wanted to say a BIG THANKS for your "time" as a military spouse. I was also married to a guy in the military, and while I was also in the service at the same time, I got out before him and the few years I was a military spouse were much MUCH harder on me then actually being in the service. Kudos to anyone who has the fortitude to stick it out - I couldn't (big reason I got divorced).
Well your welcome Spartana, and a big thank you for your service! I guess we spouses felt we were supporting our spouses as well as supporting all the other spouses. We didn't just pack boxes for our own guys and gals deployed, but for all of them. That's why, as you know, it really is a community, and not just a group of families going through the same thing. Whatever issue any family was having, whether military or family oriented, we all understood and had been there, done that.
This is how I like to see the nation, as a whole. No matter what we are going through, there are plenty of folks who have been there, or will be there. I wish there was a way, as each baby is born, to whisper in their ear, We're here. We've been there and you aren't alone. If we have lost anything in this nation it's the sense of community, in my opinion. When people ridicule the President for being a community organizer, or cheer the politician who says let the uninsured person with the catastrophic accident die, it just blows me away as something foreign, and not American. But it is, or has become, and that really saddens me.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-10-most-charitable-companies-in-america.html
A very interesting article on the biggest donors and the most generous(percentage of profits). I certainly was surprised by some, and really surprised that McDonalds isn't among them. I certainly will be using Kroger from now on.
Well your welcome Spartana, and a big thank you for your service! I guess we spouses felt we were supporting our spouses as well as supporting all the other spouses. We didn't just pack boxes for our own guys and gals deployed, but for all of them. That's why, as you know, it really is a community, and not just a group of families going through the same thing. Whatever issue any family was having, whether military or family oriented, we all understood and had been there, done that.
You're welcome :-)! Because the CG is so small (less people than the NYC police Dept - and scattered all around the world) they don't have any big bases and military housing like the other services do. So DH and I either lived aboard/at our individual units or in civilian housing amongst civilians. So we didn't have alot of interaction with big groups of service people except the people we were each stationed with. But I grew up with a career AF dad (30 years) and I remember all the great support and activities they had for the service members and their families on big bases.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-10-most-charitable-companies-in-america.html
A very interesting article on the biggest donors and the most generous(percentage of profits). I certainly was surprised by some, and really surprised that McDonalds isn't among them. I certainly will be using Kroger from now on.
It's interesting that the article also chose to list the 5 largest donors by dollars without mentioning how much their donations are as a percentage of revenues or profit. Walmart, for instance, the largest donor by dollars, had revenues of $421 BILLION, according to their last annual report, and donated $319 MILLION. That's less then .075% of their earnings or $.75 out of every $1,000 spent in their stores. Even looking at their operating income (profit) of $25 Billion that means that approximately 1.27% of their profit went to charity. I didn't bother to look up the others in the largest donor by dollars category but would assume that they're all at the same relatively low level percentage-wise. While $319 Million is a lot of money, given the vastly larger size of the company it's certainly not worth being mentioned in an article like this where it's all too likely that people reading it will not look up the details like I did and simply say "wow! Who knew that Walmart was so generous! Maybe I should feel good about shopping there."
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