• Socially Aware Choices

  The tag on your shirt may indicate that it came from another country. The name of that country will probably conjure an image of it on the map and maybe only a vague recollection, from a film or magazine, of the people that live there. However, the processes involved in making your shirt—political, environmental, and social—likely impact diverse communities, and as you”ve learned, those communities have multifaceted cultures. Now the name of a country on a shirt is much more than a just a name. In this Discussion, you will weigh the ethical implications of the choices that you make when you buy your clothes or other products.

• To prepare for this Discussion:

  • Review these  Resources for this week.

  • Fair Trade Federation
    http://www.fairtradefederation.org/
  •   Ethical Shopping
    http://ethicalshopper.blogspot.com/

    The links above, useful for the Discussion, are just two of the many sites devoted to ethical consumer consumption.

These next four Web sites highlight ethically informed activities inspired by indigenous practices.

•        First Peoples Worldwide
  http://www.firstpeoples.org/about-us/about-us
•        Native American Church
  http://nativeamericanchurches.org/
•        ROPE
  http://www.rope.org/
•        The Four Winds Society
  http://thefourwinds.com/about-energy-medicine/

Article
Ridgeway, S. (2007). Globalization from the subsistence perspective. Peace Review, 19(3), 297″304
• Determine from where an article of your clothing, or another product that you use, originated.

• Ascertain how the origins (including raw materials, byproducts, or social issues) of this product may have impacted an indigenous people or a specific community.

• Reflect on how this knowledge, combined with what you have learned in this course, affects your ability to make socially aware choices.

one paragraph briefly describes the origins of the product we have identified. In a second paragraph, assess the extent to which the consumer choices could impact global justice and environmental sustainability.