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Buying Based on Background Checks

Roughly a year ago, I was diagnosed with numerous food allergies. The huge adjustment in my diet not only taught me the importance of self-discipline, but also showed me the significance of knowing where and how my food is made. In order to stay healthy, I now must scrutinize every food label - and it seems I shouldn't reserve my new habit just for what I eat.

While in California, every Green expert I chatted with stressed the importance of understanding where our products come from and how they are made. The new movement of buying based on background checks keeps both us and the environment healthy - not to mention our bank accounts if we choose wisely.

The tops things we should look for when conducting a "product perusal" are:

  • Where did the products come from? Were they grown organically? Were they harvested in a safe manner from a renewable resource?  
  • How far did the product have to be transported before it reached you?
  • Are there toxic glues or resins holding the product together? Does the product emit toxic chemicals?
  • Is the product made from high-quality materials and methods? You don't want to have to throw it away and buy a new one a year from now. It should be built to last.

Asking those questions is highly important, but I'm sure you're hearing it everywhere. Even as I write them, I'm already bored - better put, turned off. I've become one of the drones contributing to the massive cycle of eco-fatigue because we keep repeating the same message over and over again.

So here's the new part of the message. Conducting background checks before buying is no different than what we've been doing for years. It's nothing new. The background checks before were based on whether the item was priced reasonably, sold by a reputable seller and made well. Now we've just added a few extra criteria because we're smarter. And just as we didn't always make the best decisions about what to buy before, we won't make the best decisions now.

Sure, I'm very strict when it comes to not buying foods that I'm allergic to. Then again I have a very good incentive: breathing. But when it comes to purchasing other products, I'm no saint. As I write this I'm wearing non-organic clothes, have toxic paint on my walls and am about to eat off plates that were probably sent farther than I've ever traveled in my life. And that's okay. The important thing is that I'm trying to make smart purchases and conducting a background check will help - even if it is a bit of a hassle.


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Posted by on Thursday, Mar 27, 2008 in Decorating Tips.

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