GSP contests – win prizes!

Your Turn!

If you’re a regular on this site you probably noticed that I like to encourage you to practice ethical consumerism. I think it’s not only the best way to improve conditions on this planet of ours but can also be a surprisingly transformative practice. I find it to be transformative in a way that’s similar to the Buddhist meditation practice of metta bhavana (the development of loving kindness).

This month, I’m going to provide another incentive to consider the impact of one of your purchases (a product, a meal, a hotel, a cup of coffee, anything at all). Rate it on a scale of 1 -5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact and post a review on any public site (e.g., Yelp or TripAdvisor for a business or any retail website for a product). You don’t have to consider every angle – just whatever is important to you. Also, it doesn’t have to be long or Pulitzer-worthy. Just get started!

Send me a link to your review as a comment below (or by email, if you prefer: jmskrb at gmail dot com).

I’ll pick two reviews (or maybe more if there are several good entries) to feature in a blog post around Feb 19th. (I can also keep your review private if you prefer.)

If selected, you will receive a gift from the World Wildlife Catalog – I will donate $55 to the WWF and they will send you a gift of your choice – it’s a win-win for the reviewer and the WWF 😉

WWF Gifts

20 thoughts on “Your Turn!”

  1. What a fantastic post! I had an experience just recently and was meaning to write about it. Also, have been meaning to do it more often but not gotten around to it – the public comment thing – so this is just the ideal push. Thanks, J. You’re the best. (P.S. Would love everything I scribe to be Pulitzer worthy! Hehe.)

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  7. Such a great idea, I write blog posts but never think to share it on yell or tripadvisor. Here are a couple I have done tonight, and will begin doing more in the future.
    https://www.yell.com/biz/vivo-barefoot-london-7958822/#reviews
    https://www.yell.com/biz/ethical-superstore-newcastle-upon-tyne-8944449/#reviews
    https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d7212464-r558155729-Dishoom_King_s_Cross-London_England.html#REVIEWS

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    1. Hey Anna – thanks for sharing the reviews! Nice that you link back to your blog post from the review.
      If you want to make it a Green Stars review please include a Green Stars rating (independent of the normal rating – so you can say in the review “I’m giving them x/5 green stars for social and environmental impact.”).
      For example, for the Vivo Barefoot shoes, you could consider the following:

      1. The shoes you bought are vegan
      2. However, they also make many leather shoes (if you’re a vegan and want to support vegan companies)
      3. Ethical Consumer gives them 13/20 points (not bad).
      4. RankaBrand also rates Vibo somewhere in the top 30% of shoe makers – 8th out of 36 brands.
      5. Most of Vivo’s info on sustainability is very vague – there are very few solid statements or commitments.
      6. However, they do have a repair service, which is important.
      6. How did you feel about the materials used, packaging, etc.?
      7. Do you think they’ll last a long time? (may be too early to say)

      What do you think – how many green stars?

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  8. Hey, this is a great idea! Nothing like a little giveaway to increase engagement, huh? 🙂

    I reviewed an order I made last month here: https://www.trustpilot.com/reviews/5a7d4024d27b0a05207076a8

    Possibly wrote a bit too much to be helpful, but that’s something I’m working on! Thanks for hosting this; I’ll be sure to link back to this on my blog. By the way, I’m wondering why WWF seems to be the charity of choice? No shame if it’s because cute animals make for universal incentive!

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  9. Pingback: Just Desserts: be The Most Mindful & win! – the green mirmaid
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  11. No, this is wonderful Miranda! It was very interesting to learn about your search for (and criteria for) sustainable fresh veggies in Hong Kong. I read a quote about going the extra mile that’s relevant, but I can’t find it now because there are so many quotes about going the extra mile! Just pick one 😉
    But it’s totally true that people will always wonder about things like, “Is this Chinese certification for organic produce reliable?” or “Are there good organic farms closer to HK that deliver veggies?”. And by taking the time to really research these topics you’ve written a review that will be useful to many. I think you’d make a good investigative journalist or scientist 🙂

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      1. Aw, thank you! I’ve thought about going into journalism, perhaps for a niche magazine, but I’m still not sure. ^^;

        Of course, you can choose whatever charity to which you donate, but I quite like Peter Singer’s list of charities (https://www.thelifeyoucansave.org/best-charities) since effective altruism satisfies the utilitarian intuition. Singer is far from the end-all-be-all of ethicists, but given that I myself focus on very specific issues I like to make up for it by donating to other causes.

        The Schistosomiasis Control Initiative is recommended by practically every ‘good charity guide’ (e.g. Give Well) and can make smaller amounts go a long way, while One Acre Fund is most relevant to social and environmental concerns. But really, so long as one picks a charity that can be trusted, it’s hard to go wrong! 🙂

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      2. Thanks Miranda – I’ll add The Life You Can Save to my reading list. I read a similar book called Doing Good Better (also written by a philosopher) but had some issues with it (You can read my review of that book here if you like). The issues were not with the idea of rating charities (I think that’s useful if done well) but for his general advice on life.

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