SOUL BRANDING

I have recently been accepted as a NOW Ambassador and the best thing about this, is the opportunity to connect to better buying practises.  When I think of my own performance as being the best I can be, it comes with a lot of awareness. Its so intimate; its with the heart and soul. So how rightly that the term SOUL BRANDING can be used to apply to other practices I do such as what I buy and spend my dollars on. The book called "The better world shopping guide" by Ellis Jones really made an impact on me. I have come to realize the intense change we can make with our purchasing power. I get very discouraged when the profit margins of the big corporations override soul branding or better business practices. With tacit knowledge they really have things in their products that will kill you, but because its so slowly over time, it can be hidden or lobbied away. (I'm series, when I say KILL YOU). But we do have the same fight. If there is no demand, then there can be no supply.

Here are some excerpts from the book. Companies and Products were ranked according to their public, private and non-profit sources. Appropriate weights to the data are assigned based on reliability, scope which calculates the social and environmental responsibility.

www.betterworldshopper.org

Top 10 Things to Change

1. Bank

2. Gasoline

3. Supermarket

4. Retail Store

5. Car

6. Seafood

7. Chocolate

8. Coffee / Tea

9. Credit Card

10. Cleaning Product

Banks & Credit Cards

A - ShoreBank

C - American Express, ING, Mastercard, VISA

D - Discover, Capital One, JP Morgan, Wells Fargo

F - Citibank, Bank of America

Coffee

A - Equal Exchange, AlterEco

B - Peet's, Starbucks

C - Millstone

F - CoffeeMate

Gas

B - Sunoco, Hess

C - Costco, Circle K, 7-Eleven

D - BP, Arco, Shell

F - Exxon, Mobil, Chevron, Texaco, Union 76

Car

B - Toyota, Lexus, Scion, Honda, Acura, Subaru

C - Porsche, BMW, Land Rover

D - Nissan

F - Chrysler, GE, Jeep, Ford, Dodge, Hummer

Supermarkets

A - Food co-ops, Farmers Markets

B - Trader Joe's, Wegmans

C- Safeway, Tom Thumb

D - Target, Walgreens, Thriftway, Albertson's, Costco

F - Walmart, QFC, Fred Meyer

Retail Stores

Green Hero: Patagonia & Ikea

A - REI

B - Timberland, Eddie Baue, Nordstrom, Ace Hardware

C - Best Buy, Ross, Bed Bath & Beyond

D - Target, Lowes, JC Penney, Marshalls, Costco, Home Depot

F - Walmart, Sam's Club, Sears, Land's End

Soap

Green Hero: Dr. Bronner's

A - Method, Kiss My Face

B - HUGO, Irish Spring, Aveeno, Purell

C - St. Ive's, Burt's Bees

D - Nivea, Dove

F - Ivory, Olay, Old Spice, Gillette

Corporate Villain :  Dial

Vitamins

Green Hero: NOW & New Chapter Organics, Nordic Naturals

Centrum gets a F

Toys & Games

A - Eco Toy Town, Wild Planet

B - Sony, Mattel

C - Toys R Us, Crayola

D- Nintendo

F-Microsoft, Play-Doh, Disney

Villains: Hasbro (sweatshop)

Ice-cream

Green Hero: Ben & Jerry's

A - Purely Decadent, Stonyfield Farm, Green & Blacks, Humboldt Creamery

B - Newman's Own, Starbucks

C - Godiva, Hershey's, Haagen Dazs, Ciao Bella

D- Dole, Klondike, Healthy Choice

F-Nestle, Eskimo Pie

Villains: Dreyer's

YES LIST:

Seventh Generation, Biokleen, Organic Valley, Dansko, Muir Glen, Seeds of Change, Kettle Foods, Amy's

Although no listed in this book, from my own research, I would add to your yes list: HUDSON Boatworks, HAMMER Nutrition, Living Tree Community

NO MORE ON YOUR DOLLAR:

Pam (ConAgra), Nestle, Pfizer, Oscar Mayer, Tyson, Clorox, Tide, Downy, Bounce, Kool-Aid, Libby's, Minute Maid, Kraft