Made in "Green" China

Today, more than ever, our products are manufactured in China. It's cheap. Even companies that are pushing "GREEN" products are having them manufactured in China. That seems like a giant oxymoron to me.

China is a polluted country because of all the manufacturing. Everyday more pollution is produced in China than anywhere else in the world. Waterways are polluted, in some cities residents have to wear masks just to leave the house. People are getting cancer at alarming rates. How can anything made there be green?

Companies that manufacture "GREEN" products also want to save a buck. They use recycled or recyclable materials in items such as composters, pots and planters, wall paper, etc. and have them made in China. But are they being manufactured in an environmentally friendly way? Some products say, "maufactured under our strictest guidelines". What is that supposed to mean? A broad statement that is supposed to make us feel good about the product we are buying, but doesn't really mean crap.

Products that are made from recycled or recyclable materials are a good thing and automatically will reduce our footprint when we purchase them and not items made from virgin materials. I wouldn't mind buying eco-friendly products made in China, if I knew they were really being manufactured in a responsible way. Chinese manufacturing plants do not have the best track records for being safe and environmentally responsible.

We as a whole, (Americans and Chinese) are suffering the effects of poor manufacturing safety standards and guidelines in China. The chinese are suffering ill health and disease, poor working conditions and low pay. We Americans are suffering from a poor economy, lack of jobs, lead poisoning in our children and the list goes on and on.

We need to choose our products wisely, think about what they are made of, where they were made, how they were made and... do we really need them? We are a society of "Must Haves". We Americans have lots of stuff. Lots. Lots of stuff goes to waste, in our basements, garages, and landfills.

We as a people have the power to change how things are made. Buy responsibly. If we don't buy products made irresponibly from virgin materials made in China, there will be no need to make them anymore. If we start buying responsibly made products made in America (and other countries), the manufacturers will be forced to make changes.

CHANGE IS GOOD! I do believe Ghandi said it best,

"YOU MUST BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE"

WE CAN DO IT!