Holiday Shopping List

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." -Ghandi

The sole purpose of a corporation is to maximize shareholder value. That was the first thing I learned on my very first day of business school. Corporations are amoral, without emotion, without conscience. But that doesn't mean that a corporation's management can't adopt practices that help its employees, help the environment, and help the wider community while still driving profit. There are some really great companies that, in my opinion, have adopted practices with benefits that reach further than their own bottom line. These companies have won my respect, and my hard-earned dollars.
Here's where I'll be concentrating my shopping this holiday season:

Starbucks - offers health insurance to half-time employees and pays fair prices to its coffee suppliers. I don't love where they choose to place some of their stores (such as Beijing's Forbidden City), but they do strive for sustainability and fair trade. Peppermint Hot Chocolate anyone? Yummy.

Powell's Books -amazing used book selection (they carry new books, as well), very progressive labor practices. And if you are ever in Portland, you have to check out the brick and mortar store in the Pearl District. It is a beacon of books. My favorite customer quote is, "The first time I went in there I had a mental orgasm." Seriously. I get so excited when I'm there I forget to breathe.

HP - Hewlett Packard is a model for sustainability in the electronics business. In July 2007, the company announced that it had met its target, set in 2004, to recycle 1 billion pounds of computer hardware. Annually, it recycles 70% more than its closest competitor and even houses its own recycling facilities. When I bought my last ink cartridge, I got a postage-paid envelope to send my old cartridge to be recycled. Excellent. In addition, HP is often ranked in the top 100 companies for Working Moms each year.

GAP- love their RED campaign.

Trader Joes - I will never understand how TJ's can sell such quality food at such low prices. I love their "green" incentive programs such as their monthly giveaway contests available to customers who shop with reusable bags.

Body Shop - Cosmetics with a conscience. The company supports a whole array of good causes, from community trade to the fight against domestic violence. None of their products are tested on animals. As someone who thinks putting makeup on her face is akin to rubbing it with mud (crazy sensory issues I can't really explain), I can say I love just about every product I have tried from Body Shop.

Burley Bikes - is a "business" in the loosest sense of the word. Based in Eugene, Oregon, it is actually structured as a co-op, which means that everyone, from the CEO to the janitor, makes the exact same salary. Every business decision is made by a democratic vote of all employees. Even though when I consulted for Burley as a business school student I recommended that they deconstruct their co-op or face catastrophic infighting, I still love this little company and its value system. Burley is also one of those companies that was green when green was definitely not cool and has watched the rest of the world catch up to its sustainable practices. And you can't beat their products, especially their bike trailers (we bought ours used on craigslist and it rides like a dream).

And although this isn't the focus of the post, you really can't go wrong with small online retailers.

I just realized that the majority of companies listed have roots in the Northwest, so you can see where my biases are hidden. I also can't guarantee that I haven't been fooled by corporate spin and that some of these companies aren't living up to their PR hype...I'll just have to hope they are being good corporate citizens.

I'd love to hear what companies you support and why...