Saturday, March 13, 2010

Diary of an American Shopper day 133

Diary of An American shopper day 133

Okay, so it's been a while. I've ben doing my best. I found jeans that were Made in the USA. And surprisingly I was able to find some yarn (from imported materials - not really sure what that means, but I think it's better than nothing). We purchased some What You Can Do post it notes that were from recycled paper and soy ink, so that got me thinking....

With Go Green Work week ending, I wanted to open the question to everyone - How do you run a cost-effective office while still trying to "be green" and "buy american?" It's really not so simple. When given the choice between an eco-friendly notebook and a brand new one, you're looking at a difference of at least $1. These figures can add up. And when you add the "Made in the USA" label to any of these eco-friendly lines, not only does the cost typically go up, but the choices go way down. So I ask, what is an office manger to do? Are you supposed to choose the trees or your budget?

Sadly, I think I know the answer to this question for most people, and frankly, I don't think you're wrong. I'm not talking about a multi-million dollar company choosing the bottom line, I'm talking about the little guy that is struggling to make it. For small companies, dollars and sense make a big difference, and I know that we can't always be looking at what is environmentally friendly. But I wanna know why?

How come there isn't any sort of tax incentive or subsidizing on these products? I know that I can get a tax break if I make my office run on green energy, but that costs money to install. What about starting small with basic office supplies? Well, as far as I know, tax breaks aren't there yet. Why not? And why can't our government help us out for making these good choices the way that they choose to subsidize some crops like corn and soy?

I feel like the only way these can become universally acceptable and the new norm is if we can make them more cost-effective. What do you think?

I mark day 133 frustrating.

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