Overcoming Consumerism - http://www.verdant.net/

[rhyddid]

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[Jed]

Not a bad site some of it was worth reading but there is something on there that says don't buy any advertised products. So when I go to the market and a bloke is shouting £1 a pound of grape I should not buy from him? What rubbish, what about oxfam they advertise, should I stop buying there??

[Wombat]

G'Day Jedd & Rhyddid,

This is an interesting point and I suppose you could invent a new term - ethical advertising - which means advertising which lets you know where you can obtain somthing you want, verses advertising (or is it marketing) designed to convince you to buy something that you don't.

I suppose that I am getting old and crotchety but until relatively recently I tended to regard most advertising as more or less benign, but it is starting to worry the crap out of me. I could go on and on but I won't bore you.

I think the point is if that we as consumers buy ethically when we can't produce or obtain things locally, changes will have to be made. It just needs enough of us to change....................I know, how about we run an advertising campaign!

Nev

[Andy Hamilton]

I have been debating what to post here, as the webmaster (horrible term) then it has pretty much been my decision to put adverts on this site , so let me explain myself a bit.

What nev says about ethical advertising is what we try to keep to. We have barred companies from the google ads that people do not like for what ever reason, in fact one time it was down to someones personal reasons. We were getting a fair return on this company too.

The google ads only pay out when someone visits the site that are shown and recently they have been showing links to farmers markets ect, all pretty ethical businesses. I had to take them off one page as it was protesting against carrier bag use and the only ads to come up were selling carrier bags. We do get a small amount of money off these ads, (not allowed to say how much as google will ban me) and they are the only ads that actualy do give out money at the moment. I want to get rid of them eventually but can't afford to they do not even pay for the cost of running the site let alone the internet connection!

I got rid of the amazon link recently as when on a coach a few months ago I saw a huge amazon warehouse next to the motorway and I thought, I am contributing to that place being there built on the countryside. So I took off the ads and found a more ethical book company. In fact eco-logic vet all the book they sell and will not stock some books that they deem to be unethical for what ever reason. For example, Jekka from Jekka's herbs is famous for writing about herbs (obviously) but is supposed to treat her workers badly so they won't stock her book.

So any ads you disagre with let me know and I shall remove them. I was thinking of having Starbucks,McDonalds and Coke ads what do you think

[Emma]

The M in your .com could be a golden arch and instead of having a good life person next to you they could be a different starbucks coffee

[Wombat]

Andy, I think that you and Emma have a good idea here

I know that sites cost money and I think that you do practice "ethical advertising". There is certainly a place for advertising, the days when all you had to do was ask around the village (and if you couldn't get what you want, it didn't exist ) are gone.

What we have to do is get advertisers to use their power for niceness instead of evil.

At this point in my diatribe I would usually suggest that we all meet at Andy's place and then go and firebomb a McDonalds but some bugger always takes me seriously.

Nev

[Andy Hamilton]

What about getting a child who had to leave school because the price of the coffee bean was forced down by Starbucks to sit outside starbucks and we got loads of fat people who are addicted to mcdonalds to sit outside there with t-shirts on saying "its your fault ronald". less people get hurt that way

[Wombat]

Mate! I'm there!

[rhyddid]

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[manxminx]

Speaking as a parent i have managed just about to stop my kids wanting every advertised product that they see when watching children's programs . I only have peer pressure to deal with now

[Andy Hamilton]

Speaking as a parent i have managed just about to stop my kids wanting every advertised product that they see when watching children's programs . I only have peer pressure to deal with now

wow, how on earth did you manage that? I can remember that as a child I wanted everything I saw on TV.

I think that places like Mcdonalds over here have now been banned from advertising to children, quite right too! It does not stop them putting toy's in with the happy meals to intice kids in. (do they still do that?) I am surprised that starbucks have not made a coffee especially for children