Finding Clothes

I had to buy some clothes for an upcoming performance of our band, Total Unity. Stopped at a couple clothing stores that cater to teenagers, both in style and price. They happened to have the kind of rock star styles we were looking for - and all 10 items we tried on were made in the USA! Unfortunately, my favorite bra brand that I have been buying for at least 15 years, Victoria Secret, is made in China. That has me quite upset.

I had to buy some clothes for an upcoming performance of our band, Total Unity. Stopped at a couple clothing stores that cater to teenagers, both in style and price. They happened to have the kind of rock star styles we were looking for - and all 10 items we tried on were made in the USA!

cheeses and beads

 Of the 100 best cheeses in Wine Spectator, NONE of them are from China.  On a slightly more practical note, I was out today trying to find silver jewelry components and I stopped at a local place called Via Murano. I was pleased to find out that their products are made in the USA and that they feel my sentiments about avoiding purchasing from China.

Coal Problems

For the 1.3 billion people in China to attain US-like consumerism and affluence,  it would take the resources of a whole other planet Earth, according a report by Bob Woodruff of ABC.  I do not begrudge the Chinese people having these things that make life easier but I do not like the way the Chinese government is going about attaining it for their people.

Every 7 to 10 days, a new coal-fueled plant opens in China. These coal-based factories produce enormous amount of sulfur dioxide which leads to global warming, acid rain, poisoned crops and lakes and premature human deaths and is not just affecting the Chinese!  Microscopic particles from a pollution cloud drifting over from China were recently detected in California, Oregon and Washington.

About 60% of China's electricity comes from coal.  The US, on the other hand, has only 23% of its energy derived from coal. While the Chinese government has promised to install sulfur filters on every power plant to remove up to 95% of the sulfur by 2010, their last promise in 2002, which was to cut these emissions 10% by 2005, not only did not come to fruition but ultimately emissions rose by 27%!

Part of the problem also stems from Chinese exports and not just providing for their own citizens.  Up to 33% of their energy production may be attributed to supplying Westerners with goods.  So the more "stuff" we demand, the more China will produce and the more energy they need to produce it.  It is a vicious cycle and our addiction to having inexpensive "stuff" - toys, clothes, furniture, bedding, etc. only feed the pollution monster that is China.

Day 1 - CVS

I went to CVS to pick up a little notebook for keeping track of milage while in the car.  The first notebook I picked, the less expensive CVS brand - bingo! Made in the USA!  I thought for a brief moment, maybe this won't be so hard!  Then I looked around me at other items that I didn't currently need.  I randomly picked baby bottles and nipples by Playtex, thinking that I wouldn't want any kid of mine sucking on plastic that contains God knows what contaminates from China.  Made in the USA!   As I looked at more of the Playtex items, I then noted some made in China. OK, so I guess choosing a single brand may not be so easy. 

No "Made in China" for 1 year

For the next 365 days, I will be boycotting products made in China.  This has been attempted before - but not well and not wholeheartedly.  The last couple articles I read in the newspaper about women boycotting products made in China were, frankly,  pathetic.  They start with a fatalistic attitude and go on to say repeatedly that they accidentally ordered a product made in China or forgot to check where the product was made.  I plan on checking every single item - otherwise, why bother?

Why am I doing this?  I do not want to support an oppressive communist regime.  I do not want to support a nation that will execute the head of their FDA, even though Mr. Zheng was accepting bribes and producing products that are fatal to humans and animals.  I do not want to support a country that produces products fatal to humans and animals.  I do not want to support a country that doesn't have a free press or freedom of religion.  I do not want to support a country that is rounding up and killing dogs to make the streets cleaner and prettier for the Olympics.  Every product you and I buy from China is supporting these things. 

Can one go a week, a month or a year without supporting China's economy?  Is the US so very dependent on Chinsese goods that it cannot be done? I don't know.  Over the next year, however,  I will be sharing my experiences while shopping, sharing advice where to buy products made outside of China and, when not shopping, sharing information about China's economic link with the US and the threats they pose to both US citizens and their own citizens.