Create: Courage Essay

I have not created an object to share with you this week.  Instead, I have created a change in myself.

I have always been environmentally minded.  I've gone through the Oh My Gosh What Are They Doing?!?!?!  phases in my youth.  But while I've always signed petitions and talked about them with some friends, I've never fully made a plan and stuck to it.  And I've often ended up a hermit because there is too much sadness, too much anger, too much bad stuff going on to fight it all and make any difference. 

I fully share my beliefs with friends that Walmart has some serious concerns, such as keeping their wages and hours set so that they do not have to provide health care for their workers, and paying women less than men (although that unfortunately is a standard everywhere).  Plus, the big business tends to run smaller businesses out of business. 

I have, at times, chosen to boycott Walmart and have not shopped there.  But yet the Dollar General in my town often saw my business because it was convenient and I was broke.  Unfortunately, because Walmart is the only thing open past nine and I often go looking for craft supplies around then, I have begun shopping at Walmart again.  I found ease and convenience to triumph over my ideals.  I try not to shop there, but sometimes I do.

One of my  Imbolc goals for this year was to stand up for my beliefs and stick to them.  I feel as though I am finally following through on my beliefs. 

Greenpeace sent out a video earlier this month about KitKat, Nestle, and Orangutans.  Nestle, the maker of KitKat, my favorite candy bar ever, has been buying palm oil from a company that is destroying Indonesians rain forests.  In turn, pushing the Orangutans toward extinction. 

Orangutans are not something I think of when I think of when I think favorite animal.  But they are cool.  And after reading the Discworld books with the Librarian, I cannot turn away from this awesome animal.  I chose to stop purchasing products from Nestle.  And I have researched which products those are, too.  I see quite a few on the list that I normally purchase.  But until Nestle takes responsibility for it's actions, I feel I cannot support them. 

I could take an easy way out and read more and more about it, thinking that Greenpeace is an extreme organization.  After all, Nestle did just decide to stop buying directly from a company destroying the forest.  But they still buy from companies buying from that company.  I could just say, oh it's not that big of a deal.  I could just stop buying KitKats.  But I am stepping up to my ideals and trying to stick with it.  Let's hope Nestle does the same.