Humans Before Profits!

you can make a profit without killing people,
destroying the environment and
ruining our quality of life

The Right-to-Know Network (RTK Net)
is sponsored by two non-profit organizations, OMB Watch and The Unison Institute. RTK Net is an easy-to-use online database that contains a wealth of information about pollution and waste within communities. RTK Net provides copies of the numerous reports that industries and businesses are required to file with various federal agencies, including inventories of toxic chemicals, incident reports on toxic spills, and information on EPA Superfund sites. This information is searchable by address as well as by company name, and information is available in both detailed and summary form. The online network also has a wealth of information on housing, including the American Housing Survey (AHS) data and other information on bank and mortgage company lending practices and the demographic characteristics of individual neighborhoods.

graph showing how unbalanced the US budget is towards defense spending

The U.S. spends more money on "defense" than anything else in the U.S. Budget COMBINED. We spend more than all of our allies COMBINED. We spend more than our "enemies" COMBINED. Congress habitually gives the Pentagon more money than the Pentagon asks for. Enlisted men and their families live in sub-standard housing while we build "smart" bombs and missle defense systems that fail in test after test, as well as aircraft that the Air Force doesn't even want. It's WRONG. It's grotesque. It's time to change it.

Check out "Peace Economy" by the Coalition for Peace Action for more information.

Sites to help you make socially-responsible purchases and investments:

Capitalism With a Conscious: promoting social responsibility AND planning for your financial future

BetterWorld.Com

Corpwatch.org

The Fair Trade Federation (FTF)
An association of fair trade wholesalers, retailers, and producers whose members are committed to providing fair wages and good employment opportunities to economically disadvantaged artisans and farmers worldwide. FTF directly links low-income producers with consumer markets and educates consumers about the importance of purchasing fairly traded products which support living wages and safe and healthy conditions for workers in the developing world. FTF also acts as a clearinghouse for information on fair trade and provides resources and networking opportunities for its members. By adhering to social criteria and environmental principles, Fair Trade Organizations (FTOs) foster a more equitable and sustainable system of production and trade that benefits people and their communities.

TransFair USA
a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the only independent, third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the USA. Through regular visits to Fair Trade farmer cooperatives conducted by Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO), and partnerships with US companies, TransFair verifies that the farmers who produced Fair Trade Certified products were paid a fair price.

Businesses for Social Responsibility
a nonprofit, global organization that helps member companies achieve success in ways that respect ethical values, people, communities and the environment. BSR provides information, tools, training and advisory services to make corporate social responsibility an integral part of business operations and strategies.

Institute for Global Communication has vast and detailed information on and links to organizations working to counter unethical and destructive business practices and out-of-control government spending.

NetAction, is a project of The Tides Center and a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting effective grassroots citizen action campaigns by creating coalitions that link activists using the Internet with grassroots organizations, and educating the public, policymakers, and the media about technology-based social and political issues.

Working Today
Consultants, contractors, freelancers, temps, self-employed, and those that work-at-home -- Working Today is your organization, providing a strong advocacy voice for members of the new independent workforce and offering access to benefits, such as group rates for comprehensive health and dental insurance and discounts on travel, office supplies, and computer software, along with a free legal assistance plan. The membership fee is just $10. The Web site provides information to help contractors, temps, the self-employed and those that work-at-home with a variety of issues, and links to many more resources on the Web.

In 1979, 79 percent of American workers had employer-sponsored health insurance. By 1996, however, only 61 percent had it. And now, unlike the world our parents lived in, even those lucky enough to have a company health plan often have to help pay for a significant part of it. Also, trying to make a living as a freelancer can be hard, but the government makes it even harder by making independent contractors pay double in social security taxes what employees pay. You can read more about these issues, as well as helpful guides for temping, working at home, determining if you are really an employee instead of an independent contractor, etc. at the Working Today Web site.

Why Bill Gates is Richer Than You
Funny... and sad...

link to site to help you fight MS monopoly

Wal-Mart Watch will help you learn how Wal-Mart is lowering wages and living standards around the world -- not just in the USA. People all over the USA are banning together to keep Wal-Mart from coming to or expanding in their communities. This web site details what a bad neighbor Wal-Mart is.

Boycotts!
Definitely check these sites before you EVER forward an e-mail from someone calling for a boycott, no matter how good the cause sounds. Always verify such information! Often, it's folklore:

An index of current boycotts sanctioned by the AFL-CIO
An index of current boycotts supported by Co-op America
Of course, if you do a search for "boycott" and the object of your hatred, you'll probably find someone already has a page about it.

When I first heard of the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa, a Nigerian environmental activist, I didn't think much about it -- there's so many protesters killed in other countries.... But the more I read and heard about his work, the exploitation and pollution by Shell Oil of lands occupied by the Ogoni people, and the details leading up to his death, including the involvement of the Nigerian Government and Shell Oil in both the destruction of people's livelihoods and the land, as well as Shell's veiled involvement in Saro-Wiwa's death, the angrier I became. Meeting Nigerian exiles and hearing these people describe the horror to me first hand has made me even more angry. And now, the USA has invaded Iraq and taken over its oil production, while the people struggle to survive -- a country that, in 1991, had the same standard of living as Greece. Saro-Wiwa's last words were: "Lord take my soul. The struggle continues." This page you are reading now is my way of continuing the struggle. Think about ways to live to reduce your use of oil -- use your bicycle more and support efforts to build bike lanes in your community, use mass transit more and support mass transit bond measures in your community, and WALK. Google the phrases "life without a car" and "car-free living", and you will find many resources that can help you. You don't have to give up your car entirely -- but you also don't need to drive it every day. If Americans reduced their energy consumption even just five percent, we could make the oil companies -- and the governments that support them -- radically-change the way they do business.

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This is a personal non-business-related page

This information posted by J. Cravens. The personal opinions expressed on this page are solely the opinion of Ms. Cravens, unless otherwise noted.

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