Living Without 'Made in China'
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06.29.07
Sara Bongiorni and her family attempted to live without goods made in China for a year, and found that it was no simple task. She has documented the project in a book called, A Year Without 'Made in China.
It wasn't motivated by a patriotic urge to buy American, but more as an experiment to see how global the sources of our goods are. Bongiorni said, "I wanted our story to be a friendly, nonjudgmental look at the ways ordinary people are connected to the global economy." In the foreword, written by economist Joel Naroff, it's said that 15 percent of the $1.7 trillion spent on imported goods the US imported in 2006 came from China.
This book would certainly be worth a read if you're at all interested in buying more local products. The same problems involved with not buying Chinese goods would apply to purchasing local goods. Purchasing a pair of shoes made in your own country is likely to reduce your footrpint, so to speak - transporting goods half way around the world is not green, even if it is cheaper. ::Reuters
See also ::China Has a Plan for Climate Change ::TreeHugger Picks: Buy Local Day ::Living On The 100 Miles Diet
Why does a desire to buy American (or union-made) need to be patriotic? How about a desire to reduce one's "stuff-miles" rather like you all are urging people to reduce their food miles? Or maybe just a desire to support the American factory worker?
When our parents urged use to buy American it was xenophobic. Now, when it's our idea, it's buying more local products.
Don't worry, peak oil will ensure the end of globalization.
This book sounds so awesome I'm going to buy it today!
My family and I mostly follow this practice and it can be a challenge. Especially annoying is the missing country of origin label, or the misleading "assembled in U.S.". Even treehugger products fall prey to this..I recently bought a Recycline toothbrush and could not find where it was made-- annoying because I know they run some production out of China. Try finding a cfl not made in China.
Even some American flags are made in China.
isn't the better way to reduce the carbon footprint of a purchased objects is to motivate their shipment via green technologies?
for example a label on the package saying "this item was sent via green shipping"
or purchasing the good via online shop that's responsible for green shipping.
in the long term , this can both enhance green tech which can be used also for cars etc,by generating larger market for it , and giving people attractive options to buy green stuff.
How do you know that buying a shoe in your own country has a lower carbon footprint than buying one from halfway around the world? Surely the carbon footprint of a shoe depends on the full costs of production, not just on transport?
For example, how carbon-producing is the electricity used in making the shoe? How carbon-producing are the production methods (this is probably more relevant to farming than to shoes, I imagine that use of winter-feed, fertilisers, tractors, etc varies more around the world than shoe production techniques)?
What are the studies that show that the distance travelled is the most important contribution to carbon footprints, and that the distance travelled by sea in buik is the most important, and not say the distance travelled from the shoe store to each person's house?
People seem to be jumping on some sort of bandwagon about carbon-emissions and distance without having done any research.
Mission Impossible~~~
You don't need to be green to be concerned about buying from China - just educated on recent history.
As a communist country, China owns a stake in all businesses within the country, even those taken abroad by American companies. It's the price of doing business. This stake translates into your $ moving into the pocket of the Communist government and the People's Liberation Army.
I probably don't need to remind treehuggers about Tianemen Square, or the forced labor China imposes on political dissidents and religious leaders it deems counter-revolutionary.
But, you might not make the connection that a lot of the money we spend on Chinese goods goes to the buildup of the PLA - which, on pace with the stunning economic growth of China has seen huge expenditures, modernization and capability development in the past decade and a half.
Just on sheer man power, China has the largest standing army in the world. While they yet lack the hardware to challenge Russia or the USA, they are pointedly (and vociferously) catching up very quickly with the stated aim of taking Taiwan and challenging the presence of the US in the Pacific Rim.
I know - too geopolitical for most readers here, but it is another dimension to Made in China that can't be ignored.
Good read.
Even the comments.
@ Even some American flags are made in China.
Try most.
(link found on digg)
The best campaign is not "Buy American" but "Buy from a democratic country":
French wine and German cars are ok, Thai shoes are ok, too. But I really try to avoid things that are made in China.
On the positive side, it easy to avoid buying things from North Korea ;-)
Tim
The best campaign is not "Buy American" but "Buy from a democratic country":
French wine and German cars are ok, Thai shoes are ok, too. But I really try to avoid things that are made in China.
On the positive side, it easy to avoid buying things from North Korea ;-)
Tim
I avoid Chinese-made products -- to the extent I can -- because I think they don't work, break, have inferior fit and finish or pose a safety hazard.
I believe the nature of the Chinese government is another reason for avoiding Chinese-made goods.
Spom in CA
My family now never buy any single product that
made in china because all the communist countries do not care the human beeings.
I urge we all boycott all products made in china
Thanks
It's green to buy local because:
a) it's a matter of the enormous amount of energy used and pollution produced by the transportation of goods globally
b) in the case of China, here's a little something from someone who has been to China (Shanghai, Beijing, and many places in-between): you want to talk carbon-emissions? Shanghai and Beijing make the most polluted city in the USA look like the Garden of Eden. There is an eternal haze covering both cities, and the air is full of it and truly smells rather bad. Many people walk or ride around on bikes with medical masks covering their nose and mouth. Why? One of the biggest reasons is that they still use 'cakes' of coal for heat/energy. I would often see men peddling 'bicycle trucks/lorries' stacked high with these cakes of coal. Believe me, ANYTHING in the USA and many other FIRST WORLD NON-COMMUNIST countries has a smaller carbon footprint than ANYTHING made in China, _whether or not_ you include the energy and pollution to actually ship it to the USA and elsewhere.
Also, one of the other comments above comes to mind:
You are supporting a government that is not only just 'communist', but has a HORRIBLE humanitarian track record, to this very day. When you buy 'Made in China', you are supporting a government that ordered armored tanks (and they DID) to roll over un-armed college kids, gathered in Tiananmen Square to plead for democracy. Seriously. Does that matter to anyone? It matters to me.
And let me end this by saying: I don't hate the people of China in general. My time there was amazing and I wouldn't take back that experience for anything -- I met some wonderful people and saw things I could never see anywhere else; HOWEVER, I neither believe nor trust in the Chinese government nor their business sector/environment. I've read articles and comments pointing toward communism in China, the oppression, the Cultural Revolution, as helping to contribute to a somewhat spirit-less society and a corrupt bureaucracy and business infrastructure. Having been there, delving into the past carefully for my own personal understanding, experiencing the country first-hand -- well, I wholeheartedly agree.
Here's a brief story for you:
At the Summer Palace outside of Beijing, there is a Buddhist temple on the palace grounds. It's quite magnificent in its endless 'niches' carved into the outer walls, each with a little buddha. Or so it used to be. My native Beijinger friend's mother pointed to them, saying, "Do you notice how mostly within reach the buddhas are smashed or missing? That was from the Cultural Revolution. We were killing one of the Four Olds -- religion." The only buddhas that remain in their niches on the temple are higher up, out of reach. Mao destroyed China -- killed its spirituality and humanity (and I am not one who others would call 'religious' at all). Mao ruined China. And now not only are the Chinese paying the price, but so is everyone else who crosses paths with Chinese goods. Very sad.
Oh, by the way -- think you're avoiding Chinese-made products? Ever wonder where those fast-food restaurants (or even the NON-fast food 'real' restaurants) are getting their fish/fish by-products from? Take a wild guess. These days, if you guess China, you'll be correct about 80% of the time. Eighty percent. That's how much fish on the US market (whether direct or at that restaurant you love) now comes from China. A friend pointed out recently when we were discussing that statistic, "But, but, doesn't the USA have MORE coastline than China??" Oh, yes. Yes it does. But these fish don't come from the sea. They come from fish hatcheries/ponds, crammed full of fish that then are heavily medicated just to keep them alive -- chemicals that are either known or suspected carcinogens.
Isn't globalisation just peachy? Or do I mean...S-C-A-M. :(
Poor guys, how could you let the media blind your eyes? Compare those "made in China" with "made in India", or "made in Mexico", or some others, how much of the defect products count in the whole volume? Do you think made in U.S. is really better? Tell me the price differrence
I think Chinese product is good and cheap. And the quality is also very good!!!
In China, there are many young people do not buy Made in Japan , because they invaded China several decade ago.
Today, I saw many Amercian discussing whether to buy Made in China. For what ?
Chinese human rights or communist country ?
I've been in China for 26 years and I know about this country more than everyone here.
I want to say that each country has own history, culture. Do not put American-standard onto Others countries. Actually, China is not terrible as someone thought.
In an an effort to reduce your "Made in China" purchases everyone in this country can do one simple thing----DON'T BUY FROM WALMART!!!! Over 80% of all goods and/or services offered by Walmart come from China. Remember the good days of Walmart when Sam believed in the American way and stood behind it????
Yahoo.cn is heavily censored. If you search for Tianemen Square then you get this site 3rd hit! because someone mentioned TS in a comment.
http://www.yahoo.cn/s?p=tianemen+square&v=web
So while this is getting though to China here is a paste of the BBC report on Tianemen Square
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/4/newsid_2496000/2496277.stm
4th June 1989: Massacre in Tiananmen Square
Several hundred civilians have been shot dead by the Chinese army during a bloody military operation to crush a democratic protest in Peking's (Beijing) Tiananmen Square.
Tanks rumbled through the capital's streets late on 3 June as the army moved into the square from several directions, randomly firing on unarmed protesters.
The injured were rushed to hospital on bicycle rickshaws by frantic residents shocked by the army's sudden and extreme response to the peaceful mass protest.
Demonstrators, mainly students, had occupied the square for seven weeks, refusing to move until their demands for democratic reform were met.
The protests began with a march by students in memory of former party leader Hu Yaobang, who had died a week before.
But as the days passed, millions of people from all walks of life joined in, angered by widespread corruption and calling for democracy.
Tonight's military offensive came after several failed attempts to persuade the protesters to leave.
Throughout the day the government warned it would do whatever it saw necessary to clamp down on what it described as "social chaos".
But even though violence was expected, the ferocity of the attack took many by surprise, bringing condemnation from around the world.
US President George Bush said he deeply deplored the use of force, and UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said she was "shocked and appalled by the shootings".
Amid the panic and confusion students could be heard shouting "fascists stop killing," and "down with the government".
At a nearby children's hospital operating theatres were filled with casualties with gunshot wounds, many of them local residents who were not taking part in the protests.
Early this morning at least 30 more were killed in two volleys of gunfire, which came without warning. Terrified crowds fled, leaving bodies in the road.
Meanwhile reports have emerged of troops searching the main Peking university campus for ringleaders, beating and killing those they suspect of co-ordinating the protests.
End of cut and paste
Down with yahoo's censorship!
Can just remember that before some decades of years plenty of americans just shouting:" I never buy Japanese cars ... " But see how much percent of the cars that now running down the streets ... :) Now it's the turn of China. Well, can't the Japs or the Chinese live without americans buy their goods? Don't think so. Actually they live well.
This summer I got so angry at the "Made in China" label, but for a unique reason--I was trying to find gifts to bring back for my friends and co-workers in China. I wanted to bring some of my childhood toys, thinking they would reflect my American life well, but every single one of them said made in China. I looked through the stores, but again, I couldn't find anything that represented America without the "made in China" sticker. I finally settled for a book of Wisconsin scenery, only to discover later that it was printed in China!
A handful of Chinese students went to America last year and visited a Christmas store. After scouring the barn-sized shop, they declared, "We want 'Made in USA!'" Yep, everything was imported from their home country.
I think the best way is to 'consume ' less .
Why we need so many things ?
Why we feel happy to buy or collect these metals, plastic and rubbers.
Why we love from these things , whenever they can not love from us ?