My first thought was “wow – I’m glad I’m here in America!”My next thought was “wow – American corporations like Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo are providing the tools that oppresive regimes use to suppress freedom around the world.”I support freedom. I do not support dictatorships. No more Microsoft, Google, or Yahoo for me.

I was surprised to read you feel that Wal-Mart is “increasing the standard of living for millions of working class Americans.” This is a very small picture view based solely on a correlation between low wages and low prices. For a moment take a big picture view and consider, for example, why those wages are low in the first place. I’m not talking about Wal-Mart employees, but their general demographic customer base. Study Wal-Mart’s trending impact on the US economy and on the American standard of living and I think you’ll be boycotting the store too.

Advances in packaging design can mean a more efficient use of the same type of packaging material, thus reducing carbon footprint. The Ragu example though has traded one biodegradable and recycleable glass jar for six and a half non-biodegradable and non-recycleable plastic pouches. The only improvement here is in Unilever’s transportation costs.  

Excellent to see these available for less than 30K! If they take off (figuratively) we may see Tesla bring prices down and other competitors enter the market.  

DHL looks like the little guy here, but is the most reliable of the bunch: check out http://www2.isye.gatech.edu/~jjb/wh/package-race/2007/2007.html

DHL’s success over Fedex and UPS is partly because they’re not so little – DHL Express is owned by DeutschePost World Net, the second largest employer on Earth (after Walmart). That means big investment. DHL is huge outside the US, just not very well known here.

USPS is huge, but they should be after years of having been a government department. They had generations of taxpayer investment and no shareholders to report to, so got all the infrastructure, buildings, vehicles, and government protection they needed without any need to make any of it profitable. We all hear about carrier issues, but USPS has the service down to a science.

Cool stuff! The ash tray is a disgustingly beautiful irony, and love the GreenDimes idea. The perfume sounds like an intersting concept, but have to wonder why it is being marketed in what look like generic plastic white-out bottles. Shouldn’t a feel-good product have a feel-good container? Who would buy perfume in OfficeMax?

These industries have an enormous impact on our daily lives, yet are devoting only 2 – 12% of their revenue to advertising. You can also have an enormous impact on the daily lives of others; to what cause do you devote 2 – 12% of your revenue?

Ditch the Old Spice – darn shame the box for Dennis Kucinich didn’t include some Avalon Organics shampoo.

My first thought was “wow – I’m glad I’m here in America!”My next thought was “wow – American corporations like Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo are providing the tools that oppresive regimes use to suppress freedom around the world.”I support freedom. I do not support dictatorships. No more Microsoft, Google, or Yahoo for me.

I was surprised to read you feel that Wal-Mart is “increasing the standard of living for millions of working class Americans.” This is a very small picture view based solely on a correlation between low wages and low prices. For a moment take a big picture view and consider, for example, why those wages are low in the first place. I’m not talking about Wal-Mart employees, but their general demographic customer base. Study Wal-Mart’s trending impact on the US economy and on the American standard of living and I think you’ll be boycotting the store too.

Advances in packaging design can mean a more efficient use of the same type of packaging material, thus reducing carbon footprint. The Ragu example though has traded one biodegradable and recycleable glass jar for six and a half non-biodegradable and non-recycleable plastic pouches. The only improvement here is in Unilever’s transportation costs.  

Excellent to see these available for less than 30K! If they take off (figuratively) we may see Tesla bring prices down and other competitors enter the market.  

DHL looks like the little guy here, but is the most reliable of the bunch: check out http://www2.isye.gatech.edu/~jjb/wh/package-race/2007/2007.html

DHL’s success over Fedex and UPS is partly because they’re not so little – DHL Express is owned by DeutschePost World Net, the second largest employer on Earth (after Walmart). That means big investment. DHL is huge outside the US, just not very well known here.

USPS is huge, but they should be after years of having been a government department. They had generations of taxpayer investment and no shareholders to report to, so got all the infrastructure, buildings, vehicles, and government protection they needed without any need to make any of it profitable. We all hear about carrier issues, but USPS has the service down to a science.

Cool stuff! The ash tray is a disgustingly beautiful irony, and love the GreenDimes idea. The perfume sounds like an intersting concept, but have to wonder why it is being marketed in what look like generic plastic white-out bottles. Shouldn’t a feel-good product have a feel-good container? Who would buy perfume in OfficeMax?

These industries have an enormous impact on our daily lives, yet are devoting only 2 – 12% of their revenue to advertising. You can also have an enormous impact on the daily lives of others; to what cause do you devote 2 – 12% of your revenue?

Ditch the Old Spice – darn shame the box for Dennis Kucinich didn’t include some Avalon Organics shampoo.

Ihe preparation of sushi is truly an art form. What I have learned about the food industry though – it’s impact on the environment’s health, on our own health, and the way it treats creatures – has made me limit the types of sushi I eat to vegetarian. It is so easy for talented chefs to duplicate the taste and texture of tuna and other fish that I cannot support the industry that destroys our oceans.

Love the idea of planting food in abandoned lots; some cities do have such programs. Planting on municipal grounds without permission though would likely be unwelcome. A much more productive idea would be to partner with the municipal authority and establish a small plot on which food to be grown to supply a shelter or food bank. Costs may ultimately go down for the city who often have to feed the homeless or fund or supply the shelters, so this type of arrangement is a win-win for all concerned. Getting some troubled youth, homeless, or other target group as additional garden help teaches responsibility and skills they can use the rest of their lives. IT AIN’T EASY but it’s ultimately rewarding.