a rant on shopping

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Ok, first let me say that I am a shopper. I love shopping. I love to shop. I can go into a store and buy almost anything and justify the purchase easily. And yes, I get a buzz. Growing up, I announced to my family that I could spend a million dollars (an unending amount of money in those days) in just one day and that I'd still need more money. Of course my parents didn't believe me until I started rattling off my list of things that I absolutely "needed" and then went on to my "wants" list. Then they realized just what they had on their hands. If there's a celebrity out there famous for his or her shopping sprees, I can out-do them any day of the week. Bring it on, but I'll need a financial backer. That's why it's incredibly shocking that who I grew to be wasn't what you'd think. I grew up to be a tree hugging, Love Your Mother, hippie Pagan. Yup. Oh I still love to shop. Now though I read labels to see where the stuff is coming from, if it's recycled or recyclable, etc. There are several fantastic "green" sites online that will send me wonderful newsletters through my email. I adore them, I love reading the tips. I have noticed a common thread in each and every single one though. While I am happy to learn that Susie Q. is making jewelry from plants and John and Tom are recycling glass from soda bottles into cool looking vases, this is not what being "green" is about. Being "green" is about using what you have. Being "green" isn't about going out to buy the newest bamboo fabric t-shirt, it's about going to your local thrift store and buying clothes from there. I am not going to buy an $800 necklace just because treehugger.com recommended the woman's site because she walks outside, grabs a couple of plants, plops them into a small glass tube & glues them onto a metal ring and says "viola". Now if I need to buy laundry detergent, yes, I'll buy the eco-friendly kind. If I need a new picnic table, my husband will look for eco-friendly wood to build one. If I want jewelry, I'll go to my local antique store or thrift store to get it -or- better yet, I just deal with what pieces I already own. Nobody needs a lot of jewelry. And while I support the idea of using old tires for new shoes and while those shoes are really cute, I'm not paying $80, people. Makes you wonder just who really is behind all the "green" products, anyway. Most of them are all so outrageously expensive that only Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz can afford them. So how is the planet being made better with these products if no one can afford to buy them?