Those of us who live in the Western world benefit from a corporate system that engages in the exploitation of people in impoverished nations in order to live with more ease and wealth. A trip outside of our own country can prove quite enlightening - India, China, Mexico, the Middle East, South America, the Polynesian islands, Africa and Tibet - the rest of the world does not live the way we in the West are living. It is a rather unfortunate truth that many people on this planet are people of color working like slaves for low wages, or even worse - being warred upon - coping in situations of extreme poverty, distress and suffering, in order for us to have products like coffee, clothing, furniture and petroleum. In fact, stores like Ross, WalMart, Cosco and Target are only able to deliver us goods at such low prices because they cut their own costs by having the products manufactured in third-world countries. It has become quite public of late that the conditions in these factories fall far below U.S. standards - employees work long hours doing repetitive tasks for extremely low wages, and child labor is common. Western consumers are largely in the dark about the troubling reality of the production line. Yet that's no excuse, really - whether we are aware of it or not, our contemporary urban lifestyle keeps this system in operation. The good news is - you've got other options.

There are always alternatives to what the corporations are offering if you spend a little time looking. For instance, you cast a vote in favor of scaled-down, ethical and healthy farming practices when you purchase organic food. You cast your vote in favor of fair wages when you purchase your clothing online directly from seamstress coops, for example. You cast your vote in favor of reducing greenhouse gases when you purchase a used diesel vehicle and convert it to run on biodiesel or vegetable oil. You cast your vote in favor of free enterprise when you do business online with entrepreneurs. You see - if you cut out the corporate middle-man, your vote still counts!

Purchasing power is the way you exercise your right to choose what kind of business you want to do, with whom, according to which standards and conditions. It isn't always perfect; it isn't always cut and dry - sometimes you might have to choose between an organic cotton shirt or a conventionally-produced (chemically sprayed) cotton shirt that is sweatshop-free; you may have to factor in the gas you burn driving to the thrift store versus the fuel burned in freight when you get a UPS package from internet shopping - the important thing here is that you are thinking about these things and you are making conscious choices. You should expect to pay more money for everything you purchase - remember, the reason corporations are providing things at such a low cost is because they are exploiting sweatshop workers in developing nations. We in the West have just gotten used to having much more than we need; when we really understand the cost to others of our convenience and consumption, we will be able to willingly make the choice to spend more and have less. Just considering your options and thinking things through, you become a more active participant in the world you want to create.

We are really fortunate that recycling is taught quite widely these days. Most places you visit will have recycling containers, and the recycling movement is thankfully gaining some momentum. Recycling is not just about glass and cans; it's also about cars, clothing and household cleaners. If you can get in the habit of donating your clothing and giveaway items to your local thrift store or recycle depot, you give people with less access to goods the chance to have something you took for granted. Also - it's a great idea to get into the habit of noticing what you put in the trash can - because that is all going in a landfill. If there is anything you can donate, compost, or otherwise recycle - let's get it out of the landfill!

We were all taught that household chemicals smelling like pine or bleach were "clean." The truth is, bleach kills brain cells when inhaled in closed quarters (such as when you have your head down in the bathtub scrubbing the ring off!). Have you ever wondered what happens to the bleach or pine cleaner you dump down the drain? It goes into the town gray water which is recycled again for your tap water! Laundry and cleaning detergents can contain phosphates which are not biodegradable and end up in the natural water supply as a toxin. Something meant to "clean" seemed so innocent...yet it bears the skull and cross-bones for a reason!

Your local health food store has a host of new cleaning products that are all biodegradable, made from natural oils and soapsthat are easy on your lungs and the water supply. Consider spending a few extra dollars to cast your vote in favor of environmentally-safe products that are non-toxic to you (and your pet, who might drink out of the toilet bowl).

Living off-grid is a major step in becoming sustainable and it means to build a home that is not dependent upon the "matrix" grid - county water, electricity and cable / phone. For most urban types, this notion may fill them with something between horror and curiosity, while for country folk, the off-grid lifestyle is already within grasp. It takes a certain amount of privilege to attain the wealth necessary to purchase a piece of land in a remote location and a lot of savvy and sweat to design and build one's own home. Those who have had the opportunity to "homestead" will assure you it is well worth the sacrifice and effort. If you can't foresee yourself unplugging to this degree, at least save up and take a vacation to one of the many alternative communities, including bed and breakfasts, cottage rentals and intentional communes that welcome outsiders as guests so you can get the chance to experience a taste of this empowering natural lifestyle. You might just find yourself growing herbs in your apartment window after this experience!

Natural home building is often off-grid but takes the ideal a step further by rejecting contemporary, box-patterned housing architecture in favor of indigenous and more organic styles. Your local bookstore will carry illustrated books on creative natural building techniques such as cob, straw bale, stucco, round-houses, yurts, sandbag, stone and more. Better yet, watch for a workshop in your area, and get the hands-on experience!

Trade is key to unlocking the chains of our current economic system of enslavement. I heard someone point out recently that "our human relationships have become entirely based on commerce - that is, we only interact with each other in terms of purchasing, selling or in relation to the acquisition of money." I don't know about you, but I find that statement horrifying! Consider our closest cousins, the apes, who spend their days sitting quietly together in the forest, eating, grooming each other, communicating, playing, mating and perhaps having a bit of social drama - their lives are quite pleasant and bonded to one another. Nearby we have humans, who are unable to reach out to each other unless involved in a financial transaction. That's not a very socially-conscious, bonded and well-adapted animal!

Community trade is the exchange of goods or services without money being involved, and it helps us to begin to break down our desperate dependence on our currency. Services trade might involve a one hour massage in exchange for a nicely prepped meal, for example, or a car oil-change for a plumbing repair job. The idea is that we regain a sense of community by sharing our skills with others, without the exchange of money. In some communities, local outdoor markets and craft fairs have arisen to enhance the sense of community trade. Exchanging services without money reinforces the value of the individual within the human environment and their particular skills set which is of benefit to the community as a whole.

When you really begin to look into sustainable living, the options become more creative and exciting. Besides the obvious roof-top solar panels, there are designs for solar-heated outdoor showers and furo bathtubs, windmill-driven waterpumps, naturally-composting toilets and home plumbing systems, solar-heated water piped through copper tubing to heat wooden floors, gravity systems, water catchment systems - and rumor has it - pyramid houses which use vortices to harness earth's own energy fields.

Intentional communities have arisen all around the world, beginning in earnest in the 60s as communes expressing values of love, sharing and group support. A Google^TM search will turn up a smorgasbord of intentional communities that is ever-growing - from hostels to raw-food communes to art villages. Most communities are open to the public for short-term stays, which enable the outsider to visit and get a taste for life in a traditional village style. We've gotten so far from our human roots - anything we can do to get closer to our humanity, each other, and the Natural world is a step in the right direction for healing ourselves and our planet.