For a few months now, I’ve been asking my 7th grade religious school students to consider human and animal rights, our environmental impact, and the economy.  Specifically, lately, we’ve discussed how these things relate to the products we buy.  We’ve discussed a number of very complex issues like, “What country does my shirt come from and what are working conditions like for people in the clothing factory where this came from?”  I’m very proud of my students for engaging in this kind of learning, the kind that impacts our every day lives and the lives of so many others.  As the time came for our mid-year report cards, I sat down with my students and listened to what they think they’ve taken away from the year so far.  A number of them responded that our learning really has impacted the way they see the world and the choices they make.

Last class, we discussed the issue of child labor in cocoa processing and what a fair trade certification means.  The students took a survey on the site www.slaveryfootprint.org which gave us an idea of how many modern-day slaves (people who are forced to work, often unpaid and under threat) it had taken for us to accumulate the goods we have.  It was an intense lesson, but not one that ended there.  Each student had a chance to change the world for the better.  All together, both of my classes wrote approximately 40 letters to companies such as Apple, REI, Aleve, Ikea, MAC, Safeway, and many others.  We asked them to make their use of forced labor in their supply chains apparent to consumers and to stop the practices.  This information should not be kept secret.  Secrets allow the companies to get away with abuses.  And secrets allow us, the consumers, to remain unaware.

What is most powerful about this lesson, to me, is that my students are understanding that just because we can’t see the impact the products we buy have on the rest of humanity, the animal kingdom, or the earth, it does not mean there is no impact.  Our buying power is POWER.  Let’s represent our values when we purchase things. This American Life, The New York Times, and a number of other new sources have reported on the horrific conditions at the Chinese factories for Apple (click links to read the articles).  Please sign a petition to end these abusive conditions.  I am my brothers keeper.