We can think of at least five big reasons to answer YES to that question. While a purse (or necklace, or blanket) by itself wouldn’t do it, they’re an important part of the cycle.
How you spend your money is one of the most powerful ways you can make a statement or express your opinion. When you “buy with intent,” you support businesses working hard to pave the way for the environmentally and socially responsible world commerce we need, right now and for the future. And you send a signal to exploitative businesses that you, and your money, support better alternatives.
Let’s break it down:
1. Liberty and Social Justice for All. Let’s say you’re buying a basket woven by a master Zulu artisan, or a tote bag hand-crafted in Ethopia — you’re holding a bit of history. These pieces are contemporary items but made with traditional craftsmanship and practices that go back many generations. 
Putting these exquisite pieces on the global market at fair-market prices keeps artisans all over the world busy, working under joyful conditions, and able to earn a good income. All that strengthens families and communities — and keeps these cultural arts alive.
2. Takin’ Care of (Eco-Friendly) Business. By supporting companies that use responsibly harvested products and practices; clean energy; non-toxic and organic materials; recycled packing materials; green buildings and vehicles, and other sustainable methods, you make it possible for ecologically responsible businesspeople to compete with mass-market competitors. And the more pressure is put on companies worldwide to “go green,” the better off we all are.
3. Love Your Mother (Earth) And All The Critters. Companies that work with cruelty-free products, non-toxic dyes, humanely harvested materials, recycled ingredients, and other low- or no-impact elements … need your love! As more demand is created for products like this, more companies will respond — until cruelty-free and non-toxic becomes the standard. We can live beautifully with recycled, sustainable products that don’t harm animals or our planet. Want proof? Just check out our elegant jewelry or luxury travel sets, or feather-light, cashmere-soft scarves. 
4. Joy, Baby, Joy — The very nature of artisan and hand-crafted items demands that they are made with care, by someone involved and engaged in what they are crafting. If it’s too hippie-trippy to say that items made with love are imbued with a very cool and special energy — than I guess we’re a bunch of raging hippies over here, because they really are. Whether it’s a necklace you wear or a glass ornament you display — if love went into an item, it is always apparent. This is something that simply can’t be found in a mass-produced gift. 
5. A Healthier You, Too — Buying organic, sustainable, responsibly harvested and non-toxic products doesn’t just benefit Mother Earth … it makes you healthier, too. There’s too much evidence to name here that points to the fact that industrial dyes, pesticides, hormones, and other chemicals are harmful to human health and wellness (but this is a good site on the subject). A fully healthy lifestyle requires us to use products that don’t compromise our health or sag our energy.
You and your dollars are key to the process of saving the planet — one purse at a time.
Tags: artisan, Be Sweet, Creative Women, eco-friendly, Elegant Roots, environmental, Ethiopia, Fair Trade/ Social Justice, green, handmade, Rapid Fulfillment, recycled, socially responsible, women's collective
