One of the big trends in the environmental movement lately is the idea that people should "buy local" rather than purchasing items that were shipped across long distances. Long-distance shipping negatively impacts the environment, and workers overseas are often exploited and forced to work in sweatshop conditions.

Yet, will it really be a useful tactic to encourage people to buy local in the short run? Other than going to a local farmer's market, there's no easy way to figure out what came from where. Most busy families simply don't have the time or consciousness to go out of their way for basic items such as food.

I also question whether it's the more humane thing to do to stop buying products made overseas. I'm very much distressed to hear some of the working conditions in third-world countries, but at the same time, those people need jobs. At least in China, people have some sort of job to go to, as horrible as it may be, whereas in many places in Africa people don't even have the option of working in a sweatshop. Instead, they languish and starve or break rocks for a living.

Would it be better for China and the Chinese people if we Americans suddenly stopped buying from them? Probably not.

So will a "buy local" campaign really solve anything? I'm doubtful. We have two issues here. One, American habits and two, the global nature of trade.

American Habits - Don't Work Against Them
Environmentalists, well-meaning as they are, often underestimate the sheer amount of time stress that the average American is under. Environmentalism needs to be easy for it to catch on in a bigger way. I'm sorry, but most of the regular people I know who aren't conscious California-types really don't do much to help the environment, nor are they that committed that they would be willing to drastically change their lifestyles to save the planet.

That's just a reality.

People are more concerned with what's in front of them - managing their jobs, paying their bills, putting food on the table, taking care of their families, and sorting out whatever personal emotional crap they are currently dealing with.

Normal people do not have the brainspace nor the desire to give up the convenience of a Wal-Mart. Never mind the fact that in many communities, all they have is Wal-Mart.

So you can't expect that people are going to change their habits enough to hit a critical mass quickly enough. I think that's unrealistic and probably doomed to failure.

Global Trade - The Cat is Not Going Back Into the Bag
As for global trade, it's already happening and it's a done deal for now. Higher fuel prices may change that scenario at some point, but for the near future at least, people can and will continue to buy products made overseas.

Corporations are also not going to suddenly stop building factories in third world countries and move them back to America, just because we think they should. They are concerned with the bottom line. They have too much power right now and it's not likely that they will be stopped from doing what they have been doing. I'm not saying that activists can't have an impact, because they have made many strides against certain issues, but how on earth will activists stop companies from existing overseas? They can't.

And I'm not sure they should stop them anyway. As I mentioned earlier, Chinese people need jobs too.

Another Way to Look at Things
My sense is that environmentalists and human rights activists need to start working together more to come up with more realistic solutions to these issues of global trade. A few things to consider:

1. If we can come up with cheap, clean, renewable energy, then the environmental issues of shipping are greatly lessened.

2. I believe that working conditions all over the world should be improved. Rather than trying to remove corporations from other countries, we need to support foreign workers in getting better working conditions for themselves. We need to help improve the economies of these countries so people have more opportunities than just working in sweatshops.

Consider the issue of illegal immigration in America. We could put all this money towards a border wall. We could put more money into law enforcement. We could create more regulations. But consider this: The main cause of the immigration problem is the lack of jobs and opportunities in Mexico. Why aren't we working to improve Mexico's economy? There is absolutely no good reason why Mexico could not be a healthy neighbor like Canada.

Trying to change the habits of America to "buy local" ignores the bigger issue of creating a world where everyone on the planet has opportunity and prosperity within reach. And changing habits on a grand scale is also a bit unrealistic. So let's look at other ways to make a difference. By making global trade less damaging to the environment and to people, we can create a win for everyone without expecting too much from average human beings.

How can the small percentage of motivated, committed people do this?

1. Support local activists in other countries who are fighting to improve working conditions.
2. Lobby governments to create stricter environmental and human rights laws.
3. Promote the development of alternative fuel sources that aren't damaging to the environment.
4. Lead by example and create companies that are more conscious and responsible. Or, go work at a major corporation and try to instigate change from within. Remember: Corporations are made up of people.

Just don't expect Jane Schmoe to go out of her way to buy local produce or spend $20 extra on a locally-made shirt when she's worried about how to take care of her children. That $20 could mean the difference between paying for her gas to commute to work or not.