"Buying for Workplace Equality"

The Human Rights Campaign has put together a 2011 guide for buying from companies that support LGBT equality in the workplace. Companies receive a score 0-100, 100 being the best, "based on whether or not they have policies that support LGBT employees. These include anti-discrimination protections, domestic partner benefits, diversity training and transgender-inclusive benefits" (read more FAQs).

This is pretty cool, because whenever I buy something I wonder what ideologies I am supporting by supporting that company. The next step is to cross the Buying for Workplace Equality Guide with a Buying for the Environment Guide to get the Ultimate Buying for a Better World Guide (of course, there are other guides that I can think of that should be tossed in there, too).

And, on a somewhat related note, the Environmental Working Group has guides not so much based on company policies but on produce and products that are safer for you:

Shopper's Guide to Safe Cosmetics (this is more than makeup)
Shopper's Guide to Pesticides

No, I don't go around the store with all these guides falling out of my purse. But maybe I should.

Now that I've sufficiently procrastinated writing my paper, I should go, write that paper. Now.

EDIT: I've taken a quick break from my paper and thought of an important fact that would be a part of the Buying for a Better World Guide: Buy less shit. And also, buy used shit.

DOUBLE EDIT: I forgot to mention this green guide that I discovered a bookmarked a couple weeks ago: Good Guide. I haven't had the chance to fully check it out, but it seems pretty helpful.