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December 2008 
Conscious Capitalism and Wealth
Posted on Apr 11th, 2006
by 
David
David
I think that all of you would agree that we're having a lot of fun here at Zaadz.
It seems like every day there is some new toy.... err.... tool to play with. The wizards here are working hard to make the experience more efficient, powerful, and enjoyable for all of us. The engineers have their job to do and I have mine, which is completely different but fun just the same. Within my realm of responsibility is Purchasing, which is one of my favorite aspects of working with Zaadz, believe it or not. For so long, spending money was one of my least favorite things to do. I now see how buying things and supporting certain businesses can actually make a positive impact rather than a negative one.
Lately we have been working on many different projects that involve purchasing everything from printing business cards for the team to putting together packages for the ambassadors. In all of the purchases we’re making, we have choices, and every choice presents an opportunity to make a difference. For example, when we’re looking for a company to print our business cards and postcards, we can find the absolute cheapest company to keep our costs low, or we can spend a little more to support a company which uses 100% recycled materials and vegetable-based inks such as Ink Works Press.
Zaadz is a growing "conscious" business, so I work hard to ensure that every choice we make, no matter how seemingly small, reflects our values. Here are just a few examples of what I'm talking about:
- Our (totally hot) Zaadz tee shirts are made from organic cotton by American Apparel. This is important because cotton is one of the biggest sources of pollution to our planet's water supply because of all of the pesticides used.
- In buying frames for our ads, we are using a company (Green House Framing) which uses reclaimed wood and recycled matting.
- Even the shipping boxes we're using for the ambassador packages are made of 100% recycled cardboard.
- The magazines in which we choose to advertise are not only sending positive progressive messages out to the world, but are using recycled paper from different sources including New Leaf Paper.
- Our business meetings too. What better place to have lunch than a organic veg restaurant like Real Food Daily, Native Foods, and Leaf Cuisine?
Basically what I'm finding is that as a business and as an individual, it's impossible to have no effect on the world at large. (Unless, as I thought would be a great idea a few years ago, I were to find a remote piece of land somewhere and live a completely sustainable lifestyle off the grid.) But, the more I thought about this, the more I realized that living a renunciate lifestyle would not actually be serving the greatest good, or even doing what I thought it would. If I were to leave "society" and live off of the land as I had dreamed, I would be one less "conscious" person to support businesses that are working within the frame work of "capitalism" to change the face of business on many levels. Capitalism is arguably the most predominant idiolology in the world, and as such, this form of commerce is probably here to stay for at least the foreseeable future. (And honestly, when push comes to shove, I might be hard-pressed to come up with a better system that would actually be sustainable over the long haul given human nature....but that's another blog!) Therefore, to make the greatest changes that will ripple out to affect the rest of the world, we must work within this capitalistic framework as well.
Using Wilber's popular pre/trans fallacy, or simplified, yes-no-yes, we can look at it like this:
- Pre-rational: I will support any business I want to because I can do whatever I want (YES).
- Rational: I won't support any business because all forms of capitalism are bad (NO).
- Trans-rational: I will support businesses within the framework of capitalism which are using capitalism to make positive changes in the world (YES).
We can use this model for many different circumstances, and obviously, we can get much deeper into it.
So this brings me to the subject of financial wealth (something else I had no desire to push for). Looking at wealth within this model forces me to rethink my old stance on it.
Helping to create and build a prosperous conscious business is one powerful way to shape the future of our world in a positive direction. Take Whole Foods for example (which, btw, is run by fellow vegan (Brian, Obi, Matthew, Ryan, Joshua and I are all vegan) John Mackey—who started a non-profit with whom we’re partnered). When Whole Foods makes a purchase or makes a change in their business model, it has a huge impact. When they decide to support businesses that practice humane animal-raising, they are raising the bar for other businesses and affecting the way the market operates in a very tangible way. While Whole Foods hasn't gone so far as to shun the sale of animal products in their stores, I appeciate that they are actually affecting the purchasing choices of a much larger population (not to mention bettering the quality of life for countless animals). They are working within the framework that most people are going to buy meat, so they work to provide the most friendly, conscious way this demand can be supported.
Just think of all of the ways in which a conscious business can make positive changes in the world. It's a vast landscape and a constant evolution for sure. To me, it seems like an obvious decision and it presents an exciting opportunity. Let's strive to make the most conscious choices we can as individuals and as businesses, and together, we can change the world.
This is just a small part of a larger dialogue. There’s so much more to get into. So much of what we’re doing here at Zaadz is creating THE space for all of us to do what we love (consciously) and get paid to do it.
Let’s spread the zaadz!!!
Access: PublicTagged with: business, wealth, zaadz, conscious capitalism, john mackey, impact, whole foods, recycled, leaf cuisine, native foods, real food daily, ink works press, new leaf paper
Wow..glad to find this. I have spent the day asking for advice in my head. I quit my job as a biologist last season to follow my dream of sustainable woodworking and building. This has lead me to non-career jobs in the process of moving and relocating trying to make ends meet, while I passionately pursue and research my dreams. I feel like I am spinning the wheels of potential and wasting good energy, now decorating wedding cakes!! :)
I have been struggling with the decision to dive forward head first and just start building…start my own sustainable building and living center…to give consumers and builders an opportunity to make the ‘good choices’ you speak of. If frustrates me greatly that we don’t have this opportunity where I am living. What great momentum to find at this time.
Thanks for the post…great inspiration from you…Am
“Zaadz is a growing “conscious” business, so I work hard to ensure that every choice we make, no matter how seemingly small, reflects our values.”
And I REALLY appreciate you for that! This is a company I am always PROUD to say I work for!! {Deep, big, huge, gigantic, 6'5” bows}
Rock on Vegan Brutha!
Darnedably well said!
There’s an interesting idea (I think from Karl Jung- but dont quote me like im misquoting him) wherein he says something along the lines of: you can’t fix craziness with craziness. But pretty much every spiritual leader/prophet dude(tte) has openly disagreed with that- and, do we have a choice? Capatalism is what is- so I guess we HAVE to make it a vehicle for growth…
Besides, just as we transform from ourselves into ourselves, so too does social economy transform. Start with where you’re at to get to where you will be…
Thanks DAviD
So very well-said and such critically important ideas!! When conscious people actively shun capitalism and shun wealth, it seems to me such a wasted opportunity…. no one is hearing that silent voice. Seems so much better to use our purchasing power in ways which support the changes we want to see in the world (and accordingly, to embrace financial success as a means to influence greater change). When people like our fellow Zaadsters individually and collectively start demanding higher ethics and accountability from businesses, tangible shifts in the market place really do occur. Even those corporations who don't care about the environment or people's health (and let's face it, that's probably most of them) start to listen when their bottom lines are impacted by consumers turning their backs on their products in favor of those from more conscious businesses…. So, collectively, we really do have the power to change the mindsets and business practices of even the most UNconscious companies - how exciting is that?!? David, thank you so much for putting this out there!!
David, you are always the messenger…. and such important messages you bring. Thank you for all you do to keep Zaadz “green”. I agree with Matthew. It makes me proud to be a part of such a forward thinking and sustainable group. I appreciate all of you for making each step a conscious one in support of a healthier planet.
I just “happened” along this (as always with you involved) and thought it appropriate for the conversation.
The Conscious Consumer
dAvid, I can learn so many new things each time i read you, but wait a moment Whole foods in run by youe fellow vegan? maybe you can ask him why their stocks went down?? :))) ok i'm kidding i will be buying their stocks anyway, and i will continue to shop there everyday - I think the workers think i;m crazy,,,,
I’m struck specifically by your epiphany about starting to see wealth not as the source of all greed and evil in the world, but as a reflection of influence and ultimately consciousness. This is so important because it seems like the only antidote to the post-modern, deconstructionalist cynicism that’s crippling not only the most “conscious” among us, but the entire process altogether. The perspective that wealth is bad sees the universe and the planet and human capacity and all of it as fixed. In this view the wealth of one necessitates the exploitation of another. But this isn’t reality, is it? And it’s surely not the perspective from which we’re going to move forward. On the contrary, embracing wealth as a means of allowing higher consciousness to flourish reflects a worldview that is ultimately life positive, limitless and perpetually creative. It’s a win-win world.
great stuff here. thanks for your thoughtfulness on this subject and your articulation of it! fun to hear about the inners of zaadz business development too. impressive like most things here.
I love your honesty here, and the fact that you share how your thoughts on this subject have evolved with time and experience. There is certainly a collective evolution of mind and heart that we are all taking part in, right now! And the way Zaadz operates as a company-through its vision and integrity- is living proof of all you discuss here! Thanks for this post.
The impulse to create state-controlled systems (like communism) is an attempt to create a government that can mandate a certain way of using, creating and distributing resources. The problem is that state control is a hierarchical concept. Such a government merely changes the pecking order without creating an “organic” fairness –that is fairness generated by the system of production itself. I think this is what Marx meant by historical determinism. I will paraphrase him here as, “No matter how many times you try to construct a hierarchical state, it's market will always become exploitative and unfair, and the revolution will have to take place again. And again.” I think it is ironic and bone-crushingly sad that people understood Marx so little that they were willing to slaughter innocents in order to establish hierarchical states in his name. (Worse, I dont' think Engles understood him, but that is definitely a digression.) America does have the basic free market and democratic structures, if we use them consciously, to help us create a marketplace that provides people from every walk of life with access to the resources that they need. These resouces can support us in creating a marketplace that is nonexploitative, fair, innovative and sustainable. What I think people should keep in mind is that we must create this every day. Did you know that, according to CIA estimates, there are 50,000 slaves in America today? These are “illegals” who are kept against their will and forced to work for next to nothing. Every morning when we get up, we must work to abolish slavery, establish democracy, create the marketplace that we need, etc. A hierarchical myth is that this has already been done for us. A free-market truth is that we must recreate our society every day. So, David, I'm happy to see you helping us do just that. This is important work.