Give And Take

From an “I” society we gradually are moving towards a “we” ideal.

It can be seen in our physical and virtual environment that we are looking around and connecting more. Take for instance Marketing campaigns of large investor banks that used to have huge billboards with the text “Invest here and and you get this” and a big photo of fancy smancy Porsche all glittery and shiny. But, look at one today and you’ll notice the text to have changed towards a more humble “Invest here and you give this” with an image of a water pump in a dry dessert with in a small village.

Times are changing and we’re trying to connect and start giving again. After a generation in which the sky was the limit and one could do what an individual wanted, we notice not only in our physical environment the change towards an awareness on the cost of things. Also literally seen and spoken we are aware of the price it takes to produce an object out of our communities and materials in our surrounding.
Taking a brief look around one can spot the trendsetters and feel good companies and brands that are making a difference. Take a shopping experience for instance at your local food store… this has been replaced with whole foods and biologically friendly products.

Take for instance Whole Foods Market as a supermarket and one can see that their value lies in buying organic and whole foods and to therefore give back towards the community in spreading real food filled with love.
In Holland we have the supermarket called Eko Plaza, also a store that is focused on selling meat from farms that treat their animals well and farms that grow their crops with without any chemicals or pesticides. And for those shoppers who want to have the entire experience and leave the store with a satisfied feeling of being apart of a movement…then one must go to Marqt. Marqt is truly an embrace of whole foods and the organic movement that is also represented through its interior design created by Standard Studio.

Then these are only just the stores in which the sharing and caring is represented but take a look around in the virtual life and you will find many Apps that have been created to help community building and a more caring environment.

Take for instance the App Peerby, a dutch platform that has manifested in “Appsterdam”. Through the help of Rockstart (a company that helps startups make their dreams come true) Peerby has created a platform in which people can offer stuff to lend out and on the other side people can give a shout out to find a product that they need to borrow.All for free and therefore no excess products need to be made and bought. In other words people are helping each other out and are also getting to know each other. For instance I met a random fellow Amsterdam’er by lending him some old DVD’s that I had lying around for his movie marathon that weekend.

To then stay in the digital space and how the term “we” and the environment is becoming a hot trending topic to incorporate in your daily life we should absolutely touch upon Fairphone. This is by far the most interesting we product that I’ve seen lately and is an example of how people are becoming aware of their Ecological Footprint and how this is effecting the environment. Fairphone puts social values first and is producing the worlds most unique smartphone that is entirely made fair. By using conflict free minerals for making their phone and fair factory wages. With almost 50,000 phones sold, it’s not only making a statement it’s creating a movement.

Cleansing our mind and soul with products that are filled with more meaning than a material item can also seriously cleanse ourselves. Another amazing brand that works towards a better enviroment while still producing top of the line products is Lush. Making fresh handmade cosmetics, Lush fills the streets with the sweet smell of  flowers, minerals,vegetables, fruits and other magical elements found in their bars of soap. To make these products they use real whole foods that they get mix together to create lovely products without additives or chemicals…some even with natural preservatives like salt and honey. Their cooking process can be followed on their Lush Kitchen Instagram… it fills my day with colors and happiness. But to stay on track they invest in small farms in third world countries and buy their products for fair prices to create ethical buying plus their products are made without animal testing.

So, start moving with us and become a we instead of an I and join the sphere. I’m curious to know which we products you like? Let me know!

By the way.. did you know:

Bibliography:

Whole Foods Market: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/
Eko Plaza: http://www.ekoplaza.nl/
Marqt: http://www.marqt.com/
Standard Studio: http://www.standardstudio.nl/
Peerby: https://peerby.com/
Rockstart: http://rockstart.com/
Fairphone: http://www.fairphone.com
Lush: https://www.lush.co.uk/
Lush Kitchen Instagram: http://instagram.com/lushkitchen
Organic Center: http://organic-center.org/