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Greetings, Greenbuilders!
When you have a choice, we urge you to shop small and local, fair
trade and green! Please patronize companies that attempt to be fair-trade and
green in all their endeavors. We also strongly recommend small and local over
mega-corporate for a number of critical reasons: democratic, economic, and
cultural.
...For example, deforestation giant Georgia Pacific offers recycled paper
products while deforesting the world for profit. Similarly, the mega-oil
corporations now have solar divisions and want to dominate the hydrogen cell
market, as well....
As far as culture goes, buying small and local combats corporate
monoculture--the terrible sameness we are seeing as corporate culture supplants
local economies, small entrepreneurs, "main street" (the Walmart syndrome). As
far as democracy goes, buying small and local combats the concentration of
power/wealth in the hands of the few. The mega corporations are ruling--and
destroying--the world because our patronage gives them the wealth/power to do
so. More of the profits of small operations are spent locally; thus, buying
small and local stimulates local economies, while approximately 70% of all
profits of the mega-corporations go into the pockets of a handful of Wall Street
investors. (The big corporations argue that their business taxes counter this
effect--this simply is not the case. Big corporations use their wealth and
influence to get out of paying taxes--for example: Most pay 0 or less than 5% in
federal income tax; CA Gov. Gray Davis just exempted Big Timber and Ag from
paying sales tax on equipment; and in San Francisco, Chevron, the Gap, and 50
other mega-corporations recently coerced the City (by threatening a
lawsuit) to get their business taxes reduced by ~5/6ths--that is, all businesses
in SF now pay 1/6 of what we used to pay in city taxes.)
We also urge you to support public ownership and control of basic services,
such as power, water, and health care, as well as "natural monopolies," such as
phone and cable (In San Francisco, ATT and Pacific Bell helped finance Pacific
Gas and Electric's campaign against public power last fall, because these
consumer-bilking corporations know they are next). When examining the track
records of the profit-oriented mega-providers in these areas, we see that their
goals do not coincide with the public good.
Cheers!
FOR REDWOODS & WORKERS,
BOYCOTT GAP, BANANA REPUBLIC, & OLD
NAVY!
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, May 23, 2002 2:31
PM
Subject: Re: [GBlist] Composite Decking
Great products. Hopefully prices will come down
as demand grows. Weyerhause ChoiceDek is my current favorite. Fiberon is good
too. Timbertech is good, but don't use the tongue and groove type near the
ground because it will take on moisture.
Mark
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, May 23, 2002 8:32
PM
Subject: [GBlist] Composite Decking
Does anyone have experience with the new composite
decking materials? I've heard good things about TimberTech. But it's just as
expensive as hard woods like ipe, I think.
<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]-->
Another Q: What
about Richlite for countertops? Has anyone used it? <!--[endif]-->
<!--[endif]-->
Bob Barnett
e-mail: Robert_Barnett@timeinc.com
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