SOS: Save Our Shopping, or Save our Savings

This morning I read an editorial by the editorial board of the Muncie Star Press, my local paper:

It’s up to us consumers to save the day by shopping our way out of this recession as we have shopped our way out of many recent economic downturns. And, by shopping wisely and taking advantage of the terrific bargains out there, you’ll at least have something to show for it.

And then I went to my office and read an exact opposite Op-Ed piece in the NY Times by Stephen Roach, chairman of Morgan Stanley:

A decade of excess consumption pushed consumer spending in the United States up to 72 percent of gross domestic product in 2007, a record for any large economy in the modern history of the world. With such a huge portion of the economy now shrinking, a deep and protracted recession can hardly be ruled out…Runaway consumption must now give way to a renewal of saving and investment. That’s the best hope for economic recovery and for America’s longer-term economic prosperity.

Who should we believe, the editorial board of a struggling paper that relies heavily on retailers placing ads in their paper, or the CEO of an Investment Bank who would be more than happy to help us “save” our money?

What scares me the most is the stat that Mr. Roach mentions – about three-fourths of our GDP is consumer spending. That sounds a bit too top heavy, to the point of toppling, to me.

I think we need producers. We need to make something.

Ninety-seven percent of our garments are made elsewhere, and those jobs aren’t coming back. I’m not so sure that gaining a few percentage points back wouldn’t be nice and/or possible, but it probably ain’t happening. So, I’m talking about producers of something else besides garments.

The best scenario I’ve heard is the one put forth by Thomas Friedman for a Green Revolution. Maybe this holiday season instead of spending or saving, we spend to save our natural resources, we spend to save our economy/security from an increasing dependency on foreign oil, we spend to save our planet, we spend to save ourselves.

Instead of seeing another what-to-buy piece on TV or in the paper filled with gadgets and electronics, I would like to see one on how to support the coming green economy.

Cambodia industry referred to as “once vibrant”

Things aren’t looking too bright in Cambodia.

This story from Alibaba.com is filled with unpromising phrases such as : “…the once vibrant garment industry” and “appealed to workers to call off their strikes to tackle the crisis which was snowballing out of control.”

An excerpt:

The Prime Minister Mr. Sen appealed to the labour unions to call off all the strikes as this was not the right time to strike but to ensure that their kitchen hearths were kept warm and helped companies tackle the crisis and cautioned them by saying that these strikes would lead to a loss of orders and result in possible closure of units they were working at.

The Chairman of the forums Industrial Relation’s Sub-Committee, Mr Sothy said that till date in the current year there have been 95 instances of strikes, a rise of 48 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.

Unemployment in the garment industry is rising due to frequent strikes and the recessionary trends prevailing in the main global markets due to which new orders have been reduced to a trickle.

When I read this I think about the workers I met, Nari and Ai, who support 6-8 people on their wages and wonder how they are fairing. I don’t want them to lose their jobs because the industry’s jobs jump their borders, but I also don’t want them to sacrifice what rights they’ve attained up to this point.

ONE common worldview

As a member of the ONE Campaign to end poverty, I received a pretty awesome email today from space.

Dear ONE Member,

My name is Lt. Colonel Shane Kimbrough and I am on the International Space Station orbiting 200 miles above the earth.
During the 90 minutes it takes us to circle the earth, we do not see borders or boundaries. From up here, the task of solving the world’s biggest problems seems less daunting. But when our shuttle lands next Sunday, we will return to a world where border disputes and financial crises lead the nightly news. Those challenges define our world and their solutions will define our future.

A few years back when I attended a local writer’s conference, a small publisher that was in attendance encouraged attendee’s to make a business plan for their writing career. One of the questions we were to answer was, “What is the highest good that this business (your writing) can achieve?”

Here’s my answer:

Help expand the worldview of readers and inspire them to set out on their own travels and seek their own adventures. Have a positive impact on the less fortunate people I write about. Bring awareness and shed light on situations and processes that are socially difficult, so that readers actively help alleviate problems.

I’ve never been to space, but I think the Lt. Colonel and I share the same worldview.

Learn more about ONE and Shane Kimbrough

Bangladesh bracing for our economic crises

The U.S. accounts for 25% of Bangladesh’s garment exports. Their industry is bracing for the effects of our economic crisis, which will likely have a big impact on the country, the industry, and worker’s rights. Any time a company who already only pays its employees $25 per month talks about reducing costs, it ain’t good.

Fibre2Fashion recently interviewed a major player in the Bangladeshi industry. Here’s what he had to say:

“The effect will be very high in Bangladesh, because after the current orders in hand are completed and we try to get new orders we will have to face big problems of pricing etc. So the coming months are going to be very crucial for the industry at large.”

“… the whole industry has put on their thinking caps, but the main thing to do is to be cost effective and reduce costs to the bare minimum. Each and everyone right from the owner to the worker should double efforts to increase productivity and reduce costs at least till the crisis gets over.’

“…the government should also provide subsidies to the sick and weak garment units to survive through the crisis otherwise, this situation if not controlled could lead to mass unemployment which the country can ill afford.”

WAIW? Now Hiring

President-elect Obama isn’t the only one making selections these days. I’ve recently made my first as a newly-appointed assistant author. (Note: Oreo is the head author. All appointments are made with her approval.)

Today, I would like to announce the selection of long-time WAIW? reader and real-life friend, Melissa, to the position of WAIW? Special Ambassador to Purdue University.

Basically, I asked Melissa if she knew anyone at Purdue that would be interested in doing an author’s event or two. And apparently she knows everyone at Purdue. So – with Oreo’s permission – I brought her on board.

Do you think you’ve got what it takes to be a WAIW? Special Ambassador? All you need to do is setup an event with a university, organization, book club, or anyone else that wants to talk about the people that make our clothes. And then just let me know when and where to be and how I can get there. It’s that easy. If you think you live too faraway and that I would never be able to go wherever it is you are, keep in mind that I went to Bangladesh because my underwear was made there.

Annual pay (Choose One)

One cold beer and a specially written toast to your health

A box of your favorite wine

A really fancy caffeinated drink of some sort

Benefits

Spreading the word about the people that make our clothes and advancing this important discussion

Health Insurance - 100% coverage of all third nipples, and extra appendages or digits; 0% of anything that isn’t extra

But seriously, if you think you can get something together in your area, email me (kelsey@travelin-light.com); let’s make it happen.

My Big Idea

Today I’m talking about my big idea over at John Scalzi’s blog Whatever.

Our newest export: Lawyers

In the NY Times

Living the globalized life

Vietnamese-American leaves California for Ho Chi Minh City, gets job selling Versace in Vietnam. From the LA Times story:

After less than a year, Nguyen jumped into the fashion industry, becoming the chief operating officer of one of Vietnam’s leading fashion retailers, Maison Co., which imports brands including Mango and Versace. She is considered a ranking corporate executive and travels frequently, from showrooms in Milan and Barcelona, and manages 250 employees. Such an opportunity, she said, would probably have been out of reach in the United States.

More WAIW? sightings

A report from NYC:

I’ve been seeing the book in bookstores (BN and Borders are giving it special placement here in NY)… The book looks spectacular and I don’t even have to place it facing outwards on the shelves; the bookstores are doing it for me.

The book has dropped

Well, today is the official release date of Where Am I Wearing? Unofficially, it’s been out for nearly two weeks.

As of yet there have been no reports of people camping outside of bookstores waiting to get their hands on a copy. What’s with that?

Although, my college roommate Matt reported the following:

By the way, I bought my copies from Bookstar in Phoenix (Barnes and Noble owns it). Anyway, I went in after work and asked for it by author name and they said it had just come in on the truck that morning so it wasn’t on the shelves yet. So, some pink haired girl went into the back and brought it out for me. Keep in mind I told both of them that I was in your wedding and that any cussing done in the book was a direct reflection on me and that I was proud. The lady behind the counter seemed intrigued. In fact, I showed the girl who I sit next to at work, and she called and put one your of books on order. The lady on the phone told her that “Oh, I want to read that, we have 5 of them coming in, we’ll put your name on one.”

My publishing date has jumped around quite a bit. A couple of weeks ago it was still set at Dec. 1. I asked my publisher what exactly a publishing date was. They told me that it is the date that every store carrying the book should have it in stock. So, from today forward, if you go into your bookstore, ask for a copy of WAIW?, and they don’t have it, you should say something like, “What kinda rinky dink book shop is this, anyhow?”

As Luanne, who posted her review of WAIW? on her blog A Bookworm’s World, points out, “it seems kind of appropriate that Where Am I Wearing is being released today from John Wiley & Sons. After all it’s Black Friday this week in the U.S. and Christmas shopping is well under way in Canada. (… trust me - the mall is packed …)”

In the book, I often refer to you and me as consumers, and never is that title more fitting than when we camp out in front of stores to buy bargain priced electronics and cashmere sweaters. This is the best week of the year to ask yourself the question that took me around the globe, “Where am I wearing?” or at least “Where will my grandma be wearing when she wears this $7 bathrobe I’m about to buy her?”

Happy shopping! Don’t forget, books make nice gifts.

Update: Another Review! Alyse of At home with Books on WAIW?