Nice post, Salve Thanks for telling us about Echostore.

Personally, I go as far as to boycotting products from companies (and their subsidiary companies) when I discover that they do horrible things - kill union leaders, pay their workers an absurdly low wage, etc. I know it doesn’t make much of a difference in their profits, but I wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing that I subsidized that kind of activity.

Hi Frugal Pinoy, being a socially responsible consumer encompasses both the decision to buy, or not to buy :). I’ve been wondering about what makes a consumer socially responsible? What are the things that convince people to care? Is it just education? A certain background? Sometimes, I fear, it’s all about just the price

i just recently bought some messy bessy products. the prices are a little more expensive but i want to change a little bit of our lifestyle, by reducing the amount of chemicals we use.

I find the timing of your article a little bit amusing since over the weekend my husband and I were window shopping for a bed to replace our old one. Of course the usual stop, Our home, the furniture shops that abound in our area, and then a final stop to a factory that sells quality wooden furniture. They proudly advertise that their products are made by skillful filipino artisans, the names of the worker proudly written on the tags of the final product. Also claim that they make sure that they have ensured the replacement of the trees that have been made into these furniture. Of course the price tag is higher than our initial budget but my husband and I decided that we have to put our money behind what we believe in. Support filipino made products and companies that practice CSR. In the end, we decided to postpone the purchase (we buy try to buy in cash rather than credit) till we can “afford” the more responsible choice.

The Malunggay pesto in a jar caught my attention! I would love to get that one when I’m back in manila. ^^

Thanks Salve! i hope to see you here more regularly for our “social entrep’ sessions. The talk is free. Just support the cafe…

Hi Chit! Your passion is so infectious. Count me in!

Pinoy Entrepreneur, I know! It’s so unique isn’t it? It’s much more nutritious than just basil, although the store owners say they mixed basil and malunggay for this preparation so that it’s sweeter. You can use the peso for both pasta and bread. great as gift that makes an impact.

Emma, I told Chit Juan about you. This really is the age of the socially responsible consumer. Tell others! Turn this into a viral thing and we just might change the world

leela, that’s great! did you know about who makes these products when you bought them?

Love the concept. I just hope that the price is also competitive. I would buy something once if I knew that it would benefit a community or cause. I would buy in bulk AGAIN the quality is good and the more importantly, if the price is right (frugal shopping ya know).

I hope that there’s enough Ilog Maria products. =)

@Salve

Tama talaga. That will make a great gift.
Not to mention the health benefits from malunggay. How does it taste?

In the mean time, I’m tempted to try and make my own. ^^

last week, i bought organic rice from the cordilleras, more expensive than the usual rice but the plight of the farmers were on my mind. buying their rice will make them plant more and preserve the rice terraces instead of finding work in the city

Malunggay pesto in a jar <– nice!!! ^_^