Would you buy a pair of shoes if you knew that the worker who made them had been physically and verbally abused by being forced to stand in the hot sun, by having shoes and other objects thrown at him, or by repeatedly being hit and scratched?

What if you found out this same worker was being paid a mere 50 cents a day, barely enough to provide him food and basic lodging?

This past week an investigation at Nike discovered that two-thirds of their 168 Converse factories failed to meet their contract manufacturing standards and the company confirmed that two plants were subjecting workers to what Nike described as “egregious” physical and verbal abuse.

Now I don’t know about you, but I prefer whenever possible to withhold my spending from companies that allow serious human rights issues like these as well as those companies who test on animals or are notorious environmental polluters.  I much prefer to show support with my own hard-earned dollars to companies that include sustainability among their corporate values and who are leaders in the area of corporate citizenship.

How do you find out who these companies are?

One tool I use is the Good Guide, available online or in app form.

The Good Guide has specialists in life cycle assessment, environmental engineering, chemistry, nutrition and sociology who acquire and compile data to rate companies on their impact to Health, Society and the Environment on a scale of one to ten.

My favorite feature?

The bar code scanner.

When I’m out shopping, I can just scan a bar code with my iPhone and see the product ratings for that item. With over 117,000 products in 639 categories already rated, it’s a handy-dandy tool to help me make more informed choices that align with my values and to choose products that are not only better for my own health and well-being but are better for the planet.

Of course, I don’t need a bar scanner to know that vintage is also a fine green choice or that it can be quite the fashionable choice as well. Just look at today’s VPOD.

This pair of 1960s mod shoes will pack quite a style punch when paired with a plain ol’ shift dress or skirt.

They’re a fun and fab find for a vintage fashionista!

Available at Story of Things.

(To receive the VPOD free via email with detailed size and price information, sign up for the growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)