Our Very First Business Trip

This week we took our first business trip. I know, I know, we're kind of a big deal now. The fact that this meeting was only in Barrie and at my Aunt's house is besides the point. The meeting was both figuratively and literally poignant as we really learned a lot, but it also gave us much needed confident boost. Together with my Aunt, we spent the greater part of Monday learning about how to create social media connections via the digital world.

Funny that we spent the day studying creating connections when Sway and I had a 'mis-connection' on our way to Barrie when we ended up at different bus stations causing us to miss our bus. No loss there, when we finally met up we simply grabbed a coffee and wandered the mall aimlessly commenting on how easy it is to buy in Malls, yet how unrewarding it feels, and if only there were a way to make ethical purchasing as readily available as mall purchasing.

Upon arriving in Barrie, after eating a delicious concoction including fruit, nut butter and hard boiled eggs-somehow it all worked, we set to work. My Aunt was a fantastic teacher, and soon Sway and I felt as though we were social media experts. We successfully linked our twitter, blog, facebook like page and linkedin accounts together. Now the whole world can listen to us tweet to our hearts desire through any number of forms of technology.

It may seem weird, and rightly so, that we are using conventional media tools to promote unconventional, or alternative purchasing markets. In and ideal world we would use some form of alternative communication network to message. Well really, in an ideal world there would be no need to promote our message because everyone would already be pursuing these markets. There would be no need to strive for justice and equity through our purchases because it would be second nature to treat everyone respectfully and fairly. Of course I am often heavily accused of being an idealist and hopefully optimistic.

I always retort with the same response. The world needs both idealists and realists to exist and move forwards. As long as my ideals do not turn into ideology which becomes fanatical and extremist then I think I am fine.

So, as the world is not quite ideal yet, we are making due with these rather unconventional conventional means of promoting Local Buttons. It's kind of letting us feel as though we are pseudo-computer geeks. A luxury we had not previously experienced. We invite, and I dare to even say encourage you, to follow us on twitter:

http://twitter.com/LocalButtons

and join our facebook page :

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Local-Buttons/129827623703073

Beyond all this social media, this cross linking of tweets and 'liking' we are further developing who and what Local Buttons is and where we hope to go. We cannot divulge everything yet, where would the mystery be in that? But here is a little more information on us as an organization.

Mission Statement:

Local Buttons is a not-for profit organization comprised of Consuelo McAlister and Anne Pringle, two social entrepreneurs advocating for sustainable enterprise. Co-founders Consuelo and Anne are innovators and environmentalists working to incorporate ethics, environmentalism, human rights and fair labour standards into global capitalism.

We believe in creating positive change through an awareness of the purchasing decisions we make and the consequences these decisions have both locally and globally. We believe in a grassroots approach and seek to promote small business to create sustainable communities.

Through collaborations and partnerships, Local Buttons strives to expose and make readily available ethical alternative purchasing markets within the Toronto community, in essence creating avenues for conscientious consumption.

What we do:

We advocate for social change through ethical purchasing markets. We strive to recognize and promote local initiatives around the world. Local Buttons seeks to partner with local communities around the world to create real connections between producers and consumers.

The aim of the connections are:

-to create a market which is mutually beneficial to the producer, buyer, and retailer

-to promote and advocate for real Corporate Social Responsibility

-to create a collaboration of global artisan communities

-promote greater interactions within our local community

-to build stronger communities