6.11 Active Global Citizenship

Today, because we are so connected through trade, technology, and movement of people, the actions in one part of the world can act as ripples in a pond with far reaching effects.

For example, when an Afghani family of refugees immigrate to Canada, their children, including their daughters, must attend school. These young girls now have freedom and an education. When they write home, they communicate that these rights exist. Afghani women at home come to understand that greater rights are possible, and can begin to lobby their husbands, fathers, brothers, and government for increased rights.

Membership in Political Parties

Although you are probably not old enough to vote right now, you can become a youth member of a political party. Youth members can attend conferences and receive newsletters informing them of their party's platform and proposed actions. Political parties listen to youth members because they are the future. As well, youth members can often vote for delegates for leadership races. For example, in the 2006 leadership election for the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party, the voting age was sixteen. That means that people your age had a say in who became the next premier of Alberta.

Informed voting is one of the most important ways citizens in a democracy influence decision making.

 When you are old enough to vote, be sure to vote in an informed way. Our leaders not only make decisions about our local world, but they also influence our country's action on global issues. If you feel strongly about an international issue, find out what a candidate or political party's position is on that issue. Vote for the person or party that represents your view, or lobby for a change that best reflects the action you support.

Making Your Voice Heard at Home

While all leaders may appear to have definite ideas and never change their minds, almost all people in authority listen to their constituents because they were elected to represent their interests. Phone calls, e-mails, and letters are considered when decisions are made. Be sure to be respectful in your tone and informed in your comments. Put those critical reasoning skills to work when explaining your point of view. A well reasoned argument can be very persuasive, particularly when it comes from a student.

Making Your Voice Heard around the World

With today's communications technology, you can contact leaders from all over the world. A leader or representative from another country may be particularly impressed by an e-mail or letter from someone in a foreign land.

Rallies and peaceful protests are other ways to promote messages. The right to assemble is a fundamental democratic right. Large volumes of people can express the desire for action on any issue though public displays. Violence is often far less effective when legal and legitimate means of protest are available.

Running for office

As a high school student, you are not eligible to run for election to most municipal, provincial, or national governing bodies, but you can take positions of authority in other organizations. This will help you understand how decisions are made, how to be accountable to others, and how to manage meetings. Most people never consider running for office, but leaders are people who decided to make a difference—just like you!

Some claim outsourcing provides employment for people in the developing world. As in the days of the Industrial Revolution, these workers move into cities where they can share ideas, accumulate greater wealth, and begin to demand better labour laws and greater human rights.

Corporations and Brand Reputation

Large corporations are often held to higher expectations due to their wealth and global power. Brand reputation is very important for their continued profits. When consumers become aware of the injustices suffered by the workers who produce their goods, they can insist that the corporation change, or risk losing their business.

Consumer campaigns, including media campaigns, public protests and demonstrations, and product boycotts are often used to pressure these companies to change their practices. A large and well-run consumer action campaign can have impressive results.

Schools and the "No Sweat" Campaign 

This growing movement began in California as a way of protesting sweatshop labour. The consumer action campaign has led to schools and universities purchasing university and school licensed ball caps and clothing made in sweat-free factories—in other words, factories that pay workers fair wages, and provide good working conditions. Currently, twelve Canadian universities and the cities of Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto have rules in place to ensure that the branded clothing they sell is made by workers earning fair wages. Sweat-free clothing is usually about the same price, and its purchase demonstrates ethical consumption and good global citizenship.

Case Study The Gap and Sweatshop Labor

The Gap, as most clothing manufacturers, outsources the production of its clothing to factories all around the world. Many of these factories are considered "sweatshops" where workers have few rights, long hours, little pay, and challenging working conditions. Child labour is also used. In the 1990s, consumers began to protest conditions in the Gap's factories in fifty countries.

Because the Gap sells primarily to young people, who often have a strong sense of justice, young protesters organized demonstrations and boycotts of the Gap's clothing. Although the boycott did not have a huge impact on their sales, the negative publicity was not something any large corporation wanted. In response, Gap has begun a process of monitoring its factories and eventually released a forty-page report. The report, released publicly on their website, describes some of the problems their workers face and some of the actions they are taking to resolve these issues.

Are corporations citizens? Regardless of their legal status or where they are based, all corporations work with people around the world. As citizens, they have some moral responsibilities to both people and the environment, as well as to themselves and their shareholders who expect profits. Business has a huge role in our global society, and the actions of corporations, especially large and powerful corporations, are often in the public eye. These issues can include environmental damage, human rights violations for workers abroad, and cultural issues. All corporations want positive reputations—this is good for business and their corporate conscience.

Corporate social responsibility is the idea that organizations have obligation to consider the interests of their customers, employees, shareholders, communities, and the environment in all aspects of their operations. This obligation goes beyond the laws they must obey. It goes beyond doing good work in the community, such as funding scholarships, encouraging employees to do volunteer work, or donating to the local hockey team. Corporate citizenship goes beyond charity and requires that corporations take into account their impact on all stakeholders and the environment when making decisions, balancing the needs for profit and the needs of people and the environment.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development describes it this way:

Corporate social responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large.

Canada calls it "the private sector's way of integrating the economic, social, and environmental imperatives of their activities" and suggests it is becoming more and more popular with corporations who want to ensure they make a profit but still practice environmental stewardship and behave responsibly towards their employees and the communities in which they operate.

Sometimes this is called the " triple bottom line", and some companies even measure their success based on three factors:

1. people (human capital)

2. planet (natural capital)

3. profit (economic capital-money)

Case Study:  Starbucks and Fair Trade Coffee

Starbucks began as a local coffee house run by two high school teachers and a writer in Seattle, Washington, in 1971. They bought their beans from small coffee farmers and developed a reputation as good corporate citizens. A few years later, they were purchased by a partner, who expanded the operation.

Because of its huge global presence and its origins as a responsible corporation, Starbucks came under pressure from consumers when the working conditions of small coffee producers became known. While relatively wealthy people in the Western world were paying several dollars for a fancy coffee, the coffee growers lived in poverty. Despite the fact that coffee is selling at an all-time low around the world due to overproduction, coffee drinkers are still paying a high price for the drink. Where is the profit going? Into the pockets of Starbucks and other coffee company's shareholders.

Shareholders urged the company to take action, and today Starbucks is North America's largest purchaser of Fair Trade Certified coffee. Coffee sold under the Fair Trade label is sold for a fair price from producers. In 2005, Starbucks purchased 11.5 million pounds of Fair Trade Certified coffee, approximately 10% of global Fair Trade Certified coffee imports.

"Less than three percent of the world's coffee farmers participate in the Fair Trade certification system. We are committed to paying a fair price to all coffee farmers including Fair Trade Certified. To ensure that farmers make a profit and to encourage future production, Starbucks pays premium prices well above prevailing commodity grade coffee prices. For instance, in fiscal 2003, when prices for commercial-grade arabica coffee ranged from $0.55 to $0.70 per pound, Starbucks paid an average of $1.20 per pound for all our coffee. In fiscal 2005, Starbucks paid an average price of $1.28 per pound, which was 23 percent higher than the average price during the same time frame. "Starbucks establishes direct buying relationships with farmers and cooperatives when possible, and it always looks for opportunities to establish long-term contracts with farmers so they have the security of knowing they will have a buyer for future crops. We also work with organizations that assist farmers with affordable loans and agricultural techniques that improve quality and result in higher incomes for farmers, and we invest in social development programs in coffee producing countries. "To underscore further our commitment to equitable and sustainable relationships with farmers, Starbucks developed global coffee-buying guidelines. The guidelines encourage a sustainable approach to high-quality coffee production, including social, environmental and economic criteria. Starbucks will give purchasing preference to farmers who adopt sustainable practices such as paying and treating employees fairly, providing access to housing, medical, and other resources, and protecting the environment." Julie, Starbucks Customer Relations

Starbucks has learned that working towards the triple bottom line is good for their reputation, their business, and their conscience. Although Starbucks continues to come under pressure from many organizations who want even more fair trade coffee sold, they have set an example for other companies to follow.

Change in the behavior of individuals is essential to improving the environmental conditions of the planet, but industry and government also must have roles.

Government action is one way we can control factors such as greenhouse gas emissions, forestry management, and waste disposal. Although some believe that industry can "police itself", others feel that this policy has not had the desired results. Most companies want to see a profit and do not always behave responsibly towards the environment. If this is the case, our government has to make decisions about the environment. As voters, we need to be sure we elect leaders or political parties who support our views. If you believe that protecting the environment is the most important political issue, you should vote for a party that will protect the environment. You can also contact  existing leaders to let them know your views.

Industry action: Even if our governments do not enact legislation to control their activities, businesses and industries can develop their own standards for environmental protection. Many companies are concerned about environmental protection, because their continued prosperity depends on it. For example, if forestry companies destroyed all the forests, where could they go to harvest timber? If farmers damaged their soil, how could they grow more crops? Even producers of non-renewable resources like oil and gas are concerned about sustainability to a degree. We all have to live on this planet. As consumers, we can let industry know what we think about its actions by ethical shopping and other consumer action. As employees, we can also encourage our employers to take action. For example, could a discount be offered to people who do not use disposable cups at the coffee shop? Could we encourage shoppers at the grocery store to bring their own bags? Can we bring in fair trade goods or sweatshop-free clothing at our retail outlets? Could we ensure that turning out the lights and turning down the heat in unused rooms are common practices?