August 18, 2010

Made in USA

Going through our new home and its contents there is one thing that keep standing out. No matter what it is, it was Made in USA and proudly states it somewhere.

Today we were removing furniture from the dining room and behind the wall was a grimy card table. Well it was grimy from only one view. The back was pristine and had a sticker marked "Samsonite -Made in the USA $8.50". I cleaned the darling up and it is like brand new. Brand spanking new.

Plates, cups, cookware....all of them Made in the USA. Furniture, all of it Made in the USA. Lighting, appliances, and even all the wallpaper says, "Made in the USA".

This is the big difference between then and now. Nothing seems to be made in the USA anymore. When I created the product "I Surrender This", I had it 100% Made in the USA. It cost oodles more than it would have if I had gone to China, but I was unmoving about it. I went to a trade show with the product, and all the buyers could say was that it was too expensive and I should have gone to China if I wanted it to sell. Ugh.

I stand by the idea of giving jobs to Americans and keeping our products made in the USA. Most of the contents of the house are old, 30-100 years old, and they all work just fine. We may update for aesthetic reasons, but not because it is junk or does not work.

I will get off my soapbox for today. How do you all feel about the idea of making things again in the USA and more importantly purchasing items made in the USA at possibly a higher price?

I guess "the buyers" were right, the "I Surrender This" kit was too expensive for the masses and now I have over 750 of them that need to go.

When I created the I Surrender This kit, I wanted it to be as environmental as my pocketbook could manage. It is made 100% within the USA...using USA craftsmen and companies.


If any of my readers would like one of these kits for a reasonable $15 plus shipping, send me off an email.
lsullivan@isurrenderthis.com

It is a great tool for moving thought patterns away from fear, doubt or worry and into joy. It has worked for me in more ways than I could tell you. AND it is:




100% organic cotton canvas for the flag.

Sustainable wood for the flagpole

Solid Brass for the flagpole finial.

The box (packaging) is cardboard...and it is a box that you can keep and use...rather than the typical throw away packaging of most products.

The book is written on recycled paper.

And last but NOT least, the 50 page writing tablet uses the Monandock Astrolite PC 100.

I am proud to be a steward for our Earth.

Thursday, June 10, 2004
News - Graphic Arts Papers - Technical Papers - Non-Wovens - Monadnock in the News - Press Releases - Packaging

BENNINGTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE (March 5, 2004) - Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded the Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC®) Chain-of-Custody Certification for it's 100% post-consumer fiber, fine printing paper - Astrolite PC 100®. The SmartWood Program of the Rainforest Alliance®, a third-party certifier endorsed by the FSC, conducted the testing for Monadnock's Chain-of-Custody Certification.

Monadnock's Astrolite PC 100 will now be the first commercially branded recycled grade of paper sold in the United States to bear the FSC "checkmark and tree" logo, assuring environmentally conscious paper and print buyers that Monadnock Paper Mills manufactures this product in compliance with FSC standards. This goal is achieved by tracking post-consumer fiber from its point of recovery through every step of the repulping and paper manufacturing process. Only when this chain-of-custody tracking has been independently verified is the product eligible to carry the FSC logo - a globally accepted sign of environmental sustainability.

3 comments:

  1. Huh, seems like the USA has "surrendered" the idea of making anything on it's own soil. While many of the things Frank and I sell at the store are made in China, we are constantly looking out for anything of interest that is made here in the US. In fact, many of our customers are requesting US made products even if it costs them a little bit more. The idea that it's not feasible for the US to be a manufacturing country anymore just does not sit well with me. Now, see what you did?!! You got me all riled up!! I surrender!! LOL!

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  2. I know what you mean. I have a small card business (knitting-related cards: www.unravelled.com ) and my cards are printed locally, on US made paper, at an employee-owned shop that pays its workers a living wage. I obviously can't compete with things printed in China. I would sell more if they were more inexpensive but at least I'm doing things inline with my values.

    Some of my customers asked me about producing a calendar so I estimated the costs to produce it and I'd have to sell the calendar for at least $18.00 (and to make that price possible the print run would cost appx. $10,000), but calendars at the mall kiosk sell for $12.00 (printed by the tens of thousands in China) and that's the price point that people expect.

    Most people would prefer to purchase items made in the US, they just want them to be priced the same as if they were produced in China. Personally, I'd rather pay a bit more, get better quality and create jobs here but that's just me.
    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Denise, I completely understand. The product I created if priced according to what it cost me and then some profit would cost about $60.00.I had 1000 of mine created for price point and now I have a storeroom filled with stuff I can't seem to sell. Ugh! It was a learning experience and one I am happy I did because I know I have helped other people to Surrender their worries and fears. For now it is a storage problem, thus the reason I am trying to sell them for next to nothing.

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate each and every one of your comments. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me.

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