Do You Know The True Cost?

Do me a quick favor. Check the label on the shirt you are wearing. Or pull out your favorite jeans and look for the label. Do you know where they came from? I’m not talking about Old Navy or Target. I mean where did they originate? Who made them? What is the true cost?

These are questions that I have been recently asked by one of our best friends. I honestly had no answers. I have no idea where my clothes come from. I don’t know who made them. I just assumed the cost was what came up at the register. Seriously. What I’ve come to realize is that is a problem. A really big problem that directly hurts fellow human beings not to mention global resources that are being ravished by our consumption.

Ok, so I know this is a diversion from what you come to Spoonful of Imagination for. Bear with me for just a few moments. It’s important.

If you’ve been tracking along with me for a while you’ve heard about our friends, the Morgans. They moved to Los Angeles in January 2012. Before their cross country move we probably spent 99% of the preceding 5 years together. Matt and Andrew worked together everyday. Emily is one of my very best friends.  We started a non-profit organization together and spent months at a time traveling the country together. One of our trips we were in a 15 passenger van with the four of us, four car seats for our two boys and their two boys, and Emily and I were both pregnant with little girls on the way. Haha. Needless to say, we’ve been through some stuff together. They are precious people and we believe in them a great deal.

They moved to Los Angeles to pursue Andrew’s film career. You can see his first big documentary release here on Hulu. 

Andrew and his team are in the midst of their next project – The True Cost. It’s a documentary that explores the questions I asked above. They raised enough money to do the research on the film and create a short teaser/trailer. Take a few minutes to watch it below:

I pride myself on my DIY nature. I love repurposing and recycling old items. We try to go to great lengths in our home to love well. We do our best to eat naturally. We want to live incredible stories, leave the world better than we found it, and bless those we come across whenever we can. But for some reason I’ve given myself a pass on the thoughts behind my clothing.

I can honestly say I didn’t know any better. But that is starting to change. I want to learn the truth behind all the “great deals” I find and “seasonal sales” I’m constantly enticed to attend. Rather than blaming anyone or turning my attention to avoid guilty feelings I want to join in the conversation and be part of the solution.

Will you join me?

You can be a huge help just by helping Andrew and his team getting the word out about this project. You can also take a further step and contribute to their Kickstarter campaign even if it’s just a few dollars. The other day I saw a sweater I wanted. It was $30. Instead of buying it I gave that to Andrew’s film. If we all come together sacrificing a little it will combine to be a lot and this film will get made.

You can connect with Andrew and his team on Twitter, Facebook, or Kickstarter.

Thanks for allowing me to share something personal and for taking a few moments out of your day to process it with me. If it grabs your heart like it did mine, I hope you’ll dive in and help us get this important message out!