m-cause

What if you spent a year trying to track down and connect to a real face behind every product you buy/consume?  That’s just what Scott Ballum is attempting to do.  Scott, a New York based designer, is tracking his journey on this blog.  Indeed, he has already received a GOOD amount of press.  Here is a bit more detail about the experiment.

The plan at the outset is to spend the next year, my 30th as it happens, hyper conscious of every consumer purchase I make. For every transaction, there must be a personal connection with someone along the production chain. Whether its the designer, factory worker, chef, farmer, or maybe even trucker, being aware of the lives touched by every product I buy will certainly enlighten me, probably surprise me, possibly shame me, and absolutely provide me with some good stories.

I hope Scott is able to continue the quest for the entire year; I would like to continue to hear about how his attitude toward consumption changes.  However, without a large staff to help track down people and organize meet-ups (I am assuming he does not have this) it seems to me like this would be a pretty time consuming experiment.  Good luck Scott!