With your very next purchase, consider how long you will have that item. Until you finish drinking it? Till it's no longer fashionable? Until the next version is released? Then, what? In a nation founded on democratic freedoms with a capitalist core, we have the privilege of choosing from hundreds of brands for everything from our beverages to what we drive and how we desire to dress. With those privileges come responsibilities. "Conscious consumerism is a reminder that consuming affects humanity and the world at large. We need to remember our purchases have power to express our beliefs," said Julie Gilhart, one of fashion industry's most influential consultants. Fashion may be one of the simplest ways to express our beliefs. What does your shirt say about you? Coyote Howling features Feed My Starving Children T-shirts for $16.50. The full 100 percent of purchase price is dedicated to FMSC MobilePack events hosted in Lincoln County. Each shirt funds a nutritious, life-sustaining meal for 75 children. Each MobiePack prepares a minimum of 100,000 meals for $22,000. Coyote Howling allies with SustainU to feature T-shirts made in the USA from 100 percent recycled cotton/poly materials. The newest is "Turn Hunger into HOPE" featuring the TerraCycle logo. Looking for a competitive advantage in an industry increasingly affected by outsourcing, American textiles companies pioneered work with recycled fibers. The result was a ground-breaking fabric that may change the trajectory of clothing and apparel. Determined to regrow American manufacturing after many companies started to offshore in the mid '90s, American cut and sew factories are creating quality garments and employment opportunities. Coyote Howling is proud to work with SustainU and its offices and factories in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North and South Carolina and Tennessee. Coyote Howling has combined energy with Sevenly, another for-profit social good company. Sevenly gives $7 of each purchase to the mission of the week and regularly features FMSC. Sevenly shirts and prints feature reminders such as "Together, we can feed a nation," and Nelson Mandela's message, "There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children." Sevenly declares on their website, "We have found that there is no greater calling than to provide, heal, rescue, and serve others. Ultimately, our desire is to move a generation toward generosity and an intentional love for others." Like Coyote Howling, Sevenly is a purchase with purpose business that turns to Matthew 22:36-40 for its mission, The Greatest Commandment. Coyote Howling continues to expand its SERRV international fair-trade selections. Artists from around the globe make handcraft ranging from carved marble elephants to re-purposed paper jewelry. Artists participate with SERRV, a non-profit organization, to earn sustainable incomes for food, medical care, and education for their families. When we need or desire to buy something, we can make an effort to be the most "conscious" consumers possible, taking into account the broad impacts that our purchases have on people and the environment. Part of being a conscious consumer is thinking about what we buy and why we buy it. Another part is considering what it is made of/from and who was involved in the making. Next week, we'll consider yet another aspect of how to become more conscious consumers by asking what we do with things we buy after we buy them. Tonya Huber, PhD, is founder and owner of Coyote Howling Shop for a Cause Contact her at CoyoteHowlingNM@gmail.com 575-808-8320.