Montrealer Eve Thomas is saving the world, one gewgaw at a time, and wants to let you know that you can, too. Earlier this year, Thomas combined her twin passions of philanthropy and (theoretical) shopaholism to start charity-shopping website The Greater Goods, a curated collection of products that are all made and/or sold for a ‘greater good.’

The idea is that, if you’re going to shop (and we all do, at least once in a while) it might as well be ethical.

What made you start The Greater Goods?
I have another tumblr called The Theoretical Shopaholic that’s basically just ‘Here’s this thing I really want to buy.’

Isn’t that most tumblrs?
Exactly. It gets a bit aimless. I wanted something with more direction. And, at the same time, I was noticing more and more things I liked were tied to good causes. For example, I bought Peggy Olson’s old desk, from the old Mad Men set, in a charity eBay auction for, of all things, lung cancer research, and then I read about Montreal’s The Yellow Bird Project- they sell design-y tees on behalf of indie bands’ favourite charities.

So not just coloured ribbons…
Right. I realized we’ve come a long way from XXL t-shirts and tote bags with bad logos on them, in terms of fundraising. So in late March I started The Greater Goods.

Does every single thing you post support a charity?
Pretty much. Some are part of a whole life cycle – for example, this skirt from BUDU is made in a Ghanian refugee camp, using local materials, and then the profits go back to them to support other programs there – and some are as simple as an Etsy vendor saying ‘I want to support a cause and the easiest way for me to do it is give a portion of the proceeds from the things I make and sell.’ Once in a while there will be something that just has an eco-friendly element, like Stacey Zhang’s clothing made from sustainable, eco-friendly materials.

What if you like the charity but the product is ugly?
No dice. Like I say on the site, I try to choose things I would buy regardless of the charity, and charities I’d support without anything in return. A button or ribbon is one thing, but spending money and effort producing ugly tat nobody wants is pretty counterproductive.

Do you check out all the charities yourself?
I do some very basic research on all of them, and go more in depth with others (that’s the beauty of the site, I think – you can click on a cute necklace and find yourself learning about a cause you never knew existed). I post links to all the charities so readers can decide for themselves who they want to support, and to sites like GiveWell, a non-profit charity evaluator.

Any charities you won’t support, even indirectly?
Nothing’s come up yet, but if someone sells earrings to support millionaires in rehab or to buy solid gold cars for war criminals, I just don’t care how cute they are.

You post a lot of things from independent vendors on Etsy. How do you know they’re not just pocketing the money?
Some provide scans of their donation receipts, and the rest likely will upon request. I guess there is an element of trust. But if you say you’re selling a painting and sending the money to the Red Cross, in the end, I get a painting I like anyway and you’ve got about three lifetimes’ worth of bad karma.

What about when bigger companies sell something for charity, like MAC’s Viva Glam line?
Well that, personally, I love, though this season’s shades don’t really suit my skin tone. For the most part, though, I try to stick to smaller charities and vendors or artists who could use the exposure.

Any cool products you’ve posted recently?
Let me think… If you want to cry, check out these chimp portraits for the Fauna Foundation. Oh, I also just got some amazing shea butter with natural mosquito repellant from Lulu Life,
a Sudanese women’s co-op. It smells amazing and is cheaper than what you can buy in stores. I also posted about the free Arcade Fire show – they were ‘selling’ VIP passes in exchange for $200+ donations to Haitian charity Kanpe. Those sold out in three hours, but you can still attend the concert and donate to Kanpe as a ‘thank you’ to the band.

What do you think of celebs who support charities? Are they doing it for a good cause or just good press?
It’s easy to be cynical, and I’m sure there are some who do it for their image or as court-ordered community service, but I think if you look closely most support causes that have affected them personally. And as John Legend once said to me – just look at the alternative. Of all things, is it wrong to glorify philanthropy?

Your tag line is ‘shameless consumerism, redefined’– is this possible?
I think so. People want to buy things, or they have to, even if it’s only once a year for someone’s wedding or whatever. It’s unavoidable, for the most part, at least in the West, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing to support someone’s business. People also want to support good causes, by taking action themselves or by helping fund others who do. So, for example, I want to donate to the SPCA and I need to buy my grandma a birthday card.
What’s so wrong with doing both in one go?

~Heidi Craig

Items pictured:
-Whimsical Raccoon Hat from Jessica Lynne’s
Etsy shop. She donates at least $1 of every sale to the Pug Rescue of New England or the Massachusetts SPCA.

-Biodegradable Love ‘em & leave ‘em composting sack from Nether Wallop Trading Co.

-Steve Martin Portrait from Ryan Wollard’s Etsy Shop. He donates all proceeds to few charities which buyers can choose from

-Eco-friendly Stainless Steel Straws byBrook Farm General Store.