It’s often said that with every purchase you make, you are casting a vote. And depending on what you are purchasing, your vote supports different ways of business and different causes. That is why it is important to know what you are buying, what goes into the product you are buying, and what had to be done to produce that item. By casting aside products that are environmentally destructive, or violate the human rights of its laborers, or are made from irresponsible businesses, you can do your part to support a sustainable world.
Now what does that mean? Surely we can’t consume our way out of all the world’s problems? No matter how much certified organic free trade coffee we consume, labor violations and inequality will continue. No matter how much non-toxic clothing we buy, or free-range chicken we eat, or home gardens we plant… larger environmental problems will still loom on the horizon. So, are all our efforts at greening our daily lives a waste of time? Of course not. Consuming in a more responsible way won’t save the world by itself, but it does make a difference.
And how do we know it makes a difference? When large amounts of people cast their vote for greener products, industries and businesses notice, and thus change their behavior. That’s why we see every business, from electronics, to food, to clothing, to cars, tryint to OUT-GREEN each other. When coffee shops use fair trade coffee, and boast about how their stores are energy efficient, we know that our choices are making a positive impact. When Wal-Mart, once the favorite punching-bag of all socially-conscious consumer, decides to make significant strides in greening its operations, that’s how we know our choices matter. Heck, even oil companies are running competing advertisements, bragging about how much money they invest in solar panels each year. That’s how we know that when enough consumers demand change, their calls don’t fall on deaf ears. That’s why farmers markets are springing up across the country, San Francisco is introducing mandatory composting, Warner Home Video is making their DVD boxes with 20% less plastic, and numerous townships across the country are banning the use of plastic bags.
So, of course it might not seem like our consumer choices matter. After all, what can one person really do? Well, that’s the point. It might not seem like you can make a lot of change on your own. But when people make conscious choices about the products they use and buy, it really does make a difference. Businesses feel the pressure and clean up their acts. And when a company the size of Wal-Mart (the world’s largest) decides to reduce the amount of packaging it uses, make its stores more energy-efficient, invest in renewable technology, and other responsible initiatives, it makes a HUGE impact. And others will follow suit.
And getting back to making responsible choices as a consumer. A website called Greener Choices (greenerchoices.org) has a directory of responsible choices you should make when you are purchasing items, as well as a wealth of information on what to look for in products. For example, when buying a new cell phone, it’s good to know that all new models of Sony Ericsson and Nokia are made without certain toxins…a greener choice. Or how to shop for healthy and eco-friendly beef. Or what labels that claim to be green really mean. These choices are ones that we make everyday, and though they might seem like an afterthought, they do have effects on our lives and our world.
Wal-Mart now has solar panels on a few of its locations, they sell fair-trade coffee, they are buying wind energy to supply hundreds of its locations in Texas, and has donated $5.7 million to supporting green job creation in the US. There has been no shortage of public pressure and outrage directed at Wal-Mart for all of its sins. But if Wal-Mart can alter its carbon footprint, clean up their operations, huge progress can be made. 
