We live in a consumers world. And while one of the most important changes we need to see in society is a reduction in how much we consume, the power of the consumer can also be used to drive the change we need to see.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
“Actions speak louder than words” is an age old saying, but one that true. There are more and more people in this world who are becoming aware of the problems of climate change and possibility of a very dire future for ourselves and our children. But many people just don’t know where to start or what to do about it.
There is a sense of helplessness that comes along with those thoughts. “I am too small to make a difference”, “The world won’t even notice if I use a reusable cup instead of disposable”, “You have to have a lot of money to fight climate change.”
And, in some ways, these thoughts are true. If only one person uses a reusable cup it really won’t make much difference overall. But if one million people use a reusable cup, it will. But the only way to be counted among that one million is to do it. Otherwise there will be one million people who want to make a change, but don’t ever actually move because they don’t think they are enough. But together, we are.
So first and foremost, the most important thing you can do is simply to start. Go buy that cup! When you do, you are now one of the one million people making a difference. And the money you spent on the cup will lead to even more positive changes.
Consumerism as a Weapon in the War Against Climate Change
This is where the concept of ‘vote with your dollar’ comes in to play. We live in a consumerist society. People buy buy buy. And industries have increased production (while decreasing quality) to meet that demand.
But that demand could also reverse the effect.
Right now people are demanding low quality, mass produced, endlessly changing products. So many things these days are cheap and intended to last for a short time before being thrown away and replaced.
But if people start to view objects with a different mindset, and buy things to meet that new mindset, industries will start to change to meet the new demand. So you can help drive that change by buying less, but higher quality and sustainably sourced items.
A Success Example
There are examples of positive consumer driven change already.
Organic food for example. When I was a kid most grocery stores didn’t carry organic foods. Or if they did it was only a few things here and there. But it certainly wasn’t a common thing. But my parents were of the generation that realized the problems of conventional food production, and how much better organic food was for us. More and more people started searching out organic food sources. And industries noticed.
Since then it has become easier and easier to find organic foods. And today the majority of stores have equal amounts organic and conventional options available. There are even stores that sell nothing but organic food.
And along with the ease of finding organics, the prices have also come down. At first an organic apple was at least double, if not more, the cost of a conventional apple. Today an organic apple is only a few cents more. And sometimes even equal cost. Once or twice I have even seen an organic option that cost less than the conventional.
This change would never have happened if the consumer didn’t demand it.
And we can make it happen again.
Lets Make it Happen Again
The way to recreate the positive consumer driven change is to change what we buy. We need to look at things long term instead of in the moment. A hotdog tastes good in the moment, and certainly costs less than a balanced salad… but is it good for us in the long run? No.
Now that’s not to say we can’t ever eat hotdogs. Having some on occasion is just fine. But the majority of the time we have to choose foods that are good for us if we want to stay healthy.
We need to start looking at everything this way.
Quality over Quantity
Look for things that are built to last. Not things that are built to be trashed in a short time. It will cost you more upfront, but save you money in the long run. One set of well made, solid oak chairs will last for decades. A cheap, composite set will last for a few years before you need to buy a new set. You will go through numerous sets of cheap chairs in during the lifetime of that one high quality set. And while each cheap set costs less, the total amount you spend on all the sets combined will cost you a lot more than the one high quality set.
So yes this is more of an investment. But it is an investment both for your bank account, and for the world. All those sets you threw away just end up in a landfill somewhere. And the resources consumed to make them all are huge.
Pay Attention to Packaging
Most packaging these days is extremely wasteful. Plastic, plastic, and more plastic. Used once and thrown away.
But things are slowly beginning to change. This is a consumer driven change that is already in motion. At this point in time it is small, but you can help it grow by purchasing things with sustainable and/or fully recyclable packaging.
Small changes, like buying a few fabric produce bags and selecting your fruits and vegetables from loose bins instead of buying them prepackaged. Or choosing things that come in compostable packaging. Supporting these changes will lead to more companies using them.
Don't Buy What You Don't Need
Impulse buying is a common thing these days. We pass something in a store that looks shiny and pretty or tasty and we buy it on a whim. Trinkets and cute but useless little things are everywhere. We don’t need any of those things. We don’t need 300 pairs of shoes, or a brand new wardrobe every year (clothing production is actually extremely wasteful in many ways, look up ‘slow fashion’ and see for yourself). There are a lot of things that we just don’t need.
And we should stop buying them.
So really we need to think about quality and usefulness. A high quality useless trinket isn’t necessary. And low quality necessary items isn’t good in the long run. We need to demand things that are both high quality and useful if we are going to make a difference in the world. We need to drive the market toward sustainability.
Your Dollar Matters
It is easy to feel like you, just one little person in a big world, can’t make a difference. But that just isn’t true. Like voting at an election, every vote counts. And the more people who choose to vote, the better. Remember that the next time you head to the store.
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