Green living is often associated with wealth, but driving a Prius and shopping at Whole Foods aren't the only means by which families can reduce their impact on the planet. As this thoughtful and well-written article points out, many families can not afford to eat organic foods or buy fair trade products, but they shop sustainably (thrift stores, consignment shops), use public transportation, and simply buy - and use - less. Because they have to. And there's a lesson in that.
It's so easy to get caught up in the latest trends in clothing, cars, electronics, that we often forget that "the real question is not how expensive sustainable products
are, but how our purchasing habits affect the global population and
environment." In fact, in many ways, living a greener, more sustainable life is about living the way a less affluent family might - conserving resources like fuel, water, and electricity, riding a bike whenever possible, and growing eating home-grown fruits, veggies and herbs.
There's no denying that buying green costs more - from cleaning products, to food, to furniture and clothing - but as Tom Kemper of Dolphin Blue explains, when looking at a super store price tag, we are not seeing the true impact of our purchases reflected in the price. "Please also consider the cost of the loss of resources like habitat; loss
of air quality because we use more energy and create more tons of
emissions to make virgin-material products; loss of clean water because
of unnecessary and excessive bleaching of paper; excessive reliance on
oil because every time we don’t recycle and remanufacture a toner
cartridge we use another pint of oil; and then, the associated costs to
all of us through increased disease caused by pollution, and the
transference of cost to each of us through healthcare premiums and
medical care. If we now measure all these costs, which
are only a portion of the true costs of 'business as usual,' then what
are the costs of that cheap paper, or that non-recycled and
non-remanufactured toner cartridge?"
Bottom line: buy less, and you can afford to buy better. Get it?
