According to the post, Who's the Biggest Greenwasher of Them All?, consumers are the biggest greenwashers. And perhaps, rightfully so.The author, Joel Makower states, "For more than two decades, they've said one thing and done another, making outsized claims about their environmental commitments — and the actions they take where they live, work, and play — with little evidence to back up those claims." “If consumers were a corporation, we'd be boycotting them."
Which brings us to the case in point: Sustainability is two sides of the same coin. Business sustainability and personal sustainability. Businesses are stepping up to the plate. As a consumer, are you? At the PEW Center for Climate Change's Energy Efficiency Conference held in Chicago last April, one of the plenary session speakers stated a remarkable statistic. Only 8% of what you DO is sustainable -- the other 92% is in the supply chain -- in other words, what you BUY.
As a result, we may not always have time to participate in the latest cause or campaign, but we do have one very powerful tool to affect social change… our consumer dollar. How we spend our money speaks volumes about our beliefs and values.
Noted in our sustainability consulting, sustainability needs educated consumers. Everything you buy affects the Earth, but some choices have a lesser impact. Educating yourself about the products you buy can empower you to make a difference in protecting the planet. It's called "green purchasing," and it's easy to do. As a green living consultant, I've found the problem is, most people are simply not aware of the problems associated with purchasing less sustainable products, let alone the solutions.
So if the problem is a lack of education, then who is responsible for fixing it? We are. Individually, we have a responsibility to seek out information on sustainable products and companies. The easiest way to promote a sustainable lifestyle is by living your values. Sustainable purchasing is one way to demonstrate that value. In fact, getting others involved in your purchasing habits is a great way to spread eco awareness to friends, neighbors, and others in your community.
Sometimes, corporate sustainability is like playing telephone. Witnessed from a high level, a company's
How does your business view the current economic, political, and socially conscious business environment? Are you taking advantage of the sustainable business strategies available to your business to increase productivity as well as stay a step ahead in the business sustainability conversation?
With coal, oil, and natural gas receiving most of the popular press, the often forgotten resource that may present the greatest challenge to many local communities is the availability of fresh water. Unlike
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Good thoughts are no better than good dreams, unless they be executed". Translated into today's language that equates to actions speak louder than words. Translate again to sustainability language, and eco actions speak louder than eco speak.
In addition to executive management playing a critical role in the success of a company, business sustainability requires leadership across the entire organization. While management may ultimately carry the responsibility of sustainable business results, employees have a part to play in the definition and implementation of the company’s business sustainability programs.
Children are quickly gaining eco awareness and are in many cases educating their parents. Given access to and experience with sustainability concepts, children often take the lead on green living ideas. Why not give them the sustainability tools they need?
Packing for college can be a lot of work. In the face of the many pre-college activities, it’s easy to fall into old habits and fall amiss to living a sustainable lifestyle. With a little planning, the move to college can still embrace eco awareness and keep you on course with your personal sustainability plan.
"If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn't need motivation to speed him up, he needs education to turn him around." ~
Many in the field, including our sustainability consulting practice, agree that the gap between eco awareness and action may represent the single largest
"Certain people have a way of saying things that shake us at the core. Even when the words do not seem harsh or offensive, the impact is shattering. What we could be experiencing is the intent behind the words. When we intend to do good, we do. When we intend to do harm, it happens. What each of us must come to realize is that our intent always comes through. We cannot sugarcoat the feelings in our heart of hearts. The emotion is the energy that motivates. We cannot ignore what we really want to create. We should be honest and do it the way we feel it. What we owe to ourselves and everyone around is to examine the reasons of our true intent." ~
The increasing desire to translate personal eco awareness into career
Do you fall prey to routine habits out of convenience or do you take extra steps to embrace sustainability concepts in your daily life? It seems in recent years being busy has become the rule rather than the exception. With busy comes conveniences and sometimes conveniences means having to compromise on values. Fortunately, that's no longer the case. With growing eco awareness sprouting more and more environmentally friendly options, those living a busy and sustainable lifestyle can take their green on the go.
Consider for a moment that the average person makes over one thousand decisions each day. Some of these choices may be small, while others may have significant
With 4th of July right around the corner, you are probably attending a family BBQ, company picnic or some kind of other function. Do you want to glam it up as a firecracker or a sparkler?
Absent of common definitions, standards, or consistency in guidance, the growth in public eco awareness and personal sustainability action has largely been through personal experience and situational application. While general concepts can be used to describe the broad topic of ‘sustainability’, our green living consulting has come to realize that each individual has a unique and personal story in the pursuit of a sustainable lifestyle.
Guess how many trips Americans take in a day? It's a big number. In fact, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that Americans take over 1.1 billion trips per day. They also reported that 78% of these were in single occupant vehicles. It is
It is that time of year, when many of us engage in the fun and festive activities of summer that bring out our creative and youthful spirit. If you are like me, you are probably overjoyed with the idea of digging into your warm weather toys and heading to the beach, camping, or maybe just to the park for a fun day in the sun. Focusing on the coming long Independence Day holiday weekend as an opportunity, my mind is swimming with possibilities to express my own sustainable lifestyle
Do you download music from the web? Do you monitor your thermostat? Wonder about gas prices? With so much focus on going green it's easy to fall prey to the misconception that we are currently lacking in taking eco action. The truth may be that we're all in the process of going green. Perhaps we may all be in different stages on the sustainability continuum.
