Pointing Fingers

"If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn't need motivation to speed him up, he needs education to turn him around." ~ Jim Rohn

With that being said, does it make sense to blast or "make wrong" those individuals and businesses that have not yet embraced sustainability? Think about it from a personal perspective. When someone points out a fault or wrong doing, does it encourage you to make a different choice? Or, does it create resistance, justification, and denial?

To create change, what other options are available? As mentioned in our eco friendly consulting, first and foremost, awareness is a first step to sustainable change. Whenever you want to improve in a specific area or program, just the process of increasing awareness will yield improvements. The same applies to living a sustainable lifestyle. Most of us recognize that change can be tricky: habits and convenience make it far easier to slip back into the comfortable way of doing things. However, implementing effective sustainable change does not have to be a laboring process. The key is conscious awareness.

Additionally, 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 and unconscious choices, 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.

Each day we are presented with opportunities to expand our eco awareness and make informed choices. The trick to capitalizing on those opportunities is being aware and making educated choices. As Louis Nizer said, "When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that four of his fingers are pointing at himself.”