Your power as a consumer
Like I mentioned in my last post, I am not an expert. I was trying to make a professional list of things that you can do to support a more sustainable economy, but all I really want to do is provide a general scope on the matter.
The truth is that sustainability is pretty straight forward: you simply go with the best choice at hand (as with anything else in life) and you try to keep at it. You may not be a real estate developer or the CEO of an S&P 500 company, but know that you do hold power (economic power) within your life and even within your circle of influence of friends and family.
Where you decide to spend your money says as much about you as the clothes you wear. It tells the economy (and the people around you) what you want more of and what you don’t. It can support great companies or really unethical ones. Think of your dollars as dots and dashes in a telegram: they are the signals that tell the market what to do next.
It can be discouraging to know that it takes thousands or even millions of people to redirect a specific industry. But think of all the times when the market had to change because it recognized that consumers wanted something different from what they were being offered. Mobile phones, computers and electric cars wouldn’t be here if there hadn’t existed a demand for them. That’s why it’s important to remember that there are more people like us, who crave to see a more sustainable and ethical world, specially now in younger generations, who are reportedly more progressive and conscious about sustainability than their older counterparts. This means that change is inevitably on its way as new waves of consumers will expect a more humane behavior from all types of businesses.
All you can do for now, if not change the market directly, is keep telling the market what you want more of. Also, be willing to pay the price. Everything that’s worth having is worth spending on. Do what you can, start small and believe that positive change will undoubtedly arrive sooner rather than later.
