Green Consumerism

Today, there are very few natural environments in the world that have not been changed in some ways by man. In the last two decades, environmentalists have been concerned about the damage humans have caused on the earth. There are many problems inflicted by us upon earth and so there is an urgent need to practise green consumerism and put the earth on a recovery path. How can one become a green consumerist?
A green consumerist is one who believes in, buys and uses products that are safe for environment. Many people feel they are true friends of the environment just because they recycle bottles, newspapers, plastics and cans or buy unleaded petrol or environmentally friendly items. If that is all they do, then such people only pay lip service to green consumerism. Practising recycling alone gives people a false sense of satisfaction. The real methods of saving the planet go beyond recycling or buying unleaded petrol. To be a green consumerist means making a social change – a willingness to sacrifice some of the luxuries and conveniences one is used to and going back to basics.
The first thing one can do as a green consumerist is to consume less. But the common tendency for shoppers is to push the cart and fill up as one goes through every aisle of the supermarket. By doing so, one goes overboard with the shopping by buying unnecessary items. He or she also has to ensure that what goes into the shopping cart are products that are not harmful to the environment.
Consuming less also means growing what we consume. Whether one has a sprawling garden or a little green patch, one has to take every opportunity to grow at least some of the food consumed. Herbs and some types of vegetables grow well in pots or through hydroponics, which is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, without soil in a block of polystyrene.
Advertisers of big corporations are often the enemies of green consumerism. Through advertising, they try to cheat consumers and by trying to show the connection between their products and green issues. Clothes are said to be made of environmentally friendly fabrics, through fast-changing fashions and different ranges of clothes, yet these corporations who ‘care for the earth’ persuade people to buy more and more. It is a vicious cycle: more things mean more demand on natural resources and more demand on the environment. Being aware of the persuasion ploys of advertisers is then another hallmark of a green consumerist.
Practising green consumerism also means going back to basics. Many of the gadgets and conveniences of modern science are the most damaging artifacts of modern civilisation. The bicycle, a technological feat at the time of invention, made way for motorcycles, cars and other more advanced means of transportation. However fuel-efficient and small a car may be, it is far more damaging to the environment than the humble bicycle. We should rethink and reform our public transportation system seriously.
If everybody tries to make green consumerism a part of his or her way of life, the earth will certainly recover, at least partially, from all the damage that has been done. The existence of the earth will not be a concern any more. There will be a tomorrow for the generations to come