meet in the middle

It's been awhile since either of us posted. We've both had some big distractions: I got married and took a work trip to Southeast Asia, and Charlotte was accepted to business school at LBS (congrats!).

But it's also good to step away, live our lives, and think about what conscious consumerism means in the context of it all. The priority for almost everyone is to get through their day, as happily and productively as possible, and this means making choices based on what's easy. I can't blame anyone for this, I do it myself and it makes perfect sense. But I also believe in a little toughness.

It comes down to the basics: if there are two (or more) ways to do or obtain something, an individual is going to choose the path of least resistance, be it time/financial/pleasure principles. That social-good product or service has to be right there on the shelf, near the train, on the radar of the individual or it doesn't make sense.

This is where top-down changes matter. If big manufacturers alter the way they do business so that they are striving for a triple bottom line, the effects trickle down into the everyday consumer's life. The juice I buy at the bodega or the new jacket from a department store can be the responsible choice. Information on companies' CSR can be readily available, but it can also be known that all big companies follow certain guidelines and standards, so the individual doesn't have to do much research at all. Wouldn't that be nice?

In the meantime, there's another tactic I believe in, one that does take a little effort but it's effort well-spent: minimalism. If you don't really need a juice, don't buy it - save the landfill (or recycling center, we hope) that plastic bottle and your body from the empty calories. If you love juice, buy a juicer or blender, keep fresh fruits and vegs on hand, and make it before you leave the house. If you need a new coat, buy it secondhand from a vintage store. Better yet, keep wearing your old ones until they're a little wearier.

Yes, this is not the path of least resistance: this can take planning, time, and energy. But in tandem with top-down changes, this slight shift in consciousness is important. Just because we can have anything at any given moment (within limit) doesn't mean we should. And when we do decide to buy something, we should weigh the cost to the planet and to ourselves. In the coming years, that information should become more readily available. If not, we should demand it from the businesses that are providing the goods and services we use in everyday life. More on that later...