Sustainable consumerism 

This may seem like an oxymoron, but we will all have to buy things at some point.

• Level I-be aware of the impact of what you buy, conduct a life cycle analysis before you make purchase and don’t buy disposable products
• Level II- Buy “green” products
• Level III- Don’t buy, barter or make instead.

Examples

There are green alternatives for nearly every consumer product. For example, clothes made out of organic cotton or hemp, or chemical free cleaning products. Learning how to fix and reuse household goods drastically reduces the need to buy new products. Why are alternative economies sustainable?

Additional Information

• This is a great guide to some of the different “green” product standards out there. http://www.sustainableproducts.com/mts/standards.htm
• These sites are an introduction to the concept of life cycle analysis, which is a tool for thinking about the environmental impact of products. http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/mod02/01500581.html http://www.enviroliteracy.org/subcategory.php/334.html
• Mother Earth News is a publication dedicated to living green and doing it yourself. http://www.motherearthnews.com/