July 30, 2012

Responsible Shoppers, but Bad Citizens?

Introduction

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg News Businesses have found there is money in green marketing.

When you stay in a hotel, you reuse your towel. When you shop for detergent, you reach for something nontoxic. But do small acts like these lead to further steps, or just check the “good deed” box for the day and distract from real activism? Is environmentally responsible spending effective or just a distraction?

Annie Leonard, director of the Story of Stuff Project, suggested this discussion.

Read the Discussion »

Debaters

Individual Actions Just Don’t Add Up

Annie Leonard, author and activist

Yes, we should shop better. And reduce, reuse, recycle. But household garbage is only 3 percent of the waste produced in the United States.
Consumers Can Get Results

Dara O'Rourke, founder, Good Guide

Environmentally conscious purchasing is only 1 to 5 percent of the market, but is already making a difference.
Shopping and Activism Can Go Together

Juliet Schor, sociologist

The trouble is that there just are not enough of either: the conscious consumer or the civically engaged.
Vote With Your Dollars, and Also Vote

Gernot Wagner, author, "But Will the Planet Notice?"

Policy change is the only way we know how to guide consumer behavior on a truly large scale.
Eco-Consciousness Can Start at the Supermarket

Zem Joaquin, founder, Ecofabulous.com

Organic food and nontoxic cleaning supplies tend to be the gateway to eco-living.