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Can Green Consumers Make a Difference? |
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VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Mar. 30 -/E-Wire/--
Can the actions of the individual consumer, multiplied many times over, change how the goods we use in our everyday lives are produced? An increasing number of people are choosing to buy products and services that have positive environmental and social impacts, and their purchases are feeding a growing green marketplace. How much of an impact will green purchasing have on tomorrow's consumer marketplace? EPIC, The recent "Sustainable Living Expo" produced by the GLOBE Foundation, provided some insights to that question.
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EPIC was a first in Canada, bringing together consumers and suppliers of green products and services spanning a wide array of lifestyle sectors, including food, fashion, home design, personal transportation, travel, investing, recycling and communications, all designed to leave a softer footprint on the earth. Live presentations on sustainable living, eco-fashion shows, and the slideshow from "An Inconvenient Truth", drew large crowds to the EPIC Main Stage throughout the event.
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While EPIC was a celebration of environmentally friendly products and services that could allow shoppers to feel good about their purchases, a more fundamental level of concern motivated the 12,000 visitors participants.
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By using their purchasing power to support sustainability, consumers are bringing about positive environmental and social changes in the marketplace.
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Even simple choices such as buying recycled paper products, selecting biodegradable dishwashing soap, or purchasing organic food and clothing, can make a difference.
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Today's green consumer movement is part of a trend that gained traction during the early 1990s. In the past few years the market for 'green' products has leapt forward once again, galvanized by increased public awareness and concern about the environment.
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The question remains - can those simple choices, such as buying an organic cotton t-shirt or using energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs, have a long term environmental and social impact? Is buying environmentally and socially friendly products really going to save the planet?
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Perhaps not single-handedly, but as a component of an overall shift towards a more sustainable society, the power of green spending is considerable. Individual purchasing decisions are strengthened by numbers, and in turn influence the marketplace
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In today's highly competitive marketplace, companies listen to their customers. If the people speak, not just with their words but with their actions and with their dollars, companies will react.
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If a company's line of recycled paper products outsells its conventional product line, it will shift towards more recycled fibre. If organic cotton shirts start flying off the shelves, more retailers will seek out these products
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We must face the fact that in our society the lifestyles we enjoy require large inputs of natural resources and raw materials. If consumers make sustainable choices consistently, the nature of some products may change forever. Savvy consumers can save money, protect the environment, and own products that are both stylish and ethically sound.
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Government policies and scientific innovation will be required to make the changes necessary to make our society sustainable. But individual consumers, by exercising choice and making simple commitments to buying environmentally friendly goods, can help drive these changes, reduce their own environmental impact, and more tightly link economic and environmental prosperity.
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Read more on Green Consumerism at GLOBE-Net.
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EPIC: The Sustainable Living Expo, held its first show this March 16-18 in Vancouver, Canada, bringing over 12,000 people together to learn about and purchase sustainable products.
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If you missed EPIC, take a look at the hundreds of exhibitors and new products, featured presentations and sustainable inspiration that took place at our 2007 event at www.epicvancouver.com.
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Next year's show will take place April 18 - 20, 2008, at Canada Place, Vancouver, BC. Contact Info:
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Dr. John Wiebe President and CEO
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The GLOBE Foundation of Canada
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Tel : 604-775-5822 Website : the Globe Foundation of Canada
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