Conscious Consumer

I can't help but chuckle when I put those two words together. Conscious consumer....don't they sound funny together? I just picture this mad dash of people heading to the store for silly things or eating without thinking about what they are doing.

And I chuckle because although I know I am more conscious now in my thoughts, words and deeds, I still have those moments of unconscious conformity. We all do - big deal!

But what does it mean to be a conscious consumer?

This is what I interpret it to mean...we are aware of the mortality of all things. We are aware of the many choices we have and we choose what is best for us in that particular moment. We make decisions based on the overall good for as many people as possible.

These two little words - conscious consumer - encompass so many things. Take shopping for example. How many times do we breeze through our list - purchasing the same things week after week? How often do we walk down the grocery store aisles without thinking? Just grabbing what we always get - never entertaining the idea that there may be something better out there for us.

And how many times do we choose something that we know is not healthy for us (or for our kids) but we get it anyway? Or worse, we take the kids shopping with us once again and impulse buy just to get them to be quiet while we finish our shopping.

You wonder how I know these things? I do them too! Just a lot less often now!

What would happen if we actually considered where our food came from? Who packaged it? Was it done with love? What type of energy went into the processing? Why did it have to be processed at all? Is there a better choice we could be making?

How is it packaged? Is there a "greener" choice we could be making? Maybe a more Earth friendly company has the same item but it's packaged in recycled material that can be recycled again. That choice may be more expensive right now but if we looked at the bigger picture, it's much more cost effective.

What's in that food? Can't read more than one word? See high fructose corn syrup in the ingredient list? Put it back - choose something else! Why? Because it's synthetic! Our bodies crave natural foods - it helps us to be less dense and become more conscious!

What about how we shop? Why do we have to "go" to the store at all? I mean really. Why aren't we shopping more online from the comfort of our own home? I have been shopping online lately and let me tell you - my spending has decreased by about 20% just from impulse buying alone! Now I sit comfortably on the couch sipping a glass of wine after the kids go to bed. That's what I'm talking about!

What do you think shopping online does? Saves us time, saves labor costs, saves money in gasoline, allows the smaller companies to showcase their products without much overhead, and gives us the opportunity to think a little more.

Dare I say we become more globally aware?

Our family has been super focused on recycling lately. My daughter came home every day this week and reminded me not to toss out any of the garbage from her lunch. She wants to make something with it. I'm not sure what that will look like but man, if we can teach our kids to recycle, make sounder, healthier choices and think more on a global scale - by golly this world may just change!

See how you can help. Educate yourself, educate your kids, educate your kids' schools! A simple search on the Internet for "conscious consumer" brings up many websites about fair trade and how to become more globally aware!

Start a program in your child's classroom! Teach them about recycling, composting, packing a healthy lunch and making better choices.

Remember, the Earth isn't ours, we are just borrowing it from our children.

You can also check out my Facebook page about ShoptoEarth (look at the badge to the right) - this company has got it goin' on. Cutting edge of the economy and the environment. Or go to http://www.24hourtour.net/dl08 and see how every little bit helps.

Have a beautiful day!