What are you thoughts when you´re purchasing? Do you have a “green purchasing” mind?, or you hold a volatile mind and your purchases are based on instinct or/and prices? Whatever is it please, dedicated some time to explore that “selective” side of your mind that could guide your taste and preferences to an individual and collectively sustainable life.

This is about all of us not just a public sector responsibility; it is not a historical momentum for relying on a political leadership or/and on a super-power private sector that “resolve” crises. We must be focused on a strong action centered on resilient attitudes that leads to sustainability. Is it true that the power of the private sector is paramount, however it cannot hold responsibility without the other great power: individual action.

Its good to highlight the great work from the private sector in which many companies have realized their important role and developed –with our without support from the public sector- their own strategies.

Its not easy to match business goals with sustainable goals…but not impossible and those companies that are focusing on smart strategies of “gaining profits without losing sustainable goals” must be fully supported by an also smart citizenship that take wise decisions.

 In the past, the simple purchase of a coffee doesn’t involve any kind of responsibility of much reflection about it; in current times it could represent part of a global strategy of individual empowerment to make changes at big scale.

Plastic pollution is one of the biggest challenges that the world is going through and these are the kind of fights that are in our hands as individuals. Not as a matter of “boycotting” plastics but helping on boosting a new customer behavior and choices. The idea is not to destroy but build, is for this reason that we need to move beyond rejects of plastic but building alternatives that could make the difference. A reconversion of this sector is urgently needed and includes the use and disposal of plastic in a correct way. To throw plastics to the ocean it’s only a matter of individual behavior and not of the plastics´ industry in itself. There are being used harmful methods to produce but there are other part that belongs exclusively to personal behaviour and traditions.

The United States are a clear example of the need to change habits for the health of the planet and the health of their own people. The highest level of world meat consumption and cars pollution. America´s reality exposure the need to reshape industry-individual habits on an equal basis. Americans constitute 5% of the world’s population but consume 24% of the world’s energy. Maybe a good reason/excuse to deny climate change impact and in general, the own existence of an environmental negative impact from individual purchasing. Is it very sad to realize that to change cultural behavior we must be submitted to the arbitrary will of the political leader in power. Is it for the above reason that individual action and the private sector should become main leaders of this process of making individual consumption sustainable. When the political system is not responsive, citizens and private sector must come together -with the help of social media- to build a new culture of responsible consumption and commercial behavior.

Sustainability its about individual options and your purchases –even the simplest one- are part of it. A green purchasing supposes not only a contribution for a better environmental quality but an individual and collective strength that build resilience in the medium term. We must be aware of the power of individual action and their impact on the planet. There is only …the “now”….

“Plant a tree, green the earth, clean the air, live happily ever after” Crowdleaf.org

*Thanks @crowdleaf.org!