Female-Friendly: Green is In with SMART Sustainable Product Standards

It's Tuesday. Have you visited Big Green Purse and signed up to Go Green, yet? If you're having trouble thinking of ways to accomplish this, hop over to Diane's blog and see this long list of options.

SMART Sustainable Product Standards - that's going to be key in this battle to convince manufacturers and stores to offer green products - because WE want them, and because it's just right to do so.

I'm on this bandwagon for a reason - because marketing to women online is an effective way to start conversations and going green (check out Fund Raising Green) is a good conversation to start. There is nothing holding you back from that. Women love to talk (how many times do I have to remind folks of that? probably not as many as I do..but, I love to talk), and a whole lot of us are talking about green, these days. [image found on Google at Global Dev. Research Center and their sustainable business section]

What can you do today, to help this movement create the kind of momentum that becomes a tidal wave?

Well, you can look around your house and... choose to stop buying bottled water. Who needs more plastic bottles in the garbage dump?

You can get groups together to make a bigger effort in your community - to recycle, to use paper bags (or the new canvas ones) when grocery shopping, to shop in groups - using ONE car to go to the store. Hey, that actually sounds like fun. Hmmm...

And, you can tune in to blogs that are helping spread the word about going green. You can spread the word on YOUR blog, invite others to join you. This is good old American grass roots involvement stuff. This is how we Americans get things done. We group together, we join hands and embrace ideas, and we do something about it.

I'm on board. I have a long way to go...but, I'm taking one step at a time, and I'm hoping this blog will enourage you to walk along with me.

Comments

[Diane MacEachern]

Yvonne,

Thanks for a great post. Your timing is perfect, too. With another climate change "summit" about to happen, policy makers will be tapping their fingers and pontificating about the dire situation the world faces. Then they'll head back to their respective capitals (especially Washington, D.C.) and resume doing very little to address the issues. Meanwhile, by shifting money we're already spending (on groceries, cosmetics, clothing, cars, and more), women can encourage manufacturers to conserve energy and reduce pollution. We make a difference where we live, and have a global impact at the same time. Every "one in a million" counts.

[Mary Hunt]

Yvonne - thank you for adding your voice to this. I JUST got off a con call with the Nathan Cummings Foundation and American Environics. They were discussing their summer survey of voter attitudes. They concluded that even though "we" Americans are now more aware of climate change that "we" aren't doing anything about it. In fact, it's the last issue that voters think about. Consequently, it's the last issue that our current presidential group is addressing.

Further - and this is the scary part - education about climate change isn't changing attitudes. Those surveyed with higher degrees and possibly better critical thinking abilities, weren't motivated by the dire need to change quickly.

Clearly we need a better way and standards coupled with the buying action of www.BigGreenPurse.com can change everything.