It’s time for the third annual Green Living Show April 24-26. I love the Green Living Show. I really do. I love it’s main stage with experts who can help educate people on living a more sustainable life. I love it’s food market that showcases organic and local food. I love the Planet in Focus film screenings, the cooking stage, and the aisles after aisles of green clothing, cleaning products and countless other items.
BUT, I have a pet peeve about the Green Living Show (and every other green consumer show). It kinda glosses over the greenest fact of all: not buying stuff!
Yes, it is better to buy environmentally friendly cleaners rather than ones with skulls on the bottle and harsh chemicals inside. Yes, it is better to buy bamboo or organic cotton clothing rather than traditional fabrics (bamboo is fast growing and isn’t treated with chemicals while traditional cotton is one of the most treated plants on the planet - bad for workers and the earth). Yes, it is better to buy free trade organic chocolate rather than a Hershey bar. BUT if you don’t need cleaners, clothing or chocolate (who am I kidding, everyone needs chocolate) than buying the enviro alternative is still bad because it still takes energy to produce, fossil fuel to transport and it still has an impact on our world.
So go to the show (preferably by public transit or bike) and absorb lots of new green facts, but think before you buy - it’s the greenest thing you can do.
