How much of the advertised “green” products are really addressing the issues at hand? My fear is that “green” is the new black. Trendy and superficial changes have a way of disappearing, and it will be popular to adhere to the next big thing. We have an opportunity to use “green’s” popularity to promote a real education about the impact of our actions on the world around us, so that we may affect a lasting change.
 
Within the confines of the capitalist system we live amongst, it could be said that part of the answer lies within the markets. It’s important to distinguish from within the markets, and with the markets. We can not buy ourselves out of the mess we have created. Purchasing “green” products will do little to nothing to help absolve us of our mistakes. It will take a paradigm shift -- we must learn and realize how to live more sustainable.
 
I do not wish to persuade this readership not to purchase because something is labeled “green.” My hope is that instead of meaningless slogans, we begin to become more conscious of our purchases with respect to their actual value and impact.
 
Am I happy that many of the grocers around town now offer an organic section? Sure, but as regulations lax for those who wish to get into the market without making significant change, the organic label will lose its importance. If Vancouver had a deeper understanding of how their food choices affect our environment, the Food Co-op would have been a reality a long time ago, and local farms instead of new subdivisions would be thriving.
 
Becoming conscious of our choices will lead to an aware population. People are becoming more aware of the dangers of excessive CO2 in the atmosphere, which is good. Let it serve as a jumping off point for deeper discussion of deforestation, urban sprawl, water pollution, toxic waste and the multitude of other issues that face our generation and generations to come.