Power to the people!

Consumer power has a long history, dating back at least to the boycott of sugar by people who sought to abolish the slave trade in the 1800s. But the idea of the 'consumer' really took shape in the 1900s, with the increasing acceptance of the idea that 'consumers' can affect change through the ways they spend their money. Now-a-days, buying something as simple as a banana involves a range of complicated choices - its no longer just a question of how much you want to spend or how many you want to buy, but whether you want ordinary, Fair trade or organic bananas. Consumers must must make decisions regarding genetically Modified (GM) food, food miles (how far the food has travelled), animal welfare, intensified farming, the chemicals used, antibiotic, hormone filled milk, etc. Shopping has become an emotionally charged avenue for expressing our ethical and moral views, not only about what we eat, but about the ways of the world in general. And you know what? The industries listen, they have to if they want to survive, and they will yield to the demand of the consumer.

Therefore, armed with our shopping basket, we must use the power that we have as a consumer– buy only those things which have been produced by ethically sound practises that do not cost the earth, but instead protect it, together with all the living beings that inhabit this still beautiful planet. In this way we can turn the tide or at least slow it down to acceptable levels.

People! We do have the power!