Eco consumers

I have been thinking alot about ecology, peak oil, carbon footprints...cos y'know green is the new black.

Anyway...I was reading this months issue of Next...the eco issue...has Petra Bagust on the cover talking about her eco choices...home birthin', cloth nappying,composting, natural cosmetics and so forth. I got thinking about the eco friendly products that are popping up everywhere...and the buy a carbon credit schemes for those who need a salve on their conscience...and I thought it all seemed a bit eco-consumery...not in the positive sense either.

Let me explain... I use cloth nappies...fantastic things...and so super cute...but it is so tempting to buy them for the looks much as one would buy an extra sweater or pair of jeans even when the stash I have is more than enough for E11months, A2 and C2. Just cos they are much better for the environment than disposables...if I purchase more than I need, I am still consuming resources unnecessarily.

In the same way, I enjoy shopping at the local Salvation Army Thrift store...however I have to discipline myself to only buy what we need or might reasonably need in the near future...not just because it is a bargain and not exploiting slave labour in China

I am pleased that there is alot of media exposure for environmental issuescurrently...however I am a bit wary of one type of consumer driven society being replaced by another. A real change needs to be made at a deeper philosophical level if the world is going to avoid a major climactic, economic and social catastrophe in the near future.

I am trying to make small steps in our family to

Economise
Do we need it? Can we share with somebody else? Can we fix it? Can we do without it?
Localise
Where was it made? grown? Shipped from? We are aiming to buy only local produce (except for bananas...just can't give them up with four small kiddies), source New Zeland made goods wherever possible and minimise overseas purchases, buying wisely when we do (Amazon does call often...but I resist more frequently these days!)
Produce
We have a vege patch, I sew and knit, we try and mend rather than buy. One of our aims when we move from the big smoke in a couple of months is to produce more...I really must read The Permaculture Home Garden.