This question is similar to the ultimate reason we eat - we eat for fuel. Hopefully it tastes good as well but ultimately we eat to survive. If we eat only for fun, well, we get into the obesity epidemic that's so prevalent in today's society. It's crucial to start with the basics of "need" and then move onto the part of "want." We're not saying we, as a society, will henceforth be boring and stale because only necessities will be in our possession and nothing more. But what we are saying is that if the question that is self-asked first is "do we really need it," we will look at the item with a more critical eye. Even if the answer is no, we will force our mind to think of its usefulness in our lives and in turn its longevity (a key factor in sustainability).

There are other things that happen when we ask this question:

• We start to think of the item in a different sense, a sense of usefulness in our lives which is more creative rather than emotional. Emotional purchases are as temporary as the state of mind we're in - fluctuates often, and if we bought the item based on that one emotion, regret may be inevitable as our emotion changes.
• Especially true for web-purchases where it's easy to press the "buy" button, our view towards need versus want will generally prevent us from pressing that button. This saves tremendous amounts of your money and manufacturing / shipping resources. The same part of the brain that looks at its need also looks at options for alternatives. That's right - inevitable creativity!
• Options appear! Yes, you heard right. More options are apparent because our focus is distracted from that one solitary item to other possibilities and other uses. This leads to better (price and quality) purchases because we've allowed room in our mind to think beyond the item, and more about possibilities.

Food requires storage and refrigeration in our house. The further we are away from a food-market, the more we have to buy (and hence cool and store) while we're shopping. The type and quantity of food depends on family age and size but all in all, proximity primarily relates to quantity. Our shopping schedules can be modified a lot easier than proximity so we won't raise that as a factor here.

Food quality and value relates to proximity as many stores carry only certain things. Organic milk, for example, may only be carried by a store twice as far away as a small market that sells only regular dairy.

This brings us to consolidation. Consolidating trips based on quality and value adds to the overall shopping experience. If you had the ability to shop for 1/2 your things at the further store which provides the quality you demand and the other half at the regular store for generic-needs, it becomes as viable transportation-loop. Hopefully you're not driving far just to pick up milk. You get what you need based on availability while eliminating "default shopping" ("that's all they had").

Organic market, for example, is booming. HT Capital Advisors, LLC reported in their Second Quarter 2006 market report that "American shoppers spent $51 billion on natural and organic products in 2005, $14 billion of which was organic foods." That's a 15.7 percent increase over a one year period.

For more information, also check out our Awareness Central page listing other food areas of interest.

Again, we'll start with a basic concept. The longer it is useful, the better the value in its purchase. This boils down to quality. The better the quality, the longer it will last - and the longer it will be used (hopefully). We put "hopefully" in there because that goes back to our first notion of need versus want, impulse (or emotional) purchases versus long-term need. Emotional purchases tend to go out of style even though there's useful life in it still.

For example, "we throw away more furniture in this country than there is furniture in most countries." The United States "is the No. 1 trash-producing country in the world at 1,609 pounds per person per year. This means that 5% of the world's people generate 40% of the world's waste."

From furniture to plastic bins to broken clocks to wall-organizers - all the "stuff" will be eventually obsolete in our lives. The reason we're bringing this up is that seeing its usefulness from the onset allows us to make better decisions in their purchases.

This puts us in a bind because what we want to drive and what we should drive may not be the same thing. In fact, our association with a "cool" car reaches into adult-hood and has a huge influence when we're at the dealership or looking through the car-classifieds. You want a small sporty car because it makes you feel energized, you want a big Hemi diesel truck because it makes you feel powerful, you want that cute convertible because it makes you feel alive and confident. Whatever your flavor, it's all about feeling. The way you grew up and what you were told growing up also plays a huge part in your future decisions - valid to that time or not.

Now that you have some idea where these feelings come from, what are you going to do with it? You cannot just "switch" it off and make the perfect decision every time. We are who we are today based on how we grew up and what we experienced. So here you are reading this and experiencing potentially something new, an "outwardly" view of that thing on four wheels. How often do you use it, how dirty is it (because we ALL love that new clean-car smell when everything is perfect), tires rotated lately? Upon receiving the car for the first time, generally we promise ourselves (out loud or not), that we'll take good care of it - better than the last one. Well, a year (if that) passes and the backseat has coffee stains, trash brimming in the door-pockets, a layer of dust surrounds the dash, and the wiper-fluid is empty. Oh how we love our car. We love it so much we break our own promise and it's starting to take on the same characteristics of the one it replaced.

I believe you understand where we're going with this - our love affair is short lived. Once we get over that new "fling" with the new car, it's back to the same ol'. We may still enjoy it more that the previous, but the "love affair" is over. You may even be eyeing newer models! These feelings come and go because that's all they are, feelings. Knowing that we are dealing with feelings helps us make better decisions because we will not be blind-sided with only emotion - but conscious decision making ability. Choosing more wisely based on all the characteristics we mention in the cars-section. You, have now been empowered and given more choices. You can now think in longer and larger terms than ever before and those don't fade as fast. You are now more savvy, creative, and stand to save tremendous amounts of money over that long time. Money that can be spent on memories which you'll cherish far more than a piece of machinery on four wheels.

Shopping green is no different than what you've been used to up to now, you're just more versed in what happens beyond the store and product. When you're more versed, you care more, and when you care more, your decisions carry more value and are longer lasting.

You will find yourself reading the labels more, asking more questions, becoming more critical in everything you're about to purchase. You will find that you'll have a more discriminating sense of your surroundings, your politicians, and your stores that cater to what you're looking for. You will be more proud and have loyalties to particular stores, brands, and hotels that not necessarily share your values, but share in the same notion that they also care. They don't necessarily care about you any more than they do about your neighbor - they just care beyond themselves and that's a significant improvement to the old ways!

Shopping sustainably means that we place an extra set of importance in what our actions do. This is not guilt, this is awareness. When you're aware, you're experiencing life with less filters - making it more full and enjoyable.

We discuss where to find these items more in depth, discussing quality and longevity in everything we need and buy.