Over the coming weeks, you will be bombarded with many shopping requests. I invite you to join me in a thoughtful approach to consumption.

You will be asked to buy nothing or recycle. We live in a heavily consumeristic society where purchases more often rule us than not. Multiple sources sites (National Retail Federation, eCommerce News), Retailers make 30%+ of their annual revenue over the next six weeks.

Consumer spending is 69% of the staggering $23.2 trillion U.S. economy. If you commit to conscious choice, thank you. However, your intentions and righteous action… make no difference. Those choices are not a rounding error of spending in the local economy, let alone the national one. It's essential to recognize that while individual choices matter, they are but a fraction in the grand scheme of the economy. Despite this, it's not about the scale of impact but the intention behind our choices.

I'm not saying you shouldn’t make conscious choices but know that a single purchase or drive to a pick-it-yourself farm will not make the difference you hope.

We can start by lowering the barriers to sustainable living. This includes supporting local businesses and choosing not to impose our beliefs on others, despite our personal commitments to sustainable practices like vegetarianism. Local shopping not only reduces environmental impact but also strengthens community ties.

Embracing local markets, dining at restaurants that source locally, and visiting regional stores and fairs can transform conscious shopping from an occasional activity into a lifestyle. Online, consider platforms that support small businesses. This shift in shopping habits not only benefits the environment but also nourishes local economies.

In the end it is a numbers game.

What can you do? More importantly, what should we all be working towards?

Disagree, but don't be disagreeable.

The first step is to lower the social barrier to sustainability and support local shopping. For example, refusing to eat with friends who do not purchase 100% sustainable groceries makes you insufferable over time. As a vegetarian, I often face the inevitable eye rolls, "but you eat fish…" or "Hey, there are left-over leaves at the bottom of my calamari" comments. I don't compromise, but I do not force my choices on others. Local shops and stores have a lower environmental impact. See "Sustainable Connections."

Routinely support your farmer's markets, dine at restaurants that work with local farms, and shop at regional stores and fairs.

Make it a lifestyle versus an excursion.

If you consciously commit to shopping, please consider using #ShopLocal and #ShopSmall. If you shop online, consider marketplaces that enable small businesses.

Finally, remember the human element in your choices. Deciding not to patronize large retailers or online giants affects the livelihoods of many who may be in your community. Each choice we make sets into motion a series of events, some within our understanding and others beyond it. Let's strive to make choices that we can look back on with pride, knowing they were made with awareness and a sense of responsibility towards our community and planet

Choice sets in motion events known and unknown. I want you to know that you have the satisfaction of knowing that you were aware of the intentions you set forward.

Make ones you are proud to have as memories.