Curbing climate change and creating a more sustainable community is top priority for people — right down to how and what they spend on.
Recent surveys from environmental technology company GreenPrint show nearly 80% of Americans are concerned about the environmental impact of products they buy. Food Business News reports that a similar percentage says sustainability is essential when deciding what food and beverages to buy from grocery stores and restaurants.
Young people are powering this change in consumer behavior, one the pandemic has only accelerated. "Millennials and Gen-Z are different from older generations in how they view services and the companies they buy from and work for. Each generation younger has stronger and stronger views about wanting to know what's in a product and how it impacts both people and the planet," says Andrew Winston, sustainability expert and co-author of Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take.
“Put in the larger sense, it's really people wanting to know the story of this thing they bought, where did it come from, who made it, where they paid a living wage and what's the carbon footprint,” Winston says.
People are passionate, but they’re also practical. They want ways to be more sustainable in their everyday lives that are convenient and save them money. Fortunately, community-based and out-of-the-box approaches can help people maximize what they already have while creating cost-effective (even free) ways to get things they need.
Following are a few of the many resources and practices in the growing movement to reduce waste, keep goods out of landfills and build strong networks to share resources.