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5 Responses to What are 5 ways to be an effective consumer?

1. Make sure you are dealing with effective producers.

   

   helpme!
   January 18, 2014 at 10:56 pm
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2. 1. Buy all groceries from one store instead of shopping at various different stores. This uses less gas and you can trade up which store you shop at to spread around the wealth.

   2. Use reusable cloth bags instead of paper or plastic. This saves the planet and the store you are shopping at.

   

   michelle7212001
   January 18, 2014 at 11:30 pm
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3. 1. Driving cars and light trucks is the single most ecologically harmful consumer activity. It contributes to global warming and air pollution (by emissions), to water pollution (by car manufacturing, oil and gasoline production, and highway runoff), and to habitat loss and habitat fragmentation (by road construction). Consumers can reduce these effects by choosing homes in locations that reduce the need to drive, making efforts not to buy a second car, buying fuel-efficient, low-polluting cars if you need a vehicle, and choosing to walk, bike or use public transit whenever possible.
   2. Although organic produce is often more expensive to buy than traditionally-grown fruits, vegetables and grains, it is more environmentally friendly. Conventional agriculture leans heavily on pesticides and fertilizers, which contribute to both common and toxic water pollution, and its practices tend to create accelerated soil degradation. Organic or sustainable agriculture uses no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, and often employs cover crops and less tilling, so that soil degradation is slower or absent.
   3. Home heating, hot water and air conditioning are the household operations that use the largest amounts of electricity. Buying a smaller home will reduce heating and air conditioning costs, and solar energy and geothermal heat systems are renewable ways to power and heat a home. Even when it isn’t possible to obtain these, installing water-efficient showerheads will reduce hot water costs, and opening windows instead of turning on the air conditioning will cut enormous amounts of electricity.
   4. Household appliances and lighting can also use shocking amounts of electricity, and while it is possible to reduce our usage of them somewhat, it is most useful to buy energy-efficient appliances and lighting to begin with. Standard fluorescent lights use only a fraction of the energy used by incandescent bulbs. Most appliance dealers stock energy-efficient refrigerators, washer/dryers, etc. The provincial government rebates the PST on certain energy efficient appliances.
   5. Environmentally friendly home construction is most easily achieved by simply building smaller houses. Smaller houses require less energy and materials to build and less energy to maintain. With a little effort, effective space management eliminates the need for large houses.

   

   Kaylie
   January 18, 2014 at 11:46 pm
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4. 1) Buying from places that would stimulate the economy.
   2) Buying from places that would keep employment on the rise.
   3) Buying American products to keep money in the United States.
   4) Buying from places that would give back to the community,such as research money for disease or charities, you know like if you buy pink bic pens they donate 1.00 for breast cancer.
   5) Buying something that would be an investment for your future, like a home or real estate.

   I am just guessing here, maybe it will help stimulate something for you.

   

   irishlass
   January 19, 2014 at 12:41 am
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5. To be an effective consumer try to buy goods and produce that are made in your own country.That way you are supporting workers in your country.Try to buy good products that so not use so much packaging for the sake of the environment,Only buy environmentally friendly chemicals for the sake of the environment.Hope that helps.

   

   kerry B
   January 19, 2014 at 1:12 am
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