by Christopher Kendalls

Created on: July 22, 2008

Perhaps for the individual themselves but not necessarily for the greater society. Some individuals have always made consumer choices that are more "green" or not as much of a waste of resources that the choices most individuals make for themselves. The New York Times had a great article on a woman that was upside down as most of us are when we deal with sickness or were taken advantage of through adjustable rate loans that often leave us behind. Most of the responses to the article pointed out that the woman is still drinking bottled water, Starbucks coffee, smoking cigarettes and for the most part purchasing stuff that she truly does not need.

The woman likes to shop and has a collection of purses. Did she make some poor choices getting an adjustable rate mortgage and going in with her son on one of those houses and ruining his credit? Of course, but at the end of the day does she have as many handbags as she does in debt over those two mortgages and medical bills. No where close, even if she has %50,000 in credit card debt.

I still drink bottled water and pick up a shirt or a pair of shoes every week. Granted the water is a lot cheaper and the shirt usually comes from the thrift store. I guess I am helping a poor child get a coat for winter or paying some child's medical bills or helping out someone who is mentally retarded get some autonomy I don't know. But I never shopped at the thrift store out of goodness of my heart, I never shopped at the discount stores because I wanted their business. I'm not buying bottled water because the manufacturer says that the water comes from streams in Northern Europe or Canada or because the container is biodegradable.

My individual consumer choices are not helping the environment at all. My cheap clothing, much of which has traces of polyester could last 200 years in a landfill. I still buy frozen pizzas with toxins that will take years to degrade in my stomach. If fact if anything the purchases that Americas poor make, which are often diluted in cheap synthetic materials and are representative of an overall lifestyle of cheap fake goods, synthetic food, clothing, hair and beauty products and the like, are what is really destroying our environment.

Americas poor live on a diet of mineral oil, maltodextrin, polyester and high fructose corn syrup. They drive cars using cheap gasoline with ethanol stuck in McJobs where they are disposable in an atmosphere of unconscionable competition where it is a struggle just to keep the

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