walking the talk

many of us have campaigned in some way or other for the corporate sector to show more social responsibility and contribute to sustainable development...and we often shake our head and make disapproving noises when they don't - it seems their excuses are ignorance, denial, lack of time = money, and money, it seems, is the bottom line for every action...

i joined a network of people on friday night which cares about these issues of sustainable development on our planet and in their community - but instead of just pointing the finger and holding the magnifying glass up to companies, up to others and demanding action - we are holding the magnifying glass up to ourselves and our own choices in every day life and supporting each other to take action and be more personally sustainable

our questions are around every day actions and choices that we all make - what food to eat, where to buy it, what clothes to wear, how to get to work etc...how can we be making a positive impact towards sustainability through these every day actions...and we are searching for the answers together and committing ourselves to personal change

in some ways, as Brenda said, the more aware and conscious of these issues that you become, the less free you feel sometimes in your choices...and i as i begin walking down this path i imagine it i will not always be making the easiest or cheapest or most efficient choices in the short term...but if i don't let companies use these things as excuses, then why should i allow myself?

i'd actually rather face my choices now with more knowledge & awareness, than be blind to the consequences of my actions and feel trapped, along with my children by their repurcussions later on...

but hang on, aren't i getting carried away? i mean whether or not i recycle my bottles or ride a bike rather than driving a car to the shops - it's not going to make that much difference right? how straight i can lie in bed and sleep soundly is affected by my integrity - whether my words match my actions - and how i feel about myself is going to affect me a lot

and as the slogan goes, "You consume, you decide"...in a market-driven economy companies respond to market forces and I, and you, WE provide the market forces that help to dictate companies' actions...until we are prepared to give the time, energy and money towards sustainable development in our own lives, why should any company?

may the truth set us free

x Zoe