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After working in the financial services industry for many
years, I saw first hand how companies competing for consumer dollars would sacrifice
the environment (among many other things) in order to remain profitable. The
amount of pressure a private or public company is faced with in order to compete
is immense, beyond what most people understand. That we can pursue profits with
such maniacal focus, while every ecological system is on the verge of collapse
- is a testament to the dangers of modern industrial commerce as currently practiced.
Once we become aware of the environmental collapse that is
taking place, our concern can easily trump all others. The reason being is that
all other concerns or causes, such as freedom, equality, peace, war, abuse,
media reform, politics, healthcare, and so on, rely on having a planet that
is habitable. I'm not asking us to give up any of the other causes we believe
in and support - but I am asking for all of us to start paying close attention
to our every day impact on this planet and move the environmental cause as high
up on the list of priorities as possible.
Despite the popularity of organic and environmentally friendly
products, there are very few main stream companies or stores who devote themselves
entirely to the cause. However, there are hundreds - even thousands of smaller
companies who are. Enter Greenshopper. With the Green movement still young,
many of these small companies are surviving on their own hard work and ingenuity
as well as an enlightened people who support their cause. In my vision, harnessing
the economic power of conscious consumers by connecting them in a single step
to the ecologically sound products made by these emerging companies will help
unite the green community and build a more sustainable future.
There has never been a more dire time to restore the wisdom
of our direct ancestors, who for 190,000 years, lived in a sustainable
fashion (I am not including our earlier human ancestors, who survived for 3.3
millions years - I'm simply talking about "homo sapiens sapiens" who
share the same exact brain capacity as we have today). Since the agricultural
revolution, we are living in a very different way and we must incorporate sustainability
in our civilization. We must do it now. Whether or not you are a democrat, republican,
Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, animist, black, white, short, tall, etc - you are
subject to the scientific laws of nature. Every time we open our wallets or
purses, we vote in favor of the product, company or service we buy. Shopping
is one of the most truly democratic activities, and for a change, there are
numerous wonderful candidates to choose from. Let us take our modern industrial
society and transform it into one that incorporates the very ecological principals
that have governed ALL life on Earth since the beginning of what we refer to
as time.
Suppose that within our lifetime we allow the current environmental
crisis to proceed essentially unchecked - which is what our track record suggests.
Our children, who will be living in chaos, will have every right to, and most
certainly will ask "what did you do to try and ward off this mess?"
If enough people can answer that they did everything in their power to prevent
the looming disaster, then there will be no disaster.
Zachary Bouchard
Founder & CEO
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