Will economic issues affect your green buying decisions?

[greenapple]

Alot of green companies are lowering their prices now. I know I signed up for Kaia House organics' (beauty skin care company) newsletter and they give great discounts on pangea, max green, john masters and tons of other beauty products. They also have their own economical line of body and baby care and its really quality stuff. Going green isn't a luxury anymore, it's a neccessity.

[TheGreenestDollar]

This is a great discussion. I've actually increased buying green products; just yesterday I purchased a Kill-A-Watt. $24 investment, but I'm sure I can use it to save money on my electric bill.

I also recently purchased an at-home steam water distiller. This was a larger investment up front ($155), but I'll be saving money after six months, and getting pure water in the meantime.

Most of the time, going green saves money in the long run.

[EnviroJeff]

I'll say that in my mind it will affect me when I get sticker shock, but I'll just have to not let it affect my eventual decisions. I'll cut other areas of my budget instead of not buying green products/services.

[blondepinky3]

I think at the moment, it would affect my purchasing, only because I'm a poor student! But I do think that it would only do so because I can't afford green if it was more costly, because I'm living off loans! I do think though, like was stated, that if you visit this site you may tend to be more green and so the results may not be as accurate as if it was a random poll on a different site not relating to green topics! Interesting discussion though!

[b-baby]

If the whole world was behind becoming more sustainable, then I believe costs would be impacted positively across the board (less shipping, less dependence on fossil fuels, less packaging etc. etc.)

[B.G._schmid]

Originally Posted by zach

I've found that most people want to be greener but for the majority of people their buying decisions may be influenced by how green a product is but in the end it comes down to a financial decision or a preference for one product over another due to something like perceived quality or taste.

Our business has seen this, too. We have some products that are made in the USA, and a lot of people are really interested in them. But in the end, they decide on a less expensive bag. It's just a matter of priorities.

[DanTheMan]

won't change a thing for me!

[andreverde]

it should not affect you. The choices we make today will have potent consequences tomorrow... it is up to us to make those consequences positive ones, and help restore the world we live in for the next generations to come... let's help kill ignorance and spread knowledge!

[pumpkindoodle]

Yes the choices we make have always affected us later. I agree it is time to make choices that will benefit us in the future rather than destroy. I feel education is the key. I cannot say that it should not affect us/you - b/c if the economy got bad enough we would all have to make choices for our families and buying green products may not be feasible. I do feel that are many free ways to be green, utilizing what we already have re-inventing and reusing. We use peanut butter jars for drinking glasses, we use old socks for rags, I save all the twisty ties that come on food products etc and use them for other purposes, sharing baths and conserving flushes these are free ways to be greener. I cannot say that if the price of corn skyrocketed and we weren't able to buy it to heat our home ( we have a biomass furnace) that we would not go back to using electricity to heat our home. Obviously, at that point our families safety would come first. I hope though that the steps we are taking will be steps that will benefit us if the economy got really bad and we would be able to somehow still live a Greener life in spite of the economic crisis.

[Aman]

Hi Guys,
I am a Post Graduate student enrolled in MBA course at the
University of Sheffield and this Survey Questionnaire is a vital part of my
Dissertation titled “Are UK food retailers living up to their green promises?:
A case study of the UK’s three most popular food retailers (M&S, Waitrose and
Tesco).” The questionnaire survey has been designed to understand the buying
considerations of consumers in the context of day-to-day food purchasing, with
environment an important factor.

The aim of the survey is to find out the level of knowledge, information and
awareness consumers have on green issues and to what extent do they affect
decision making while purchasing. Secondly, it also aims to investigate the
retailers’ credibility with their ‘green claims’ from the eyes of the consumer.
The importance of this survey lies in the very fact that consumers today are
taking initiatives to protect the environment and promote sustainable living.
But, lack of proper information and excessive ‘greenwashing’ has left them
confused and sceptical.Hence, this is a step in reviewing their faith in green
claims by understanding what they think is important, which the retailers’
should do in order to be considered credible.

The survey would help consumers in getting knowledge about new technology,
practices that are helpful for the environment and, firms which are living up
to their claims.

I would really appreciate you helping in my research by
completing an online questionnaire, which can be found at : -

Consumer Survey in response to Retailers' Green Claims

It would not take more than 3-4 minutes and the information provided will be
kept strictly confidential. Many Thanks.


Regards

Aman Narang