FreeThink: Sacrilege: Not everyone can afford to be sustainable.

FreeThink: a blog published by Maxwell PR

Sacrilege: Not everyone can afford to be sustainable.

One of the reasons many of us work at Maxwell PR is because of our values, one of which is to live sustainably. What makes our office great is that we all come from different backgrounds and each of us occupies our own special place in what the Hartman Group calls the "World of Sustainability." That's a nice way of saying that not every Maxwellite has a compost bin in the backyard. But we do our part to live these values in a way that makes sense to each of us. With that being said, a post on treehugger.com this morning really irked me.

Treehugger contributor Lloyd Alter commented on a widely reprinted New York Times article this week about how rising food prices are driving Americans to buy the same "crappy" food they have always bought, but in cheaper versions. Rather than "cook[ing] more from scratch instead of buying prepared food" Alter is bummed people are choosing to continue buying packaged and processed foods. I don't mean to single the poor guy out, but this is something I've heard several times over the past two weeks from a variety of people. There's this underlying (albeit distant) hope that Americans will finally see the light and turn to organic and whole foods just because food prices are rising. We've heard the same exact thing as gas prices are rising higher and higher, yet you don't see a Prius parked in every garage.

Around here we talk about LOHAS consumers: lifestyles of health and sustainability. These are your organic food eaters and Prius drivers. They don't make those choices based on economics; they do it because it's their lifestyle. Asking someone to ditch a lifestyle they've known for decades can be pointless.

What's more, asking someone to embrace organic and sustainable choices can be down right rude. There's a presumption that it's easy. In reality there are lots of people who plainly can't afford - in time or money - the lifestyle. Organic food generally costs more. Raising your own vegetables and making meals from scratch takes more time. Buying FSC furniture is expensive. I was raised by a single mother of three who worked full-time. Looking back, the thought of asking her to choose more sustainable options is laughable.

Don't get me wrong, I believe in living a sustainable lifestyle but I'd love to hear from those that are privileged enough to have the option to do so acknowledge that they do so because they can.

- Jen Scott

posted on May 01, 2008

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	This spirited, open forum by Maxwell PR staff members, studio mates and colleagues features people who are, in our opinion, doing the right things to get people talking. You'll see us rave about organizations building communities and rant about those who are missing obvious opportunities. We sprinkle in a little marketing and PR rhetoric from time to time for extra vigor and enthusiasm, and will share observations and insight based on our own experience honing our craft every day.

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