The Conscious Consumer

The more stuff you buy,

the more stuff shops sell,

the more stuff factories make,

the world’s hotter than hell.

The more CO2 in the air,

the less we care,

shall I buy some more shampoo for my hair?

The more that we buy, the stuff we don’t need,

the more companies produce and fuel our greed.

But surely, your actions alone are so small?

They can’t really affect the whole planet much at all...?

The ‘developed’ world is damaging the earth,

our food, our clothes our things of ‘worth,’

food in our supermarkets and clothes in the shops,

it’s cheap for us but it comes at a cost.

Where does the stuff we buy come from, how is it made?

Was it made by someone grossly underpaid?

Has my food been grown where a forest once was?

Has this Apple travelled all the way from Oz?!

Will this plastic bottle end up in the sea?

It’s only one bottle though how bad can it be?

Imagine everything you’ve ever bought and thrown away,

then think about how many people are living today,

times one number by the other and what do you get?

A world unable to cope; a planet under threat.

So, the next time you’re about to buy,

pause. Think. do I need this? Why?

Think about people who live on a lot less,

do you really need another jumper or dress?

Lead by example and make the right choice,

demand a more sustainable future, use your voice.

Dodge the plastic, buy less meat,

ten pairs of shoes is too many for one pair of feet.

Buy local food, cycle, take the train, write to politicians and companies to complain!

The sooner we take action and start to consume less,

Companies will have to stop producing to excess.

If we stop feeding our cash to the top one percent,

Maybe one day wealth will end up where it’s meant?

Buy only what you need from sustainable sources you trust,

We need to break the cycle, we’ve got to, we must.

So try to change your ways, don’t add to the pollution.

Do it for your children, be the solution.