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Green Consumer Day is an annual event that encourages more responsible purchasing, it is also a day that highlights the problem of consumerism. In 2013 this day is being celebrated on Saturday, the 28th of September.

A green consumer is someone who is concerned about the environment. They seek to purchase products with minimal environmental impacts. In the most general terms, Green Consumer Day asks people to assess the items they purchase in light of the energy used to create it and the waste it generates, both during and after manufacturing. Green Consumer Day not only asks people to consider how a product is made, other variables are also important like the materials used, how it is packaged and whether it is recyclable.

In addition to existing green consumers, Green Consumer Day seeks to encourage others to reevaluate their buying behaviors.

Depending on how Green Consumer Day is promoted and who is doing the promoting, it can be either an important day to raise awareness about consumerism and responsible purchasing or it can be a pathetic example of exploitative greenwash.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Green Tuesday is one of several ways people are trying to brand the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. The Green Tuesday event was started on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011 by a non-profit environmental group. This group and others are now advocating that the Tuesday after Thanksgiving be dedicated to "green" shopping activities. Green Tuesday encourages holiday shoppers to make “eco-minded” choices and seek out fair-trade, sustainable, and artisanal products.

This year the event falls on November 27th. The group, Green America, is a leading advocate for this new shopping day. See Green America's Responsible Shopper website for information on companies or their Gift Guide for more ecologically responsible products.

Other Green Tuesday portals include Green Pages Green Gift Guide and GreenDeals.org, which will be feature a week's worth of green product specials. You can find good prices on everything from self-water systems for indoor and outdoor plants and annual memberships for car-sharing or bicycle-sharing clubs.

Jonah Mytro, co-founder of GreenDeals.org, has high hopes for this day devoted to “eco-forward” holiday gifts. “We are hoping Green Tuesday results in something of a paradigm shift,” said Mytro in a press release. “Our goal is to encourage a different way of thinking about holiday shopping — one that’s more deliberate, more purposeful and one that will inspire consumers to shop with the planet in mind when there’s a greener form of a gift you were already planning to purchase.”

"During the holiday season consumers are faced with a lot of shopping decisions," Mytro said. "Green Tuesday is designed to inspire consumers to make thoughtful, purposeful, eco-minded choices. It means really thinking about the money you are spending and buying the right gift for the right person while taking care of the planet at the same time."

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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