Ancillary #6

While boycotts do not deliver a consistent economic impact, voting is a much more reliable way to make positive environmental changes. In other words, voting environmentalists politicians into office is an overall quicker and more successful way to promote environmental change compared to ethical consumption. In her Vox article “Shopping Has Become a Political Act. Here’s How it Happened.” author Stephie Grob Plante asserts that while “Only 46.1 percent of voters aged 18–29 voted at all in 2016… 90 percent of millennials (aged 21–34) are willing to pay more for eco-friendly and sustainable products.” According to these statistics, only a little more than half of people who take part in ethical consumption vote. If these 90 percent of millennials who are willing to participate in conscious consumerism redirected their efforts towards voting for environmentalist candidates instead, more environmental legislation could be passed which would generate much more immediate and clear benefits. In essence, taking advantage of voting power and the democratic structure of our government is a reliable way to foster systematic changes in our society.

Sources:

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/10/7/20894134/consumer-activism-conscious-consumerism-explained