NOSE TO TAIL RESOURCE USE
Consumption... we buy, use, discard, buy, use, discard. If we recycle we clearly lessen the impact of discarding. If we buy recycled, organic, or fair trade products we lessen the impact of producing the stuff we use. If we think of our consumption as a resource loop - a nose to tail exercise - we hold a greater chance of reaching the sustainability nirvana.

It is not rocket science. Nor is not new thinking. Phrases like "close the loop" inspired the archetypical recycling emblem. Before ShoppingFix we actually considered calling our initiative "Loopy"... The problem is that without one key action the other is fruitless. If you don't have a shopping preference for recycled products then the act of recycling is futile - and vice-versa.

ShoppingFix is a concept that puts that "loopy" consumer processes to the fore. By supporting businesses that use resources responsibly we are "reducing demand" for polluting practices. Or more accurately we are "increasing demand" for good business practices. The good business practices must include both the use and recovery of resources - both ends of the loop.

We are also attempting to promote another loop. Most of us recycle at home. Some of us compost our organic waste. But most of us shop indiscriminately. So long as the coffee tastes good we'll buy it. If the shirt fits, we wear it. The "at home to in town" loop is just as important as the old-school loop. Because we care at home, we should expect the same from the shops and restaurants we frequent. Just as the owners and employees of the places we frequent care at home, they should care at work...

So ShoppingFix is something of a big group hug - which is what I'll need if I don't stop now. Not that I don't appreciate group hugs... Stop.