I would define sustainable development as choosing to live comfortably and within boundaries without compromising the resources for future generations. This means, in today’s world we need to make better, educated choices on what we buy to meet our needs. For example, do I really need to buy a SUV vs. a smaller vehicle for transportation? It is proven that larger vehicles emit more carbon into the atmosphere. Will the consumers realize that this has a negative effect on the environment and decide to buy a more environmentally friendly vehicle or better yet a bus pass?

Most consumers want performance, value and reliability when they are buying a product. These decision factors come before thinking about the environment, energy consumption and social concerns. I think it’s important to note, that consumers are faced with purchasing decision every day and we don’t always pick the most environmentally friendly choice for various reasons. As humans we want products that perform well and at the right price. This typical human behaviour needs to be changed if we want to accomplish the goals set out in the Kyoto Accord. We as consumers need to start to demand environmentally friendly products and the manufacturing companies will follow consumers demand and change their production processes to deliver the consumers what the want. I think its necessary that all consumers see their role in how we can change our environment vs. waiting for organizations to change. Manufacturing Organization’s production processes are customer demand driven. If consumers want a product at low cost, the manufacturing organization will find ways to lower the unit cost to produce a product that consumers will buy. If consumers want an environmentally friendly product, manufacturing organizations will review and improve their productions processes, but this may increase the product’s cost. Consumers buying power will decide if this is a fair trade.