What Has Buying Green Got To Do With Morality?
Mind Money Concepts | December 18, 2009 at 1:26 amA few years ago, green consciousness was what only environmental scientists seemed to have, but with the growing concern of the impending environmental disasters owing to non-eco friendly human practices, the common man has taken the initiative to go for the green(of course under media influence). Nowadays, almost every supermarket has a number of shelves reserved for organic products. People, carried away by the notion of buying healthy, are picking up these products by the dozen from the supermarkets and retail stores almost everyday. But, now according to new lines of thought, the worthiness of the organic products, as available in the market today, is a highly debatable topic. The question that seems to be gaining significance in many people’s minds is about whether green is really good for the environment.
One reason why the green revolution seems to have caught on to Americans, and maybe the global citizens, is because it seems to elicit virtuous acts from people. By doing these environmentally conscious acts people feel that they are doing 
well for their society as its responsible citizens. But to what extent do the values evoked in us by environmental consciousness actually undergo transference to other spheres of life? By buying green we might feel clean but in the process are we acting worse than before? This is the way some of us have started thinking. Nina Mazhar and Chen-Bo-Zong of the University of Toronto have conducted a study correlating buying green and general morality. They asked students to buy or simply look at green products in conventional and specialist stores. Some students bought the greens while others simply observed. They were given $6 each for sharing with friends. It seems the ones who actually bought the green products were less generous with their $6 than those who did not buy green products. In another study those who shopped at green stores engaged in criminal activities than those who shopped at conventional stores.
I ask, what has buying green got to do with morality? Why should a person who prefers to buy green products be ideally a saint? People might be opting for green products, not only because they feel environmentally responsible but because they are conscious about their personal health. If the motive behind buying green is personal health, why should it be ideally considered as though it is done with altruistic intentions alone? Naturally, such people cannot be expected to show out-of-the-way morality in other situations. Environmentally responsible behavior is no doubt practiced by those who want to contribute their share in improving the environment. But who is benefited ultimately by this? The individual, of course! For example, if you help in keep your atmosphere free of pollutants, you are the ultimate beneficiary because you get to breathe the fresh air. The motive is therefore collective welfare and not welfare of others alone as it is made out to be. Since we are not opting for green for moral purposes alone, how can we link it to morality at all?
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