6 April 2026

Spring has sprung and Earth month has begun! Amongst all the events and actions I’ve seen publicized, there’s not much talk about food, so I’ll keep on doing that. But today, I want to broaden.

We all respond to reports of climate change differently. Some deny and continue business-as-usual. Some get overwhelmed (understandably) and feel helpless, with the term “climate anxiety” emerging. Some just want to do something, and some even feel guilty for not doing everything possible to help.

What we may not realize is that the consumer has been a scapegoat for environmental impacts…by design. Since the second Earth Day celebration in 1971 to today, those who profit most from fossil fuels have followed a similar playbook to shift responsibility.

Litter

Do you remember the crying Indian commercial?

“People start pollution. People can stop it”

It was the handiwork of an ad agency hired by Keep America Beautiful - a group of wealthy packaging and beverage companies. When they realized that their products were creating pollution, they came up with a clever way to divert responsibility to the consumer.

Companies like Dixie and Coca Cola got scared after the first Earth Day in 1970 - when FBI agents had to be stationed outside their premises to protect against “radical” demonstrators - and KAB needed to find a way to blame individuals for emerging environmental catastrophes, even as they opposed many environmental initiatives.

Almost everything about this ad was fake - from the “Indian” who was 100% Sicilian and his fake [glycerin] tear to its presentation as a public service announcement.

Recycling

Plastic production exploded in the 80’s, leading to the next [but very similar] strategy of big business: recycling. Adding that little green (literally or figuratively) symbol to single use items helped reduce consumer guilt, as they became more aware of their impacts. A system of ever-increasing production and convenience made avoiding these products nearly impossible. Meanwhile, many “recyclable” items were never economically recyclable and, today, less than 10% of plastic produced globally is recycled (only 5% in the US).

This morning, I pulled the paper tag off my mint green Trader Joe’s bag and debated whether I needed to take it to the recycling bin or throw it in the garbage, when we all know the big impact comes from the actual production of the canvas bag (and millions of others like it)!

In New York State, the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Act (currently in committee in the Senate) would require companies to take more responsibility for reducing plastic pollution at its source, reducing single use plastic by 30%. It’s facing major pushback - it failed last legislative session due to corporate lobbyists outnumbering concerned individuals by 4 to 1. With awareness about the prevalence and potential dangers of microplastics, it may have a better shot this term.

Carbon Footprint

The 2000’s brought us the carbon footprint - originally described by Canadian Professor William Rees in 1992 as “ecological footprint”, this marketing term was popularized by a British Petroleum (BP) public relations campaign in 2004. In what climate activists would call “greenwashing”, the concept of a carbon footprint was designed to shift responsibility for the impacts of fossil fuels from corporations to individuals.

There’s no doubt that individuals use fossil fuels, but a Carbon Majors report found that, in 2024, just 32 companies were responsible for over half of global fossil CO₂ emissions. Petroleum companies knew of the problem as early at 1988 (several years after I demonstrated the greenhouse gas effect in a school science project), yet continued to expand their part in it.

Consumer choice

You only have to swipe through Tiktok or Instagram for a few minutes to find there are a multitude of ways you can “vote with your dollars” - purchasing sustainable products, choosing a company that cares about the environment, avoiding single use plastic. Yes, all of those things can help, but once again, we are being guided toward “solutions” that don’t actually change they system. The “fix” is incomplete for as long as these options remain exclusive, expensive or “alternative”.

One person choosing an EV car doesn’t transform an industry that’s geared (pun intended) toward gasoline, but government policy has tremendous influence and the automobile industry moves wherever the most money is to be made.

Individual choices (diet, waste, lifestyle) do matter but they exist inside systems shaped by subsidies, marketing, supply chains and policy. The danger is when the story stops at the individual.

The pattern seems to repeat: Consumer awareness followed by a reinforced PR campaign for personal responsibility. But that doesn’t mean we have no power.

Investors in fossil fuel companies carry influence over one fifth of industrial greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Purchasing in eco-friendly ways [whenever possible] can exert market pressure on companies to do the right thing. Even better, not buying, purchasing only what you need, or buying better quality that lasts longer, make a dent in a throw-away economy.

In the food realm (you knew I’d get there eventually), there are many levels upon which consumers can exert pressure. Choosing local, organic and/or regeneratively grown produce may influence farmers to adjust the way our food is grown (and help protect farm workers from pesticide exposure). Limiting or avoiding animal products, especially beef, has a huge impact on your personal foodprint, but also may enable farmers to sustainably transition their crops to include more legumes and a diversity of specialty crops (most fruits and vegetables).

As usual, the answer is not either/or, but rather both/and. Farmers, food manufacturers and consumers all working together to decrease our impacts on the planet can increase our health, enjoyment and sustainability for the long term.

Happy Earth Month! What will you do to celebrate our planet this month?

Hint: Research shows that plant-based diets—focused on fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans—help protect the PLANET. If you want help to do that, reach out.