"Scuppies" and the Environment

Scuppie is a term that stands for socially conscious upwardly mobile person and defines a segment of the population. Fundamentally, scuppies want to do good but don't want to give up the luxuries and comforts afforded them by virtue of their income. This is a relatively new term and whether or not it becomes part of regular language it is definitely a marketing demographic. This scares me.

We are already seeing an increase in greenwashing and almost every product and service has a green tint to it. The risk is that all of this marketing will dilute the message and purpose behind it and not actually reduce the harm we cause by our activities. I think we all understand that North Americans are not going to change overnight but the idea of consuming everything because it feels good has to change. Our solutions never include waste reduction or rethinking the production and consumption cycle. In my opinion, blue boxes created more waste but people feel like they're doing their part. Scuppies are an extension of that mindset and will only have a limited impact on the "socially conscious" aspect of their lives. I don't discourage buying alternative products where available but I feel we need to think about what we're buying and become more active consumers to change what is coming to market.