While the media continues to waste time talking about all that is wrong with the world, Earth Month quietly kicked off on April 1st. If you didn’t know, Earth Month runs the entire month of April with Earth Day falling on April 22nd. The mission is to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting a healthy, sustainable environment.

Many big companies are jumping on board with brands such as Wal-Mart, Aveda, Wholefoods, Bloomingdales, Sun chips and Terracycle having major initiatives. But it’s not just good enough to have initiatives that run for one month. It is up to us as consumers to demand that sustainable practices be deeply embedded in the core of any company we choose to support.

A perfect example of this is looking at Whole foods vs. Wal-Mart.  Both are giants within their respective industries, but that is where the similarities end.  It’s a well known fact that Wal-Mart is China’s 8th largest trading partner (numbers 1-7 are countries).  Couple that with the fact that its sheer size and power allow it to dictate terms to it’s US vendors, hence the low prices.  In recent years, it has stepped up its commitment to sustainability in a major way setting an example for other retailers in the category.  However, they still have a ways to go.  On the other hand, you have Whole foods which does not compete on price like Wal-Mart does.  Instead, it’s mission is to support local businesses whenever possible.  If you’ve ever been in a Whole Foods, I am sure you will agree they have greatly improved the food shopping experience.  While they are not perfect, they were founded on the premise of supporting organic, sustainable and local vendors.

It makes you wonder, how different would our economy and commitment to sustainability be if Wal-Mart adopted some of Whole Foods core values?  Chances are we won’t find out anytime soon however, as millions of consumers pour through their doors and continually support the business model.  It’s gotten to the point where the government will more than likely step in and impose a tariff on Chinese goods in an attempt to level the playing field.  Without question, that will change the retail dynamic in the US.  It will probably mean higher prices in the short-term, but if executed correctly it could be just the nudge our sustainable based economy needs.

The bottom line is this: if you want to see change, you have to start with yourself.  Support brands that you feel truly have the best interests of environment in mind.  There are many who pay lip-service to the sustainable movement.  It’s up to us as consumers to dig deeper for information and act on what we find.