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Finance and economics
Permaculture is rooted in the idea of that individuals can reduce their environmental impact by producing things themselves, be that food, homes, or power. However, very few people are able to achieve self-sufficiency and so their shopping choices will have a significant impact on the planet and its people.
By thinking carefully about how and where they shop and what they buy, people can ensure their money has a positive social and environmental impact rather than a negative one.
Cotton is the world's most polluting crop, while many western fashion houses use sweat shop labour in the developing world to manufacture their clothes.
Avoiding toxic products is becoming much easier with alternative green options widely available to buy.
The manufacture of electrical goods consumes large amounts of energy and raw materials. They can also use a lot of energy when in use.
The current global system of producing and transporting food uses huge amounts of energy, is highly polluting to land, destroys biodiversity, and exploits growers and producers.
Fair trade products offer a higher price to developing world producers of commodity crops than what is available to them on the world market.
Farmer's markets use traditional market stalls and market days to sell locally produced foodstuffs direct to the public.