Shreya Sangwan, Dr.Seema Kwatra (PhD Scholar and Professor)

Natural resources and the ecology are rapidly declining. Climate change, global warming, and other serious catastrophes are already having impacts. Our current way of life is being tested by a variety of environmental issues, which collectively point to an ecosystem change brought on by human activity (Bamberg & Moser, 2007). Globally, concerns about issues including climate change, ozone layer depletion, extensive resource exploitation, rising air, water, and soil contamination, and rising carbon emissions are only becoming worse. Concerns about environmental protection and developing sustainable methods are being raised by all of these challenges. Due to the chance that they will soon run out, the planet's finite resources are essential. Poor economic activity has unfavorable consequences, including harm to the environment. In today's world, sustainability is not only important but really essential. It is regarded as something's capacity to hold steady over time. Maintaining balance between humanity and nature while protecting natural resources for now and the future is environmental sustainability. The industrial sector is one of the primary sectors that significantly contribute to the deterioration of the environment. The finished goods that are consumed and the raw materials needed to manufacture them are both harmful to the environment and people. Significant climatic changes, eutrophication, a lack of fresh water, deteriorated indoor and outdoor air quality, acid rain, plastic rain, greenhouse gas emissions, traces of harmful contaminants, global warming, and many more factors are some of these.

However, there are some businesses and brands that have made significant contributions to the adoption of environmentally friendly practices, and they richly deserve the recognition. Businesses like IKEA, Unilever, Panasonic, Seventh Generation, Patagonia, IBM, Adobe, Nike, H&M, and others have made great efforts to lessen their negative environmental effects. Similar to these businesses, all must embrace the idea of protecting the environment and implementing eco-friendly marketing strategies. It is imperative to conserve natural resources and act sustainably in order to protect the environment and human health from the harmful impacts of industrial pollutants and further economic growth. This situation has given rise to a novel concept of consumption known as "Green Consumerism" of products and services. It is possible to define green consumerism as a type of consumerism or a pattern of consumption that is well adapted to the preservation of the environment for the present and for future generations. It is a theory that holds consumers accountable for considering environmental issues and contributing to their resolution through the adoption of ecologically responsible behaviour. Simply put, green consumerism is the practise of consumers seeking out goods and services that have undergone environmentally friendly production processes, such as those that recycle and protect the planet's resources (2020; www.conserve-energy-future.com)

SIGNIFICANCE OF GREEN CONSUMERISM:
Green consumerism is a collective term for the identification and maintenance of both consumer
needs and environmental problems. Green consumerism is significant for the following reasons:

•  Encourages the reuse-reduce-recycle process, which lowers the amount of waste produced during the production, packing, and consumption of goods.
•  Reduces emissions produced during the transit of the items as well as pollution released
•  It all adds up to energy efficiency, which eventually boosts savings by lowering utility costs.
•  Makes more environmentally sustainable and healthful food choices necessary, which encourages the usage and consumption of locally and organically cultivated goods.
•  Consumption of more nutritious food as people will progressively establish a culture of purchasing more locally grown food.
• It contributes to protecting the environment for foreseeable future.

WAYS TO BE A GREEN CONSUMER:

To avoid having regrets decades from now we can start protecting the environment and other natural resources by being green consumers. Anyone can change their behaviour to
become a green consumer in one of the following ways:

•  Reduce the amount of energy use: This calls for turning off lights and other power sources while not in use, both at work and at home. By working in several rooms across a property, one might also form the habit of spending more time in a particular space each day rather than using numerous electricity sources.
•  Shift in perspective: Everyone must adopt a more environmentally conscious mindset and become aware of the risks associated with environmental deterioration
• Utilisation of solar technology and renewable energy sources: Solar heaters, solar lamps, solar backpacks, solar geysers, and solar bulbs are a few of the items available. Even while some of these products are more expensive than standard products, they are usually more environmentally friendly and have longer life spans since they make use of natural energy.
• Reusing products: By choosing to reuse the things or by utilizing eco-friendly options, you can simply convert into a green consumer. For instance, you can utilise shampoo bottles, etc., for plants instead of purchasing extra pots. An alternative to paper wipes is a cloth wipe that you can wash and reuse often.
•  Purchase organic and locally sourced produce: Purchasing organic and locally grown food has a big impact on reducing the environmental impact of artificial pesticide and fertiliser use as well as transportation-related carbon emissions. 

It is time to adopt green consumerism and become a proud green consumer in order to protect the environment and human life in light of the harmful impacts of global warming
and big catastrophes on both the environment and human health. We must protect our natural resources for future generations as well. Adopt and influence… That’s the need of
the hour.