A train of thought that has very likely crossed most of our minds, especially in the past couple of months is: we know the corporate greed monster is evil, but how to we stop contributing to its growth when so much of what we do each day inevitably feeds it, in some way or another. For example, that organic toothpaste brand you bought yesterday, while thinking you’re not paying into a popular brand, is probably actually owned by Colgate.  

Well, the first step is researching brands and telling your friends and family about the good ones that are still independently owned. You can also spread the word about a friend’s creative knack to diverge traffic off that multi-lane corporate highway. The slower, scenic route is so much more enjoyable anyway. Your sister has an idea to bake her mouthwatering fudge in her own kitchen and sell it? Well let everyone out there that it’s the best damn thing in the world. Shout it from the rooftops. Brainstorm, communicate effectively, suggest to your partner that maybe you really don’t actually need that new TV because you know someone who is moving and getting rid of one that is still in fine working order. You get the point.

Thinking about the small details of where everything you buy comes from is enough to drive anyone mad, and who has time for that? Isn’t that one of the biggest reasons corporations are so effective and successful—the products and services they offer almost always make our lives “easier”: quicker dinners; bulk packaging for less trips to the supermarket; two-for-one, giant-sized ketchup (how did we ever survive without that?!)

But habits can change if you let them and in no time (two weeks is all it takes for a habit to form) you’ll fall into a new lifestyle and it will begin to feel less effortless. And you’ll be making the world a better place since every effort made to not support a corporate brand adds up. It comes down to social responsibility and we each need to ante up.