A Senior at UC, San Diego, our intern, Rose Eveleth, conducted interviews with some friends and colleagues about sustainability; here’s her post on Rishi Gosh.

Most college students spend their time shuttling between their bed, class, the library and a few occasional sweaty parties.  They aren’t usually taking on the administration, founding businesses, keeping on campus enterprises alive, establishing campus wide policies and working on physics problem sets on the side.  But that’s exactly what Rishi Gosh (photo, above) does.

As an active member of the Student Sustainability Collective, and the organization One Earth One Justice, you might assume you know his stance on sustainability, that he shops at Whole Foods and only buys organic.  You’d probably be wrong.  “My opinion is that products themselves are not ‘green’, the entire idea of a product is not green,” he says.  For Rishi, it’s not about giving your money to the “good guys,” but rather keeping it away from the bad.  “It’s about keeping money away from corporations,” he says, “I really just try to avoid companies that I know are terrible, like Coca-Cola.  I stay away from super huge brands like Kraft, and the Nestle Corporation.”

Rishi’s experience as a budding businessman also informs his decisions about green products. “If I know they’re selling it at a 300% profit, I simply won’t buy it,” he says, “no matterhow green it is.”  Especially when it comes to specialty products like fancy shampoos, cradle-to-cradle furniture, and organic produce.  He says that he’s not perfect, “and I’m by no means a brave non-consumer, I am a participant in that culture.  Grocery shopping is a necessary evil for me, but it’s not the only option.  I have friends that never purchase anything at all.”

But even though Rishi’s focus on sustainability is different from many, his motivations are largely the same.  “There is an honest benefit and happiness from rediscovering your connection to the Earth,” he says.  “There’s a tremendous happiness in knowing you’re a positive influence in the world rather than a negative one.”  Products, Rishi argues, cannot give us that happiness.

Rishi’s Don’t List (things he will never buy)
Paper towels
Coca-cola products
Natural shampoos or cleaners
Kraft Mac & Cheese
Nestle Chocolate
Conventional coffee
Bottled water

What’s on your Don’t Buy List?

Related:  previously on altCon
the sustainability spectrum – part 2