Think of your next purchase as an investment

This thought was posted on Thinkaloo on 5 March 2008 by member sandy

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Investing in something has the meaning that you get something back in return for your money. If you purchase a hybrid car what you get in return is the intangible profit of a less polluted atmosphere.

I think we should consider ourselves not just as consumers who buy something but as consumers who choose to buy something over something else because we know this purchase is a kind of investment and support for new technologies that are more environment-friendly over others.

For example, by choosing to buy a hybrid car over a conventional one you indirectly invest in the research behind energy-saving new technologies by supporting corporate profits that help fund research and help attract investors with capital that will in turn fund research in these new technologies.

When it comes to buying your next car for example, would you consider purchasing a hybrid car over a conventional one as a means to invest and support hybrid technologies that are more environment-friendly? Would you ever think of yourself as an investor this way?

Or would you only think of yourself as a consumer who saves money on gasoline or as a driver of a fancy, fast, reliable good car or whatever else its key selling points are?