The Health and Sustainability Market

I realize that I am part of a market segment related to sustainable living. My family and I live a lifestyle of health and sustainability (LOHAS). We use, sell, and give away products related to this lifestyle.  This lifestyle includes but is not limited to:

• Organic and locally grown food (We grow local food in the North Lawndale neighborhood in Chicago and we are home to the Chicago Honey Coop apiary). We also use the Nikken Kenzen Wellness Organic Based Nutrition products. We care about the foods that we take into our bodies.
• Organic and natural personal care products (My family and I use environmentally safe products because we care about the things that we put on our bodies as well. We are particular about our lotions, toothpaste, and other substances that we use. We also use a shower head that removes the chlorine.)
• Hybrid and electric cars (We do not have one of these yet, but it will be great having a hybrid car)
• Green and sustainable building (We do not have a platinum L.E.E.D. home, but we do have a certified wellness home. What that means is we purify our water at the faucet, we clean the air in our home, and we sleep on a sleep system endorsed by the World Federation of Chiropractic.
• Energy efficient electronics/appliances (Our Hepa Filter air purifier is energy efficient and does not produce ozone)
• Natural household products (paper goods and cleaning products) We use non-toxic cleaning products for our floors, for the dishes, and for the laundry.
• Complementary, alternative, functional and preventive medicine (Chiropractic, Naturopathic, Chinese medicine, etc.) I am adding Functional Diagnostic Medicine to my practice and I’m a wellness consultant trained in the profession of Chiropractic. I also use food grade essential oils for healing and for one of our methods of pest control in our urban agriculture garden.
• Literature in the Mind/Body/Soul, Holistic Health, and New Age genres

According to the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), twenty-three percent of the U.S. adult population care about what goes on and in their bodies and they have a profound sense of environmental and social responsibility. The LOHAS marketplace is described in the LOHAS Journal published by Natural Business Communications as  “a marketplace for goods and services that appeal to consumers who value health, the environment, social justice, personal development, and sustainable living.”

There are four other segments defined by NMI.  Representing 38% of the U.S. population are the Nomadics. They are less resolute in their attitudes in the health and sustainablilty market, however, they show moderate levels of concern and participate in behaviors such as recycling. Centrists represent 27% of the U. S. population. Lifestyles of health and sustainability are irrelevant to them. Finally, those individuals that NMI classifies as Indifferents represent 12% of the population. Their attitudes and behaviors are driven by immediate needs. They are so disinterested that they do not value health, personal development, or sustainable living.

My goal is to attract more people who have a vested interest in their health and sustainability and are willing to carry these attitudes to their purchasing decisions.