Shortcuts are generally risky. Just ask anyone who has seen the financial crisis unfold first hand, opted for medical tourism, or run a business with environmental concerns.

Yet why do we take them so often? Well for the obvious reasons that our decision could end up being cheaper, quicker, and less of a hassle. Many times the decisions are made easier by the lack of oversight and dishonest regulators who might not only allow shortcuts but encourage them. Many times, the downstream effect of our choices is so far from view, that the consequences of taking product shortcuts don’t seem real.

Yet shortcuts don’t only apply to businesses – consumers, too, face a daily dilemma in their purchases and product usage. Kerosene lamps, for example, provide consumers with the ability to instantly heat/brighten their homes at the best price they can find. The introduction of solar powered lanterns has taken on the challenge of making it easier for consumers to make the right choice for their wallet, environment, and safety.

Here at RisingPyramid, we believe in the ability for every company to innovate and find new, cleaner, more responsible ways to avoid costly shortcuts. Yet we also believe in the ability of companies to make it easier for consumers to make the “better” choice. The downstream effect that seems so far off can be turned into a reality by companies that not only highlight it, but make consumers eager to choose better.

Keep an eye out and take stock of your own consumer choices: are the companies you support known for taking shortcuts along the way towards getting you your product? Are they making it easier for you to make a responsible product choice?

- Chris