LOHAS: Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability

A Colorado-based media company, Conscious Media, has identified a huge market segment which they have named "Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability" (LOHAS). They claim that almost one quarter of Americans fit this category. Together these "green" consumers spend more than $200 billion US annually on products and services related to alternative health, personal development, healthy and ecological lifestyles, and a sustainable economy. Purchasing decisions are based on consideration of their long-term needs and of people and the environment around them, not just what goods are cheapest today.

Readers of alive Magazine may think that this category was invented for them.

Marketing experts have concluded that LOHAS consumers are unique because of the thought they put into their purchases, investments, and donations. Rather than investing in oil, they may purchase shares in a wind farm. Rather than looking for quick-fix medical treatments, they rely on prevention through a healthy organic diet and the services of alternative health practitioners. They are often eco-tourists and can also search for personal development programs, such as yoga, that integrate mind, body, and spirit.

Ironically, LOHAS-like purchases are growing faster in the rest of the population. This is because the values of LOHAS are rapidly gaining mainstream acceptance.