"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtfull, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead, anthropologist
What can you do? Lots, in Australia we are fortunate to live in a liberal democratic society that still has the remnants of a free market, private enterprise economy. Which businesses prosper is still decided by how consumers like you choose to spend your money. Don't confuse a free market, private enterprise economy with modern capitalism. In a true free market economy multiple players compete to supply a product or service. These competing businesses are mostly owner operated by individuals with skill and often passion in some particular area. Their personal financial reward is dependent on them providing a product or service that consumers want. In Anita Roddick's book, Business as Unusual , Henry Ford is quoted as saying "Business must be run at a profit, else it will die. But when anyone tries to run a business solely for profit..then also the business must die, for it no longer has a reason for existence". The prevailing belief in many capitalist organizations that they exist purely for a profit and that they must kill of any competition is seeing many western economies in real problems. Australia is currently in a fool's paradise, with the economy being propped up by communist China through the mining boom. Funny world isn't it!
Buy buying organic product where possible and by supporting Farmers Markets or independent retailers you are helping to rebuild a sustainable food economy. Grow some of your own organic food, Diggers Club , Cityfood Growers and Organic Gardner Magazine will all help to show you how. Talk to your friends about the implications of how you spend your money and buy as much unprocessed food as possible, it will be better for your health, wealth and society. Don't be seduced by advertising claiming low prices, this is just a tool to get you into particular shops where the prices of other products are increased to cover the discounts.
Understand that many unsustainable agricultural practices that are currently employed have been taught to farmers by government departments of agriculture. There has been a focus on production using more and more, finite inputs. Some farmers are choosing to grow GM plants because it has been sold to them as a way to solve some of their management problems. These same farmers have overlooked the first law of free market economics which is that you need to produce a product that consumers want. This is how marketing has distorted the situation, but the internet is allowing a correction of much of the miss information that exists in the commercial media in which the opinions of large commercial organizations are presented as facts, you can now access both sides of any argument and make up your own mind In relation to foreign ownership of Australian companies, the ABC's Gruen Planet on 28 September 2011 asks "SABMiller's $12.3 billion purchase of Fosters. How do you sell Aussie beers that are no longer Aussie? How do you manage the public and media backlash? Do brands really need to worry about patriotism?" The reply to this question by the PR people on the show demonstrates how the spin doctors of multinational companies influence the masses, they assume we are all stupid, only you can prove them wrong. You don't have to be a wowser to do that, there are plenty of WA Microbreweries that you can support.