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The acronym LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) may not roll off the tongue, but it sure represents plenty of American influence. Conservatively estimated by the LOHAS Web site, the LOHAS market involves 41 million people, or 19 percent of U.S. adults, and $209 billion for goods and services focused on health, the environment, social justice, personal development and sustainable living. (Other estimates increase the percentage to a full third of Americans with $500 billion to spend in 2008.)

Also referred to as “Cultural Creatives”—a term coined by Yale sociologist and author Dr. Paul Ray in the book “The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World” (co-authored by Sherry Anderson)—LOHAS consumers are unmistakably creating a new culture, one in which their values are often directly reflected in their purchasing. Hence, the terms “green,” LOHAS and “conscious consumers” equally refer to the Cultural Creative.

While their presence is already significant enough to get any marketer's attention, the numbers of Americans living the LOHAS way will only increase.