Another form of collective consumerism spans the gap between markets and regulation. It is the role of large organizations, particularly governments, in creating market demand through their purchasing decisions. All too often people make rigid distinctions between politics and economics, between the state and markets, between regulators and regulated. In fact, the state, especially since the Great Depression, constitutes a substantial portion of the economy, with government purchases in the developed countries amounting to up to 25 percent of GDP (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), 2000). In Canada, the federal government alone spends almost $12 billion on products and services, making it the biggest single buyer in the country (Government of Canada, 2003). As I discussed in more detail in my first book, the line between politics and economics is further blurred by the nature of large organizations and planning since the managerial revolution. As Bazelon (1963) noted decades ago, the modern corporation is not simply a producer, but a politicaleconomic organization, an industrial government defined by its planning powers. Green procurement presents some particular opportunities for economic change. Part of it is due to its quantity, but part is because of its character. It is, in a sense, more conscious, since institutional purchases are defined in detailed contracts with comprehensive specifications on the product or service being bought (Mastny, 2004). Not much impulse buying herea far cry from buying by private consumers. If green values (or green movement political pressure) can be brought to bear on these specifications, the possibility exists for single decisions to effect quick and substantial boosts to green markets.