how do we shape the natural world?...gustave speth, james “the bridge at the edge of the world:...

Howdoweshapethenaturalworld?TheOxfordDictionarydefinesconsumerismas:“Theprotectionorpromotionoftheinterestsofconsumers.”Weareallconsumersinonewayoranother,whetherweeasilyfallvictimtotheadvertisingworldinitsencouragementofbuyingmorestuff-continuingtofillthatvoidwithmaterialisticpossessionsthatwedon’tneed.Orwhetherweidentifyasenvironmentalistswhilestillbecomingpreytogreenconsumerismmarketing,payingextracashtoquietenthatguiltthatcompaniesusetomanipulateus.“Consumerismisapillarofmoderncapitalism.Itinvolvesapowerful,sociallysanctionedcommitmenttoever-increasingpurchaseofgoodsandservicesonthemarket.Consumerisminthissenseispairedwithmaterialism,anapproachtolifeandsocialwell-beingthatelevatesthematerialconditionsoflifeoverthespiritualandsocialdimensions.”GustaveSpeth,James“TheBridgeattheEdgeoftheWorld:Capitalism,theEnvironment,andCrossingfromCrisistoSustainability”,7.Consumption:LivingwithEnough,NotAlwaysMore,YaleUniversityPress,March10,2009Consumerismwhenpairedwithmaterialismisadangerousthing.Imyselfhavefallenvictimtothis‘trap’.AftermovingfromsmalltownlifeinGreymouth,tothecityofChristchurchtostudyFashionDesignwhenIwasabout19;Ioftensuccumbedtothepressureofkeepingupwithfashiontrendsandmaterialism.Whenlifebecametoohard,Iwouldoftenattempttostiflefeelingsofstressandlowself-worthbyshopping.Ithoughtthatbuyingnewclothesorsomeun-neededknick-knackformyroomwouldmakemefeelbetter.NotonlythatbutIfeltthatIneededthosethingstomaintainacertainvisardtomyfriends.Theseshoppingtripswoulddonothingtoaidmystressorincreasemyself-worth.In-factitwouldoftenhavecompletelytheoppositeeffect!IwouldbeleftfeelingmorehollowedoutandboredthanIdidbeforehandandtoaddtomystresslevels:IhadjustincreasedthecripplingdebtIwasalreadyinandwasleftwithanxiousthoughtsonhowIwouldmanagetomeetmyrentthatweek.TherealityasIseeitnowlookingback,isthatmyfriendswereprobablytooconcernedwiththeirownmaterialismandsocialisticworriestoevencareaboutwhatIworeorwhatmyroomlookedlike.OrIwouldhope,thesmarteroneswouldhavealotmoreimportantthingstoworryabout.Iamnotaloneinmyexperience:aroundtheworldconsumerismanddebtcontinuestoincrease.“Americanconsumerspendinghascontinuedtorise,ashashouseholddebt.ConsumerdebtintheUnitedStatesclimbedfrom$525billionin1970to$2,225billionin2004.Americansmaybegoingintotheredandlosingtheirhomes,butasof2007theywerekeepingtheeconomyhummingalong.”GustaveSpeth,James“TheBridgeattheEdgeoftheWorld:Capitalism,theEnvironment,andCrossingfromCrisistoSustainability”,7.Consumption:LivingwithEnough,NotAlwaysMore,YaleUniversityPress,March10,2009Obviously,thisextravagantconsumerismisgoingtohaveanegativeimpactonourenvironment.“Ifwewanttoanalysetheimpactofhumanactivityontheenvironment,therealissueisnotonlyproductionbutconsumptionanditspatternsandeffects.”Orecchia,Carlo“ConsumerismandEnvironment:Doesconsumptionbehaviouraffectenvironmentalquality?”,2.1EnvironmentandConsumption,PietroZoppoli,ISAE,November2007.

Increasedconsumerismcontinuestoimpacttheenvironmentthroughtheincreasingdemandfornaturalresourcesgeneratedbyunsustainableconsumption.Butwhataboutalltheunnecessarypackagingour‘consumed’goodscomein?Sure,youmightusereusableshoppingbagsandrefuseplasticbagswhenyoudoyourgroceriesbuthaveyouconsideredtheindividualpackagingofourgoods?Forinstance,haveyounoticedthatDolebobbybananascomewrappedinplastic?Ifonlybananascameintheirownbiodegradable,naturalpackaging!Whataboutrazors?Asiftheideaof‘disposable’razorswasn’tbadenough,theyalsocomewrappedinunnecessaryplastic.Haveyoueverattemptedtodoa‘plasticfree’groceryshop?

Jambeck,J.R.,Andrady,A.,Geyer,R.,Narayan,R.,Perryman,M.,Siegler,T.,Wilcox,C.,“Plasticwasteinputsfromlandintoocean”LavenderLaw,K.,2015.Plasticwasteinputsfromlandintotheocean,Science,347,p.768-771.http://jambeck.engr.uga.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/infographic7-small.jpgAccordingtodatafromtheJambeckResearchGroupofEnvironmentalEngineering,CollegeofEngineering,UniversityofGeorgia’sstudyonplasticwasteinputsfromlandtoocean2015,InNewZealandduring2010,morethan1,272,000kgofplasticwastewasgeneratedperday.Letmejustgiveyouamomenttocontemplatethatastronomicalfigure.ThatisenoughplasticwastetofillanOlympicsizedswimmingpool,everysingledayconsistentlyfortheyearof2010.Thatequatestoeveryindividualgeneratingaround3.68kgofplasticwasteperperson,perday.Itgetsworse:ofthatplasticwasteatotalofover25,000kgislitteredeachday.Nowdifferenttypesofplastichavevaryingdegradationrates,butitisestimatedtheaveragetimeforaplasticbottletocompletelybreakdownisatleast450years.Itcaneventakesomebottlesupto1000yearstobiodegrade.

“The192countrieswithacoastborderingAtlantic,Pacific,andIndianoceans,MediterraneanandBlackseasproducedatotalof2.5billionmetrictonsofsolidwaste.Ofthat,275millionmetrictonswasplasticandanestimated8millionmetrictonsofmismanagedplasticwasteenteredtheoceanin2010.”Jambeck,J.R.,Andrady,A.,Geyer,R.,Narayan,R.,Perryman,M.,Siegler,T.,Wilcox,C.,“Plasticwasteinputsfromlandintoocean”LavenderLaw,K.,2015.Plasticwasteinputsfromlandintotheocean,Science,347,p.768-771.

Greenpeace,“WhaleArtInstallationinthePhilippines”11May2017,http://media.greenpeace.org/archive/Whale-Art-Installation-in-the-Philippines-27MZIFJJULTID.htmlWithoutadequatewastemanagementimprovements,thesefiguresareonlysettogetworse.Infact,theauthorsofthereportabovefoundthatthosenumberscouldincreasetenfoldinthenextdecade.Withourincreasedconsumeristbehaviourthrownintothemixthesefiguresaresuretoreachthepointofnoreturn,thatisifwearenotpastthatpointalready.So,whatcanwedo?TheJambeckResearchGroupsuggestsathree-pointmitigationof1.Reducingtheamountofplasticinthewastestream,2.Improvingsolidwastemanagementinfrastructureand3.Increasingcapture.Tofocusonthefirstmitigationactionof‘reducingtheamountofplasticinourwastestream’,weasconsumersaretoldweneedtodoourpartby‘votingwithourdollar’.Thismeansbuyinglessplastic.Ifanitemisunnecessarilypackagedinplastic–don’tbuyit,findanalternativethatisn’t.Buyyourfruitsandvegetablesfromyourlocalmarket,notonlythatbuttakealongyourownreusablebaganddon’tuseplasticbagsforseparatingproduce,youcandothisyourselfeasilyonceyougettothecounter.Insteadofbuyingpre-packaged,

plasticwrappedmeatsfromthesupermarket,howabouttakingyourownre-useablecontaineralongtoyourlocalbutcherandhavehe/shefillitwithyourrequiredweightofmeat/poultry/fish.Unfortunatelymakingthesesmallchangesisn’tenoughtocounteractthedamageweashumanshavealreadydone.Astudypresentedbythe15thEuropeanRoundTableonSustainableConsumptionandProductioninMay2012writtenbyCsutora,MoftheCorvinusUniversitycomparedthefootprintsof‘green’consumersonlytofindnomeaningfuldifferencebetweenthosewhoattempttomakeeco-friendlychoicesandthosewhodon’t.Forexample:“Consumersmaychooseeasy-to-do,butmarginalactionsinthetargetfieldoractonlyoccasionallyintheexpectedmanner.Theydorecycleinordertofeel‘green’butopposechangingtheirdietorreducingtheircaruse,althoughthelatteraremoreinfluentialdeterminantsoftotalfootprint.Most‘environmentalawareness’campaignsallowforthiskindofmodestself-deception,aspoliticalacceptabilityoverrulesecologicalwisdom.”Csutora,M“Theecologicalfootprintofgreenandbrownconsumers”Introducingthebehaviour-impact-gap(BIG)problem,May2012,UniversityofBudapest.Inanycaseweshouldnotinterpretsmallerenvironmentalactionasnothavinganypositiveeffect,ofcourseeverylittlebithelps–it’sjustnothavingtheeffectthatIimaginemostgreenconsumerswouldhope.Inhindsight,itisofutmostimportancethatweasconsumersunite,ratherthantakingsmallactionsasindividualswemustlookatthebiggerpicture.Wemustactasaunitedgroup.Wemustwritetoourlocalgovernmentandprovidetangiblesolutions.Wemusttakebiggeractions:Insteadofspendingextramoneytobuygreenproducts,whynotdonatethatmoneytobackingpoliticiansthatsupportenvironmentalpolicy?Ifthegovernmentispartoftheproblem,weneedtotaketothestreetsandletthemknowthatwearenotgoingtostandbyanylonger.“In2001,Argentinianprotestorsboughtdownnofewerthanfivegovernmentsusingtheslogan:‘Theydonotrepresentus”Mirzeoff,Nicholas“HowtoSeetheWorld”ChangingtheWorld,PenguinRandomHouseUK,2015,pp.257.It’stimeweinfluencedpositivechangetoourenvironment,insteadofcontinuingtoaidit’sincreasingdecline.WorksCited

• Csutora,M“Theecologicalfootprintofgreenandbrownconsumers”Introducingthe

behaviour-impact-gap(BIG)problem,May2012,UniversityofBudapest.

• Greenpeace,“WhaleArtInstallationinthePhilippines”11May2017,

http://media.greenpeace.org/archive/Whale-Art-Installation-in-the-Philippines-

27MZIFJJULTID.html

• GustaveSpeth,James“TheBridgeattheEdgeoftheWorld:Capitalism,the

Environment,andCrossingfromCrisistoSustainability”,7.Consumption:Livingwith

Enough,NotAlwaysMore,YaleUniversityPress,March10,2009

• Jambeck,J.R.,Andrady,A.,Geyer,R.,Narayan,R.,Perryman,M.,Siegler,T.,Wilcox,

C.,“Plasticwasteinputsfromlandintoocean”LavenderLaw,K.,2015.Plasticwaste

inputsfromlandintotheocean,Science,347,p.768-771.

• Mirzeoff,Nicholas“HowtoSeetheWorld”ChangingtheWorld,PenguinRandom

HouseUK,2015,pp.257.

• Orecchia,Carlo“ConsumerismandEnvironment:Doesconsumptionbehaviour

affectenvironmentalquality?”,2.1EnvironmentandConsumption,PietroZoppoli,

ISAE,November2007.

• OxfordDictionarySearchfor‘Consumerism’

http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/39979?redirectedFrom=Consumerism#eid