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How do we shape the natural world? The Oxford Dictionary defines consumerism as: “The protection or promotion of the interests of consumers.” We are all consumers in one way or another, whether we easily fall victim to the advertising world in its encouragement of buying more stuff - continuing to fill that void with materialistic possessions that we don’t need. Or whether we identify as environmentalists while still becoming prey to green consumerism marketing, paying extra cash to quieten that guilt that companies use to manipulate us. “Consumerism is a pillar of modern capitalism. It involves a powerful, socially sanctioned commitment to ever-increasing purchase of goods and services on the market. Consumerism in this sense is paired with materialism, an approach to life and social well- being that elevates the material conditions of life over the spiritual and social dimensions.” Gustave Speth, James “The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability”, 7. Consumption: Living with Enough, Not Always More, Yale University Press, March 10, 2009 Consumerism when paired with materialism is a dangerous thing. I myself have fallen victim to this ‘trap’. After moving from small town life in Greymouth, to the city of Christchurch to study Fashion Design when I was about 19; I often succumbed to the pressure of keeping up with fashion trends and materialism. When life became too hard, I would often attempt to stifle feelings of stress and low self-worth by shopping. I thought that buying new clothes or some un-needed knick-knack for my room would make me feel better. Not only that but I felt that I needed those things to maintain a certain visard to my friends. These shopping trips would do nothing to aid my stress or increase my self-worth. In-fact it would often have completely the opposite effect! I would be left feeling more hollowed out and bored than I did beforehand and to add to my stress levels: I had just increased the crippling debt I was already in and was left with anxious thoughts on how I would manage to meet my rent that week. The reality as I see it now looking back, is that my friends were probably too concerned with their own materialism and socialistic worries to even care about what I wore or what my room looked like. Or I would hope, the smarter ones would have a lot more important things to worry about. I am not alone in my experience: around the world consumerism and debt continues to increase. “American consumer spending has continued to rise, as has household debt. Consumer debt in the United States climbed from $525 billion in 1970 to $2,225 billion in 2004. Americans may be going into the red and losing their homes, but as of 2007 they were keeping the economy humming along.” Gustave Speth, James “The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability”, 7. Consumption: Living with Enough, Not Always More, Yale University Press, March 10, 2009 Obviously, this extravagant consumerism is going to have a negative impact on our environment. “If we want to analyse the impact of human activity on the environment, the real issue is not only production but consumption and its patterns and effects.” Orecchia, Carlo “Consumerism and Environment: Does consumption behaviour affect environmental quality?”, 2.1 Environment and Consumption, Pietro Zoppoli, ISAE, November 2007.

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Page 1: How do we shape the natural world?...Gustave Speth, James “The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability”, 7. Consumption:

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.

Page 2: How do we shape the natural world?...Gustave Speth, James “The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability”, 7. Consumption:

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.

Page 3: How do we shape the natural world?...Gustave Speth, James “The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability”, 7. Consumption:

“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,

Page 4: How do we shape the natural world?...Gustave Speth, James “The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability”, 7. Consumption:

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

Page 5: How do we shape the natural world?...Gustave Speth, James “The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability”, 7. Consumption:

• 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


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