Human consumption is one of the most unsustainable practices that society takes part in. There is no way to avoid consumption. We must consume in order to survive; it is the way of life. The problem is that consumption in its current form is shameful. In the western world we consume far more than our fair share, far more than we need to survive. This is the hardest topic to discuss when talking about sustainability. We are all guilty of over consumption, whether we like it or not. Check out the VIDEO!!
We as a society have become so used to the way we consume that it may not even cross our minds that there is a problem. I personally am as guilty as anyone in terms of consumption. I love electronics, anything from new computers to video games. I regularly purchase these types of products (among many other things). I don’t often think about the fact that my X-box is made from toxic metals that were likely mined from the third world. I am also a victim of Wal-Mart. As I am a student I face a certain level of self-inflicted poverty. Purchasing my groceries from Wal-Mart saves me over $50 a week and with an income of less than $100 a month how can I afford not to shop at Wal-Mart. I hate Wal-Mart; I know that all the goods at Wal-Mart are shipped from China and that I am not paying the true cost of my goods but like many north Americans the savings are just too appealing to avoid.
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Is our habitual consumption our own fault? Well yes and no, we have become extreme in our consumption but consumption was designed and planned in order to grow the economy. Companies purposely create products NOT to last!! If you never needed to replace your stuff companies would go out of business. In a way we never had a chance to avoid over consumption. It is a sad legacy handed down from the post World War II generations, which will be one of the hardest things to deal with in terms of future sustainability.
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It is imperative that our habits change, especially when you look at the amount of energy and resources that go into our products. Many of the products we use regularly are to us cheap and replaceable. Everything from the dollar store is more or less useless crap, which has a very short useful life. However the true cost of those cheap $1 products is not being paid for by the people shopping at the dollar store, rather it is the people and environments of the developing world who face the true cost of providing us an endless bounty of cheap useless dollar store products.
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Can we change? Until we start demanding healthy environmentally friendly products, nothing will change. We need to boycott Wal-Mart and other cheap imported goods and demand corporate responsibility in order for this problem to truly be changed. It is extremely unlikely this will ever happen. How can the majority of people justify NOT shopping at these cheap retailers? With the largest percentage of the population in the lower middle class, every dollar counts and you cant beat the prices at Wal-Mart. Its one of the most depressing realities we must face, until something drastic (such as extreme oil prices) occurs, NOTHING will change, convenience will always beat common sense in our day and age.
My professor showed this video in class, I just thought if by chance someone was actually reading this that they should see it and pass it on!!
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