Consumerism is destroying the planet

Emily Atkin, author of HEATED, one of my fav climate newsletters, wrote this article called "Climate Change Is the Symptom. Consumer Culture Is the Disease" and it lays out why we absolutely need to take on responsibility for climate change as consumers. Highlights are below as always, but I hope you get a chance to read the full article on New Republic!

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‍Here's what's happening --

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1. Consumption habits are staggering.
   
   ‍Consumption is responsible for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study from almost 100 cities with 700 million residents. Our consumption demand alone is almost 2x the emissions from every building in the world. Jeez.
   
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2. ‍Maybe we're measuring it all wrong.
   
   When we assign blame for what's causing global warming, we usually split it by economic sector. But that leaves out the fact that WE are demanding these things -- transportation, food, fashion... and a whole load of stuff. Atkin asks, "what if, instead of solely measuring emissions by economic sector, we looked at consumer demand within those sectors?"
   
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3. ‍We need to show corporations and governments, the "real" villains, what we want.
   
   We can all agree that corporations and governments are structuring and condoning much of the damage we're witnessing, and they need to step up. However, this "stepping up" will only happen if it's clear that stakeholders and consumers SHOW that change is a priority. Reducing our consumption (and talking about it) sends a clear signal about the values we need our leaders to enact.

We can only solve the climate crisis through collective action. Yes, we have to put pressure on corporations and government. But we ALSO have to buy less, waste less food, bike around, and shift the ways we live. (Some people say sacrifice; I say fun new adventures.) Make sure to read the full article on New Republic!

Next module, we'll dive a little deeper into the "stuff" that's causing such a huge problem and take a look into how consumerism is so toxic.

Now, we'll watch a video about the history of consumerism, since most of us know we're in a wack situation but not why we're in it.

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I went back and forth for over an hour deciding if this was the right vid to share with you. My absolute favorite on consumerism is The Story of Stuff, but I've shared it waaay too many times over the past year.

Instead, we're going to watch a 10-min video on the history of consumerism because I had NO idea how we got here. Were we always this way? (Spoiler: no). Why is consumerism a thing now (get it, haha)? Is it all bad or can consumerism actually be good?
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Key takeaways are below the video as always.

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So here's what's going on:

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1. Economic growth didn't used to be a thing. Humans have been around for a while but global GDP didn't grow year-to-year ...between the beginning of time and 1800.
   
2. We had a consumer revolution. Starting in the early 18th century, economies began to expand, and middle-class families could now afford small luxuries, causing businesses to grow, wages to rise more, etc (and the cycle continues). This led to new industries popping up like furniture and more -- suddenly, Things were a big part of society.
   
3. An economist called Mandeville messed things up. (Oh, Man.) Basically, he said there was a choice as Things became more prevalent: countries could either be virtuous and poor, or consumeristic and rich. The only way, according to Mandeville, to generate wealth was through high demand for absurd/unnecessary things (12-inch wigs, anyone?). That money could then contribute to infrastructure like hospitals. Or else, have fun staying poor!
   
4. Maybe we do need consumerism, but it has to look different. Consumerism itself may not be inherently bad - buying stuff CAN help us finance the way we meet people's needs. Adam Smith (yes, that Adam Smith), asked: what if instead of purchasing useless things to stimulate the economy, we fulfilled our higher needs, buying things like books and investing in beautiful cities?

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The video is certainly interesting. If you keep scrolling to our reflect module below, you'll see some thoughts from one of our readers on his problems with the video.

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But before we go there, let's act!

We literally cannot afford to keep consuming at our current rate. The good news is, changing your consumption habits can be FUN and save you tons of money and time!

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Here's a mix of individual actions, advocacy, and random fun tips to question consumerism.

1. Join your local Buy Nothing group.
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   If you've been a long-time subscriber you know I'll never shut up about this, but neighborhood gifting economies are truly one of my best sustainability "discoveries" of all time. Remember how I mentioned I set up my apartment for <$300? Other than the Buy Nothing Project, there's also FreeCycle, Churn, and more privately-funded platforms like Olio, Mercari, and OfferUp. Buy Nothing is by far my favorite, but it really depends on your neighborhood.
   
   
2. Orient your activities around public spaces.
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   Who says you have to eat a restaurant or drink at a coffee shop to meet up with friends? Make the most of your parks, libraries, and other public spaces. If you don't have any, advocate for them.
   
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3. Get a library card and a tool lending library membership.
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   A lot of the stuff we buy — books, movies, tools — might actually be up for borrowing depending on where you live. I get free audiobooks + Kindle books with the Libby app (bye, Audible). My library also has tons of free movies. And I recently learned that tool lending libraries exist in cities around the world whether you need to use a 3d printer or a hose! Find yours here.
   
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4. Support your local textile recycler.
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   Find yours here. Organizations like FabScrap and Queen of Raw (we had the CEO Stephanie on a Soapbox panel in Feb!) are giving fabrics destined for landfills a second chance. Textile recycling helps you waste less, buy less new things, and get creative with your fabrics. 🎉
   
   
5. Advocate for right-to-repair policies.
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   The Restart Project based in UK "was born in 2013 out of our frustration with the throwaway, consumerist model of electronics that we’ve been sold, and the growing mountain of e-waste that it’s leaving behind". In addition to advocacy, they even throw community-based parties to teach people how to repair devices! Also Microsoft will make its devices easier to fix, which is a huge right-to-repair win.
   
   
6. Gift experiences, not thingy-things.
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   Maybe don't gift a luxury spaceship ride. But some ideas: a National Parks Pass for the country you live in, a sewing machine, dinner at a fancy locally-sourced restaurant, an e-reader. We'll actually curate a gift guide for you in a few weeks. Also here's an easy list of sustainable gift wrapping solutions.
   
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7. Journal about an item that you own. What's its story?
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   For this exercise, you can use any object in sight. For me, it's my new glasses I got yesterday (literally in sight — they're on my face currently). Where did they get shipped from? Where were they made? Who likely made them? I've noticed that thinking about my "stuff" changes the way I feel about them, for better or for worse.

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Before we go any further, it's time for you to pledge your commitment. It takes less than 30 seconds to pledge and we can bother you about it in a friendly way, so we can hold each other accountable. Pledge here!

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🎯 Action step 4 of 4: REFLECT — what can you commit to? What fresh perspectives can we look at?

In our Reflect module, I'm sharing two things: the reader reflection I promised earlier in our Listen module, and then, a short animated video of the Hopi Origin Story. The modern-day Hopi people live in Arizona, but of course, their history and Indigenous roots transcend America's state borders. The storytelling and language of the video blew my mind to the moon and back — you'll never see this kind of beauty in videos of people trampling other people during Black Friday (#consumerism).

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Here's some thoughts about the video from earlier:

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The video was interesting, but I felt that the takeaway was dangerously close to arguing for commodifying or privatizing critical social needs. Its calls for a new kind of consumerism based on an "economy focused around buying and selling services and goods focused on our higher needs" is dangerously close to things like privatized medicine or even more dystopian concepts like privatized fire and emergency services. If such things can be classified as "higher needs" then selling it on the free market cuts off access to these higher needs for those without means. Adam Smith ponders about the virtue of buying and selling books, and indeed, today we sell textbooks so prohibitively expensive that college students despair if they are required reading. If the video isn't trying to make this argument, then it unfortunately doesn't do a very good job of it.

This idea of making consumerism involve important services reminds me of a controversy in the news recently, about this new reality show that was proposed centered around activism, where activists would compete with each other for social media outreach and monetary support. Anti-Racism Daily gave a good analysis for why this was a distasteful idea here.

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Now, another video!

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This video is family-friendly, and if you've seen the 7th Harry Potter, the animation in this video reminds me of the Hallows scene. Take 4 minutes out of your day to watch this beautiful Hopi Origin Story.

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💡 To move away from consumerism, we need a cultural shift. One that reminds us that we're stewards of the earth; we're a natural part of the earth. Our role is to defend and live in harmony, instead of extract and live in dominance. And we must build this cultural shift together.

‍🏁 Checkpoint: This is the end of action step 4 of 4: REFLECT.

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Check out our membership community for more resources like free weekly events with social justice experts, sustainable product discounts, pre-written email templates, a social impact job board, and in-person hangouts with new friends. Thanks for taking action with Soapbox Project!