By Candice Rizzotti
In caring for the environment, we must consider the impact of our habits on Climate Change. One of the leading drivers of Climate Change is increased consumerism, especially in developed countries. Therefore, one of the best ways we can protect the environment is by reducing consumption. In fact, buying and using less is far more important than recycling (but also keep recycling!).
During the holiday season, it is especially important to consider our buying habits. In the United States we increase our waste production by 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, creating an additional one million tons of trash going into our landfills. What better time is there to work on being more conscientious with our buying habits? While shopping we need to consider the environmental impact of the products we purchase and if it is worth the need it fulfills or value we get from it. Some tips and facts to keep in mind this holiday season:
- Decrease purchases on unnecessary items
- Avoid impulse buys
- If you buy less, you can buy more quality items that will last longer (think of the plastic toys we buy our children that break easily)
- The average product produces carbon emissions 6.3x its own weight
- On average only 1% of products we buy are still in use six months after its purchase
- Check your local Buy Nothing Facebook page- there is no rule that says we have to spend to give thoughtful gifts. Also consider listing the toys your kids are done with on the page. If you cannot find something on Buy Nothing- check online Marketplaces. New doesn’t always mean better.
Technological developments have helped us combat Climate Change in many ways however we now know that consumption growth has increased at a faster rate, thereby outgrowing any beneficial effects of technology advancements we have made over the past few decades. It is not enough just to “go green” and recycle- if we care about leaving a healthy planet for our children, we must reduce. Plastic products are made from fossil fuels including natural gas and crude oil. This should give us good motivation to decrease what we buy. That said, we know that there are times we cannot avoid making purchases and we cannot be expected to never buy gifts for our loved ones (or ourselves sometimes!). When we make purchases we should look for products that can be repaired, are made from recycled, reused or remanufactured materials and come from companies with good sustainability records including having green transportation and storage practices. All of this information can be found online. How and what we buy can make a difference.
Another simple tip to reduce our consumerism: consider trying to repair before replacing items more often. Whether you are able to repair yourself or take it to someone who can, it makes a difference the longer we use our products. This can be said from our big purchases like cars, right down to our appliances and kids toys.
Studies have shown that the number one change that people are hoping to maintain after the pandemic is how they have reduced their consumerism. One good thing to come of COVID-19 is that it has shown us that we can lead simpler lives, which can increase happiness. Have we as a society stopped to think about if the things that we are buying are truly making us happy? I am sure many of you have heard the saying Fear of Missing Out. My friends and I joked in high school that we all had a Fear Of Missing Out- nobody wanted to go home first. Fear of Missing Out is real when it comes to purchases too. It is normal in our society- we feel that the newest trend, the newest technology will make us happy and we maybe are afraid we are the only ones without. It is well known that advertisers prey on our fear of missing out. They prey on our children’s fear of missing out too. The only way we combat that is to assess our shopping habits and make some changes.
Our reasons to decrease our consumption of “things” are plenty and may differ for each person. For me- I genuinely want to combat the message from large companies that belongings bring us joy. Another good reason- to save money! Quite possibly the most important is to preserve our planet for our children.
In addition to assessing our buying habits and working to decrease our consumerism, another action you can take is to familiarize yourself with the issue of how consumerism is accelerating Climate Change. The website- The Story of Stuff is a great place to start. Google it. They have numerous short, informational and really interesting videos to watch and share. Their first video ever, also called The Story of Stuff, is “a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns.” It connects environmental and social issues and can help to bring us together and guide us on a path to decrease consumption. They manage to do it in a way that is fun and engaging to watch. Check it out as part of your quest to commit to reducing consumption for the sake of our planet.
The members of TALK Environment Team seek to promote conversations about climate change and environmental topics in our community. If you have a related topic which you are passionate about, please send your ideas and suggestions for future articles to:prez@talk-action.org. All articles are archived on the TALK website https://talk-action.org.