Consume Less, Think More
Recently, while I was in the middle of reading one of my classmates posts about excessive packaging and sourcing information for my own post regarding a revolution in compostable takeaway cups (Reduce. Reuse. Grow.) I was hit with a terrifying realization. It is quite possible that, despite all the amazing new solutions and innovative new products that work hard to solve some of the problems humans have created since the industrial revolution, the only path forward will simply be to consume less.
This is a terrifying realization. There are many activities, products and energy sources that are necessary for me to live the lifestyle that I want. For instance the electricity I am using to write this blog post has to come from somewhere, and my weekend warrior ski touring adventure will definitely take some gas to get out there. Companies know we are terrified to give up our comforts so they position they’re communication perfectly to take advantage of our guilt. We know we should be consuming less, but if we buy that offset it’ll be ok and this product is the lesser evil so at least that’s good right? If we continue to allow ourselves to be distracted by company’s attempts to justify our reluctance to consume less our planet will no longer be able to sustain human life.
This is a big step and of course you should still applaud yourself for recycling, and making the greener choice, but this is not enough. We need to be aware of our own behaviours and tendencies, because marketers definitely are, and no matter how sustainable the goals of the company, they are still trying to sell you something. Our biggest defence as consumers will be to become more aware of the messages being pushed at us, and how our motivations and desires are likely to react to them. So I urge you all to continue to be critical, ask the tough questions, and make responsible choices, not just to placate your worries but to create a positive impact in the world.
For a few tips and tricks to get your inspired to consume less check out 7 effective ways to consume less or the inspiring story of Lauren Singer. By no means a comprehensive list, or the only one of it’s kind but it’s not a bad place to start!
While I definitely agree with this sentiment, and try to practice consuming less in my day to day life, I’m also confronted with some dissonance on this topic merely because I (we?) are in *business school*, and in marketing. I know this is something we’ve discussed in class (how can we tell people to “don’t buy this jacket” and mean it?), but as I’m navigating further and further into the “real” world, and I’m on a job search, I’m catching myself making hypocritical decisions. I could be scoffing at a company for their wasteful and backwards behaviour, yet turning around and applying for a job at a CPG company in hopes of… you guessed it… helping them sell more stuff. Sure there are companies that are working with sustainability to make a bad situation better, but are these efforts enough? Should we all be aiming to make a more radical change?
Anyways, I don’t really think I have a point with all this, other than the fact that I feel conflicted.
Hi Tess. Great post, your thoughts on the topic of overconsumption are refreshing. As you said, it is certainly a terrifying realisation that, no matter how many greener products we buy, we are still buying things we don’t necessarily mean. Overconsumption is the real issue at hand, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how much food the average household wastes!
One word of advice: Try to incorporate more media into your posts, even a picture can help break up the monotony of a “wall of text”. Great linking though, a lot of your classmates are forgetting to link to their sources.
Thanks Tess for this thought-provoking post! Like you, I am extremely reluctant to give up the things I love to do, albeit it might have a detrimental impact on the environment. Right now, it does seem that the ultimate, collective result of our consumptions may lead to the only solution being to consume less. I actually wrote a post about a similar topic and while I do agree we should all consume less, I think that it’s a futile request. It would be optimal if everyone did consume less, but I think the only way to get past this problem is through innovation that allows us as a species to consume differently. Of course, this is much easier said than done and I personally have no idea how this can be achieved!