A few weeks ago, we discussed “sustainable consumer behaviour” in our Marketing Sustainability class. We were excited at the statistics which showed that there are 2.5 billion customers who are categorized as “Aspirational” – i.e. customers who have shifted from “obligation” to “desire” when it comes to sustainable consumption.
As positive as it was to read this , my reading week trip to New Orleans was a quick reminder that as staggering as the numbers seem, sustainable consumption is far from widespread, even just within North America. The famous “Bourbon” street, known for its live Jazz shows and incredible party environment is in fact strewn with plastic cups, cutlery, plates and more between 8pm and 2am. And while the streets are cleaned a fresh for the next morning, are the items recycled? Can they be recycled?
(Image from : here)
Most local restaurants did not even have alternatives other than plastic cutlery and plates, even if one was looking to dine in instead of taking the food to go. In addition, due to lax drinking and anti-public disorder laws, consumers could freely drink alcohol beverages on the streets, which prompted an increase in cans strewn about and is an incentive/need for local restaurants to provide “to go” cups. Most of which, are plastic!
As I was reading the sustainable brands article we referenced in class, I was able to see 2 major reasons why plastic use/ lack of sustainable options is a reality in New Orleans:
1.Young and Urban: According to the article, the “Aspirational” segment is majorly made up of millenials (40%) and GenX (37%) generations. However, New Orleans total population see’s 12.9% being 65 years and older, and the majority (over 50%) are between 18-65 years of age. I am assuming that from this proportion, majority are baby boomers rather than millenials. From personal observation as well, New Orleans also attracted tourists who looked well over 30 years of age.
2. Education : According to the Pelican Institute New Orleans rate of adult illiteracy is twice the national average and 40% of the cities residents do not use the internet. This proves to be a huge obstacle when it comes to education and information on sustainability. Curbs the possibility of understanding and also limits any word of mouth that could help.
While I loved the spirit of the city, the live Jazz on every corner and the delicious cuisine, I was glad to land back in Vancouver – where even our bins are separated according to type of garbage.
This is eye-opening! I went to Spain over this reading break and was surprised to see the difference in recycling norms as well.
I’ve never been to New Orleans, but it definitely doesn’t stand out as a non-urban place. All I know is Ellen Degeneres is from there, and I definitely think she cares about the planet.
It’s interesting to see that even in developed places, such as Spain and New Orleans, the level of sustainability practices are not practiced as much as we think.