December is a good time of year to remind ourselves that our consumerism as a society is a choice; it’s not a requirement. On a related note, when we support the thrift-store economy, we’re reducing the amount of resources that …
Tag: consumerism
Consumerism Isn’t For Everyone
I’m going to take a wild guess and suggest that the guy living here doesn’t have a 75″ flat screen TV on which he watches Monday Night Football with his beer-swilling friends. Henry David Thoreau said, “If a man loses pace with …
Tagged with: consumerism
The Story of Stuff Defines the Word “Developed”
We tend to think of the concept of a “developed” country as one with a robust economy where poverty is scarce and most consumers can afford, at a minimum, the basics that make life safe and reasonably comfortable: healthcare, education, …
From Guest Blogger Dimitris Papadoupolos: Five Companies that Really Mean ‘Green’
As eco-conscious consumerism became more widespread, it’s natural that agile marketers spotted a golden opportunity to promote green credentials.
Rethinking Consumerism
The “Climate One” conference in San Francisco is a day chock-full of interesting and compelling ideas about humankind’s behavior vis-a-vis the environment, and what can be done to improve this relationship. Did you know, for instance, that, on average, an …
Note on “True Affluence” and Consumerism
It’s the birthday of the American poet, practicing Buddhist and an environmental activist Gary Snyder (pictured), whom Lawrence Ferlinghetti once called “The Thoreau of the Beat Generation.”
Our Reckless Indifference to the Environment Will Bring About Unprecedented Levels of Human Suffering, But Not the Extinction of Our Species
Unless I’m mistaken, Arlene Allen was the first commenter on this blog when it opened in the summer of 2009. In response to my recent piece on consumerism, she writes: Because of all things being finite, including the entire planet, …
A Pull-back in Consumerism?
Hello from New Bedford, Massachussets; it really is wonderful to be in such an authentic fishing village. Over breakfast I noticed an article in the Wall Street Journal to the effect that retail sales really were terrible last December, resulting …
More on Sustainability and Political Philosophy
In response to my piece on Sustainability and Political Philosophy, a reader asked me if I’d comment on greed and where it comes from. I would say that our society over the last 75 years or so has become increasingly tuned …
Population Growth, Sustainability, and Renewable Energy
Here’s a comment on a post I just read from a fellow named Grant Schreiber that struck me, as it addresses my oft-made point about the issues of population growth and sustainability. He writes: The planet has too many First …
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