Consumption and the Environment
By Kate Thompson
We don’t need to shop every weekend for the new ‘it’ product – but we do. What drives us to consume?
Consume: v. destroy, use up, eat or drink; waste away; be exhausted.
From the beginning of time people have used the environment for materials, energy and food.
But now we’ve become a consumer society, buying without need and over-consuming without a purpose.
And in this age of disposables and throwaways, consumer nations like ours have the biggest impact on the environment. An average person in a developed country produces 20 times more pollutants than an average person from a poorer country.
Consumers are not born – they’re made. We are constantly bombarded with advertising specifically designed to influence our choices.
Most advertisers use techniques learnt from psychology, sociology and economics to shape their markets. S we’re no longer being informed about products, we’re being persuaded to buy them.
Mass media generation
Young people who grow up watching TV are most likely to be affected by advertising.
In Britain, the average eight-year old is more likely to recognise a Pokemon character than a real plant or animal.
The average American ten-year old knows 300-400 brands!
New Zealand is one of the most advertising-saturated countries in the world. Just look at how fixated we are with brands and labels. We know which ones are a must, and which ones we wouldn’t be caught dead in.
Advertising creates wants and then transforms them into needs!
TAKE ACTION
SHOP WISELY: Support companies that are enviro-friendly, buy goods with the least amount of packaging and always ask yourself, ‘Do I really need it? What makes me want to buy it?’ Make your own stuff!
RAISE AWARENESS: Talk to your mates or whanau about environmental issues. Organise an awareness-raising event or campaign – maybe a concert, public talk or demonstration.
JOIN OTHERS: Volunteer with organisations like Greenpeace, or join a global network of concerned and active young people
GO FOR IT! Learn more about the issues, and realise that you can do plenty. Every little bit helps!
This article was written as part of the Global Focus a collaborative project of Tearaway Magazine and the Global Education Centre. It was first published in Tearaway magazine and is reprinted here with their permission
Illustrator: Gavin Mouldey
