A nifty quote

[mousme]

"A big transformation for me was from consumer to citizen. Once you take out the consumer role in your life, you start to have a lot more time and passion and money to contribute as a citizen."
~Judith Levine

Yes. That.

Taken from this article. It's a tempting idea. I don't know if I could go for a year without buying books, though. I might be able to go an entire year without going to the movies. Lord knows, I think I can count on the fingers of one hand the movies I went out to see.

It makes me wonder if I could do it...

Comments

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Oh, agreed. These people consume more in a month than I do in probably two years.

However, it mirrors something I've been thinking about, which is the way in which I consume. Sure, I don't buy tons of frivolous things all the time. I shop for clothes once or twice a year, and I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I was in a shopping mall/department store in the last two years.

That being said, I've been thinking about what it means to be a consumer. Even if I don't buy stuff (which I do), I still think about a lot of things in terms of what I can buy/afford, and what I can't. A lot of the stuff on my imaginary wish list (stuff which would be nice but that I can't realistically afford) fit nicely into the category of consumer pr0n.

For instance, I'd really like a food processor and a bread maker and a juicer. Do I need these things? No. I have managed very well without them for going on five years now. Would I like to have them? Yes. I would very much like to have a food processor in order to make soups quickly and efficiently. Is a food processor good for the environment? Not especially. It uses electricity, is made up of mostly plastic and/or highly-refined metals, which means a lot of energy was expended in making it, and if and when it dies, I probably won't be able to recycle it in any useful fashion.

So.

I guess my conclusion is: I don't know.

It's still interesting to think about.

[curtana.livejournal.com]

Is a food processor good for the environment?

It may use electricity and be made from plastic and metals, but if it lets you make soup regularly instead of buying it, I suspect that its impact probably balances out. And it consumes a lot less electricity than, say, a computer or a stove.

Personally, I think that stopping consuming isn't the best way to go about it. Unless I'm going to be completely self-sufficient, I will always need to buy things from other people. It makes more sense to me to think hard about the things I buy - who made them, where did they come from, how much use and enjoyment will I get out of them, and could the money be better spent elsewhere. If local merchants and craftspeople and farmers are to stay in business, consumers need to support them. Responsible consumption seems more sensible to me than no consumption.

[elanya.livejournal.com]

I really agree with this, and not only because consumption is inevitable (as it is), but partly because the economy is so crucial in human interactions, on a local and international level. I think that being aware of where the things available to buy come from and making informed decisions is the most important thing we can do as consumers. I am....medium at actually doing this.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I haven't been especially good about being an informed consumer until recently, but I am making an effort now.

curtana has hit the nail on the head about being a responsible consumer as opposed to a non-consumer (which isn't all that realistic, IMHO).

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I don't think it's possible to be completely self-sufficient unless you're a complete nutcase who lives like a hermit.

I don't think a complete lack of consuming is the key, but stopping conspicuous consumption may be part of it. I don't think of myself as a conspicuous consumer, but I think that with very little effort I could become a more responsible consumer/citizen. I am trying, as you said, to think more about what I'm buying, and to try and limit myself to buying locally where I can.

So, yes. Responsible consumption as opposed to no consumption.

[urban-homestead.livejournal.com]

I think - and I'm going to post more about this in my own journal, concidentally - that there's more to it than responsible consumption. It's our societal inability to say, "I have enough, I don't need anything more" that I find alarming, not just because of the environmental damage created by excess production, but because people in this society are so rich and have so much stuff and are so unhappy. And I don't mean you, but the average thirtysomething and up, it probably is true for. People work horrifically long hours to pay for the McMansions they have no time to spend in, and they are still depressed because the people on TV seem to have so much more than they do. No matter how rich people are, no matter how much they have, they still hunger after more. And that's not because they're greedy, it's because as a society we have all but forgotten the difference between liking something and needing it. A shopping "fast" seems to me like as good a way as any to break this habit and learn all over again the difference between "want" and "need"

[mousme.livejournal.com]

A shopping "fast" seems to me like as good a way as any to break this habit and learn all over again the difference between "want" and "need."

Quite. For me this will essentially be a processes of thinking more about what I'm buying and what my reasons for buying it are.

I have long been convinced that society has its priorities seriously screwed up. So far, nothing has been done to prove me wrong.

[urban-homestead.livejournal.com]

It may use electricity and be made from plastic and metals, but if it lets you make soup regularly instead of buying it, I suspect that its impact probably balances out. .

I totally agree with this comment. And I agree mostly with the second part of your comment, too, if you are talking about your own consumption and that of your friends. But people who find themselves buying "as seen on TV" stuff on a regular basis - just for an example - are in a different position. They're problem isn't how the stuff they're buying was produced, it's that they are addicted to acquisitiveness. Any resolution that forces them to re-examine what they really need to buy versus what they can live without is, in my opinion, going to benefit them psychologically and spiritually as well as economically.