Consumer+Education+Summaries+2012


 * Consumer Education – Activity Summaries **

Activity #1

- living standards not sustainable - western world is blaming third world - need resources – consumption is the problem - consumption = population growth/economic growth - dependent on the productivity of the earth - alienation of the spirit - population growth slowing/food production increasing full boar - clean air and clean energy is the right of future generations

Activity #2

- systems thinking approach - inequality is a fact of global life ? - consumption has decreased in the average African household in the last 25 years by 20% - the ability to consume varies greatly – north and south - distribution of income is directly related to consumption - redistribution of wealth will curb overconsumption - many don’t have access to basic necessities - outrageous consumption is linked to competition - 1 billion don’t have basic needs met - consumption of luxuries vs consumption of necessities

Activity #3

- consumption does not guarantee happiness - India is the happiest country - society uses consumption as a reward - US highest average income and the highest disparity - Northern consumption is at the expense of the South - economy is based on dissatisfaction - one generation has used 30% of the natural wealth - economic growth does not measure the quality of development - consumption is the reward for our hard work - we are bred to be dissatisfied - we have to take into account that people have value

Activity #4

- consumption is required for survival - urban dwellers currently are consumers and not producers - media spreading dangerous Northern values - few people live in a subsistence lifestyle - have to continue to work toward a better global environment - 20% poorest consume 1.3% - top 20% consume 86% - consumption is still the predominant mode - there are at least 7 driving forces that promote unsustainability - we use consumerism to satisfy our needs for identity - the quality of the things we buy is higher than if we had to make everything ourselves

Activity #5

- if we all lived like Germans and the French and the Yanks we would need 2 planets - human population requires at least 20% more biologically productive land than we currently have - ecological deficit – overshoot - human footprint doesn’t account for the other species - many countries exceed the footprint of 1.8 h.a. per person - exceeding the Earth’s capacity by 20% - it’s our fault

Activity #6

- sustainable consumption requires the balance of all three pillars - sustainable consumption requires one to ask questions – do I need this? - all systems need to work together - definitions of sustainable consumption can vary - how do we dispose of stuff? - when buying we have to consider the true cost - we should favour quality of life over material possessions - consider lifecycle of a product – cradle to cradle