A short lesson on conscious consumerism. What does it mean, why does it matter, and how you can become a conscious consumer!

1. Conscious Consumerism 101
What does it mean, why does it matter, and how can I
become a conscious consumer?
Marissa Fugardi

2. What is a conscious consumer?
Conscious consumerism is when buying practices
are driven by a commitment to making purchasing
decisions that have positive social, economic, and
environmental impact.
https://growensemble.com/conscious-consumerism/
Part 1

3. Why does it matter?
Bottom line: Our current consumption patterns are unsustainable
➢ In 2018, the average American generated 4.9 pounds of waste per day
○ 50% of that, 146 million tons, went to the landfill
➢ Human population is growing at a rate of 1.05%, adding 81 million new
people each year
➢ The Earth has finite resources
https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materials
https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/#:~:text=Growth%20Rate,-
back%20to%20top&text=Population%20in%20the%20world%20is,81%20million%20people%20per%20year.

4. Reading
The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard
Chapter 1: Extraction
Chapter 2: Production
Chapter 3: Distribution
Chapter 4: Consumption
Chapter 5: Disposal
https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-stuff/
20 minute video by Annie Leonard - such a great video!
Watch it and share with friends and family

5. Consumerism and Overconsumption
Consumerism - the idea that increasing consumption of goods and services is always
desirable
- Seeking to meet emotional and social needs through shopping
- Conspicuous Consumption: Visible displays of wealth meant to demonstrate self-worth
- Engaging in a lifestyle of excessive materialism
- “Disposable” lifestyle aka throwaway culture
Overconsumption- using far more resources than we need, and that the planet can sustain
- Typically a result of consumerism
- Common in the US and other affluent countries
Part 2

6. ● On average, Americans consume more than
their weight in products each day
● In the last decade, consumption of goods and
services has risen 28%
● Developed nations consume resources almost
32 times faster than the developing world
● Americans take the greatest share of the
world’s major commodities (corn, coffee,
copper, lead, zinc, aluminum, rubber, oil
seeds, oil and natural gas)
Consumption facts
National Geographic Greendex study found that “U.S. consumers are among the least likely to
feel guilty about the impact they have on the environment”
https://healtheplanet.com/100-ways-to-heal-the-planet/overconsumption/
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/american-consumption-
habits/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWith%20less%20than%205%20percent,the%20copper%2C%E2%80%9D%20he%20reports

7. Natural Resource Depletion
Overconsumption leads to resource depletion
- Loss of energy, biomass, genetic diversity, raw materials, metals, food
sources, groundwater
Using more than our share of resources means that we are taking those
resources away from future generations
Two types of natural resources
● Non-renewable - Finite amount of resource on Earth, not regenerative
● Renewable - Earth regenerates naturally
○ These are being consumed almost twice as fast as the Earth can renew them
○ This rate has been increasing each year since the 1970s
https://populationmatters.org/the-facts/resources-consumption
Part 3

8. Earth Overshoot Day: the date that our resource consumption
from the prior year has finally been replenished by Earth’s systems
Calculate your own carbon footprint here:
https://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx
Planet’s biocapacity
(amount of ecological resources
Earth is able to generate that year) x 365 Days
humanity’s Ecological Footprint
(humanity’s demand for that year),
Earth Overshoot Day Calculation:
Americans consume so many
resources that it would take 5 Earth’s
to provide enough resources for the
rest of the world to live like us.

9. Shipping and Transporting Materials
Reuters found that Americans want goods that are made in the USA but aren’t willing to
pay more for them
But, if they’re made in the US then they don’t need to be shipped across the world so
shouldn’t they be cheaper?
NO
Part 4
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-buyamerican-poll/americans-want-u-s-goods-but-not-willing-to-pay-more-reuters-ipsos-poll-idUSKBN1A3210
The consumer doesn’t pay the true costs of the product
- costs of transportation include time, labor, and resources
- Externalized costs are not paid by the consumer, which
means third party individuals bear the cost

10. Why are so many of our
products made overseas?
World Systems Theory
Worldwide economic system that benefits some countries while others are exploited
- Core nations (typically developed countries) have economic and political power so they get
the benefits of production
- Periphery nations (typically developing countries) provide cheap labor and natural
resources and often bear the env. burdens; exploited by the system
Race to the Bottom Theory: Countries will lower their env. standards to stay competitive with
countries that are willing to pollute
- We buy products from countries, like China, that have lowered their env. regulations to be
economically competitive
- We get the products and don’t have to deal with the pollution ourselves

11. Single-use Products
Facts:
1. 300 Million tons of plastic gets created yearly, 50% is single-use only
2. Annually 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. More than one million a minute.
➢ A plastic bag has an average “working life” of 15 minutes.
3. Humans buy about 1,000,000 plastic bottles per minute in total
4. 500 billion disposable cups are consumed every year
➢ Americans throw away 25 billion styrofoam coffee cups every year
Single-use products include:
- Straws - Plastic cutlery
- Cigarette butts
- Plastic bags - Styrofoam containers
- Water and soda bottles
- Plastic cup lids - Take-out food packaging -
Part 5

12. 1. 32% of the 78 million tons of plastic packaging produced annually goes into our oceans
➢ Equal to pouring one garbage truck of plastic into the ocean every minute
2. More than 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans every year
3. Scientists estimate that in 2050 plastic will outweigh fish in the ocean
4. Recent studies have found plastic in the guts of 90 % of seabirds tested and 100% of turtles.
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/single-use-plastics-101
What happens
to single-use
plastics after
their one use?

13. Great Pacific Garbage Patch
● Located off the West Coast of the US
● One of 5 offshore plastic accumulation zones
● 2 trillion pieces of garbage - 10 times the number of known
stars in our galaxy
● 80,000 tons of garbage
● 1.6 million square kilometers or 995 square miles
Part 6
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-
big-is-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch.html

14. There are ongoing efforts to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
In 2012, Boyan Slat introduced the idea of utilizing natural
currents to collect and concentrate these plastics- watch it here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROW9F-c0kIQ
In 2019, the System 001/B was officially announced
- Self contained system that uses natural ocean movement to
passively catch and condense garbage to smaller area for
easier removal
- Even catches 1mm microplastics
https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/the-ocean-cleanup-successfully-catches-plastic-in-the-great-pacific-garbage-
… But it is difficult
● Much of it is made up of
microplastics which are
so tiny that they cannot
easily be caught and
removed

15. EcoLabels
It can be hard to be a conscious
consumer but looking out for products
with EcoLabels can save time and boost
confidence in the transparency of the
brand
Do you recognize many of these logos?
There are currently 202 EcoLabels
being used in the US
Part 8
http://www.ecolabelindex.com/ecolabels/

16. Leaping Bunny
products are free
from animal cruelty
Energy Star: USA is
the national symbol
for energy efficiency
B Corporations meet
comprehensive and
transparent social and
environmental
performance standards
USDA organic
products meets
national standards
on organic
Rainforest Alliance Certified
products meet comprehensive
standards that protect the
environment and promote the
rights and well-being of workers
RSPO certification
shows that palm oil
has been produced
sustainably and
transparently
EPEAT is a global environmental
rating system for electronics
Fairtrade is a global trade
certification that producers
and traders have met
social, environmental,
and economic standards

17. Reducing and Reusing
Benefits of reducing and reusing:
● Prevents pollution of harvesting new
raw materials
● Saves energy
● Reduces greenhouse gas emissions
● Saves money
● Reduces the amount of waste that will be
sent to landfills and incinerators
● Allows products to be used to their
fullest extent
Part 9
Reduce: Consume less
- Buy less materials and goods
- Generate less waste
★ Most effective way to minimize
environmental impact
Reuse: find more purposes for
items after their initial use
- Reduces the need for new
resources

18. Simple ways to
Reduce and Reuse
● Buy used
- Shop at specialized reuse centers and consignment shops
● Look for products that use less packaging
- Buy in bulk to reduce packaging and save money
● Think reusable instead of disposable
- Carry your own to-go utensils around instead of using plastic cutlery
● Maintain and repair products
- Broken doesn’t always mean it has to be thrown away
● Borrow, rent or share items that not used regularly
- Consider party decorations, tools, furniture
https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-and-reusing-basics

19. Recycling
Recycling allows us to continue buying and using “stuff” while still keeping the same
materials in use so that less new resources need to be taken from the Earth
Part 10
Even still, recycling has a long way to go in our country:
● In 2018, the US recycled 69 million tons of waste
○ 23.4% of total waste
● The EPA estimates that 75% of all waste is recyclable
● Americans trash 28 billion bottles and jars every year
● The EPA is working to improve the recycling
industry, admitting that it has not kept up with the
rising levels of waste produced each year
https://www.epa.gov/americarecycles/us-recycling-system
https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-recycling

20. Our evolving history with recycling
Does it seem like recycling has gotten harder in recent years?
All of a sudden we have to sort things, we have to rinse out our containers, we can’t
recycle pizza boxes with sauce on them… why?
The US used to ship our waste overseas so that China and other developing countries could sort
it, clean it, and use the materials they could recycle
But China is now generating their own waste and they don’t want to deal with ours anymore,
other developing countries are doing the same
Now the US recycling system is unprepared to handle our waste so even after we sort it, much
of our recycling is ending up in landfills anyway
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/03/china-has-stopped-accepting-our-trash/584131/

21. Composting
Organic matter won’t break down in a landfill because there is not enough
air circulation
In landfills, organic waste generates methane, this doesn’t happen when composted
Part 11
https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materials
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/05/zero-waste-families-plastic-culture/#close
Separating organic matter from other waste products to allow for natural decomposition
- Can be used to make rich fertilizer or left alone to return to the soil and provide nutrients for new
things to grow
EPA: Americans composted 25 million tons of waste in 2018
- This makes up slightly less than 8.7% of all US waste that year
- On the other hand, by weight, 75 to 80 percent of all household
trash is organic matter

22. If you live in an
apartment, check to
see if your building
has a compost bin or if
there is one near you.
Or check out tips on
composting in an
apartment.
https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles
/how-to-compost-in-an-apartment/
Learn how to make your
own compost at home.
And hey, maybe start a
garden while you’re at it!
https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/
compost/how-to-compost/

23. Minimalist Lifestyle
The first “R” in reduce, reuse, recycle that we rarely learn about
- Why? Because our modern society runs on consumerism (see Chapter 4 in the book)
The minimalist, or eco-minimalist, lifestyle reduces consumption through living with less,
reducing waste, and taking better care of possessions, eg. fixing them when they break
instead of throwing them out
“Live simply so that others may simply live” -Gandhi
“Simplify, simplify” - Henry David Thoreau
Part 12

24. Lauren Singer
Ted talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF72px2R3Hg
Produced one mason jar of trash in three years!
Steps that she took toward a zero-waste lifestyle
1) Stopped buying packaged food
2) Started making her own products
3) Started buying second-hand
4) Downsized
Benefits
● Save money
● Eat better
● Feel healthier
● Be happier
3 steps she recommends for
people who want to reduce:
1) Look at trash to identify
where bulk of waste
comes from
2) Make small changes in
daily life that have big
impact, like using
reusable water bottles
and grocery bags
3) Try DIY
Learn more on her website: https://trashisfortossers.com/about-lauren/

25. Book Reflection
When you have finished reading the book, reflect on the insights
and concepts that stood out to you.
● What chapter did you find the most interesting?
● What would you say are the three most significant
takeaway points from this book?
● What section of the process do you think will be the easiest
to fix and why?
● The chapters investigate the environmental and social
dysfunction within the 5 parts of the consumption process.
What section of this process do you find most problematic
and why?
Part 13

26. Once you have finished the book, watch the video summary
by Annie Leonard again and consider these questions:
● Did the video cover all of the points that you found most significant in the book?
● What additional information from the book would you have included in the video if
you were making it?
● Would you recommend the book to others? What about the video? Why or why not?
https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-stuff/

27. Activity and Reflection
Your mission:
Try out conscious consumerism for yourself!
Track your purchases for a week and investigate the environmental impact of
your weekly spending.
Consider these questions throughout the week:
● How many of your products are made in foreign countries?
● How many single-use items do you use?
● How many of your products are made with Earth-friendly
materials and ingredients?
● How will your products be disposed of?
Part 14

28. As you investigate the impact of your week of purchases,
consider what the impact would look like if multiplied by 52
weeks, then 80 years, and finally 7.8 billion people
● Of all the products you bought that were made outside the US, choose 3 and research the
following questions:
○ How many miles away is the country from the store where you purchased the item and
based on simple estimates, how much CO2 was released during that trip?
○ What are the typical working conditions in that country?
○ How much income does the average worker there make?
● Count the number of single-use items that you used during the week
○ Were you able to reuse or repurpose any?
○ Did you say no to any of these items?
● What portion of the products you bought can be recycled or composted
and how does that compare to the portion that will end up in the trash?