What would we do if we decided to stop consuming?

[Illuminati Primus]

Modern society is based on consumption - things are researched, manufatured, distributed, sold, used/consumed and then the cycle continues. This fuels the service and retail economy, much of our technology economy and our leisure economy too. In fact in the developed wolrd we seemed to have reached a point where absolute necessities like food, clothing and shelter are easily provided for to the point where we barely consider them.

The stuff we actually care about and really enjoy are consumables, and even those with a pratical use (like clothes) are still bought and discarded quite regularly to ensure a constant flow of consumption.

Contrast this with the desire to live green and have a future that is less consumptive because it's unsustainable - what does that look like? What do we do with ourselves and our money if we're not going out and buying things all the time? Indeed, can we adjust our economies enough to even accommodate such a shift without a crash?

Thoughts?

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I doubt anyone could become completely zero impact unless they severely restricted their diet, grew their own raw materials (clothing as well) and cut back on any added amenities. Even then there are always going to be unforeseen circumstances (such as illness) that will necessitate some form of exchange (goods for services).

Though at the end of the day you do have to wonder what is so great about having an economy- I know we are continually conditioned to care about it- but what is it really- A method by which the rich get richer and is used as a yardstick to measure "how much better they are than you".

[SmartAleq]

Well, there's just not a chance we're ever going to get out of consumption completely--doing that is what's called "hardscrabble subsistence farming" and most of us figured out that's a mug's game hundreds of years ago. It does no harm and a great deal of good, however, to get into the habit of consuming less and I think everyone should make at least some effort in that direction. Repurposing and reusing, not being afraid to reuse hand-me-downs and thrift store finds, growing some of your own food, there are a lot of ways to tighten up the cycle of consumption to get a few more uses out of everything that gets made.

I see a lot of this making do, seeing as I'm fairly poor myself although a lot of that is intentional. I don't really NEED a whole lot of stuff and therefore prefer to make or repurpose in order to amuse myself and to have a bit more involvement with the stuff I own. I really prefer to get something cheap, used or free and see what I can make of it because I can't get a feeling of pride out of something that just shows I had enough money to buy it--any fool can have that. I get a feeling of accomplishment making a meal entirely out of food I grew or building something out of scavenged materials that's greater than the thing itself, and I take pride in having a half full trash can when the pickup comes every week.

And there are niches to make a living within that cycle--metal recyclers are a great example. My son put a junk stove out on the sidewalk and it only took ten minutes for a guy to pull up in a truck to take it for recycling, along with some other items that therefore won't be inhabiting a landfill. Crafters take old clothes and make patchwork items or rag rugs out of them and resell them--junk with added work ends up as art and is valued for that much more than the original recycled clothing.

Electronics, though, need a bit more work and need to be recycled/repurposed more than they already are. TVs in a landfill make the baby Jesus cry.

[blank]

I use Freecycle whenever I can- Recently had an argument with my wife who wanted to throw out a perfectly good travel bed and mattress- Her issue was it would take less effort to put into a land-fill. I managed to find it a good home.

[Clayton_e]

Our economy is considered to not be in good health if its not growing fast enough. Not if its shrinking, if its not growing fast enough.

That means, roughly, that stuff has to be done to other stuff at a growing rate. That stuff might be trees being cut down, fossil fuels being sold, mines being dug. The non-manufacturing sector also consumes a lot of energy that needs to be produced by things happening to other things. Fuel, in one form or another, is used to heat and cool those offices, get those people to and from work, and produce everything needed in those offices. And all those things being produced and all that energy being consumed are harming the environment, even if its being made way over there in China.

And the economy won't be happy unless it actually is growing.

Another stripmall in sprawl adds to this economy. There's no time they're not being made, just times where they're not being made as fast. Our own resource, people to consume (either at work or home) is the only thing we're actually not running out of.. Its growing in number!

So that's more people to work in those gas stations, those offices, consuming those cheeseburgers and those cokes. More people to own several cars in a lifetime and more people to type on message boards about what they think about the population boom.

And this is happening at an increasing rate here that isn't always increasing fast enough to make people that move pieces of green paper back and forth happy.

If you think its bad to conceptualize it that way.. Think of India, China, and the rest of the world that wants what we have and now that their economies are growing will get it.


A nice thought, in theory, of how to save the planet, not consuming as much, but good luck. Every low consumption lightbulb was made in a factory in China that has no pollution controls by a guy who's entire family wants to be just like you were twenty years ago before the idea of what this planet can take from us humans crossed your mind.

As a civilization we finally decided to think about getting on the treadmill but its in the basement and we're lazy and we just got a tripple Whopper with cheese for dinner and we might get to it tomorrow.. But we got a diet coke instead of a regular one tonight so its all ok. There will be a tipping point, there will be a heart attack.


I got most of my inspiration on this thought several years ago from adbusters.org... Though I havn't checked out their stuff in a while.. I don't know what direction they've taken lately.

[GreyCloud9]

Originally Posted by blank

I use Freecycle whenever I can- Recently had an argument with my wife who wanted to throw out a perfectly good travel bed and mattress- Her issue was it would take less effort to put into a land-fill. I managed to find it a good home.

Blank, I actually got into an argument like that with Hubby. We lived in an itty bitty apartment, and he wanted an ironing board out of his way.. he wanted to just take it down to the dumpster.. in the middle of the argument I got on the computer and 20 minutes later I was taking it downstairs.. he asked where I was going? giving the ironing board away.. some lady was coming to get it.. he was flabergasted.

[Anacanapuna]

I think IP's OP goes more to the heart of our purpose here on this planet. What is your mission in life? What is your reason for living? I doubt that many people would say they live to do their jobs. I mean, there are jobs like that, and I've had a couple, but it's damned hard to draw yourself a line when other people in your life need your attention.

One could say that one lives to teach, or lives to minister, or lives to produce food -- all noble and challenging professions. But to what end? If you are teaching, to what use is that knowledge going to be put? Are you teaching people so they will discover ultimate enlightenment? Is there some final mission toward which all humankind is supposed to be working? Or are we, like the ants in my driveway, constantly building and rebuilding their anthills for the sole purpose of producing new ants who will build more anthills? We can live closer to nature, we can exist with a much smaller carbon footprint, we can dump very little carbon dioxide into the air, and I think we must pursue all of those goals, beginning last year. But to what end? For generations to come after us? What are they going to do with it, besides conserve it and preserve it for even more generations to come? To what end?

[blank]

I thought this was rather apt: U.S. Economy Grinds To Halt As Nation Realizes Money Just A Symbolic, Mutually Shared Illusion