Second Nature

Can We Have Ethical Consumption Under Capitalism?


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In a capitalist society, value is measured in dollars and cents. But the resources we take from planet Earth can't be repaid in any kind of financial currency, and we're already paying the price for the debt we owe. 

So the question on many people's minds is "Can we even have ethical consumption under capitalism?" In this episode, we find out that despite having differing opinions on the answer to that question, we often agree on the solutions for what comes next.

Listen to hear how our community answers the title question, economist and sociologist Juliet Schor helps us plan for what comes next, and Commons founder and CEO Sanchali Seth Pal explains how modern and historical boycotts can be tools for collective action.

➡️ If you want to vote with your dollar, join our April challenge in the Commons app (available in U.S. and Canada) This Earth Month, we're avoiding the brands spending millions to block climate progress. 


🌎 See photos of our contributors and find further reading in the full show notes.

📞 We'd love to hear from you! Season 3 submissions coming soon!

📱 To join the Commons community, download the app.

📷 Follow Second Nature on Instagram.

Episode Credits

  • Listener contributions: Shai, Nicole Wiegman, Tessa Maurer, Paulina Acosta, Haley Kline Murphy, Marina Savarese, Bhaskar, Haley, Maya Roman, Marta De Prisco
  • Editing and engineer: Evan Goodchild‍
  • Hosting and production: Katelan Cunningham
  • (00:00) - Introduction
  • (04:58) - Community montage: "Can we have ethical consumption under capitalism?"
  • (08:36) - Earth Overshoot Day
  • (10:11) - Interview with Juliet Schor, economist and sociologist
  • (24:13) - Interview with Sanchali Seth Pal on the power of collective action and boycotts
  • (32:19) - Outro
  • ...more
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