Sustainable Planet

Why We Buy So Much Stuff

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At every turn, people feel compelled to buy stuff. We examine how consumerism took hold of us, the sorts of policies governments enact that encourage or discourage consumption, and what reasonable changes people can make to be kinder to the planet.

Key Topics

  • The growing list of Rs-Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Repurpose, Reinvent, Reimagine, Recycle
  • Living in a single-use, disposable consumer society that's encouraged to buy more stuff
  • The dual ecological nightmare of credit cards
  • Why people in developed countries need to cut back when most people in developing countries need to consume more
  • How the capitalist economic system sets us up to buy more stuff
  • That planned obsolescence (along with the functional and psychological versions) is not a 21st-century invention
  • How we can consume less and not feel horrifically unhappy


    • Recommended Resources

    • A Brief History of Consumer Culture outlines how we became consumers
    • Though a bit dated, Plastic: A Toxic Love Story remains a relevant and worthwhile read
    • Mr. Money Mustache and the FIRE movement
      ...more
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      Sustainable PlanetBy Kimberly Weir