Copyright © 2021 Albuquerque Journal
It is the time for new resolutions. Not resolutions we know we will break, but ones we pledge to keep.
How about this one? “I resolve to cut my level of consumption.”
We know that, as citizens of the United States, we make up just 5% of the world’s population, but we consume and waste a disproportionate share of the world’s resources. But how bad is it?
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According to Dave Tilford of the Sierra Club, it’s bad.
Judith Polich/For the Journal
“A child born in the United States will create 13 times as much ecological damage over the course of his or her lifetime than a child born in Brazil,” he says. “The average American will drain as many resources as 35 natives of India and consume 53 times more goods and services than someone in China.”
Tilford says we use 33% of the world’s paper, 23% of the coal, 25% of the world’s oil, 27% of its aluminum and 19% of its copper.
Much of it is wasted. We create half of the world’s solid waste. We throw out 200,000 tons of edible food every day and consume 200 billion more calories than we need every day. This is not sustainable. What if we resolved to do better?
That does not mean we need to sacrifice our happiness or the idea of a “good life.” On the contrary, there is no evidence that increased materialism, buying more things and over-eating makes us happier or healthier. We know that advertising attempts to manipulate us into thinking that buying stuff is the only way to be happy. That is simply not true.
One thing the pandemic has taught us is that spending time in nature, and with family and friends, and keeping them safe is the true and lasting cause of happiness, not more consumption.
Nor is buying “green” items allegedly produced sustainably the best solution. We know the amount of food and clothing we buy and the gas we use is a leading contributor to climate change.
Sabrina Helm is a researcher at the University of Arizona who has studied how materialistic values influence pro-environmental behaviors in millennials, who are now our country’s most influential group of consumers. Her results may surprise you. She explored two pro-environmental behaviors: reduced consumption and “green buying.”
Interestingly, she found that “green buying,” while it may have some environmental benefit, does not improve consumer well-being. But her research definitively established that “reduced consumption has effects on increased well-being and decreased psychological distress.” You can find the results of her research in “Consumer Reports” and the journal “Young Consumers.”
She also found that, while “green materialism” will not make you healthy or happy, it will feed your addiction to materialism, or what some call “the heroin of human happiness.”
So, how do you consume less and reduce waste?
Advertising can be very persuasive. Learn to consciously resist all advertising. One easy step is to turn off or mute ads. Buy less, but buy quality that will last. When you can, buy second hand. Look for items with less packaging. Buy reusable rather than disposable items. We can all reduce our food waste. Just be more conscious of what you buy and how much you eat. Remember to donate, not trash, your unwanted items. Epa.gov/recycle/reducing-and-reusing-basics, tells us to “borrow, rent or share items that are used infrequently,” and stresses that “reduction and reuse are the most effective ways you can save natural resources.” None of these steps is difficult.
As epa.gov informs us, there are many benefits to reducing and reusing, including:
• Preventing pollution by reducing the need to harvest new raw materials;
• Saving energy;
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change;
• Helping sustain the environment for future generations;
• Saving money;
• Reducing waste that is sent to landfills and incinerators; and
• Allowing products to be used to their fullest extent.
By consuming less, we benefit others. That gives us more happiness and well-being. And that is what Sabina Helm’s research tells us. Her study gives us a factual basis to what many have long believed. So, how about that New Year’s resolution? “I resolve to consume less, and I know it will lead to more well-being and happiness.”
Judith Polich, a longtime New Mexico resident, is a retired attorney with a background in environmental studies and a student of climate change. Reach her at: judith.pol[email protected]”>href=”http://judith.pol”>[email protected]
