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Consumerism doesn't fit into my future

I envision a future where people feel more connected to each other because we become less influenced by marketing and more influenced by our own visions of sustainable and fulfilling lives. I value a world that is more thoughtful -- a world that continuously draws connections between consumption habits and the impact those habits have on ecosystems and people across the globe. To achieve this future of equity and responsibility we should ban the practice of planned obsolescence, provide subsidies for appliance repairs, and apply greater taxes on items that are produced unethically. I will take steps today towards this less-consumeristic future by committing to not buy any new clothing for the rest of this year.

21 comments

21 Comments

Qihan Wang

Sep 23

I agree with you that we shouldn't chase trends and that anything on earth can get a second life before it turns to junk.

Megan Francisco

Sep 23

Interesting idea about taxing items produced unethically! How do you think we might actually implement this? Who would draw the line(s) for what is ethically produced or not?

Also super in love with the idea of subsidies for repairs - genius!

Sarah P

Sep 24

Replying to

I replied to the comments about taxing unethically produced items below, but essentially this would look like an added consumer tax on brands such as H&M. This would encourage people buy secondhand items more (from thrift stores, Marketplace, Craigslist etc.) because they would be cheaper than buying new.

I think from our discussion yesterday, we need to seek a wide array of perspectives when choosing what is ethical or not. I think we need to seek input from communities across the globe who house the factories and sweatshops that produce items that are over-consumed by "the West".

Zhoujie Wu

Sep 23

I respect your personal effort! But perhaps it is not enough to do it on your own. Proper publicity will definitely be better if more people can join to the action.

yaxi tan

Sep 23

For older electrical appliances, I prefered to buy a new one rather than fix it since fixing an older electrical appliance would spend more money. However, I change my mind now. the cost to the environment of our planet cannot be offset by how much money you spend.

Sarah P

Sep 24

Replying to

I had the same though process as you before the class on consumption -- I always thought buying new appliances is the preferable route because appliances are expensive to repair and buying new ones tend to be better on energy use. But the environmental costs of buying "new" is not worth it!

Sophia Collins

Sep 23

Great points! I like your commitment to not buying any new clothing for the year - something my sister did last year, and which I am planning on doing in 2023, was only allow herself to buy <15 new items throughout the entire year (includes clothes, shoes, books, appliances, etc). Such a great way to be more intentional in your purchases, save money, and reduce consumerism.

Sarah P

Sep 24

Replying to

That is such a great challenge!! I will try that for 2023:) I have definitely reduced my clothing consumption, but I often don't think about the negative environmental costs associated with purchasing other new items such as books and water bottles.

Kevin Jiang

Sep 23

There's an online forum called r/BuyItForLife (https://www.reddit.com/r/BuyItForLife) that people try to find durable products!

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Consumerism doesn't fit into my future