Opinion: Consumerism The Enemy Of Conservation

So in the last year or so I've come to the conclusion that consumerism and conservation don't really go hand in hand. First lets start off with the definition of consumerism, according to Merriam-Webster, consumerism is "the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable; also : a preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods." To me this is the first part of the problem, while consumerism may be good for the economy it is certainly not good for the environment. The second is that excess consumerism and a healthy economy can be mutually exclusive --basically you don't need consumerism for a healthy economy. My believe is that this excerpt explains the start of our modern day consumerism in North America.

Shortly after the end of the war, retailing analyst Victor Lebow expressed the solution: "Our enormously productive economy . . . demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption . . . we need things consumed, burned up, replaced and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate." --Consumer culture no accident, Science Matters, David Suzuki, Mar 07, 2003

To summarize, the U.S government wanted to avoid another depression, and shifted the post war industry to manufacturing crap. Some items were of value, and continued to be produced, just like before the war. However, a trend was started where it was acceptable to create items with a shorter lifespan to reduce initial costs and allow greater consumer adoption. But this didn't necessarily reduce total cost of ownership and as we're seeing today it most certainly doesn't help the environment. Next time you buy something consider whether it's a frivolous item, if it's worth it to spend a little more to get a quality product, and what the environmental impact is. You decided what should be mass produced ever time you buy a product; buying tons of junk just asserts that consumers want to buy junk and that company's should continue to produce it. If all consumers bought quality items with long lifespans, the manufacturing industry would shift to accommodate the demand. The same holds true for goods made in an environmentally friendly way. Vote for quality goods when you make a purchase, and ensure that any purchase you make is necessary.