“greensumerism”
green consumerism is still consumerism – is it an oxymoron?
I USED TO feel bad about mindless consumerism but not any more. The green movement has come to my rescue. With every purchase, I can now enjoy the warm glow of helping develop environmentally sound practices.
There’s my new briefcase, for example. It is shiny and luxurious and its purchase has allowed me to throw my old one into the bin. But there’s no eco-guilt for me.
According to the manufacturer, the leather in my briefcase was stained using “extracts of bark and seeds collected from renewable sources in the forests of Africa and India”. The work was all done by “traditional artisans”, all of them using “sustainable practices” in the “old saddler tradition”. There’s not a lot of detail on the leather but, based on the tone of the pamphlet, I’m pretty sure the cows would have been volunteers.
I feel I now deserve some sort of medal just for handing over my credit card…
…Let’s call it “greensumerism”. Forget the simple mantra of “less is more”; with the help of the green movement you can now indulge in a frenzy of consumerism, with each luxury purchase excused by the idea that you are helping the development of the “green” sector.
People will ditch a perfectly good car in order to import the latest hybrid eco-model and expect to be praised for their sensitivity. Magazines like Vogue Living are now full of these luxurious holiday houses – temples to excess and over-consumption – which the owners claim as their personal contribution to sustainability.
There’s even a new category of glossy magazine – selling the green lifestyle. Rarely do these magazines suggest we should simply consume less; the advertisers wouldn’t care for that idea. Instead, each month brings us thousands of new ways for us all to consume our way to a better planet.
the topic of “greenwashing” has been a hot one lately, particularly around whether large chain “green” stores like Whole Foods, who are still marketing to their consumers like crazy and shoppers end up buying all kinds of over-priced “natural” products they don’t really need but they feel good about it because it’s “eco – something”. how green and sustainable is that, really?
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