What happened?

At a party yesterday the conversation really shocked me.





*Other Guests boasted that they threw away up to a third of their shopping each week as they overbought.





*Other Guests were proud of the fact that they stockpiled food in their freezer and cupboards that they don%26#039;t even eat. It was bought because it was on offer.





*Other Guests refused to sort their own rubbish at home so that it could be recycled


(despite the fact that the Council in this area collect some of the recyclable items such as tins, some plastics and paper)





*Other Guests claimed they had many items of clothing, bags, shoes, toiletries that still had labels on and were likely never to be used by themselves.





The people at this party were all professional well educated people. Some of the conversation was about their support of Green issues.





So What happened?

What happened?
I am sorry to say that this behaviour is not untypical. It is the consequence of consumerism, which has encouraged everybody to work all hours to earn more money to buy things to keep up with the neighbours. As consumerism has taken hold we have even been encouraged to ditch the old virtue of frugality and to embrace consumerism to such an extent that huge borrowing has been regarded as good for the economy.





A country’s economic health used to be judged in terms of its balance of payments and reserves. More recently economies have been judged merely on quantities consumed (that is what Gross Domestic Product measures). The same has happened with people. Their worth has been judged by their consumption, particularly of fashionable things like cars and clothes. Aesthetics has not been forgotten amongst professional and well educated people but it leads them to value butterflies, birds and to condemn litter without thinking about the catastrophic consequences of their own wasteful use of resources.





The good news is that the more important environmental and humanitarian issues are beginning to come to the surface. These are 1) the need to share resources more equitably so that hunger is eliminated 2) to conserve resources (such as fossil fuels) for essential purposes and for future generations and 3) to halt global warming.





Fortunately there is no inconsistency between these needs; they can all be addressed simultaneously and with positive cross-over. For example conserving fossil fuels will help address global warming. Furthermore the simpler lifestyles needed are more fun and healthier than trying to keep up with the neighbours.





Best wishes with spreading the word.
Reply:That is very strange. The logical explanation would be that they (and our society in general) have become too consumerist and bought into the type of thinking that you%26#039;re only as good as what you own, and he who dies with the most stuff wins. Refusal to sort rubbish into recycling is pure laziness.





It sounds like these people were wealthy, complacent, and are trying to buy happiness.
Reply:I hope you asked them what they were doing to change that.


What are they doing to improve there efforts?


(or lack thereof)





I don%26#039;t think being harsh and calling them a hypocrite is a good angle.
Reply:Obviously they don%26#039;t practice what they preach. I hope you pointed out the hypocracy in their statements and the cause.
Reply:Most of the skills needed for human survival are long forgotten. The human race outgrew it%26#039;s food supply decades ago. Starvation has become the norm on the global scale. The byproducts of the %26quot;haves%26quot; in the %26quot;havenot%26quot; world are either harmful or lethal. America has squandered the planetary resources for a very long time, and is prepared to nuke any country trying to industrialize unless they accept restrictions we ourselves would never agree to. Most of the use of resources and production of pollution by America is for purposes that are both frivolous and selfish. Let me give you an example. There%26#039;s a major gaming conference underway. One of the topics discussed was that gaming, the computers, the XBOXes, Nintendos, etc consume more energy and contribute more to Global Warming than the entire airline industry worldwide. The majority of our fellow man struggles unsuccessfully for the necessities of life while the last remaining fossil fuel is used for purposes like this. The tiny minority lucky enough to be among the %26quot;haves%26quot; prefers to cover their eyes and ears to the problems, and insulate themselves from knowledge of the very processes they depend upon. They doom us all.
Reply:I can%26#039;t imagine ever being that %26#039;rich%26#039;. Must be old money if they don%26#039;t appreciate it.
Reply:It%26#039;s sad. I think people forget the old adage %26quot;waste not want not%26quot;. I would be shocked too. There is always room for improvement.





Take care.





I%26#039;m sure you were able to mention many ways they can reduce their waste. Thank you.
Reply:I am not in any way shape or form like this, but I do have a response. People are just lazy. It takes time to plan out menus and snacks before we go to the grocery store. Many of us view shopping for food as a chore. It takes time to go though food items that we have overbought and take to the neighborhood homeless shelter. It takes time to go through our masses of stuff that we have accumulated, but no longer need, and give to someone else who would actually want and need them. It takes time to sort and place in a separate area all of our recyclables. No one seems to take a little extra time to do their part. We have kids, husbands, homes, and work that consume all of our time. We hardly find the time for ourselves let alone recycling. I am by no means stating that this is correct, but it is just the way it seems to be for the masses.
Reply:Wow I cant believe that, I hope you say something next time.



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