The consumption of goods has become over time the centerpiece of our culture. Only by producing and selling things and services can our modern economy thrive. The more that is produced and the more that is purchased, the more we have progress and prosperity. The gross national product (GNP), the traditional sum total of goods and services produced by a given society in a given year, measures consumption via economic growth. Although this is used as an indicator of our economic policies, it is not a flawless, magical calculation. The gross domestic product (GDP) on the other hand, is currently the most widely used measure of economic activity, focusing mainly on market production. This measure is often misconstrued as a measure of economic well being, when in fact it may not always indicate how well off people really are at a particular moment and can then lead to poor policy decisions as society's living standards are constantly evolving. (Fitoussi, Sen and Stiglitz, 2010, 24)
Consumption, although necessary for the economy, can also be hazardous to the environment. Students will identify the production, processing and consumption of commodities from the conception of a good to its disposal. These processes require the extraction and use of natural resources like wood, ore, fossil fuels, and water. They also require the creation of factories that often create toxic byproducts. Even the uses of the commodities themselves create pollutants and waste.
Specifically, this unit will identify the effects and consequences of a consumer culture and modern trends within our environment. It will answer questions like: What is a consumer culture? How do my daily decisions affect the future? What changes can I make in my own life to sustain our environment? The students will understand the life cycle of trash, particularly the consequences of using plastic versus paper. Students will look at the production, advertising, packaging, toxicity and cumulative impact of the environmental damage caused in the process. By the end of the unit, students will be able to answer the question, "Does our way of living cast an enormous dependence on commodities that are damaging to the Earth to produce?" Students will then devise multiple ways to help conserve our resources and to challenge the idea that more is better by understanding the differences between needs and wants.
This unit will be taught over a five-week period. Week One will focus on what consumerism is, its history and how it affects us personally as consumers. Students will learn to discuss the differences between needs and wants. Students will examine how advertising is used to target an audience and used to make the consumer feel as if he/she needs that particular item to be happy. They will also design their own pamphlets to advertise a consumer good that they identify as a need.
During Weeks Two and Three students, will look at a broader aspect of consumerism and identify its effects on the environment. They will understand that not only are they personally affected by their choices but that their choices have an environmental impact. Students will read and discuss the life cycle of trash and its journey from production to landfill. Students will understand what natural resources are and note the difference between renewable and nonrenewable. Student activities will include indentifying what that they can do to decrease waste through reuse and recycling. Student activities will include making their own paper.
Week Four will teach students alternative sources of fuel. They will experiment with growing their own fuel and noting the environmental benefits of biofuel. Students will compare its economic cost to long-term environmental concerns.
During Week Five students will need to apply what they have learned in order to design an eco-friendly poster and letter campaign to the maker of a commonly consumed good, urging the company to take the environment into consideration during their production and manufacturing of the product.
By means of this in-depth look at consumerism and its application to daily decisions, students will begin to examine their own choices such as choosing reusable fabric bags over plastic at the grocery store or simply creating compost piles as a way to both reduce landfill waste and to reduce the use of pesticides, therefore diminishing land, air and water pollution. Students will understand the impact our consumer-driven economy has on the environment. They will be able to differentiate necessities from superfluous things and begin to make some changes to reduce the impact that buying has on the environment.
