“Economists use the word consume to mean "utilize economic goods," but the Shorter Oxford Dictionary's definition is more appropriate to ecologists: "To make away with or destroy; to waste or to squander; to use up." The economies that cater to the global consumer society are responsible for the lion's share of the damage that humans have inflicted on common global resources.” HumansMeanUseCommonEconomyShareEconomicWasteResourcesResponsibleDefinitionsConsumersDamageAppropriateGoodsLionsConsumerismEconomistDictionaryOverconsumptionOxford Author:Alan Thein Durning
“If the life-supporting ecosystems of the planet are to survive for future generations, the consumer society will have to dramatically curtail its use of resources - partly by shifting to high-quality, low-input durable goods and partly by seeking fulfillment through leisure, human relationships, and other nonmaterial avenues. We in the consumer society will have to live a technologically sophisticated version of the life-style currently practiced lower on the economic ladder.” IfsHumansUseQualityGenerationsEconomicStylePlanetsLowsResourcesEnvironmentalSeekingVersionsConsumersFulfillmentGoodsLeisureSustainabilitySophisticatedLaddersShiftingFuture GenerationAvenuesHuman RelationsEcosystemsHuman RelationshipsInputHigh QualityLife Style Author:Alan Thein Durning
“If we attempt to preserve the consumer economy indefinitely, ecological forces will dismantle it savagely. If we proceed to dismantle it gradually ourselves, we will have the opportunity of replacing it with a low consumption economy that can endure.” IfsOpportunityForceEconomyLowsEndureConsumersPreservesConsumptionEcological Author:Alan Thein Durning
