Transforming Cultures: From Consumerism to Sustainability

During the last months of 2007, the beginnings of ‘‘The Great Recession’’ unfolded. While nowhere near as severe as the Great Depression eighty years earlier, over the course of the past two years, this economic disruption has already significantly altered the way America lives. Since the effects were first felt, and feelings of economic insecurity have spread, people have started to reassess what is necessary for a high-quality life. A Pew Research Center (Morin and Taylor 2009) poll conducted in April found that Americans’ understanding of what goods are indispensable has shifted significantly since 2006. While cars and cell phones are still seen as necessities, dryers, air conditioners, and many other goods are increasingly seen as luxuries that can be done without. More Americans are also starting to change how they consume, doing their own repairs, cutting back on luxury item purchases, and even starting backyard gardens to the point that some seeds are in short supply. Perhaps most interesting, according to a Rasmussen (2009) poll, one-third of the adults under thirty now prefer socialism to capitalism, while another 30 percent are undecided. These shifts in behaviors, feelings, and ideals are perhaps not surprising considering that unemployment rates have more than doubled to 9.5 percent since the recession began. Since then, an additional 7.2 million people have lost their jobs (bringing the total to 14.7 million) and countless thousands have literally had to abandon the trappings of their overextended consumer lifestyles—from large homes, to boats, to recreational vehicles, horses, even their family pets. The question remains though, will this Great Recession have a lasting impact on how we live, transforming our very cultures, or will we go back to our consumptive ways as soon as the market recovers and we feel secure enough to start consuming freely once again? If it is up to political and business leaders, the answer may very well be that this was just a hiccup, as there are new strategies being tested to effectively market stuff to worried and reluctant consumers, and many political leaders have passed and continue to push legislation that will infuse billions of dollars to stimulate the economy so it once again keeps growing. In reality, the only reason this is a Great Recession is because it gives humanity a chance to reflect on the path it is taking and to recognize that this high consumption way of life—a way of life that has spread so extensively around the world over the last six decades—is utterly unsustainable. If we can use this moment to start redirecting our path toward a more sustainable future—to literally reorient our cultural systems away from consumerism and toward sustainability—only then will we, as a species, be able to thrive long into the future. But if instead, we continue to pursue well-being in the near-term in ways that undermine our long-term security, then humanity’s very survival may be at stake.