Reversing Consumer Culture Is Tough, But It Needs To Be Done

By saying that the current environmental situation demands "cultural transformation," Eric Assadourian means just that. The culture of consuming that seems to be permeating even the remotest of places, must move toward a culture of sustainability. Like he says, we must begin to learn that more stuff does not necessitate happiness and endless growth is not a realistic goal in a finite world.

I think Assadourian's transformative plan is bold, extreme, and ambitious, but most importantly, I think it is necessary. If everyone in the world lived like I do, we would need about 4 planet earths to sustain us. I find this to be extremely alarming. If we continue consuming the way we do now, we will most certainly strip the earth of its ability to sustain much of anything. This definitely calls for some sort of shift and the holistic transformation of this consume or die culture through education, business, government, media, social movements, and sustainable traditions that Assadourian suggests, seems to me to be the best option. One aspect of culture transformed would not be enough. Although it will most definitely be very difficult, calling upon all of these different institutions is the only way to achieve the change necessary to even try to reverse the damage that has already been done.