Shahbaz -1-

Zoe Shahbaz

Professor Ludwig

English 101H

11 October 2017

The Consumers Corpse

American consumerism continually burdens the minds, societies, and ecosystems present

in the world. This prevalent ideology continues to strain the American way of life, economy, and

environment. Authors such as Alan Durning in his piece The Dubious Rewards of

Consumption emphasize this prevalent issue. Consumerism stems from the human desire to

satisfy our basic needs and, in a way, keep up with the rest of society, by purchasing material

goods and placing a higher value on irrelevant desires. Not only does this issue burden the self

confidence and quality of life of each individual, it more importantly damages the wellbeing of

the environment. With a considerable risk to the natural world, human consumption and the

neverending yearning for newer and more advanced goods results in an increase of air pollutants

causing climate change and exploitation of the worlds natural resources, thus proving the

urgency of a change to the ongoing consumption amid the human way of life.

Author Alan Durning, in his article The Dubious Rewards of Consumption, explains

the driving factors towards the inevitably futile human materialistic desires. Attacking this

prominent aspect of society, Durning explains, Since 1940, Americans alone have used up as

large a share of the earths mineral resources as did everyone before them combined. Yet this

historical epoch of titanic consumptions appears to have failed to make the consumer class any

happier (Durning 771). Portraying the absurdity in looking to goods and items for a form of
 Shahbaz -2-

superficial happiness, Durning presents the consumerist qualities among individuals as more

harmful than helpful. In solely comparing America to the other nations combined, Durning

expresses a sense of urgency towards the exploitation of the worlds natural resources, caused by

the growing amount of consumption present in the American populace. This article, mainly

directed towards the wealthier and more industrial developed nations, attempts to provoke fear

among its readers, in hopes of persuading them to halt their continuous and useless consumerist

tendencies for the betterment of the environment.

The natural world remains in danger so long as countries continue to develop without

being conscious of their negative impact amidst the environment. Because of the desire for

bigger houses, more and bigger cars, higher levels of debt, and lifestyles devoted to the

accumulation of non-essential goods (National 3), the human characteristic of consumption will

never end, leaving humans constantly unsatisfied with the goods they own. This desire for

humans to increase their possessions, provides much unneeded harm to the natural world. An

eminent environmental problem stemming from consumption is climate change. Because of the

increased industrial development and transportation, greenhouse gas emissions are increasing at

a rapid pace. As stated in an article from the Environmental Protection Agency, total residential

and commercial greenhouse gas emissions in 2015 have increased by about 14 percent since

1990 (Sources 2). This increase in greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and

nitrous oxide, trap heat in the atmosphere, making the planet beneath warmer, thus resulting in

the dangerous issue of global warming. A reason for this influx in gases stems from a growing

demand for goods to be produced and sold. As individuals increase their daily car usage to buy
 Shahbaz -3-

goods, and factories increase production, shipments, and deliveries, the American economy

flourishes, but puts the natural world at risk.

A main reason for the degradation of the ecosystem is the increased pressures and

demand of society towards industries to produce goods at a faster pace. This ideology is a major

contributing factor driving the unsustainable methods of growing and generating products. In

attempts to produce a higher quantity of goods in a shorter amount of time, consumption

patterns in wealthier countries increases demand for various foods, flowers, textiles, coffee, etc.

Combined with more harmful products such as tobacco and illicit drugs, and with input-intensive

agricultural practices (including using herbicides and pesticides) the diversion of and misuse of

land and the associated environmental damage in unsustainable methods adds up (Effects 5).

The increased use of herbicides and pesticides in agriculture results in the deterioration of soil as

well as a harmful seepage into groundwater. In order to preserve and protect the environment,

industries need to devise a more environmentally friendly and green means of mass

production.

With an increase in economic development in wealthier nations, the untouched, natural

land and resources available are decreasing. The urbanization of individuals is turning once

natural land into areas for homes and businesses. Industries will need an increased land to build

factories and corporations, therefore contributing to the excessive deforestation prominent in

todays society. Natural resources are necessary to keep business flourishing and thriving, a

detrimental aspect to the conservation of the once pure and untouched natural land. The priorities

of the individuals in society are the leading factor to this harmful effect on the world, as

consumer appetite is undermining the natural systems we all depend on, making it harder for the
 Shahbaz -4-

world's poorer countries to meet their basic needs (National 4). As wealthier nations, such as

America, rapidly use and waste a numerous amount of goods each year, the natural world is

unable to supply resources at the same pace that we exploit them. This concept remains

unrecognized in consumerist society, as we continuously desire the newer and more advanced

product available on the market.

Although most of the wealthier nations practice unsustainable methods of production,

many companies have decided to go green in their manufacturing and management. An article

by Pratt Industries explains that not only does this new trend of environmentally friendly

corporations aid the success and restoration of the environment, but it also makes the company

more successful. As a new trend among the millennial population is geared towards sustaining

the natural world as well as reducing the environmental footprint (How 3), more and more

industries are becoming aware of their effects on the environment. In utilizing greener

approaches when producing their goods, these corporations are in fact attracting the attention and

business of the younger population, thus not only increasing their profit but also improving the

wellbeing of the ecosystem for generations to come. The threshold has been reached for an

environmentally sustainable and healthier lifestyle. In many modern and urbanized cities it has

become, in a way, trendy to be educated, cautious, and aware of ones own actions as well as

how those actions affect the world around them. To better promote this trend, large

corporations need to awaken society, allowing for individuals to realize their impacts on the

planet, and how their choices can boost or bust the wellbeing of the economy and environment.

Industries, however environmentally friendly they are, will remain in the shadows if most
 Shahbaz -5-

consumers keep their same superficial mentalities, thus displaying the urgency for an equal

amount of effort between the industry and the individuals to make a change.

Consuming more and more goods, individuals turn to the throw away mentality

(National 5). Wasting a profuse amount of functioning goods solely to consume the best and

newer version in society, individuals are judging their status by who is ahead and who is

behind (Durning 773). With this mentality, individuals are subconsciously basing their worth on

brand labels and top-of-the-line-products. They value luxuries over necessities, thus resulting in

the mass waste of functioning goods that would be an amazing asset to those in less developed or

rural areas. Most companies still promote the excessive use and waste of land and products for

their own economic gain, a selfish and greedy aspect of corporate culture.

With such a fast paced and exponentially growing population, the food industry is also at

a higher production demand. This requires large food corporations to add an abundance of

chemicals to the natural products many people try to buy. Indirectly, the impatient quality of

human consumption, especially with food, contributes greatly to the degradation of the

environment as well as the declining in human health. The fast paced production of this food,

combined with the increasing transportation required to move these goods large distances, adds

to the declining of air, water, and health qualities in the world. The food industry is one of the

largest sources of corruption in this consumeristic world. It takes advantage of the naive and

influential citizens who unknowingly consume an abundance of chemicals and unnatural

products. A large negative impact of these factory farms on the world come from the pollution

they emit. As Factory farms emit harmful gases and particles such as methane and hydrogen

sulfide, which can contribute to global warming and harm the health of those living or working
 Shahbaz -6-

nearby (Foundation 4). With human consumption, and a desire for faster produced food, the

production method of these goods, results in an increasing deterioration of the environment. This

way of human consumption leaves a lasting impact on the natural world as well as the health of

those living in it.

The effects of the food industry possess corrupt methods in producing products for the

blinded consumers. As stated in the Netflix documentary Food Inc. the food market today solely

has the goal of producing everything faster, fatter, bigger, and cheaper (Kenner 44:52). This

ideology stems from the consumer lifestyle. Individuals are more likely to prioritize the speed of

a products production, rather than the quality of what is coming to their tables. This mentality

encourages the food industry to present unhealthy goods to the consumers, a common trend in

this continuously growing and always expanding way of life. A lack of patience, mixed with the

uneducated characteristic of many in society, allows for the corrupt and environmentally

degrading corporations to flourish and take advantage of individuals all throughout the world.

To arouse change, more individuals need to be informed of their impact on the wellbeing

of the environment. With an increased desire to fit in or satisfy their basic and superficial wants,

individuals place yearning over practicality, thus resulting in an increase of products bought and

sold. The wealth of a nation is based upon economic prosperity, thus driving corporations and

industries to produce goods faster and therefore usually in less environmentally sustainable

ways. With an increased need for transportation, by the consumers and the producers, an influx

of pollutants enter the atmosphere. As natural resources such as gas are needed to fuel the cars,

while timber is essential in constructing factories and buildings for the corporations, the natural

world is being exploited and utilized faster than it can replenish itself. The unlimited wants of
 Shahbaz -7-

humankind will never be supported with the limited amount of resources available to produce the

growing supply of products and merchandises desired. A higher demand of goods, however, is

beneficial to most non environmentally friendly companies, as their economic prosperity

advances. With the production of more unnecessary luxuries in wealthier nations, the natural

world begins to slump. Without the education and knowledge of how their actions affect the

Earth, humans will continue to take advantage of the resources the world has to offer,

disregarding and destroying the beauty of a once peaceful and delicate environment. The food

we choose to buy, the clothes we wear, and the technological advancements we continuously

yearn for, slowly take the purity and modesty out of the natural world. Each purchase adds to the

domination of industries that expose the world to unnecessary production factories and waste. A

world once blooming with trees, wildlife, and authentic beauty is now saturated with industrial

buildings. Pollution is staining the once blue skies, turned grey, all due to the consumerist

qualities of individuals who want the newer and better version of something they already

possess.
 Shahbaz -8-

Works Cited

Durning, Alan. The Dubious Rewards of Consumption. American Earth: Environmental

Writing Since Thoreau, edited by Bill McKibben, The Library of America, fourth

printing, 182, Literary Classics of U.S., 2008 (770-780).

Kenner, Robert. Food, Inc. Netflix.com, 2008,

https://www.netflix.com/browse?jbv=70108783&jbp=1&jbr=5

Effects of Consumerism. Global Issues,

www.globalissues.org/article/238/effects-of-consumerism.

Foundation, GRACE Communications. Impacts of Industrial Agriculture. GRACE

Communications Foundation,

www.sustainabletable.org/869/impacts-of-industrial-agriculture.

How Going Green Can Make a Company More Successful. Innovations E News,

innovations.prattindustries.com/2016/10/03/how-going-green-can-make-a-company-more

-successful/.

National Geographic, National Geographic Society,

news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/01/0111_040112_consumerism.html.
 Shahbaz -9-

Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions. EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 14 Apr. 2017,

www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions.

The Negative Effects of Consumerism. Greentumble - Together to Support Awareness &

Conservation Activities, greentumble.com/the-negative-effects-of-consumerism/.