Lastly, Durning looks at the things we buy and use. He states that higher income generally equals a lowered care of material items. The consumer class must move away from excessive packaging, disposable products, rapid obsolescence, goods that are not repairable, and rapidly changing fashions. Surprisingly, Durning's goal is outlined by words from Esprit.
“'Today, more than ever, our lifestyles must address the ever-increasing threats to our environment. We believe this can best be achieved by asking ourselves before we buy something, whether it is something we really need. By taking this approach, we will contribute to a healthier attitude about consumption.' This may sound like heresy from an apparel manufacturer, but it this kind of commitment doesn't catch on quickly, we could devour all that's left on the planet” (Durning, pp 96-97).
Most of the world undervalues renewable resources, ignores natural services provided by ecosystems, and under prices raw materials extracted from the public domain. Durning believes goods' prices should reflect something closer to their environmental costs through comprehensive revisions of subsidies and taxes to help consumers toward lower resource consumption. He also believes that “if legislators shifted the tax burden from labor to resources, companies would swiftly move to trim resource use as environmental taxes rose, and hire more people as income taxes fell” (Durning, p.111).
Can the consumer class move towards “voluntary simplicity?” Can we learn to enjoy time instead of spend it? If consumers are informed of environmental damage and how to avoid it, will we heed the advice to change our choices and the framework within which those choices are made? The answers to these questions may be found by again looking to the generation which includes Alan Durning's grandmother and my grandparents.
Their generation “practiced” what Karen Christensen “preached” when she said, “instead of consuming things we should cherish and value them. Instead of accepting the sobriquet "consumer", we should become not only conservers but creators” (Durning, p 140). If this mindset existed 50 years ago, there is hope that it can exist again today and 50 years from now.
Caring for things is part of the cultural legacy of all societies including members of the consumer class. I feel fortunate to have inherited some of this legacy from my grandparents. I have made my family's clothing; I make most of our food from "scratch": I shop at a food coop with my own containers; our family recycles; we give our clothes to charity to be reused; we try to buy goods that last even if they are more expensive; and, probably the most effective thing our family has done, is to start the countywide recycling program in our county.
I feel that compared to many other consumer class families we are a very environmentally aware family, and that frightens me. Besides all the positive things we do similar to our frugal ancestors, we also have more than one car, live in a large house, eat food imported from around the world, buy items wrapped in useless packaging, drive long distances to college and work, and the list goes on. If we are some of the best, is there hope for the consumer class to change?
Changing the consumer class mindset is a concept almost beyond my comprehension,
but I believe that there is an inherent tendency in mankind to care about others. I think that beneath the current "me first" attitude of consumers, there is a place where a grassroots campaign can reach and teach the benefits of escaping from consumerism. I am hopeful that the consumer class will come to realize very soon that a change away from consumerism is the only chance present and future generations have to find the "secret" to fulfillment in life.
