Why is it that campaign groups and funders are neglecting consumption, a fundamental driver of environmental harm? In this blog, Libby Peake, explores why this is, the significant impact overconsumption has on greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss and why we must turn our attention to what we need to do to win on this issue in the long run.
Keywords: consumerism, consumption, systems change, values
Stephanie Brobbey’s informative keynote talk during our annual retreat for funders this year was titled ‘Embodying a Regenerative Economy’. Stephanie laid out some of the problems we face — climate change, biodiversity loss, extreme inequality — and argued that to understand them we need to interrogate systems, starting with the economy.
Keywords: communities, consumerism, economy, growth, investment, justice, limits, systems change
By connecting young people to their sense of rebellion, their values and their communities, we can help turn on its head the increasingly pervasive norm that success is defined by what you earn and what you own. In so doing, we can improve young people's mental health and help protect the environment at the same time.
Keywords: consumerism, effectiveness, health, joined-up-thinking
British millennials have the second worst mental wellbeing in the world, second only to Japan. One in four young women between the ages of 16 and 24 report having self-harmed and 93% of teachers report increased levels of mental illness in children and young people. What if the solution to the mental health crisis facing young people is the same as tackling environmental degradation?
Keywords: consumerism, health, joined-up-thinking