Be a responsible consumer! ;)

Nowadays, our society changes in all kinds of ways to let place to a modern world. Whether in the field of technology, science, art, fashion or another, the world is constantly evolving at an exponential rate. This revolutionary expansion of ideas could worsen our environmental situation. Indeed, this development causes a quick increase of our current consumption and  that harms our planet. Each individual becomes more likely to buy unnecessary pollutants articles to satisfy pointless needs because of the thousands of ads that you see every single day. Without realizing it, our society is immersed in a reality from which we can't escape; it's called ''Over-consumption''. We should all do our best to take control of ourselves and try to become responsable consumers.

What means CONSUMPTION? It is the purchase and use of things to satisfy our needs and desires. It’s simply the action to buy and use something for basic needs.

What means OVER-CONSUMPTION? It’s when the consumption level is above the average . It is not the action of satisfying a need but a desire, that most of the time simply seems so unnecessary. However athough we all admit it, keep doing it. 

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But where all that came from?

Well, it all begins after the Second World War where massive companies began to develop their business. It started with companies from America, Europe and Japan, but eventually it spread around the world. A diverse market and products of all kinds were created to satisfy new needs. Companies adopted then a whole new mindset;  buy more to give the impression of having a high social status. Indeed, to be socially accepted and prove our power we needed to buy unnecessary goods and compromising technologies.

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Up to now, we kept this mentality without really understanding what we needed to do as a responsible consumer. And it is because of the advertisements that became more present in our lives that we started to adopt bad habits and harmful values. Advertising is one of the biggest influences on our consumption. It aims to create unnecessary needs for the consumer and make him/her think that the purchase of an item is directly related to his/her happiness.  It captures the attention of people by different ways, by colors, headlines, captivating images. According to the website Claumadevdurable everyday a person is likely to see 3,000 advertisements. It is said that before his majority, a human being has seen over 10 million advertisements. Isn't that CRAZY?! But real...

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But advertising is not the only cause of all this. The different methods of payment such as credit cards and checks are also causes. Keeping them always in our pockets, makes us sure to never run out of money and still be able to spend.

We certainly can't walk with our eyes blinded simply to avoid ads, but we surely can control the influence they have on us. Also, try not to depend too much on the easy methods of payment  and the desire to always want more to fill our happiness with material goods. 

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What happens next?

This problem of over-consuming becomes very important in our lives and our society, but mainly on the environment. Many negative consequences affect it.

Our consumption becomes a factor of over-exploitation of worldwide natural resources. It leads to a run out of energy, biomass, raw materials, water... These resources take a while to renew, and cannot be replaced, As a result, vital needs can no longer be assured.

This over-consumption have a lot more negative points on our unfortunate planet. In fact, it also causes a climate disruption, pollution of all kinds (water, air), and a lot of waste and so on since everything is related. You destroy one thing, the whole ecosystem suffers from that one loss.

People still continue to over consume without worrying about all the damage it has on our environment that needs to be well protected. In 1961, our consumption represented 70% of the production capacity of our planet, human activities since 1980 has exceeded the capacity of the Earth. In other words, our planet would need more than 14 months to renew what we consume in 12 months. It’s disappointing; to know that our society continues to consume and waste, while our planet is breaking up.

Consumption also affects our bank account. Actually, we are left with endless expenses, we still continue to over consume while our bank accounts get empty.

Over-consumption also becomes a psychological issue. We try to fill our sorrows, our anger, and our emotions by going for a shopping session. Over consuming becomes now a question of emotions. Consuming becomes a consolation.

In brief, many consequences are due to over-consumption and we must act now to prevent our situation of getting worse.

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What to do, now?

What we need to do is to set an amount of money that we have to bring with us whenever we plan to go shopping. Try to leave your credit cards and checks at home. This way you will not be able to exceed that amount and you will make wise purchases. Knowing that your budget is now limited, you will buy the items that are truly useful.

To reduce all the waste caused by excessive consuming and become responsible consumers, we should simply think about the usefulness of the article we want to buy, weather we really need it or not. This is the key for every wise purchase! Also, when we manage well our budget, you make sure to manage your consumption too and make a nice gesture for the environment.

Wonder if you could rent or borrow the item, or even make your own rather than buying it is also another option to consider.

Another way to reduce our consumption is to get active and do some fun activities with our friends and family members. Set goals and challenges for a better life with a healthy mind. Over consuming is not a solution to fill a lack. Stop believing that buying will solve all your problems, because happiness cannot be bought!To live simply and enjoy the pleasures of life will encourage you to reduce your consumption habits.

So, do not hesitate to adopt all these habits for a healthier environment, but also a healthier life.

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It is up to you to take the first steps for a better world and with your actions you can make a difference.

You know What ?! Just bring it, bring that brightness in you and make a good use of it ;) !

N.B