Key overall themes for this unit include:

1. What are the relations of quality of life (human well-being), standard of living (economic productivity), and biospheric sustainability (ecological integrity)?
2. How do consumption choices of individuals and nations relate to environmental impacts? How can this be measured?
3. In what ways is economic growth good for the environment, and in what ways is it harmful?  What aspects of economic activity are most important to address in policies to lessen these impacts?
4. What is the history of U.S. economic growth and consumerism? What factors have influenced these things?
5. How do personal choices and economic policies inter-relate?
6. What policies and principles regarding material production and consumption should environmentalists advocate?
7. What are your personal priorities regarding your consumption, and what criteria do you use in evaluating your behavior?

CONCEPTS:
Private choices reflect values
Values - internal, enduring, evaluative criteria applied in choices
Private choices both reflect and affect larger contexts
Sources of consumption - economic system & policy; social comparison
Effects - ecosystems - footprint
Consumerism has large environmental impacts

QUESTIONS:

READINGS:

1. Durning, Alan. How Much is Enough?  New York: Norton, 1992. Ch's 1-5, pp. 19-61.

QUESTIONS:

READINGS:

1. Rees, William E. "Revisiting Carrying Capacity: Area-Based Indicators of Sustainability.  In Audrey R. Chapman, Rodney L. Peterson, and Barbara Smith-Moran (Eds.), Consumption, Population and Sustainability: Perspectives from Science and Religion.  Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 2000, pp. 71-95.

• Read Redefining Progress's Ecological Footprinting project  and/or "Footprint of Nations" study
• More on Ecological footprinting

• Calculate your own footprint using the quick and simple on-line method

•  Use the laborious but much more accurate method -- copy record-keeping pages from Global Living Project (GLP) Handbook, on reserve, and download the Excel spreadsheet from this link. (Alternatively, you can follow the instructions in the GLP book to get a copy.) Follow GLP procedures and complete the spreadsheet.  Submit together with a short narrative of your thoughts as a result of this exercise.

QUESTIONS:

READING:

1. Durning, How much is enough? Ch 10, pp. 136-150.

• New Roadmap Foundation
• Center for a New American Dream
• Overcoming Consumerism
• The Media Foundation / Adbusters
• Jean Kilbourne's extensive links on advertising and media advocacy

QUESTIONS:

READINGS:

1. Daly, Herman, "Boundless Bull."  In B. Withers (Ed.) Learning to listen to the land. Washington DC:  Island Pr., 1991, pp. 233-38.
2. Prugh, Thomas. Natural Capital and Human Economic Survival. Solomons, MD: Int.'l Society for Ecological Econ. Press, 1995. From Ch. 5, pp. 109-115.
3. Rielly, William K. "The Green Thumb of Capitalism," Policy Review (Fall) 1990.
4. Durning, How much is enough? Ch.'s 8 & 9, pp. 105-135.

• Arnold, Frank (1999), "Environmental Protection: Is It Bad for the Economy?"
• Bailey, Ronald "The Progress Explosion: Permanently Escaping the Malthusian Trap."  In Competitive Enterprise Institute, Earth Report 2000, Ch 1 outline.
• Shanahan, John. "How to Talk About the Environment." The Heritage Foundation, Talking Points No. 16 (September 6, 1996).

• Notes on concepts and history of economic growth
• Encyclopedia Brittainica, "Economic Growth"
• McCain III, Roger Ashton, Essential Principles of Economics: A Hypermedia Text. 1998.  Go to link for "Economic Growth"

DEBATE QUESTION:
Is economic growth necessary? and Do we have duty to consume, or not to consume?

Debate format:  Each team will open with a brief summary statement of their main points provided by one speaker (5 minutes each side).  Next, each team may respond to the points of the other, and pose questions of each other (other speakers) (10-15 minutes total); the remainder of the time will be devoted to fielding audience questions, and class discussion.

OPTIONAL:

• Peck, S. "Industrial ecology: From theory to practice"

QUESTIONS:

READINGS:

1. Smiley, Jane. "It all begins with housework." In Roger Rosenblatt (Ed.), Consuming Desires: Consumption, Culture and the Pursuit of Happiness.   Washington DC: Island Press, 1999, pp. 155-172 & 214.
2. Plant, Christopher & Judith Plant. Green Business. Philadelphia: New Society Pub., 1991. "50 DIFFICULT Things You Can Do to Save the Earth," pp. 72-73.
3. Nash, James A. "Toward the Revival and Reform of the Subversive Virtue: Frugality." In Audrey R. Chapman, Rodney L. Peterson, and Barbara Smith-Moran (Eds.), Consumption, Population and Sustainability: Perspectives from Science and Religion.  Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 2000, pp. 176-190.

• On environmental values in developing countries, see instructor for a set of recent references.  For a short recent contribution, see "How Green is Your Market?" The Econonomist (Jan 8, 2000)
• Notes on overcoming over-consumption

QUESTIONS:

READINGS:

1. Crocker, David. "Consumption and well-being." In Audrey R. Chapman, Rodney L. Peterson, and Barbara Smith-Moran (Eds.), Consumption, Population and Sustainability: Perspectives from Science and Religion.  Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 2000, pp. 207-217.
2. Smilansky, Saul. "On Practicing What We Preach." American Philosophical Quarterly 31 (1) (January 1994): 73-79.
3. Forrest, Barbara. "Integrity." In J. K. Roth (Ed.), Ethics, vol. 2: 441-2. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1994.

• Kolakowski, Leszek. "In Praise of Inconsistency." In Marxism and Beyond: On Historical Understanding and Individual Responsibility (Trans. Jane Zielonko Peel). London: Pall Mall Press, 1968, pp. 231-240. On Reserve, highly recommended (was to be in reader, but couldn't get copyright clearance).
• See the June 1997 Atlantic Monthly article by Mark Sagoff, "Do we consume too much?"  And see the responses in letters to the editor.