‘Do I need this? Am I actually going to use this?’

How often do you ask yourself this question in the checkout aisle? How often do you act in response to this thought?

Many cultural trends that make today’s societies are centered around consumerism at the expense of excess, and resource deprivation. Some are beginning to ponder, as the world’s landfills are filling up with unwanted goods and as our resource levels are decreasing through excessive consumption, reasons people consume in excess.

“You see people throw out old phones because of reasons like, ‘my friends have it’, or, ‘I saw it and I liked it’. . .Do they really need that new phone?” Lena Nguyen, a Microbiology student at Iowa State said.

Nguyen recognizes the trend of excessive consumerism often in the world around her; among others, and even in her own closet.

“I have been guilty of this. I look around in my closet, and yeah, I have a lot of stuff that I don’t wear. As a society, I think we kind of look towards the next best thing that we can throw out in a month. It happens with clothes, with a lot of things…[Like] people and IPhones. People will get a new phone every other month just to feel like they have style.” Nguyen said.

From her experiences as a consumer, Nguyen has observed that some people have a hard time defining wants and needs, and knowing when enough is enough. Often, she feels that there is social pressure that persuades people to not think about if they really need the item they are purchasing.

“I had a phone that had worked perfectly fine, but I felt like I needed a new one. Why? When we see everyone around us with this new thing, we want to feel accepted and connected to one another.” Nguyen said.

Alongside the notion that people will make excessively wasteful decisions so they aren’t ‘the odd ones out’ in situations, according to Nguyen, there is also a motivation of individuality among many lifestyles/cultures that causes people to use resources: although some argue that individuality is necessary in terms of having personal quality of living, and can be sustainable.

“Not all [culture interests] are bad.” Nguyen said, “I think it is important to follow your interests… Without your interests, you don’t have the things that make you who you are. But people need to see that it is important, and it can be nice, to say no to things when their interests are fulfilled by something that isn’t new.”

Pre-Business student Julia Joseph would agree with Nguyen that culture trends, or lifestyles, including hobbies and traditions, though at times excessive, are important when kept in check.

“If there is a way to do [things] more sustainably, we need to do it.” Joseph said, “It is important to care about our environment. If we don’t, we won’t have a place to live and do these things called hobbies.”

Joseph, a student who enjoys listening to music in her spare time, and going to the gym, recognizes that her hobbies that aren’t considered by all to be ‘necessary’ for survival on the most basic level, but feels they are nonetheless important. 

“Being active is an outlet for me. If I’m stressed or angry I just go and lift a lot of weight and get it all out… and music just makes me happy. I think it’s important to have these [individual] interests because it makes you unique. By you being you, you can find people who are like you.” Joseph said.

Where most every decision today uses up energy—electric, fossil fuel, or renewable–Nguyen would agree with Joseph that hobbies and lifestyle choices are important to maintain, and describes a tradition she celebrates every year that results in resource use, but is essential to her values, like Joseph’s hobbies. 

“My roommate and I celebrate Chinese New Year. We’re both Vietnamese and our families celebrate it. We get money for it, in these little red envelopes… interests [like this] make you who you are. Imagine if everyone was the exact same and how boring that would be! I think that instead of a melting pot where we all fuse into one, [society] is like a big salad. You get your lettuce, and tomatoes and all kinds of different pieces, and most everyone enjoys the variety.” Nguyen said.

In terms of balancing an individual’s lifestyle and its effects on the environment while maintaining the interests that people value, Joseph and Nguyen believe that if people were more aware of the repercussions of their actions on the environment, they would act more sustainably when making decisions regarding trends, culture, and individuality.

“People need to be informed of what’s going on with the environment. People are into social media and learning about other people’s lives when they should be into learning more about their own… There should be a bigger spotlight on how we can sustain what we have. People are copycats. You buy things because you see others have it. The same concept goes for making [culture] more sustainable.” Nguyen said.

Joseph agrees with Nguyen, and believes that every individual should realize how each decision can collectively have a positive impact on the environment.

 “If you [live more sustainably], and the next person does it, it causes a chain reaction. People want to step up the plate and help make a positive impact.” Joseph said.