Do I really need this?

 

This question, often thought in line at a checkout station, is one that seems to be losing its influence on consumers as they fill their carts with new items. Some people are beginning to wonder– as the United State’s continues to add waste into their municipal landfills full of old goods– reasons why they are consuming, and disposing items, in such excess.

 

Dr. Susan Cross, a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan, and Iowa State University’s Director of Graduate Education,  believes that common reasoning behind making wasteful choices comes down to a variety of variables; one being convenience.

 

“Part of [being wasteful] is the situation that we’re in. People think, ‘are there easily accessed recycling bins? Is it convenient, or do I have to go out of my way ?’” Dr. Cross said.

 

Apart from individuals not usually willing to go out of their way to make sustainable choices, Dr. Cross also feels that conformity, and familiarity with unsustainable lifestyles, may also explain some of why people tend to throw things away without much thought as to where that item is going, or what effects it will have on the world surrounding it.

 

“’I think that, lot of the time, we tend to want to do what other people are doing, in part because we want to feel included…There is something that happens when we are in an environment that lets this happen, where we just don’t realize what we are doing. ” Dr. Cross said.

 

Lena Nguyen, a Microbiology student at Iowa State University, recognizes this trend of excessive consumerism often in the world around her; among others, and even in her own closet.

 

Nguyen would agree with Dr. Cross that conformity has a large role to play with wasteful consumer habits– though from her perspective, conformity comes in often when keeping up with new products.

 

“I have been guilty of this.”  Nguyen said, “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 look towards the next best thing. It happens with clothes, with a lot of things. People will get a new phone every other month just to feel like they have style.”

 

From her experiences as a fellow consumer, Nguyen has observed that some people have a hard time defining wants versus needs, and knowing when enough is enough, because of these pressures of keeping up with what everyone else has.

 

“I had a phone that had worked perfectly fine, but I felt like I needed a new one. Why? We see everyone around us with a new thing…we buy [things, often] to feel accepted and connected to one another.” Nguyen said.

 

Alongside the notion that many 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 that causes people to use resources.

 

“Not all [consumer] trends are bad.” Nguyen said, “I think it is important to follow your interests…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 consumer trends, or lifestyles, including hobbies and traditions, are important to maintain but even more important to keep in check when in the checkout.

 

“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, eventually we won’t have a place to live, and do these things called hobbies.”

 

Nguyen, Joseph, and Dr. Cross believe that although individuals feel that they have a good reason for buying something, and they should start thinking about the long-term effects of making that purchase, and that they should not be afraid to act on those thoughts.

 

“I think we underestimate what one person can do. We think along the lines that one person cutting down a cup of coffee a day, or two, or three cups, among millions of us [isn’t effective], but if even of a fraction of us did cut back, we would save a ton of waste.” Dr. Cross said.

 

Both Joseph and Nguyen feel similarly as Dr. Cross, and believe that every individual should realize how each decision can collectively have an effect on the environment, and even on other individuals.

 

“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.