By: Thalia Muniz

Fort Collins, Colo. — How Does Consumerism Affect Our Planet? 

With the ever-growing market for just about anything, promoting consumerism has become the norm. We are told we need to buy the newest and greatest new product being released. 

While having the newest products might make us happy, our planet cannot say the same for itself or many of the underrepresented workers. 

While we use up our resources, we are also creating worse working conditions for people in less developed countries. The paper “The Lasting Impacts of Mass Consumerism and the Disposable Culture” discusses how overconsumption is ruining our Earth. 

They state that single-use plastic bags have become one of the most harmful pollutants, particularly to marine life; the plastics are broken down into microplastics, which are then ingested by animals. 

This is only one problem associated with overconsumption– there are hundreds more. We are stripping the Earth of its resources for our selfish needs. Although we have caused much damage to our ecosystems, there are ways to help. 

What is Happening Around The Globe 

Project Drawdown is a team of scientists whose mission is to help the world reach “drawdown” which is the point where emissions start to slow down and eventually start to steadily decrease. 

One solution they have proposed that could help reduce the impact of consumerism is working on reducing plastics. Not only would this reduce the amount of waste on our streets and in our oceans, but it would actually be able to reduce 3-5 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions released into our atmosphere. 

What Fort Collins is Doing 

Fort Collins has created and implemented many sustainability goals throughout the years. The following is a list of their goals that directly relate to reducing the impact of consumerism:

● Employees sustainably utilize products and services to maximize value and reduce the City’s overall consumption. 

● City operations recycle and reduce the impacts of disposable waste.

● The City supports and fosters healthy, productive, and resilient employees. 

While the impacts of overconsumption are catching up with us, we have come up with solutions to reduce the impact. Cities such as Fort Collins can serve as an example of how we can live sustainability without giving up our standard of living.