The business community spends more money on advertising than on environmental control. Many believe.....???

Question

The business community spends more money on advertising than on environmental control. Many believe advertising fuels a “culture of waste” that leads to heavy use of energy and other resources. People with money are enticed to buy unneeded products- more clothes, another car or TV, a new product to replace one that is still working well, and frequently second homes. Think about your understanding of the word sustainability. Is consumerism compatible with sustainability?

Answer 1

I believe consumerism IS compatible with sustainability, but only if our current mentality changes.  Consumerism can be fueled by higher priced items that are of a higher quality and last longer, and also by reusing.

For instance, someone that purchases a piece from a used furniture store is using a recycled product, they can have it reupholstered in order to suit their purposes, perhaps donate or recycle the previous upholstered material (which can be made into a new product.  The used furniture store, the upholsterer, and possible the company that uses the recycled material would all benefit financially.  

So I suppose the answer would be that yes, consumerism is compatible with sustainability.  But is MEGA-consumerism (huge mega-corps like Wal-Mart and such) compatible?  Probably not.  There's a difference (and it involves a lot of what's wrong with our society besides just environmental issues).

Answer 2

I believe they're completely compatible.  the rich provide jobs and wealth for the rest of society.  Their consumerism is related to their wealth.  If a dwindling supply of resources causes the price of consumer goods to rise, than as a society we will consume less.  The free market never fails.