What is consumption?Is it good or bad?

consumption (noun)

1. The using up of a resource.

2. A wasting disease, especially pulmonary tuberculosis.

Who consumes most of the world’s

resources?

The world’s wealthiest 20% accounted for 76.6% of total

private consumption.

The poorest 20% just 1.5%.

Americans constitute 5% of the world's

population but consume 24% of the world's

energy.

2 Japanese

6 Mexicans

13 Chinese

31 Indians

128 Bangladeshis

307 Tanzanians

370 Ethiopians

On average, 1 American consumes as much energy as:

• Americans eat 815 billion calories of food each day - that's roughly 200 billion more than needed - enough to feed 80 million people.

• Americans throw out 200,000 tons of edible food daily.

• The average individual daily consumption of water is 159 gallons, while more than half the world's population lives on 25 gallons.

The Average American eat 815 billion calories of food each day-- roughly 200 billion more than needed--enough to feed 80 million people.

We throw away 200,000 tons of edible food daily.

The average American generates 52 tons of garbage by age 75.

The U.S. population is projected to increase by

nearly 130 million people - the equivalent of adding another

four states the size of California by the year 2050.

What does all of this consumption look like?

This is the side of consumption we know: shopping malls and strip malls litter the American landscape. Shopping is so ubiquitous in our culture that people

often consider it a “hobby.”

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We seldom consider the end product of our consumption. We remain unable to deal with problems like climate

change, deforestation, and the depletion of our natural resources because we never have to face reality of what our consumption does to the environment and to other

people.

In Oregon, where scenes like this can still be seen, we often feel disconnected from these issues. But, if we look closer, we will see the malignant effects

of our consumption even here:

Fort Stevens, OR December 2009

Fort Stevens, OR December 2009

Fort Stevens, OR December 2009

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is twice the size of the state of Texas.

Cell phone waste: Atlanta, GA

Oil Cans: Seattle WA

Circuit Boards: Atlanta GA

Used Bullet Casings: Atlanta GA

If undeveloped countries

consumed at the same rate as

the US, four complete planets

the size of the Earth would be

required.