Can't spell consumerism without the con

How does consumerism affect the environment and what can we do about it?

View this email in your browser Read: Are we the hero or the villain? Estimated reading time: 3 minutes October topic: consumerism This week's module: 1. READ | 2. LISTEN | 3. ACT | 4. REFLECT Welcome back to Changeletter by Soapbox Project. I'm the author, Nivi Achanta, and I make it easy for you to fight climate change in 3 minutes every week. Someone told me that inspirational climate images motivate people to take action, so let's test this out.   What's up this week Hey Soap Buds! I'm really excited to dive into today's topic, consumerism, because that's the reason so many of you came to Soapbox. Last year, we were featured in the New York Times about this very topic. Fun, right?   Unrelated to consumerism but related to news, I discovered this reeeeally cool media platform called Frame and they just released an interactive story about the U.S. military being terrible for the environment.   Anyway. Back to consumerism. We're coming full circle (#CircularEconomy) and we can take action as we head into winter — the Season of Stuff. Holiday shopping season is almost upon us, so it's time to get serious about shifting away from consumerism.   Today's READ module features an article by one of my favorite journalists, Emily Atkin. She argues that consumerism IS the problem; climate change is the most serious symptom.   Reply to this email and tell me what your biggest struggles are OR share your biggest wins with the stuff you buy (or don't buy). Successfully convinced dad to stop buying daily on Amazon? Having a hard time with food waste because you can't see what's in your fridge? I want to know all of it.   From the Soapbox Oct 7, 12pm PST | Fireside chat on religion + faith in social justice with Kriselle Mendoza Gabriel. (Members only)   Oct 9, 10-2pm PST | Social impact & paint, Seattle (Members only)   Oct 13, 5pm PST | Soapbox Project Community Gathering, Spooktober edition (Members only)   Oct 27, 5pm PST | Letter-writing to incarcerated people, holiday cheer edition | Sign up before October 13 so we can send you all the supplies you need. All you have to do is show up; we'll have half an hour of Q&A with Adelaida, a formerly incarcerated Soapbox member, followed by half an hour of letter-writing. You'll write 5 letters each, 5xing your impact! Save your spot here. Join our community to get all our weekly events for free, make new friends, find sustainable product discounts, look for jobs, and more.   Your bite-sized actions Emily Atkin, author of HEATED, one of my fav climate newsletters, wrote this article called "Climate Change Is the Symptom. Consumer Culture Is the Disease" and it lays out why we absolutely need to take on responsibility for climate change as consumers. Highlights are below as always, but I hope you get a chance to read the full article on New Republic! Here's what's happening --    Consumption habits are staggering. Consumption is responsible for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study from almost 100 cities with 700 million residents. Our consumption demand alone is almost 2x the emissions from every building in the world. Jeez.   Maybe we're measuring it all wrong.  When we assign blame for what's causing global warming, we usually split it by economic sector. But that leaves out the fact that WE are demanding these things -- transportation, food, fashion... and a whole load of stuff. Atkin asks, "what if, instead of solely measuring emissions by economic sector, we looked at consumer demand within those sectors?"   We need to show corporations and governments, the "real" villains, what we want.  We can all agree that corporations and governments are structuring and condoning much of the damage we're witnessing, and they need to step up. However, this "stepping up" will only happen if it's clear that stakeholders and consumers SHOW that change is a priority. Reducing our consumption (and talking about it) sends a clear signal about the values we need our leaders to enact. We can only solve the climate crisis through collective action. Yes, we have to put pressure on corporations and government. But we ALSO have to buy less, waste less food, bike around, and shift the ways we live. (Some people say sacrifice; I say fun new adventures.) Make sure to read the full article on New Republic! Next week, we'll dive a little deeper into the "stuff" that's causing such a huge problem and take a look into how consumerism is so toxic. Don't forget to reply telling me about your biggest consumerism challenges and/or wins! Upcoming  Next week, I'm tempted to re-share The Story of Stuff video with you yet again, but I'll be on the hunt for more. If you have video or podcast suggestions for consumerism, reply and let me know. Hope to see you at our October letter-writing event! Copyright © 2021 Soapbox Project, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our free action plans via social media, Tech Ethics Coalition, a meeting with Nivi, or our website! Our mailing address is: Soapbox Project 415 Mission St. San Francisco, California 94105 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.