The earth is a gift we were given, but more than that it is our responsibility to take care of it, to ensure that those who will come after us can continue to benefit from it. If we can to leave it better than we found it-and at the very least to to minimize the damage we do. It is short-sited and narrow-minded to think that we can take what we want (or need) without regard for the consequences.
The level of consumption has increased to what an unsustainable level, especially as the developing world increases its consumption. There is so much wasted that a movement was spawned, Freeganism, of people who minimize their consumption and make use of the waste that is produced. Another less extreme way to reduce consumption is by joining a Freecycle group, which encourages limiting consumption by trading something you no longer want for something someone else in the group no longer wants.
We are constantly bombarded with advertisements designed to make us want to keep buying the latest products, highlighting a new feature that you simply cannot live without. The satisfaction of buying a new product lasts only until the next model is released-if that long, while the joys of living simply do not have a time limit.
