This thesis examines the issue of environmentalism through a study of the construction of the environment or the 'natural world' in contemporary society. It tackles the issue through a close analysis of a selection of material which engages with the environment in different ways. This material has been selected in order to identify methods of organisation and strategies of argument which are present across a range of texts and also to investigate the way in which environmentalism is entwined with other issues in society, such as science, feminism and consumerism. After exploring theories of discourse in the work of Raymond Williams, Claude Levi-Strauss, Roland Barthes and Judith Williamson, a framework of analysis is worked out. This is then used and modified in an examination of how representations of the environment feature in advertisements, eco-feminist texts and popular scientific discourse, and the way in which they become the focus of various discursive practices and techniques.

This thesis places the values shared by recreational hikers, backpackers, kayakers, and others within the British Columbia Forest Debate in the second half of the twentieth century. Using the 1985-86 Wilderness Advisory Committee as a case study, it argues that the interpretation of the concept of “wilderness” expressed by these outdoor enthusiasts can only be understood through the study of North American consumer culture. They valued “wilderness” as a commodity, not unlike the ways that forest and mining companies did, yet also expressed environmentalist concerns about protecting “wilderness” areas from resource exploitation and overdevelopment. / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate

Current American education is comprised of and influenced by a myriad of complex legislative, technological, and cultural representations of consumption, however this historic-educational study specifically examines how the Reagan administration discursively initiated the consumerizing educational framework. While existing research studies the neoliberal implications on education, this study addresses the neoliberal reforms under President Reagan within the discursive paradigm of its consumerizing impact. By using Critical Discourse Analysis on a selection of Presidential proclamations, speeches, and national educational reports, this study examines and elucidates how the Reagan administration created the consumerizing framework for American education. The Reagan administration distinguished American education from its predecessors as prioritizing the consuming potential of students, while simultaneously situating education as a commodity. The Reagan administration discursively positioned education as a commodity by implementing the free market values of competition and choice. Through Reagan’s encouragement of corporate involvement and rewarding the tenacity of business initiatives in education, American education transitioned from a democratic ideal to a market-oriented institution. This was specifically accomplished through positioning Reagan’s predecessors as misguided and situating Reagan as a rescuer, while legitimating the reforms as adhering to the American spirit. Similarly, business was presented as embodying the essence of the American spirit and being a rejuvenating force. Choice and competition were recontextualized from their economic purpose and recommended as a new form of educational governance. By understanding the results through the lens of some Frankfurt School thinkers and expanding on Bowles and Gintis’ educational theory, this study argues that Reagan’s reforms embodied a physical consumerizing aspect and an interactional consumerizing facet as necessary for the economy of post-industrial America.

The main motivation for this work was to show that economy cannot be explained just by economy. Many other sciences are essential for understanding economic processes and models of behavior. This paper presents the proven relations between the philosophy, economics and psychology. The study of different economic concepts requires development of an extensive network of connections between humans on the one side, and their social needs and behavior on the other side. The starting point is the return in the time of Ancient Greeks, with whose theoretical approaches can be explained the majority of person's actions. This paper uses theoretical analyses to assess the impact of the "passions and interests", hedonic happiness and stoic self-interest on the economic policy and individuals. Through the gently presented forms of hedonism, this work deals with different theories such as theory of modern consumerism, marginal utilitarianism, preference theory, theory of rational allocation. The data gathered in the form of publication analysis, little psychological experiments and real life examples serve to test the hypothesis of the direct relationship between hedonistic impacts on economic theory. The two research questions are dealing with mastery of passions and interest in the economic behavior as well as with the...

archives@tulane.edu / This thesis explores the GDR's propangandistic rebranding campaign of Centrum Warenhaus on Alexanderplatz. Such a campaign was exhibited in the remodeling of the Alexanderplatz between 1964 and 1970. The GDR's state department store Centrum Warenhaus on Alexanderplatz offered an alternative to capitalism best described as socialist consumerism. This system emanated state-driven policies like solidarity and brotherhood alongside East Germany's consumerist desires. Yet, this alternative did not last because it offered a figurative window to the west. Ironically, western products were rarely sold at Centrum Warenhaus and were only available for purchase at Intershops. These small-scaled stores created the societal divisions inherent in market capitalism. Access relied upon connection and western currency acquisition. As these two systems tried to exist simultaneously in East Berlin, the allure of the west overpowered each of them. The system of socialist consumerism in East Germany could no longer support itself. Its failure lay not in the creation of a capitalist alternative, but in its inability to provide such material sustenance to all of its citizens. / 1 / Lindsey Marie Harris

There is an urgent need to reevaluate current consumption habits and design practices in the fashion industry. In an effort to design clothing that not only lasts longer but is also kept longer, timeless aesthetics are to be considered. But what is timeless and how may it be assessed in the context of the ever-changing cultural Zeitgeist? This project is based on a participatory research process in collaboration with several people aged 60 and older.  In order to propose solutions that align with the diversity of viewpoints that came up during this research, a series of events were organised that corresponded to the different approaches to sustainable practices of the participants. The project emphasises the importance of diversifying fashion experiences for a more sustainable fashion future.

The Community Church of Pepperell in Pepperell, MA has a well-established pattern of fundraising events to support itself and its mission. Replicating the ubiquity of consumerism in American culture, buying and selling is the foundation of church activities, events, celebrations, and even worship itself. This project develops the concept of God’s Kingdom economy as it works to move this congregation, and perhaps others like it, from being controlled by the impulses of American consumerism. This transformation involves laying aside consumption for its own sake, rather using it to caring for our neighbors, serve, and share God’s love. Specialized worship services are created that incorporate the transformative power of testimonies and preaching as a way to reframe excessive church fundraising.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters in Communication Science in the Department of Communication Science at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2014. / Manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) have a social responsibility towards their consumer’s environment. Fast Moving Consumer Goods are consumed on a daily basis and their by-products are often discarded incorrectly, impacting negatively on the environment. However, many companies are beginning to take steps towards ensuring that their products are manufactured according to environmentally friendly conditions. The responsibility should not just be placed on labels, but consumers should be properly educated and guided on how to dispose of a product’s packaging such as bottles, cans and plastic bags. Producers, as well as retailers, of FMCG have an ethical responsibility towards their consumers. It has become fashionable and politically correct for FMCG companies all over the world to publicise themselves as “green companies.” However, the materials used in the packaging of these products are most often found thrown in streets and other open areas in the community. This research investigates the impact that FMCG have on the community’s green space and how companies and retailers can effectively communicate their green consumerism initiatives and demonstrate their CSR for both the environment and their consumers. This study revealed that 53.99% of the respondents do not recycle the unused packaging of goods. The primary reason was that recycling is inconvenient. The other conspicuous reason was lack of knowledge of recycling. Apart from that, they also mention that they do not have recycling bins in the community; they have not enough space in their yard and for the fact that they are not getting any incentives. This study focuses on how companies can assist in saving our planet by embracing the concept of green consumerism holistically. Further, the study exposes challenges faced by companies and social organisations with regard to green consumerism. It also tackles existing initiatives of entrenching green consumerism and the study goes on to offer suggestions and recommendations to effectively embrace green consumerism in a global society.

This book is about two families in Seattle acting out their dysfunction through a virtual world created by the families’ wrongheaded patriarchs. It attempts to explore digital world-building in the 21st century as an indefatigable expression of our cultural and personal desire to possess and produce the other, or our inability to imagine anything truly new even as we are capable of creating new forms with which to imagine and manifest that which we imagine. Note: this is an early draft of the book.

The object of this study is a program of government that has, as its immediate objective, the modification and regulation of consumer conduct deemed pertinent to climate change. Drawing from the analytical grid and conceptual tools of governmentality, this study has organized and analyzed an archive of documents related to the One-Tonne Challenge, a ‘public education’ program implemented by the Government of Canada from 2003 to 2006. There are numerous forms of conduct targeted by this program, involving many of the mundane and routine practices of everyday life. Despite their heterogeneity, the targeted forms of conduct can all be measured and evaluated according to the greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory, an ecological technology of government that has had its application extended to the ‘personal’ level. As consumers increasingly engage in practices that are energy efficient, a ‘low intensity GHG emission lifestyle’ will emerge as a new societal norm, which is declared to be the ‘ultimate strategic objective’ of the program. The analysis indentifies and describes two rationalities of government articulated within the archive of the program. Liberal principles and assumptions regarding the market economy are ascendant in practice; they delimit the range of governmental techniques that can be put into operation by the state. Nevertheless, the objectives and technologies of this program belong to an ecological rationality of government. It problematizes the liberal emphasis on ‘voluntary action’ and advances state planning of the market economy through price formation as a necessary governmental technique with which to manipulate the demand for energy and ensure that consumers become energy-efficient. The conclusion interprets and diagnoses the main dangers that could arise from the radical transformation of the market economy that would be brought about by an ecological political reason.