Did your hot morning beverage kill a songbird today? It’s possible. I know, there are so many things we as consumers must be conscious of that it is easy to lose track of them all. It’s interesting to watch the cultural evolution happening over the last century in the US, where we have gone from being barely able to buy basic necessities, to having so much junk in our homes that our garages and landfills are overflowing with it. Our lives are complicated by our cultural, possibly even human need to buy more stuff. Shopping, for many in the US, isn’t simply about getting the bare necessities, but it’s also about entertainment. What to do today? Go out to a park and go for a hike? Take a walk? Naw, let’s go to the mall. Too many of us fill our spare moments with shopping, and that’s because it is built into our culture. How many trips do you make away from your house, where you don’t spend any money? It used to be easier to do so when the old bank account was modestly endowed, but now, thanks to cheap credit, you never have to stop buying stuff. Our economy is designed this way; George Bush isn’t giving you some of your tax money back for nothing. How long can this waste-blitz continue?

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