20 videos tagged consumerism
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Tessa Tennant
How can credit cards help consumers be more aware of climate change? (Part 1)
In this two-part series, Tessa Tennant describes how credit cards could be used to inform customers of the carbon cost of their purchases. A scheme, called ICE, is being designed…
Recorded: 18 April 2007
Tessa Tennant
How can credit cards help consumers be more aware of climate change? (Part 2)
In the second part of a two-part series, Tessa Tennant describes how credit cards could be used to inform customers of the carbon cost of their purchases. A scheme, called ICE,…
Recorded: 18 April 2007
Takashi Kiuchi
What’s wrong with modern economics?
Kiuchi believes that various aspects of modern economics are outmoded. The Keynesian economic model is one example, with its emphasis on maximizing demand by any means so as to…
Recorded: 8 September 2006
Takashi Kiuchi
Can humanity live sustainably?
Takashi Kiuchi recently commissioned a piece of research on the future of the planet, paid for by a prominent Japanese insurance company. Based on the results of the study, conducted…
Recorded: 8 September 2006
David Orr
Why is advertising so powerful?
Professor Orr takes a critical look at the culture of mass advertising. He describes the pioneering work of advertising guru Edward Bernays, nephew of psychologist Sigmund Freud.…
Recorded: 13 May 2006
Bill McKibben
What can nature teach us about self-sufficiency?
Western consumer society is driven by an overwhelming sense of insufficiency. This is compounded by our linear, non-cyclical attitude to time. While economic activity strives for…
Recorded: 15 October 2005
Bill McKibben
What are the benefits of eating locally produced food?
Bill McKibben describes his experience eating seasonal foods grown locally to his home in Vermont. The benefits of eating fresh local produce are both environmental and surprisingly…
Recorded: 15 October 2005
Julia Butterfly Hill
How can we make sustainability mainstream?
Campaigner and environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill reflects on the concept of sustainability and what it will take to make it mainstream. She talks about the power of individual…
Recorded: 22 April 2005
Julia Butterfly Hill
Why does the media focus on negative news?
Julia looks at how negative news stories in the media fuels consumer activity. She suggests that positive news will never have a place in the mainstream media as long as the corporations…
Recorded: 22 April 2005
John Cavanagh
What does it mean to be a consumer?
John Cavanagh highlights the power that individuals possess as consumers, workers, investors and citizens by the choices that they make. He points to the success of the fair trade…
Recorded: 13 April 2005
Erika Lesser
What is the Slow Food movement? (Part One)
Slow Food is a global movement dedicated to the preservation of traditional food culture. In this two-part series Erika Lesser, Director of Slow Food USA, compares slow food with…
Recorded: 11 April 2005
Erika Lesser
What is the Slow Food movement? (Part Two)
Slow Food is a global movement dedicated to the preservation of traditional food culture. In this two-part series Erika Lesser, Director of Slow Food USA, compares slow food with…
Recorded: 11 April 2005
Jerry Mander
What is the impact of agribusiness on the world?
Jerry Mander describes the hugely destructive effects of agribusiness on local economies in developing countries. Agribusiness creates profit maximization by amassing large land…
Recorded: 24 January 2005
Jerry Mander
Who controls the world’s media?
Jerry Mander, formerly President of a major US advertising company, describes the staggering concentration of media ownership in the world today. He talks about how much time is…
Recorded: 24 January 2005
Tony Juniper
How can consumers be made aware of the impact of their actions?
Tony Juniper talks about the disconnect between consumer lifestyles and the ecological effects they have on other parts of the world. He says that most consumers in the west are…
Recorded: 8 December 2004
Ela Gandhi
What can Gandhi teach us about sustainability?
Ela Gandhi talks about her grandfather’s transformation from lawyer to civil rights leader. She tells the story of Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to the Mariannhill Monastery…
Recorded: 10 July 2004
Satish Kumar
What are the main problems of materialism?
Satish Kumar describes how present levels of consumption in the West are simply unsustainable. He examines the material values prevalent in much of Western society and envisages…
Recorded: 28 May 2004
Frank Dixon
Is our economic system flawed?
Frank Dixon elaborates on why he thinks our present economic and political systems incentivize to do business in irresponsible ways. He describes how these systems can be changed…
Recorded: 20 May 2004
Wolfgang Sachs
What are the hidden costs of creating the products we use everyday?
Dr. Sachs talks about the hidden production costs of many of the products we habitually consume and suggests that buying eco-friendly and fair trade goods is the best way to minimize…
Recorded: 21 February 2004
Helena Norberg-Hodge
What are the roots of fundamentalism?
Helena Norberg-Hodge looks at the root causes of fundamentalist terrorism and ethnic violence. She sees the problem as being largely one of economics. Greater competition is forcing…
Recorded: 1 September 2002
