schedule.

 conference participants.

 conference organizers.

 related links.

 Morris 2000 home. 

In Costa Rica and Honduras, two very different Central American countries, household and public consumption patterns have undergone significant changes in the last decade. My aim in this paper is to (i) examine the role of globalization and neoliberalism in causing these alterations, (ii) describe the ways in which traditional consumption patterns have been replaced by recent consumption styles, and (iii) in the light of a version of the capabilities approach, evaluate the impact of these changes on human well-being and sustainable human development. 

This paper discusses the diverse history and concept of simple living, the idea of gracefulness, the legitimacy of Americans' perception that they need more money, and the politics of simplicity.

Professor Segal's book, Graceful Simplicity: Toward a Philosophy and Politics of Simple Living will be available for purchase at the reception following his talk, and at the community forum on Saturday in Hale 270.  Cash or check only.

Mathis Wackernagel cuts through the verbiage about sustainable development and shows how, armed with a pocket calculator, some basic equations, and readily available resources, we can all begin to assess to what extent we are living beyond our means – or overshooting the ecosphere’s ability to cope.  He teaches us not only to calculate our individual footprints, but also how to assess the health of nations and the world overall using ecological footprint units (EF’s).  Not surprisingly, Mathis concludes that many of the world’s high-income countries – including Japan and the Netherlands, which are often held up as models for developing countries – are running massive ecological deficits with the rest of the world.  That is, their positive dollar trade balances and high levels of material consumption are supported by ecological flow and life-support services generated by an ecosystem area elsewhere on the planet several times larger than their own domestic territories.  Mathis will describe the significant implications of this conclusion (he calculates that we will need the equivalent of five to six additional planet Earths to meet the estimated material needs of humans in the year 2040) and, importantly, how we can all work to live sustainably as individuals as well as nations.

The exportation of the Western mental model of consumption by global corporations as they pursue economic interests in developing countries has been roundly criticized as detrimental to indigenous cultures, to developing political economies, and to global environmental integrity. Yet this activity continues unabated. I will argue that if one rethinks global strategies for multinational corporations as part of a systems approach, and redefines the notion of consumption as exchange, we will be able to reformulate global corporate strategies in terms that place environmental integrity as part of corporate strategic advantage, thus working toward triple-win outcomes.