The Great Answer

American author and journalist, Michael Pollan, in the article titled, “Why Bother?”, published in The New York Times Magazine, addresses the topic of environmental issues and argues that the phrase, “why bother?”, is what is keeping society from changing the ways citizens use up resources. His main focus of reasoning is supported by his idea that specialization has a significant role in reducing the average consumer’s chance of changing their lifestyle and also highlights that planting your own garden would be a task which in turn would benefit the consumer in many ways, while also decreasing their carbon footprint size. He concludes that these actions taking place could have a chain reaction that would spread these practices across the nation and lead to positive impacts on the environment.

Upton Sinclair was not only an activist; he was a journalist, a politician, and a writer. Born in Baltimore, Maryland on September 20, 1878, to father Upton Beall Sinclair Sr. and mother Priscilla Harden Sinclair, Sinclair Jr. was a creative child. Growing up in a house where his father was a liquor salesman, he grew up in poverty. However, he got to enjoy the spoils of the rich due to his, religiously strict, mother’s family. At the age of 10, Sinclair’s family moved from Baltimore to New York where he would soon build his foundation. At the age of 15, he was selling dime novels to create his own income. Because of his early writings, and other means of making money, he was able to enroll into New York’s City College and Columbia University.

A strong ecological awareness may threaten Ford Motor Company, because if Ford cannot offer more environmentally friendly products to meet consumers’ demands/needs than their competitors, there is a possibility that consumers might consider switching to a competitor’s product.

Sinclair, was born on September 20th, 1878 in Baltimore, Maryland; being the only child of Priscilla Harden and Upton B. Sinclair Sr. (an alcoholic). Sinclair, lived a troubled childhood, unable

Consumers have become increasingly detached from their food as America’s food system grows larger and continues to ruin the environment. The main problem is that most consumers do not know how their consumption habits affect the ecosystem around them. Nor do they know about how their food was produced. Information about how and where the food is being produced and wasted is essential, so people can shop responsibly. Short of legislation, Americans make choices at the grocery store. It is essential for all Americans to cast in a vote with their dollars to change the way that food is produced in the United States resulting in more sustainable food being more accessible in the aisles of the grocery store for all Americans.

Widespread consumerism and the materialistic society we live in has many detrimental effects on the environment. The factories, vehicles, and resources used to sustain our goods-based economy contribute greatly to global climate change, pollution, and deforestation. Your coffee beans from Starbucks are harvested from dying out forests in South America, among other places, and shipped to the location nearest you by using excessive quantities of non-renewable fossil fuels, all so you can receive your morning pick-me-up. While refraining from purchasing that coffee on Buy Nothing Day alone will not provide an immediate solution to the issue at hand, the ideals preached by the yearly event can make the participants

Daniel Gilbert was born on November 5, 1957. Surprisingly, he didn’t aspire to be a Psychologist. In fact, when he dropped out of high school, at the age of 19, he wanted to become a Science Fiction writer. After several years of hitchhiking across America Daniel decided to go to community college and become a Science Fiction writer, but the only class left was Introduction to Psychology. Subsequently, he went to the University of Colorado Denver where he received his BA in Psychology in 1981. Daniel went on to get his PhD in Social Psychology from Princeton University in 1985. After graduation Daniel taught Psychology at the University of Texas in Austin, until 1996. He then taught at Harvard University, where he spent the rest of his teaching

As a country, Americans love to shop. Whether in malls, grocery stores, on the Internet, or elsewhere, the culture of buying is deeply ingrained in American culture. Fueled largely by advertising and the current credit system, America’s consumer culture is depleting our planet’s finite natural resources and polluting our environment. Consumerism has instilled in Americans an artificial, ongoing, and insatiable desire for mass-produced and marketed products, and the money with which to buy them, with little regard to their actual usefulness or necessity. This constant desire to acquire more possessions is poisoning the planet, as it can never be sated and thus results in the never-ending exploitation of the Earth’s natural resources, and

The boy who travels with his father finds purpose to survive in believing that they will one day find the good guys. In this he believes that they themselves carry the torch of being the good guys and finds hope in that. Throughout the novel, the boy expresses his heart for helping others several times when he gives an old scraggly man on the road a can of peaches, pleading to help a man who got struck by lightning, and by being worried about a boy who was alone they had passed on the road. The boy evidently through his actions expresses a need to help others. When the boy spotted another little boy from the road, he ran over to where he had seen him and searched for him. When the Father saw that the boy ran off, he grabbed the boy by the arm and said “‘Come on. There’s no one to see. Do you want to die? Is that what you want?’” Sobbing, the boy replied, “I don’t care, I don’t care” (85). The boy sees the little boy as alone with nothing and he feels like it is his responsibility to his own

Cornelissen, G., Pandelaere, M., Luk, W., & DeWitte, S., (2008, February). Positive Cueing: Promoting Sustainable Consumer Behavior by Cueing Common Environmental Behaviors as Environmental. International Journal of Re

Additionally, on a socio-cultural level, many consumers feel that restaurants partaking in green initiatives and operations are doing their part to not only help sustain the earth but also to conserving natural resources (Hu, Parsa & Self, 2010). “Going green” is not simply a trend in the food service industry but around the world and in all forms of business. Corporate companies consider “going green” as a sensible business strategy in building recognition for corporate social responsibility among consumers concerned with environmental conservation efforts. Lastly, technological initiatives such as Energy Star appliances (dishwashers, refrigerators, ice machines, etc.) and faucets that use less water must also be analyzed in their ecological conservation capability and weighed against their financial costs (University of Notre Dame, 2014).

The economy today runs on an antiquated ritual of exploiting, plundering, devastation, and manipulation of land for material wealth, profiting the wealthy and condemning the poor. This mindset is no more sophisticated than feudalism, a system so bad it had to be outlawed along with witchcraft. The idea that exploitation of land is justified has brought plastics to the ocean and leveled rainforests. Large corporations have grown larger by manufacturing and production, depleting the planet’s resources in the process. Now, companies must make a combined effort to put the environment first, before profit. Because of their harmful practices, consumers have the right to know where products come from, how they’re made, and the impact on the environment. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the large corporations to change their harmful practices, to make strides towards ending climate change and use clean, sustainable methods.

On your weekly trip to the supermarket it’s easy to find a number of products, from coffee to dishwashing soap, that flaunt their green attributes” (American Psychological Association, 2010). With such rumors of greenwashing, consumers are more confused than ever. However, some consumers know the tricks and are coming to find that there are companies whose marketing practices are legit, not exaggerated or deceiving. APA also found that, “people are willing to spend more of their hard-earned green on green products, according to a 2008 survey of 9,000 adults performed by the global business firm Boston Consulting Group” (American Psychological Association, 2010). Consumers who are willing to pay more for a product or service are assuming that they are purchasing a healthier, safer, and better quality product or service for the environment.

of Goleman 's theory is that academic intelligence has little to do with emotional life. To

Sunchips provides not only a “healthier” chip but also uses renewable energy and a biodegradable bag and encourages consumers to join their eco movement. Other companies, such as Pepsi and Volkswagen, are joining in too. The “Refresh Everything” project launched by the major soda chain is attempting to make its product more environmentally friendly, and Volkswagen is taking even bigger strides with its movement, “The Fun Theory,” which encourages customers to be green while making the process fun (Park 1). Other major corporations jumping on the green bandwagon include Hewlett Packard, which boasts its recycling efforts and energy efficiency, and Ben and Jerry’s with its effort to “Lick Global Warming” and employ other eco-conscious practices (Rottkamp 1). While these strategies have shed light on being friendly to our planet, the fact remains that the large portion of our population simply is not embracing it.