AFFLUENCE & THE ENVIRONMENT
DOWNSIZE YOUR LIFE, UPSIZE YOUR FUTURE
Affluence is the driving force behind many of today’s environmental problems. It is easily embodied in the over consumptive lifestyles that have become the North American dream. The excess use of resources associated with tourism, urban sprawl and massive waste are but a few of the affluence-related phenomena leading to irreparable results. Air, water, soil pollution, the loss of biodiversity, and global warming are becoming crucial determinants of our personal health as well as the health of the planet’s entire eco-system.
- What obstacles does affluence pose for a more sustainable future?
- What are the short & long term consequences of our consumer-driven culture and economy?
- Are there ways to challenge the destructive nature of affluent, unsustainable lifestyles?
PANEL DISCUSSION FEATURING:
Tom Keefer: PhD candidate in Political Science at York University and editor of “Upping the Anti” Journal will be presenting a brief commentary on anti-capitalism, peak oil, and the “limits of growth.”
Sarah Wakefield: assistant professor in the Geography Department at the University of Toronto will provide an analysis on the structural nature of affluence and over-consumption while focusing on food issues as well as ways to move forward as individuals and as a society.
Victor Lorentz: Forest Campaigner for Earthroots, a highly successful grassroots and non-for-profit environmental organization in Ontario, will provide at glance at the effects of affluence at the regional level while citing the environmental consequences of urban sprawl and deforestation in the province.
