The concept of ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’ is unique to American society. The idea that we secretly compare and compete with our neighbors and friends is as all-American as apple pie and baseball. Most find this secret competitiveness harmless and somewhat humorous, while others find it strange. Other people look at it as a striking example of good, old-fashioned, consumerism.
Whatever your personal opinion of what it means to ‘Keep up with the Joneses’, We Can Live Green challenges you to stop. Now.
The average American uses over 300 shopping bags of food and resources in a day. (We’re not talking eating that much. We’re talking the products you use - including food - and all the energy and resources it takes to make the products and then get the products to you.)
Take a look around you. Americans have a lot of stuff! We invented the garage sale for a reason, didn’t we? Now, take a look around you again. How much of that stuff do you really need? Really?
Most Americans (well over 75% when surveyed) realize their shopping decisions negatively affect the environment. In fact, the majority will admit that our insatiable consumerism is lending a big helping hand in climate change. Yet, we continue to desperately attempt to ‘Keep up with the Joneses’. Why? Are we really that insecure as a nation?
Still not convinced? Take a good, long look at your children tonight. If you don’t have children, think of your niece, your nephew, your boss’s kid with those adorable freckles, the kid down the street with the funny laugh, your dog, or whoever/whatever you care about.
