CONSUMERISM has become the heart of our modern world. Countless products that no one could truly justify as necessary adorn every shelf and showroom of stores, supermarkets etc., enticing people towards unnecessary and thoughtless consumption. Ironically, consumption is considered an acceptable goal of economic growth. While progress in science and technology has made available goods and services that benefit mankind and contribute to better living, it has also been responsible for increasing global consumerism.

The consumption of goods is viewed as economically desirable; however, the constant quest for increased economic improvement is promoting a preoccupation with the acquisition of more and more consumer goods. 

While humans have basic needs, meeting these bare necessities alone would not allow a productive and comfortable life in the modern world.  In advanced industrialized countries, a higher standard of living is often correlated with the amount of material things acquired or available in society.  In other words, the more material things people have, the less is their state of misery. However, over-productivity is destructive, and the technology that makes it possible is changing from an instrument of freedom into one of new enslavement.

Consumerism and the environment
Increasing consumption is rapidly undermining the global environmental resource.  It is worsening inequalities among the rich and poor. To eke out a living, the poor are becoming poorer as they strip their environmental resources to meet the demands of consumption of the affluent. 
There is need to redistribute resources more equitably between the high-income and low-income consumers. If not, the current patterns of consumption and consequent environmental degradation will worsen. 
To address the state of the declining global environmental resources requires a shift to cleaner goods and production technologies; it requires promoting goods that empower poor producers, and shifting priority from consumption for conspicuous display to meeting basic needs.
Runaway growth in consumption in the past 50 years is putting pressure on the environment like never before. Humans now consume a variety of resources and products today beyond basic needs to include luxury items and technological innovations to try to improve efficiency. Such consumption beyond minimal and basic needs is not necessarily a bad thing, as, throughout history, we have always sought to find ways to make our lives a bit easier to live. However, increasingly, there are important issues around consumerism that need to be understood, for example:
•    What are the impacts of that process of production on the environment, society and on individuals?
•    What are the impacts of certain forms of consumption on the environment, on society,and on individuals?
•    What is a necessity and what is a luxury?
•    Businesses and advertising are major engines in promoting the consumption of products so that they may survive. How much of what we consume is influenced by their needs versus our needs?
The impacts of consumerism, positive and negative, are very significant to all aspects of our lives, as well as our planet.
Making wise choices
As consumers, we need to be alert and to be critical of the choices available; we need to make ourselves further enlightened on the impact of each kind of goods on the environment and make our choices, based on those with comparably low impacts. Here are some simple tips to get you started:
1.    Ask. People who use the product know their stuff more than we do. They can be our relatives, friends, acquaintances.
2.    Review. Product reviews can be found in the Internet. Go to forums and check if the product is worth buying.
3.    Experience. These are for people who are about to buy a product that they want. Borrow ‘the’ product. Test it, see if it works, and if it does not satisfy your criteria, do not buy it.
4.    Alter. Alter your choice. There are lots of alternatives out there. If you want an iPod but you do not have money, then look for alternatives. Some of them are cheaper and are competitive to your desired product/service quality-wise.
Think of yourself as a being of choice. Though people will get through everything just to propose what they are selling, you are still in control of what you want. Do not be carried away by first impressions; by products that have a negative impact on the environment, or by products that you do not really need. Remember, your choice will ultimately impact the environment.
You can share ideas and questions by sending your letters to: ‘Our Earth, Our Environment’, C/o EIT Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email eit.epaguyana@gmail.com