Overconsumption

Overconsumption. It’s a big word! But the idea behind it is simple. Let's take a closer look. Let’s say you’re buying things for back to school, but you’re not sure which lunch box you want. There are three colours with patterns you like and all three are on sale. So you decide to buy and use them all. Your friends think you look pretty cool eating lunch! But do you really need all three? Of course not! You really only need one. Buying more than you need is called overconsumption. Let’s look at another example. On your list of school supplies is a pencil case. Your mom picks out a sturdy plain one. But you’ve already spotted a different one. A great colour with stars on it. It doesn’t seem as strong, but you really like it. And you know your mom will buy you a new one when it breaks. But is the one with stars on it the smart choice? Especially when you know you’ll probably need to replace it soon anyway? It’s always better to buy things that will last and that you can use for a long time. That way you don’t have to throw things out so often and buy new ones. It makes sense for your bank account. And for the planet! So you can overconsume when you buy things. But that's not all. Maybe you let the tap run when you don’t need to. Like when you brush your teeth. Or maybe you leave the TV on…when you're not watching it anymore. You don't need a magic wand to stop overconsumption. You just need to take a minute to think about what you really need. So you can make good choices. Smart, right? Well done! You’ve now finished watching our video on overconsumption.