Globalization has made
consumers powerful actors in our world economy. Our daily choices as consumers
affect the lives of workers in distant places and the way people live.
Sustainable consumption means buying goods and services that do not harm the
environment, society, and the economy. Although it is predominantly an issue
for high-income and emerging economies, consumption is an excellent entry point
for teaching about sustainable development. Consumer education is practical,
touching the daily lives of people near and far away. Local consumer action can
have a global, social, economic, and environmental impact, both today and
tomorrow. Education therefore has an important role to play for consumers, in
terms of: -learning to know about the products we buy; encourage curiosity
about how and where goods are produced as well as what the working conditions
are in the country of origin? How far are goods shipped to reach the
supermarket shelves? What is the environmental footprint of the production and
transport of certain products? -using knowledge about the impact of our
economic choices in order to change our behaviour and consumption habits.
However, knowledge is not enough. ESD is a transformative learning process and
aims to change the way people interact with the world.
THE ABC FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES
UNEP / UN HABITAT / FIDIC / GI-REC
Graphic: Alternative Consumer
