Change Consumer Behaviour:
The social norm of consumerism which values “consuming” over “doing” “being” or “producing” dominates society. This dominance is problematic for several reasons: (1) consumerism requires that people forever consume more which is not possible on a finite planet; (2) happiness derived from consumption is transitory; no matter how much individuals consume they never achieve fulfilment; and (3) consumerism creates and reinforces systemic inequalities.
The challenge for a steady state economy is to create a new social norm in which the vast majority of citizens routinely choose enough instead of more.
How? The shift towards a “mass behaviour of enoughness” will require the rapid diffusion of new values through the multiple networks that make up society. Some actions that could help change behaviours include: recruiting influential individuals as
agents of change supporting organisations with objectives that challenge or contradict consumerism promoting the benefits of non-materialistic lifestyles creating the infrastructure to allow new forms of corporate and civic entities to emerge and overcoming resistance from large corporations and the state.
There is an implied acceptance across most of society that the self-seeking individualistic values that form the backdrop to consumerism are reasonable and necessary. This acceptance needs to be reversed. Ordinary people can set a positive example by living values that reject consumerism. Motivation is also key to achieving behavioural change. Consumerism only appeals to some of the core human motivations (i.e. hedonism status and achievement). Love connectedness friendship spirituality and creativity are also powerful sources of motivation and it is crucial to tap into these.