Sustainable Life Path Concept: Journeying toward Sustainable Consumption

Abstract

As a modest estimate, the average person enters into at least a million consumer transactions over the span of their lifetime (based on 75 years of consumption (during ages15-80) and 35 decisions each day, totalling 958,125). This guestimate puts a face to the scope of people's consumption behaviour during their life. People tend to view these purchases as single events, that build up over time. From this fragmented point of view, it is easy to dismiss the lifetime impact of these many consumption decisions. Most of these individual consumer transactions result in unsustainable consumption. Multiply this complexity by billions of consumers and the unsustainability quotient goes through the roof.This paper introduces the idea of a sustainable life path as a way to help people view consumption as a journey, a complex, lifelong process, rather than a series of one-time, separate shopping trips. Currently, people tend to think of consumers as making a lot of individual shopping trips, leading to a pile of goods and services (called materialistic gain). The sustainable life path concept presumes instead that people's consumer journey decisions are a key part of their overall life decisions, which are made over the course of their life journey. A journey entails travelling from one place to another, usually taking a rather long time. Over the course of a journey, people make many journey decisions and journey choices, informed by both their rational decision making and their experiences on the journey. Thinking of consumer decisions as better life journey choices (instead of better consumer choices) is a new way of thinking.Just to clarify, this is a think piece rather than a scientific study. The intent is to bring this idea to people's attention, in hopes they will think more about it. It asks people to intentionally journey through their life making decisions that will sustain all life, especially their consumer decisions. The paper offers for the first time a detailed definition of a life path, followed with a discussion of a the new idea of a sustainable life path, applied to consumption decisions.A life path is defined as a course along which people travel while they are alive. This path is rich with (a) life events, experiences and activities, (b) informed or not by a particular purpose(s), (c) blocked or not by obstacles and barriers, and (d) likely involves socially- judged conduct along the way. Seven ideas were then woven together to create the definition of a sustainable life path. In short, it is informed by an examined and vitally engaged life. It reflects a worthy and purposeful life shaped by choiceful and soulful simplicity, life intentions and acumen (deep insights). In their consumer role, people will become purposeful pathfinders striving to find their path to purpose, consuming 'on purpose.'In more detail, people living an examined life look very closely at their life, and come up with a deliberately chosen set of beliefs and values. Living an engaged life means people choose to build their life based on awareness, consciousness, deliberation, confidence, persistence, efficacy (feel they can make a difference), commitment and connections. …

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