Sad truth - products/services that are "sustainable" are more expensive than those that are not..... soooooo, most voluntarily or involuntarily to resort to buying stuff that's eventually going to kill us all....... this is logic at its finest.

I'm having some problems with this Marketing Sustainability class.... I don't think that sustainability can be taught in a class - I think it's a way of life. You either care or you don't. It's impossible to persuade some people - those that answer to arguments with "I know, but I don't feel that way", even after being bombarded with facts.

I still don't think that change starts with individual consumers. Consumers can only shimmy towards change, but they will never drive it. I don't think that people care enough.

According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, one needs to be able to meet basic needs before he/she can become "self-fulfilled". I think that, in our affluent society, people don't get to the point of self-actualization. Theoretically they should, but they are never satisfied with material possessions. They want more and more and more; what goes on in the rest of the world doesn't matter.

Our possessions seem to define the people that we are. Relationships, values, morals, etc. don't matter if you drive a Toyota Tercel and have a Motorola Razor. We're always looking for the next best thing, not realizing how blessed we are to have what we already have.

Appearance and how people perceive you is everything! We are so fricking shallow.....Why? Is it the fault of marketing? Possibly.....but I think it's a matter of being greedy and self-absorbed.

Taking the stairs these past few weeks made me realize how out of shape I am...

I bought this spray-in conditioner to cut down my time in the shower. Basically, I spray it in my hair after I get out of the shower and leave it in :)

Next investment should probably be dry shampoo or something like that so that I don't have to wash my hair everyday.

I was talking to my grandma, who suggested not using shampoo at all. There are various home remedies that she used when she was young to keep her hair clean. For example, she said she washed her hair with egg yolks when she was "a lady". I actually have tried it before and it did keep my hair clean. Last winter, I also gave up shampoo for about two months. Instead of washing my hair, I created this hair mask.... it will sound weird, but I used a combination of honey, dry mustard, onion juice, and a few other ingredients. My grandma was the one who told me about it. The mask was left in for an hour and then washed off with water. My hair smelled kind of weird - but only when it was wet. However, after a few weeks, I say a drastic change in my hair. It was shiny, looked healthy, and wasn't falling out. I also didn't have split ends. I never told any of my friends, fearing they would think that I'm weird. I didn't do this to "save the planet", I did it to improve the state of my hair....

There is a commercial put out by Chipotle, entitled "Going Back to the Start". Below is the link for the short video:
http://www.youtube.com/user/chipotle?v=aMfSGt6rHos
Every time I see this commercial, it makes me sort of teary-eyed..... but then again, as a business student with an emphasis on marketing, I realize that this is just a way for Chipotle to boost their image and appeal to "environmentalist" consumers.
I actually asked a manager about Chipotles commitment to sustainability the last time I visited a Chipotle; she had no idea what I was talking about.

This video disturbs me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmkj5gq1cQU

What gives humans the rights to play with nature? Why do we think that we are "Gods"? Why do we feel like we're untouchable?

I don't understand how people can disrupt the natural cycle of the Earth, facilitate the extinction of hundreds of organisms each year, and think that their futures are bright. News flash, if bacteria, bees, frogs, birds, whales, apes, tigers, bears, etc. are dying, eventually we will too. Everything is intertwined.... we can't live forever if we continue to destroy nature. This ignorance frustrates me and gives me little hope for change.

My friend the other day shared something with me that I decided to try. She said that she read somewhere that disposable razors can be preserved if they are cleaned and dried right after use, and if they are stored in a dry place. Kat said that after using her razor, she dries it with her blow dryer and puts it into a drawer in her room. Apparently, this significantly lengthens the life of the razor. I plan on trying this out. If this type of process does lengthen the life of the razor, then it will help me achieve one of my goals, which is to reduce my consumption.

Here are some things I've noticed recently that aggravated me:

1. Self-flushing toilets. Every time I use one, it flushes at least twice. The sensors must not be functioning properly and the toilet ends up wasting water. This technology seems counter productive.
2. Escalators that run all the time....even when no one is using it!
3. The public high school in my area, as well as many office buildings, keep the lights on during the night.

To decrease my impact on the word, I've decided to alter my lifestyle and commit to doing and refraining from doing certain things. Here are the changes I would like to make:

1. Eat less packaged foods
2. Refrain from eating meat
3. Use public transportation to commute as much as possible
4. Turn off lights when I leave the room for more than 10 minutes
5. Do not use the television for "background noise"
6. Take the stairs instead of the elevator
7. Decrease the time of my showers
8. Limit my consumption of products that satisfy my "wants" - such as brand name clothing, alcohol, cosmetics, etc.
9. Reuse products as much as possible
10. Recycle
11. Limit the amount of paper I use and focus on storing information electronically
12. Work out by going to group classes, instead of using machinery
13. Turn off my space heater when I leave the room for more than 10 minutes
14. Unplug items that I don't use or use infrequently

Ultimately, my goal is obviously to reduce my ecological footprint. I don't think that I can live a truly sustainable lifestyle since there are so many barriers to success. However, I can make choices consciously and with regard for the planet.

As much as I don't want to be pessimistic, I still do not believe that my individual choices make a difference. I think that change needs to start with governing organizations - it needs to start with those individuals who have the power to influence the thinking of masses. I, on the other hand, can only talk about the choices that I'm making and try to influence others to do so. I have been trying to do this for a while now. In fact, Saturday night, I started talking to my friends about my Sustainable Marketing class and describing the unfortunate impacts business and consumerism has on the world. I felt like the valid points I was making were ignored and the entire topic of sustainability was called "unfortunate" by one member of the party. This type of resistance made me shut up.... This experience further convinced me that change will not begin with me...