All goods have embedded energy and resources, have been transported, and at some stage will need to be recycled or disposed of. All of these phases of a product's life cycle consume scarce natural services, and current practices are simply not sustainable. To force companies to improve the sustainability of their product offerings, we need to buy from the environmentally conscious and innovative companies, buy products that last a lifetime, buy local and buy less.

Advertising, brand value, retail therapy, and social status are the tools of the modern marketer, who seeks to convince you that your wellbeing depends on the things you buy. Breaking this spell and choosing not to be manipulated will allow you to pursue esteem, self expression and the stronger kind of happiness that comes from within you. It will also hone your critical faculties.