H375_2015AbstractHartE
Abstract
The global production and consumption system is broken. What we produce here in the United
States is unethical and unsustainable. If our food waste were its own nation, its carbon footprint
would rank third largest globally. Ever-industrializing monocultures, prohibitive legislation, and
a shift toward nutrient-void, hyper-processed meals threaten to tum half the world into an oasis
of useless excess and the other half into a food desert. How can a person live within this
established, deeply flawed framework while making an effort to disrupt its dominance and
change its structure from the inside? The Ethically Responsible Consumer project attempts to
provide one potential answer to that question. For three months in 2015 I strove to demonstrate
how an average citizen--a college student with limited time and a modest budget--could live a
sustainable lifestyle that advocated for social equity, environmental health, and economic justice.
During this time every item I consumed had to either be fair-trade certified, locally-produced, or
up-cycled in some way (i.e. dumpster-dived or second-hand). An account of my journeys is
documented through a series of daily blog posts that detailed my struggles and accomplishments,
my findings and conclusions.
Honors College
Ball State University
Muncie, IN 47306