ENVS 183: Unlearning Consumerism/Spring 2015
Tuesdays @ 4:00 – 6:45 pm / Lafayette 210
Office Hours: By appointment, via Skype or F2F
Robert C. Williams, Ph.D.
(Call me “Dr. W”)
802.279.3364 (mobile)
rob.williams@madriver.com (EMAIL)
robwilliamsmedia (SKYPE)
DrRobWilliams (FACEBOOK/INSTAGRAM)
freevtyakker (TWITTER)
robwilliamsmedia (YOUTUBE)
Overview:
Through readings, student-led research, weekly lab exercises, films, and class
discussions, we will study consumerism both locally and globally as it impacts the
environment. Looking at recent research, websites, and our own personal habits, we will
evaluate social, environmental, and psychological habits of consumerism and materialist
values. We will test some tools for analysis of consumption, consider ethical guidelines
for personal and institutional choices, and review initiatives for how to move to a less
consumptive society.
Our Objectives:
Students will:
1. understand the scale and environmental impact of global consumption;
2. Increase critical thinking, reading, writing, and blogging skills.
3. assess personal levels of consumption and develop criteria for ethical purchasing.
4. consider regulatory, business, educational, and ethical ways to reduce
overconsumption.
5. evaluate the root social and economic behaviors that drive consumerism.
6. recognize, as members of society, how to assess how sustainability impacts their lives
and how their actions impact sustainability. (personal domain)
7. engage in an informed conversation about the multiple dimensions and complexity of
sustainability. (knowledge category)
8. Students can evaluate sustainability using an evidence-based disciplinary approach
and integrate economic, ecological, and social perspectives. (skills category)
Our Required Texts:
Annie Leonard’s THE STORY OF STUFF. (New York: Free Press, 2010). ISBN 978-1-4561029-1
Frances Moore Lappe’s ECO-MIND: CHANGING THE WAY WE THINK, TO CREATE THE
WORLD WE WANT. (New York: Nation Books, 2011). ISBN 978-1-56858-743-1
Our Projects (plus midterm and final examinations):
Project #1: STUFF Snapshots – Research and Presentation
Working in teams of three, research, prepare and present an 8-10 minute presentation
on a single STUFF topic, using Ryan and Durning’s STUFF book as a jumping off point for
further research. You may use any presentation platform you wish – Blogger,
Powerpoint, Prezi, etc. Be sure to research and present on all FIVE areas of Annie
Leonard’s STUFF-focused matrix: Extraction, Production, Distribution, Consumption, and
Disposal, and include in your ORAL presentation at least SIX embedded images, ONE
embedded short video, and ONE hyperlink to further research about your STUFF item.
Project #2 (ongoing): SIX Consumerism LABS
Working solo, each student will conduct SIX bi-weekly “personal consumerism” labs and
share their research, both online at our course blog and in informal oral presentations.
See lab details in the course schedule.
Our Course Grading/Assessment:

BLOGGING (20%) - Preparing through Posting is a vital aspect of our class.
Students must be current with the BLOG readings and screenings in order to
effectively engage in class conversation and debate, and to participate in class
conversations and projects.

QUIZZING (20%) - Presence and Participation are expected at all class meetings.
In case of an unavoidable late arrival or absence, please notify me in advance, if
at all possible. Repeated tardiness or absence will affect your learning, your
classmates, and your grade (1 absence = 10 points per class; 3 tardies = 1
absence. You have one “grace absence” – use it wisely.)

LABS (20%) – Prepped and Presented by our each due date, our SIX personal labs
are a vital aspect of this course.

PROJECTS (20%) -Provocative and Powerful, must be submitted via course blog
by the date due; late work will result in a lower grade (one full grade per day
late). Carefully proofread, spell-check and edit your work.

EXAMS (20%) – Midterm and final examinations.
OUR COURSE SCHEDULE
Week #1/Week of Monday, January 12
Welcome! Who are we? And what is this “unlearning consumerism”? STUFF
assignments. Project #1 - STUFF research and presentation preparation. Generate a list
of CURRENT/HOT stuff to research: chocolate, cell phones, coffee, etc.
Week #2/Week of Monday, January 19
Read and blog THE STORY OF STUFF, Chapter 1.
Project #1 - STUFF presentations.
Week #3/Week of Monday, January 26
Read and blog THE STORY OF STUFF, Chapter 2.
Project #1 - STUFF presentations.
LAB #1: STUFF Reflections (include at least ONE personal photo)
Please post as a stand-alone post at our course blog with supporting images, hyperlinks,
and ONE short video embed. Our LAB task:
1. Which STUFF presentation had the greatest impact on you? Why?
2. Name three ways the production of computers contribute to global inequity.
3. Which consumer goods in your life bring you significant everyday pleasure?
Name five and explain why each is significant to you.
4. Which consumer goods do you recognize as harmful but you use or consume anyway?
Name three and explain why each is a problem for you.
5. Name five ways you could change your own consuming habits in relation to everyday
items and activities mentioned in Stuff.
Week #4/Week of Monday, February 2
Read and blog THE STORY OF STUFF, Chapter 3.
Week #5/Week of Monday, February 9
Read and blog THE STORY OF STUFF, Chapter 4.
LAB #2: “Mobile Phone” Technology Fast (include at least ONE personal photo)
Please post as a stand-alone post at our course blog with supporting images, hyperlinks,
and ONE short video embed. Our LAB task:
Consider how many products facilitate social interaction and are an assumed part of
social “normalcy.” Give up using your mobile phone for 48 consecutive hours. Describe
how the fast affected your social interactions and whether you felt the impacts were
negative and/or positive and how, specifically.
Week #6/Week of Monday, February 16
Read and blog THE STORY OF STUFF, Chapter 5.
Week #7/Week of Monday, February 23
Read and blog THE STORY OF STUFF, Epilogue and Three Appendices.
LAB #3: Surfing the Net (include at least ONE personal photo)
Please post as a stand-alone post at our course blog with supporting images, hyperlinks,
and ONE short video embed. Our LAB task:
1. Spend 15 minutes surfing the Internet. Comment on your relationship with “the Net.”
2. Spend 15 minutes watching someone else surf the Internet. Take field notes on their
behavior, moods, comments. Add any insights and interpretation of your observations.
5. Ask ten people/students: (a) How many hours they surf the Net on average per day;
(b) what device is their PRIMARY access for the Net; (c) is their surfing work, play, or
both?
6. Conclude with overall comments on how any of this information informs and reforms
you.
Week #8/Week of Monday, March 2
Spring Break – Snow Play. Enjoy!
Week #9/Week of Monday, March 9
MID-TERM EXAM.
Read and blog ECO-MIND, Our Challenge and Thought Trap #1
Week #10/Week of Monday, March 16
Read and blog ECO-MIND, Thought Trap #2 and Thought Trap #3
Lab #4: Food Log (include at least ONE personal photo)
Please post as a stand-alone post at our course blog with supporting images, hyperlinks,
and ONE short video embed. Our LAB task:
1. Keep a log of all the different foods you eat for 48 hours. For each entry, assess a
value of 3,2,1,0 (3 = most impact and 0 = least impact) for packaging, transportation,
and production, to the best of your knowledge. Calculate the rating for each food for its
impact.
2. Circle high and low impact foods on your list. Mark whether there are alternatives
available for the high impact foods.
3. Choose three foods to investigate in more depth; write a paragraph on each
describing stages of producing that food and getting it to you.
Week #11/Week of Monday, March 23
Read and blog ECO-MIND, Thought Trap #4 and Thought Trap #5
Week #12/Week of Monday, March 30
Read and blog ECO-MIND, Thought Trap #6 and Thought Trap #7
Lab #5: Personal Dorm Room/Apartment Waste Sort (include at least ONE personal
photo)
Please post as a stand-alone post at our course blog with supporting images, hyperlinks,
and ONE short video embed. Our LAB task:
1a. Collect all your dorm room trash/recyclables for one week. Spread it out on a table
and divide up waste into categories: plastic, paper, metal, etc, other.
2. Take a photo for the course blog.
3. Which items were: a) most truly wasteful, b) most durable, reusable, c) designed to be
disposed of after one use?
4. Recycling is a learned habit; suggest at least three ways UVM could engrain or
encourage this habit with incoming and enrolled students.
5. The Union of Concerned Scientists says we don’t need to sweat the small stuff so
much (ch 6). If you were to follow their line of thinking, how could you reduce the
volume and weight of your own waste most effectively?
Week #13/Week of Monday, April 6
Read and blog ECO-MIND, An Invitation – Thinking Like An Ecosystem
Week #14/Week of Monday, April 13
Read and blog ECO-MIND, Cultivating the Eco-Mind, Moving Into Action
Lab #6: Home Energy Calculus (include at least ONE personal photo)
Please post as a stand-alone post at our course blog with supporting images, hyperlinks,
and ONE short video embed. Our LAB task:
Borrow a plug-in watt meter from the UVM Office of Sustainability, Assemble, as best
you can, all the energy-using appliances etc. in your dorm, home, or apartment and take
a SINGLE photo of you (and your roomies) with all your gear. Use the plug-in watt meter
to figure out how much energy each appliance “draws,” and/or go online and figure out
how to measure how much EACH appliance uses weekly, and how much TOTAL energy
your household uses. Do the calculations to then list your household’s use of electricity
for each item on the list, along with a final total. Where could you or your household
improve your energy efficiency or cut down on energy use?
Week #15/Week of Monday, April 20
Read and blog TBA – Earth Day Focus.
Week #16/Week of Monday, April 27
Read and blog TBA.
FINAL EXAM.