RCSC 380 Sustainable Consumption

Examine consumer behavior in the context of global environmental and social challenges. Sustainability requires a critical shift in consumers' mindset to effectively respond to these challenges. We will discuss adaptation and mitigation strategies for consumers with special emphasis on overconsumption as the main driver of climate change, the reduction of individual and collective ecological footprints, the boundaries in effectively adapting materialist lifestyles, and the intersection of economic, ecological and social inequity. The course provides an introduction into environmental and social sustainability, including the science, theoretical concepts, and practical approaches used to analyze and reduce negative impacts of consumer behavior.