Why Buy? The symbolic value of consumption. Responsible and Sustainable Living. Images and Objects Active Methodology Toolkit 7
This toolkit provides suggestions for learning activities that not only shed light on why we buy, but also stimulate consideration of alternatives that can lead to more sustainable consumption
Which competences does this learning process promote?
The activities in this toolkit contribute to the development of the following competences:
- Ability to define what one considers to be a good quality of life and to be able to identify the values upon which this is based.
- Awareness of a commodity’s intangible and symbolic characteristics.
- Ability to understand how individual lifestyle choices influence social, economic and environmental development.
- Basic knowledge of the market system and the role of business.
- Ability to understand and compare the practicalities of both the supply and demand sides of production and consumption.
- Ability to recognize, decode and reflect critically on messages from the media and the market.
- Realization of the complexity and often controversial nature of sustainable consumption issues.
- Ability to acquire, assess and use information on the consequences of consumption especially on the environment.
- Consciousness of civil society’s power to initiate alternative ways of thinking and acting.
- Ability not only to envision alternative futures but also to recognize reasonable paths of action leading to these.
