Life Squared - Helping you to live well

In the modern world, shopping seems to be the thing that defines us as individuals. The culture of consumerism is dominating the globe and has a major influence on people's worldviews, how we spend our time and how we relate to others. It has also contributed to a dramatic increase in our consumption of the planet's resources.

Many people feel we need to escape from this consumerist culture if we are to stand a chance of living sustainably, and to live wiser, happier and more meaningful lives.

Better shopping

To some extent though, we all have to shop, and a movement has sprung up to help people make better and more ethical choices when shopping.

Some of the best sources of information on making better choices are listed below.

Ethical Consumer

A magazine and website containing reports and research on the ethical ratings of a range of different brands and products - from jeans to household cleaners.

Ethiscore

A subscription-based website that enables you to search products and ratings.

Gooshing

Also offers a searchable database of ethical products - and it's free.

Good Guide

US site that claims to provide the world's largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of the products in your home.

Consumerism

The links below shed some more light on the idea of consumerism, explore how it affects us and the planet and put forward some ideas as to how we can reclaim our lives from this culture.

Adbusters

Organisation campaigning to expose and reduce the effects of advertising on people.

The high price of materialism

This is a great video from the Center for a New American Dream (visit their site - it's excellent) about the impact that our culture of consumerism can have on our lives and society.  It's a useful companion piece to our own booklet 'The Problem with Consumerism'.