More about this series
EPA's Consumption and the Environment webinar series presents information and practices for improving source reduction, an important issue for communities. Source reduction minimizes the quantity and toxicity of materials that later need to be disposed of and is identified under RCRA as a key strategy for achieving our environmental goals. Source reduction also helps to reduce GHG emissions, which are regulated pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
Please note the opinions, ideas, or data presented by non-EPA speakers in this series do not represent EPA policy or constitute endorsement by EPA.
Questions?
Contact: Viccy Salazar
(salazar.viccy@epa.gov)
206-553-1060
EPA's first Consumption and the Environment webinar series was presented in 2011. The series provides information and resources to increase understanding of the issues associated with sustainable consumption and to support those who want to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and create more sustainable patterns of consumption in their communities.
These webinars focus on helping regulators and environmental management experts gain better understanding of individuals' and organizations' consumption patterns and motivations. This understanding should provide interesting insights for communities, organizations and individuals seeking to reduce their GHG emissions, wastes and other environmental impacts through a focus on sustainable consumption.
We recently released a report - Opportunities to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Materials and Land Management Practices - which shows that over 40 percent of the GHG emissions in the U.S. can be attributed to the life-cycle impacts associated with the manufacture, distribution, sale, use and disposal of the goods and food we consume.
| Date | Topic | Speaker(s) |
| February 1, 2011 | Unsustainable Consumption & The Rise and Fall of Consumer Cultures | Erik Assadourian, Senior Fellow, World Watch Institute |
| March 1, 2011 | Evolutionary Psychology and the Creation of Desire | Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice and professor at Swarthmore University;
Geoffrey Miller, author of Spent: Sex, Evolution and Consumer Behavior and associate professor at University of New Mexico;
Derry Allen, EPA's Office of Strategic Environmental Management. |
| May 3, 2011 | Food: Why we waste too much | Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland and freelance journalist;
Jean Schwab, leader of EPA's Food Recovery Initiative and Greenscapes Program;
Ashley Zanolli, EPA, co-leads the West Coast Climate and Materials Management Forum. |
| June 7, 2011 | Counting Consumption: Measuring the Impacts of What We Consume (Part 1) | David Allaway, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality;
Michael Lazarus, director of Stockholm Environmental Institute (Seattle office) |
| August 2, 2011 | Integrating Sustainable Consumption into Your Community | Shannon Davis, US EPA, Region 9
John de Graaf, KCTS
Eldan Goldenberg, Sustainable Seattle |
| September 13, 2011 | Sustainable Consumption, the Economy, and Ecological Footprint Accounting | Mathis Wackernagel, co-founder of Global Footprint Network;
David Batker, Executive Director of Earth Economics |
| October 4, 2011 | Counting Consumption: Measuring the Impacts of What We Consume (Part 2) | David Allaway, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Chris Jones, lead developer for the Cool Climate Calculator |
| October 25, 2011 | Social Marketing for the Environment | Nancy Lee, president of Social Marketing Services, Inc. and associate professor at University of Washington Evans School of Public Affairs |
| November 1, 2011 | A Potential Solution: Plentitude | Juliet Schor, author of Plentitude and professor of sociology at Boston College |