Consumerism is destroying our environment. As the demand for goods increases, the need to produce those goods also increases, which leads to a rise in pollution, land use, deforestation and accelerates climate change.
Americans are notorious for supporting this toxic consumer culture. We spend money on things we do not need that will likely end up in the landfill or sit in our closets for years, which is a waste of money and resources. The World Economic Forum estimated that American consumers spent more than $1 trillion on Christmas gifts in 2019. This consumer mindset also promotes the desire to stay in style and keep up with the latest fashion trend. As a result, the average American throws out 81 pounds of clothing each year. The culture of desire and materialistic lifestyle we lead is forcing Americans to accumulate so many things that provide us a moment of happiness but cause long-term effects on the environment.
There is a solution, and it is something that has been under our noses this entire time: the KonMari Method™.
In 2019, the renowned tidying expert, Marie Kondo, took the world by storm with her transformational Netflix series, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. In the show, Marie Kondo helps people declutter their lives. Tidying Up with Marie Kondo is not a typical home makeover show. Marie Kondo does not encourage people to throw away everything; she teaches people to be more thoughtful about their lifestyle and consumer habits.
The Japan-based Kondo uses the KonMari Method™, a tidying technique that focuses on your feelings and what ‘sparks joy.’ During the process of decluttering, ask yourself, “Does this spark joy?” and pay attention to how your body responds. Even though this process is tedious, it allows people to select things that spark joy and help people identify what they genuinely love but, more importantly, what they need. There are six steps to the KonMari Method™:
Commit Yourself to Tidying Up
Imagine Your Ideal Lifestyle
Finish Discarding First
Tidy by Category, Not by Location
Follow the Right Order
Ask yourself if it Sparks Joy
Now you may be wondering, “What does Marie Kondo have to do with the environment?” Marie Kondo’s KonMari Method™ is more than just a decluttering method; it encourages people to be less wasteful and reexamine their lives. Kondo inspires a consciousness in our daily lives and how we interact with things we own or want to buy. Marie Kondo’s tidying technique is more than just a cleaning trend. It is a viable solution to helping the environment and stopping toxic consumer culture.
I am not saying that we should all stop buying clothes or start throwing everything away. Buying fewer things is bad for businesses, and there is the environmental impact of throwing so much out.
I am saying that we should put more emphasis on the sixth step of the KonMari Method™. We need use the ‘spark joy’ method when buying future products and emphasize consumer minimalism. Instead of buying products because they are a trend, we should start focusing on the quality of a product and the joy of ownership. The next time you shop at a Fast Fashion brand, think about your relationship with the item. Will this item bring you joy, or is it only for a trend that will last a week? Will you wear it several times, or will it stay stuffed in your closet? If we want to impact the environment positively, we must incorporate the KonMari Method™ into our lives. Suppose we all make these thoughtful changes to our consumer habits. In that case, we can shift our society away from the toxic consumer culture and live a more conscious lifestyle better for the environment.
As we make changes for a better future, I would highly recommend watching Marie Kondo’s Netflix Show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, or read her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. You will realize that Kondo’s tidying advice not only helps people declutter but inspires people to live a more mindful lifestyle, something we all need to practice and incorporate into our daily lives.
I relate to this article because my sister is a chronic shopper! Often she buys things just for the sake of buying them and the clothing iMtems themselves don't usually fill the need of having something to wear but it seems to be more about the thrill of buying something. Sites like Assos and Shein don't advertise products but advertise extreme sales, promoting the of thrill of buying over quality products. Victims of this clever advertising, end up hoarding several things that inevitably mean nothing to them and would probably benefit from the decluttering methods of Marie Kondo!
Hi Carolyn,
Thank you for this show recommendation. I really appreciate how streaming companies like Netflix are supporting the production of shows that are environmentally informative. I also really appreciate how she is encouraging viewers to make little changes in their life that have the potential to be super beneficial to overall carbon-footprint/environmental impact. It is definitely motivating to hear that someone like Marie Kondo with has such a large public platform is inspiring others to be more conscious of their consumption. After all, consumer culture has played one of the largest roles in environmental destruction. Great job.
I appreciate you highlighting a less discussed benefit of the Kondo Method. I hope that soon enough people realize the benefits of exiting the consumerism cycle to make a difference. So often we mainly buy into these habits due to social pressure, therefore escaping that cycle will be the first step for many people. Some may be worried about how they’ll satiate their boredom if they begin practicing minimalism, but as you point out, the goal of this method is making its practitioners more happy overall. I read an article today about how the residents of Denmark are very thoughtful about their purchase thanks to a sky high sales and absence of department stores. The author points out that th…