Abstract Consumption is the utilization of economic goods or natural resources. Studies of consumption are used to determine how and why individuals consume, and how their habits affect our society and the environment. While human consumption is increasing rapidly, a problem of overconsumption is arising. Over-consumption is a result of consumption being too high that sustainability cannot be achieved. Alternative sources of energy are being used today to reduce the amount of energy being wasted. These alternative sources arise from the advancement in technology; examples would include solar power and fuel-efficient vehicles. The wealthiest of the world accounted for 76.6% of total private consumption, the poorest just 1.5%. North America is the highest consuming country. Overconsumption in North America is a way of life. Billions of dollars are being spent by corporate advertising to make products and services appealing to people and also to re-shape people’s attitudes and emotions to convince them in buying their products. North Americans are exposed to on average 3000 advertisements per day. People consume a variety of resources and products today having moved beyond basic needs to include luxury items and technological innovations to try to improve efficiency. There are important issues around consumerism that are needed to be understood and thought about. How is consumption affecting the environment? What is a necessity and what is a luxury? Consumerism and consumption are at the core of many societies. The impact of consumption has to be considered whether positive or negative. Consumption as a term is in itself neutral. It refers to the utilization of economic goods and or natural resources. The concern, however, is linked to particular consumption patterns that are disregarding the environmental equilibrium. Some practices affect negatively our environment, notably the draining of natural resources. Another concern, also, is the degree to which the consumption of goods, and by extension natural resources as well, has plummeted to levels that are no longer sustained by the environment. This is particularly distinctive of some regions of the world, namely the rich industrial world who take on the responsibility of great share in world consumption. Given these skewed patterns, one’s consumption does affect the environment either positively or negatively, depending on how one is conscious about environmental issues. Consumerism as a social lifestyle: an environmental assessment Consumption in itself is not problematic. Merriam Webster defines the term as “the utilization of economic goods in the satisfaction of wants or in the process of production resulting chiefly in their destruction, deterioration, or transformation” (Merriam Webster). What creates problems is the adoption of some consumption patterns that are harmful to the environment, namely overconsumption and the draining of natural resources. Global consumption growth is a subject of interest of many stakeholders, notably energy-related institutions, conscientious individuals and associations, environment-friendly organizations, and so on. The concern is justifiable because there is an ascending trend. There are hardly statistical analyses of world private consumption but it is understood that most capitalist countries, notably the US, adopt consumption-led strategies fo