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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    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| Intelligent Consumption Project Report Executive Summary
The Intelligent Consumption Project (ICP),a joint effort         of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences,Arts and Letters and the United States         Department of Agriculture Forest Service, has sought to explore the role         that informed consumer choices can play in shaping conservation policy         and practice,and ultimately in shaping our landscape. Intelligent consumption         is viewed as a critical part of our society ’s continuing effort         to develop a viable conservation ethic. The expected increase in the world         ’s population within this century will present society with challenges         unprecedented in our history as a species. Not the least of these will         be the challenge of providing food,energy,shelter,clothing,and other goods         for an expanding population that is increasingly affluent and able to         consume. The ICP has examined how intelligent choices, guided by a consumption         ethic,can and should contribute to conservation efforts domestically and         globally.        The ICP has focused on the consumption of wood and wood products,while         recognizing connections to the effects of consumption more generally.         Given trends in human population growth and the amount of forestland,it         is apparent that forest ecosystems will continue to be subjected to enormous         pressures even in the absence of increased consumption. Sharp reductions         in forestland per capita virtually ensure escalating conflict over forest         uses. With this increased pressure we will face difficult challenges in         our efforts to maintain the environmental services and amenity values         of forests as we seek to sustain them as a source of needed wood and fiber         products.        Per capita consumption of wood in the United States is twice the average         for other developed countries and roughly three times the average for         the world as a whole (Brooks 1993 and Solberg 1996).Supporting the expanding         world population at anything approaching current U.S. per capita consumption         rates will impose a substantially increased burden on the world ’s         ecological systems. Reduced consumption of wood and wood products is an         important response to this state of affairs. However,reduction of wood         consumption alone is an inadequate response. For when we examine wood         consumption in a broader context,we find that reduced wood consumption,if         pursued in the absence of reductions of consumption in general ,may result         in adverse environmental impacts both within and outside of the United         States. These impacts include likely increases in energy use,the “transfer         ” of environmental burdens,,and the substitution for wood of raw         materials that carry their own social and environmental costs. The environmental         impacts of consumption thus involve not only the quantity but also the         type of materials being consumed,as well as the type of environmental         costs incurred. To ensure that consumers have opportunities to make intelligent         choices involving wood products,we must recognize,seek to understand,and         communicate these connections.        Any strategy to encourage more intelligent resource consumption will need         to be comprehensive, and involve a variety of organizations and interests.         Such a strategy should logically include at least five components:
-  a foundation in ethics and moral authority; 
-  access to technical and scientific information; 
-  research and development on resource efficiencies; 
-  public education; 
-  and institutional incentives to encourage responsible             consumer choices. 

        The Intelligent Consumption Project has examined these components of an         “intelligent consumption strategy ” and offers the following         recommendations. **Ethics and Moral Authority**        To strengthen the ethical foundation for intelligent consumption,the ICP         recommends: explicit recognition of the connections between consumption         and environmental quality by opinion leaders and institutions in various         sectors;examination of current approaches to environmental ethics for         their value in illuminating issues related to consumption;greater scrutiny         of the consumption messages delivered through advertising and product         promotion practices,and the potential for these practices to be altered         to support more informed choices;evocation of a sense of place,and the         commitment to environmental quality it entails,through literature and         other modes of expression;encouragement of study groups and other means         of supporting those who seek to make intelligent consumption choices;and         avoidance of the language of shame and guilt that often accompanies messages         regarding ethics.**Technical and Scientific Information**        To improve the reliability and availability of technical and scientific         information,the ICP recommends:establishment of a National Materials Commission;support         for a comprehensive study of the impacts of material use and consumption;updating         prior reports on the energy implications of alternative building materials;establishment         of a credible and independent clearinghouse for information on the environmental         effects of materials use;and development of an easily understood rating         system to provide consumer information related to the environmental impacts         associated with the manufacture,use,and disposal of materials.**Research and Development**        To encourage development of new knowledge in support of more intelligent         consumption,the ICP recommends: continued strong support for basic         research and development,both within and beyond the USDA/Forest Service,on         efficient use of wood,and on materials use and efficiency in general;preparation         of a summary report on recent advances in life cycle analysis and “environmental         footprint ” analysis;;establishment of broadly agreed-upon protocols         for testing materials as part of life cycle analysis;and support for research         in the social sciences on the connections between economic and environmental         health and consumption.**Public Education**        To enhance educational efforts in support of responsible consumption,the         ICP recommends: preparation of basic educational materials related to         the production,use,and consumption of forest products and other materials;promoting         exploration of the environmental consequences of consumption at all educational         levels;support for interdisciplinary approaches to consumption-related         topics and for critical approaches to “consumer literacy ”;         tailoring of educational materials to varied audiences;and encouragement         of partnerships to promote ecological literacy and responsible consumption         outside formal educational settings.**Institutional Incentives and Barriers**        To improve the institutional and policy context for intelligent consumption,the         ICP recommends: immediate consideration of a national materials policy;development         of a national environmental accounting system to trace the impact of material         extraction,manufacture,use, and disposal (refer to life cycle analysis         above); fostering a national dialogue on desired future population and         immigration policy and on the efficacy of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)as         a measure of well being;and evaluation of and,where appropriate,promotion         of producer “take back ” laws and economic incentives (e.g.         tax credits) designed to create more environmentally sound consumer products.        Together these recommended actions could help make intelligent consumption         a core component of conservation in the century ahead.
©   2002 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  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