CONSUMPTION CULTURE AND WASTE PRODUCTION

IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN ISLAM AND SUSTAINABLE LIVING

Natalie Maiorano
Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Background Information
3. Consumption Culture
4. Waste at Odell’s Pond
5. Single-Use Waste at ABP
6. How ABP Could Improve
7. Food Waste in Saga
8. Reducing Food Waste
9. Conclusion
Introduction

● The materialistic culture of America has contributed to an unhealthy relationship with

the Earth and its resources. This is evident in waste production on HWS campus.

● Integration of the principles of Islam into everyday life can help to create and spread an

understanding about our duty to conserve the Earth and its resources. I explore how we

can act more sustainably by observing the waste production in the Colleges and

connecting it to the principles of Islam.

Background Information

● Higher education institutions, where young people go to gain valuable life experience and advanced

knowledge, is a place that is home to overconsumption and excessive waste. However, higher education

institutions are also a great place to start sustainability practices and initiatives.

● Harnessing the power that resides in the young minds of environmentally friendly students creates an

excellent opportunity to influence other students who may be unaware of the extent of waste production on a

college campus. This can help students to move toward adl and away from the unjustness of disrupting

Earth’s balance through overconsumption (Abdul-Matin 2011, 29).

Consumption Culture

● Without realizing, we may associate a person’s value to their materialistic possessions, whether by their

clothing or the brand of their electronic devices. According to Islam, we are valuable from the day we are

born and we can honor this ideology by thinking and acting sustainably. This means that first, we must

overcome consumption culture.

● All of my waste observations on campus were connected to overconsumption, as consumption and waste

go hand in hand. I observed that one of the main sources of overconsumption at HWS comes from online

shopping.
Waste at Odell’s Pond

● Single-use plastic packaging, styrofoam, and cardboard were some of the most common items being tossed in the Odell’s dumpster. I

concluded that this waste was connected to the post office. My roommate, who works in the post office, said that the most common

packages come from fast fashion brands like Shein. Additionally, a large number of packages come from Amazon. Brands like Shein

and Amazon, which are known for cheap products and speedy delivery, influence consumption culture and increase waste.

● I moved trash from the ground into the dumpster, and transferred non-recyclables, mostly styrofoam, from the recycling bins to the

dumpster. I hoped that this would, at least, make a garbage collector’s job a little bit easier. I realized that we are often connected to

people we may never even meet.

● Without even realizing it at the time, I was touched by the principle of Oneness (tawhid) which emphasizes that “benefit for one is

benefit for all" (Abdul-Matin 2011, 30).

Single-Use Waste at ABP

● Plastic serving containers, single-use coffee cups and sleeves, straws and napkins fill the trash cans in the

ABP area and throughout the library. Paper coffee cups are coated in plastic (or wax), ultimately making

them unrecyclable.

● At the University of Northern British Columbia, “single-use hot beverage containers, typically used for “to-

go” coffee and tea, constitute the highest proportion [of waste] (% by wt.)” (Smyth et al., 2010).
How ABP Could Improve

● Eliminating single-use products and encouraging the use of reusable cups and mugs would significantly

reduce the amount of waste that comes from ABP. It is also entirely possible to eliminate plastic straws

either completely or by replacing them with a more sustainable alternative.

● We should be using products that most effectively use the Earth’s resources in order to avoid “wasting them

by overconsumption [and] polluting them with the by-products of our overconsumption” so that we can

“[live] in balance with nature (mizan) so as to sustain Earth’s resources for all time” (Abdul-Matin 2011,

27).
Food Waste in Saga

● At Saga, I observed that approximately every third plate placed on the conveyor belt was full of food. Saga

is not exactly known for having good food, however, we can make an effort to reduce the amount of food

that is put into the trash.

Reducing Food Waste

● We can become more mindful of what we put on our plates. We can make sure to have something on our

plates that we know we will like and finish eating in addition to one food that we are unsure of. This is a

good alternative to piling our plates up with food that may not be eaten. This is also being the khalifa!
Conclusion

● I learned that small changes to behavior, like ensuring waste is being disposed of correctly, avoiding fast

fashion and online shopping for fun, and reducing the amount of food I have on my plate, can help to

reduce waste production and can mitigate the harmful consumption culture in America.

● The principles of Islam serve to emphasize the ethical and moral responsibility we have to preserve the

natural environment, and they do just that. During my investigation into waste production, I decided to

make changes that follow the principles of Islam without even realizing it.
References

Abdul-Matin, Ibrahim. GreenDeen what Islam teaches about protecting the planet. San Francisco, Calif: BK, Berrett-

Koehler, 2011.

Smyth, Danielle P., Arthur L. Fredeen, and Annie L. Booth. "Reducing solid waste in higher education: The first step

towards ‘greening’ a university campus." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 54, no. 11 (2010): 1007-1016.

Zhang, N., I. D. Williams, S. Kemp, and N. F. Smith. "Greening academia: Developing sustainable waste management at

Higher Education Institutions." Waste management 31, no. 7 (2011): 1606-1616.