This volume places consumption at the center of debate by conceptualizing "the consumption problem" and documenting diverse efforts to confront it. Together, the chapters propose "cautious consuming" and "better producing" as an activist and policy response to environmental problems.

Part 3 describes citizen action through local currencies, home power, voluntary simplicity, "ad-busting," and product certification. Together, the chapters propose "cautious consuming" and "better producing" as an activist and policy response to environmental problems. The book concludes that confronting consumption must become a driving focus of contemporary environmental scholarship and activism.