Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

25 minutes	Part B: The Costs Of Consumption
20 minutes	Part C: Analysing Our Consumption
30 minutes	Part D: Do I Really Need It?
10 minutes	Reflection

Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge

Step 1.

Begin this lesson by inviting students to create a list of all the things they would like to buy. Explain that they will be sharing this list so they should be sure to only include things they are happy for others to know about. Students should try to think of at least five items.

Once complete, ask each student to create a Venn diagram in their workbooks. They should label one ring ‘NEED’ and the other ring ‘WANT’ (see example below):

Students can then work independently to add the items on their list to the relevant rings of the Venn diagram. Any item that students feel is both a NEED and a WANT’ should be added to the space where the two rings overlap.

Students can then team up with a classmate to share their Venn diagrams. Students should explain why they have added items to the NEED or WANT rings.

You could prompt pairs to ask each other 'Why?' several times in response to the explanation they are providing about the placement of an item as either a 'NEED' or a 'WANT'. This is a simplified version of the 5 Whys tool which can be used for uncovering the root of a problem. By repeatedly asking the question "Why" (five is a good rule of thumb), you can peel away the layers which can lead to the root cause of a problem. Answer the leading question, and then repeatedly ask why for each answer.

Allow students time to discuss their ideas and make any amendments.

Step 2.

Invite the class to come together as a class to discuss their ideas. Use the following questions to guide your discussion:

What is the difference between an item you need and an item you want? What sort of criteria did you use to categorise your items?
If humans really only need food, water, fresh air and shelter to survive, why do we have other items on our lists of needs? Suggest to students that things like phones might be considered a need because they offer connection to others as well as safety.
Where do we get the idea that we need or want things? What role do our friends or family play? What about external factors like advertisements? Who has the greatest influence and why?
What might be the relationship between the things we want/need, and the businesses that produce these items?

Through your discussion lead students to the idea that for a business to remain viable they need customers and so it is in their best interests to create products that customers want to buy. In order to tell us about the things we might want, businesses will advertise their products. When we buy their products, businesses receive money to keep their businesses going and to create more products. By producing products that many people want to buy, businesses can gain a competitive advantage.

Part B: The Costs Of Consumption

Step 1.

Explain to students that when we buy something most of us are really only thinking about how much it costs in terms of the money. But using money to measure the value of something doesn't always give us the complete picture of what that item really 'costs'. Economics can provide us with just one side of the story; we can measure the cost of what we purchase in a range of different ways. Using the concept of sustainability can help us create a fuller picture of what a product costs.

You could display the following image and spend a few moments clarifying the concept of sustainability (more information about sustainability can be found on the Sustainability Factsheet):

Step 2.

Pose the following questions to students (also available on the Student Worksheet):

What might be some of the costs associated with the things we buy?

Invite students to work independently to respond to this answer and to keep a record of this answer.

Step 3.

You can then explain to students that producing goods for consumption include a range of costs. These costs include human costs, such as time and people, financial costs such as money for materials and wages, and environmental costs like the use of natural resources (such as water, oil or energy), and waste (both through the production of goods and when they are no longer needed and discarded). Explain to students that in the rest of this lesson they will be focusing on the environmental costs.

Step 4.

Project or draw the following image on the board (also available here):

Invite students to suggest what environmental costs are associated with this item.

Now project the following Coffee Cup Images or add the following annotations to your drawing:

Explain to students that we can see that there are resources used and waste created during the life of a disposable coffee cup. However, what does this really mean for our environment? Students will now watch a clip that helps explain this in more detail.

Step 5.

Play the following clip from War On Waste (iTunes, Enhance TV). As students watch, invite them to record anything they see that relates to or makes them think about the following (also available on the Student Worksheet):

Sustainability - what are the social, economic and environmental costs?
The relationship between businesses and consumers
Needs and wants.

Episode 3, Australia - 14:31 to 22:00

Once complete, invite students to reflect on what they noticed in this clip. In particular, ask them to reflect on the three points above. For example:

Sustainability: The affordability of take-away coffee means that there are many people purchasing coffee in disposable coffee cups. The amount of waste created through disposable coffee cups (e.g. 1 billion coffee cups are used in Australia every year; currently, these cannot be recycled). Coffee cups contains materials that can be recycled; however, current recycling processes can’t separate these materials.
The relationship between businesses and consumers: People want to have coffee while on the move - disposable coffee cups enable this. The more disposable coffee cups we buy the more money coffee cup producers make. In addition, cafés sell people coffees.
Needs and wants: Do we need to have coffee while walking around? Do we need to drink coffee from disposable cups? What might be some alternatives to disposable coffee cups?

If students have completed War On Waste – Finding Out About Fast Fashion – Years 7 to 10, remind them of the concepts of planned and perceived obsolescence and invite them to reflect on the following: How does the example of coffee cups relate to planned and/or perceived obsolescence? If students haven’t completed this lesson but it’s still a topic you would like to introduce students to, you could watch the following clip: The Truth about Planned Obsolescence.

Step 6.

Now explain to students that as consumers become more aware of the social and environmental impacts of what they buy, businesses look to improve and advertise their eco-credentials. Show the following clip which again comes from War On Waste. In this clip, we see how some cafés are gaining competitive advantage by appealing to a more eco-conscious customer base:

Episode 3, Australia - 26:58 to 30:11

Once complete, invite students to work in pairs to reflect on this clip using the following questions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

How does this solution help address the environmental costs of consumer needs/wants?
Suggested answer: Reusable coffee cups use different resources to create (oil or glass), however, they don’t create waste for the time they are being used. You just have to remember to use them!
How has the relationship between consumers and businesses changed in this clip? Can you identify any new types of relationships?
Suggested answer: Customers are still getting their coffees but in cups that are reusable. In this way, they are supporting different coffee cup producers. However, they are still supporting the same cafés.
What strategy do the cafés in this clip use to increase their competitive advantage? Who are they appealing to?
Suggested answer: Cafés are offering financial incentives to people bringing their own reusable cups. They are appealing to people who are likely to be more environmentally conscious and these people will probably continue to support those cafés that offer these financial incentives. In that way, these cafés are guaranteeing themselves an income.

Once complete, invite students to share their answers. Use the suggested answers above to provide clarification.

Part C: Analysing Our Consumption

Step 1.

Students will now work independently to conduct a short analysis of one of the items in their Venn diagrams.

Invite students to select one item and conduct the research required to respond to the following (also available on the Student Worksheet):

What is this product? Describe it.
Do you consider this item a need or a want? Why?
Describe this item in terms of sustainability (e.g. what actions for sustainability are already being addressed?)
Can you think of any ways you or the business producing this item could reduce the environmental cost of this item?
What might be the impacts of this change in terms of the business-customer relationship and/or competitive advantage?

Once complete, students can share the results of their analysis in pairs or small groups, or through class discussion.

Through this process, ensure that students understand that the relationship between businesses and consumers is complex and always changing; businesses are always looking for new opportunities in the market, and consumers are always making decisions about what to buy based on a range of factors, including environmental cost. In addition, more and more people are starting to ask: Given the environmental cost of this item, do I really need that?

Part D: Do I Really Need It?

Step 1.

Now introduce the idea of a decision tree to students. Explain to them that a decision tree is a tool to help you make a decision. A simple Decision Tree Diagram could look like this:

In this activity, students will make a decision tree based on the question: Do I really need it? The aim of this activity is for students to develop an awareness of their own consumer habits and behaviours.

Depending on age, ability and time available students can work individually, in pairs or in small groups.

The decision tree should include references to:

Needs and wants
Sustainability (especially environmental costs/negative externalities)
Other factors important to students

Students should think creatively about the format in which to present their decision tree.

Step 2.

Display student work through a gallery walk format:

Reflection

Invite students to work independently to answer the following (also available on the Student Worksheet):

Has your thinking about your needs and wants changed over the course of this lesson? Why or why not?
What new concepts or ideas were you introduced to in this lesson that extended your thinking?
What questions do you still have about this topic?

Extension opportunity: You could also invite students to reflect on and respond to the following question:

Are you persuaded to purchase products because of their eco-credentials? Why or why not?

Take It Further

If you are planning on completing the follow-up social action lesson, War On Waste – Taking Action For Waste – Years 7-10, you can use learnings from this lesson to develop a plan for addressing waste at your school.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

War On Waste - Questioning Consumption

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