consumerism
A summer Christmas in Costa Rica
January 5, 2026By: Maya Barillas Mohan, Staff Writer “Pura vida” is the unofficial national motto of laid-back, cloudless Costa Rica. It is the one-size-fits-all response to life’s greatest satisfactions: good food, weather, and company. Because Costa Rica is 10 degrees from the equator, it gets 12 hours of daylight starting just after 5:00 a.m. Locals wake up with the sun and have lengthy coffee breaks. “Puntualidad” is not a high-mileage word in this language. The Costa Rica I visited annually since I was small was detached from the hubbub in the capital, and I was allowed to teeter across the streets unsupervised…
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Halloween needs to be more sustainable
October 30, 2024By: Hailey Miller, Staff Writer Halloween is just around the corner, and the unsustainability that comes with it is what should really give you a scare. Halloween waste amounts to a staggering 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste, equivalent to 83…
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Back-to-school isn’t an excuse for mass consumerism
September 13, 2024By: Hailey Miller, Staff Writer With back-to-school shopping in full swing, many students have participated in the annual shopping spree of stocking up on snazzy supplies, the latest technology, and clothing galore. These days, it’s become a market of wants…
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SFU researcher discusses impact of microplastics on marine life
November 8, 2021By: Yelin Gemma Lee, News Writer SFU researcher Rhiannon Moore and her team published their research on microplastics in the beluga whale food chain. The study found microplastics not only in beluga whale stomachs, but also in the stomachs of…
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We shouldn’t celebrate Black Friday
November 23, 2020by Jacob Mattie, SFU Student Black Friday has never been a holiday for the people. From its conception to its frenetic present-day form, it has always been a way to encourage impulsive consumption. With the dramatic changes in our lifestyles…
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Knowing the price puts a damper on consumer enthusiasm
August 2, 2017The enjoyment of activities and new items decreases as time goes on — the twenty-fifth bite of a chocolate bar is often less enjoyable than the first. However, researchers wondered how knowing the price of a given product might affect…
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