The Earth, a user's guide
a touring exhibition to support local and regional authorities in promoting Sustainable Consumption

What's hidden behind the 10 kg of municipal waste that each European weekly throw to the bin? How great are the quantities of resources needed to produce the objects we consume? What are the environmental impacts of Western lifestyles and consumption patterns? What would happen if the 6 billion people living on Earth lived like Europeans? Do consumers have the power to help preserve the Earth's resources?

These are some of the questions raised in the touring exhibition "The Earth, a user's guide", developed by ACRR, the Association of Cities and Regions for Recycling, with the support of the European Commission.

The exhibition highlights the relationships between lifestyles, the production of waste and the consumption of natural resource. It makes visitors think about the way they live and questions the justification for the developed countries' appropriation of resources. The Earth of tomorrow depends on the choices we make today: this exhibition is also the opportunity to remind consumer of the power they have. Through daily purchases, they can contribute to protecting our environment and resources.

Which footprint do we leave on Earth?

While each week, the leftover of European consumption amount to10 kg per person, 1.000 kg of resources are consumed upstream to satisfy this consumption. Yet only a tiny fraction of these resources actually reach the hand of the consumers downstream. Most of them become waste in the course of the extraction and manufacturing process. For instance, with all the hidden waste, a toothbrush "weights" nearly 1.5 kg and a 20 kg-computer some 1,500 kg!

If every one leaved the same way has Europeans do, we would need 3 Earths ! This estimation is given by working out the Ecological Footprint, which indicates how much of the Earth's surface one needs for producing the energy and materials consumed, and for absorbing all the waste produced. The Ecological Footprint, presented in the exhibition, allows visitors to realise the extend to which their individual lifestyle impacts the Earth. They also get a clearer illustration of the huge gap existing between different lifestyles: for instance, the Ecological Footprint of a German is 4.7 ha while the one of a Chinese is 1.5 ha. While consumption is very high in the industrialised countries, the basic needs of a large part of humankind are not being met. The richest 20% consume more than 80% of natural resources while 20% of the world's population leaves in absolute poverty.

The future is ours

Consumers are not powerless and have many possibilities for reducing their impact on Earth through different consumption choices and waste management practices. Renting instead of buying, sharing the use with neighbours, giving a cinema ticket as a present, drinking tap water instead of bottled one, choosing products with eco-labels, using a refillable pen, using a solar calculator, repairing and recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment…the options are many to close the loop of materials, reduce resource consumption and waste production.

Information terminals allow visitors to calculate their own Ecological Footprint, to discover how waste electrical and electronic equipment is repaired and recycled. Visitors can also give their opinion on consumption and participate in the international survey organised by UNEP, UNESCO, and Consumers International.

Feed-back from exhibit in Liège: though but useful realisation

Those who have already visited the exhibition in January in Liège (Belgium), felt very often astonished, even chocked when discovering the impacts of their consumption patterns. Yet they acknowledged the need for such realisation and welcome the various examples illustrating how they can contribute. Ideas for immaterial presents such as a theatre ticket, a meditation session or baby-sitting hours were particularly welcomed. The city was also very satisfied to receive the exhibition. This was the opportunity to launch a large campaign on waste prevention.

Brussels, March 2003: the month of Sustainable Consumption

The next step for the exhibition is Brussels. There, it will contribute to the initiatives of the Brussels Institute for the Management of the Environment (IBGE-BIM) to raise citizens' awareness on Sustainable Consumption along the month of March 2003.
On March 14 and 15, the first Citizens' Parliament on Sustainable Consumption will offer citizens and organisations the opportunity to express their view on consumption, and to examine public and private initiatives and proposals for the promotion of sustainable consumption at both local and regional levels.
Planet to leave or to throw away is the common name for 2 complementary exhibitions visible in Brussels in March: The Earth, a user's guide, and At the useless and wasteful department developed by the IBGE-BIM and the Consumer Organisations Research and Information Centre (CRIOC-OIVO). This latest exhibition confronts visitors with the most bizarre products and the most absurd sides of our consumption, but also suggests greener, healthier and cheaper alternatives.

8 European cities will host the exhibition

The exhibition is a tool to support local and regional authorities in their campaigns for waste prevention and recycling. Eight cities will host the exhibition in 2003: Liège in January, Brussels in March, Lille (France) in April, Malaga (Spain), Porto (Portugal) in June, Châteauroux (France) in July and Hampshire County in August, Milton Keynes in September (UK). For local and regional authorities, background information on the issues, municipal good practice case studies, and many useful links and references are available on http://www.acrr.org/resourcities

Please click on pictures to enlarge them.

Further information:

The Earth, a user's guide:
Download exhibition brochure
Contact: acrplus@acrplus.org or +32.2.775.78.57