Extension expert shares tips for tackling overconsumption
By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
July 29, 2025
Fast Facts:
- Overconsumption is using goods, services at higher rate than their supply
- Applies to natural resources, finances, food supply, more
- Start at home by reducing waste, rehoming or repurposing items, practicing restraint
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LITTLE ROCK — Impulse purchases, fast fashion, instant gratification: these factors contribute to the impact of overconsumption, which is the use of goods and services at a rate that is higher than the supply. An extension expert says tackling overconsumption is critical to the future health of our families and our planet.
“In the United States, overconsumption is fueled by our relative wealth, easy access to goods and services, and the mentality of ‘more is better,’” said Nina Roofe, assistant vice president of family and consumer sciences for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “The average consumer may buy something without thinking while chasing the dopamine high of the purchase, without stopping to consider if the item or service is needed, affordable on their budget, fitting with their retirement plan, and sustainable for themselves, their community, and the planet.”
Overconsumption on an individual level can lead to cluttered homes and strained budgets, Roofe said. And according to a 2021 review of research published in the Energy Research & Social Science Journal, overconsumption can even lead to physical health issues.
“Premature deaths and adult years lived with ill health — due to non-communicable diseases and attributable to high body mass index — are related to overconsumption,” Roofe said. “This includes type two diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and cancer.”
On a national and global scale, Roofe said overconsumption has had devastating impacts on the environment and will continue to degrade the planet without significant, consistent intervention. In 2022, UNICEF published a report finding that some of the wealthiest countries in the world, including the United States, Belgium and Canada, “have a severe and widespread impact on global environments, based on CO2 emissions, e-waste and overall consumptions of resources per capita.”
“Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, is quoted as saying, ‘Unless we act now, the 2030 U.N. agenda will become an epitaph for a world that might have been,’” Roofe said. “According to the U.N.’s sustainable development goals, overconsumption affects our environment by degrading our natural resources, including deforestation and pollution. This has led to habitat destruction, biodiversity loss, species extinction, and the overuse of electricity and greenhouse gas emissions.”
What you can do
To make strides towards changing the trajectory of overconsumption, Roofe said it is key to keep sustainability at the heart of one’s lifestyle.
“Sustainability is the ability to meet my needs without hampering my child’s and future generations’ ability to meet their needs,” Roofe said. “Reducing overconsumption and sustainability go hand in hand. By reducing my consumption of goods and services today, I create a more sustainable future world in every way possible.”
As individuals, Roofe said this progress must begin with the desire to make sustainability “a primary goal above other goals in our lives.”
“From a practical standpoint, we recommend that people adopt a ‘circular economy model,’ which aims to keep products in circulation for as long as possible,” Roofe said. “This adds additional ‘Rs’ to the typical ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ mantra.”
- Waste reduction: Refuse new and single-use products: opt instead for refillable water bottles, metal straws and reusable food storage containers.
- Rehome, repurpose, revisit: Rehome items you no longer use or repurpose them into something you will use. “If
you no longer need that side table, consider donating it to a college or newlywed
couple, or paint it a fun color and use it as outdoor furniture,” Roofe said.
- Revisit items you can’t seem to part with but don’t use. “Give yourself a deadline, and if you don’t use an item with a set amount of time, such as three or six months, then rehome it or repurpose it.”
- Restrain yourself: Use a checklist of criteria to guide your purchasing decisions, such as the one below:
- Does it really have to be brand new?
- Is the product designed for sustainability throughout its life cycle?
- What do the consumer reports and past purchasers’ reviews indicate for this item?
- Is this a duplicate of something you already own?
- What are the maintenance and upkeep costs in the long run?
- Reduce: “Reducing clutter creates a calm environment that supports your mental and physical
health,” Roofe said.
- Use a capsule wardrobe to decrease clutter in your closet. “A capsule wardrobe is a smaller collection of versatile clothing items that can be mixed and matched to create several different outfits,” Roofe said.
- Gift family members with duplicate tools, kitchen utensils, and other items that are taking up space in your home.
- Go on a one-month spending freeze wherever you shop the most.
- Recycle: Recycle and purchase recycled materials whenever possible. Explore the recycling programs in your city to learn more.
Learn more about money management and personal and family wellbeing on the Cooperative Extension Service website, or contact Roofe at nroofe@uada.edu.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media Contact:
Rebekah Hall
rkhall@uada.edu
@RKHall_
501-671-2061