PERL International Conference Berlin 19-20 March 2012

Continuing the tradition of the six international conferences held by the Consumer Citizenship Network, PERL's next international conference is

Beyond Consumption: Pathways to Responsible Living, 19-20 March 2012 at the Technical University of Berlin, Germany.

The "State of the World" report 2010 has shown again that the dominating consumer culture in the modern world is incompatible with sustainable development. Responsible living implies changes in the way people fulfil their needs. In line with the international bestseller "Prosperity without Growth" by Tim Jackson – one of the keynote speakers for Berlin 2012 – we can find ways towards need satisfaction beyond excessive consumption of goods and services. "Beyond consumption" does not mean "without consumption" but addresses a way of need satisfaction with less and different consumption (particularly in richer populations) and a stronger focus on less commercialized activities.

PERL CONFERENCE PROGRAM

PERL WORK GROUPS SUNDAY PROGRAM

Conference Themes

Track 1: Foundations of Responsible Living

 -What makes consumerism attractive and harmful for societies and consumers themselves? What makes consuming less and/or differently attractive and challenging?

 -What are specific challenges and opportunities to facilitate this shift in consumption cultures (e.g. in housing, food, mobility, clothing)?

 -What can history and cultural heritage teach us about life quality and sustainability?

 Track 2: Structures and Processes for Responsible Living

-What changes in social structures and processes (e.g. in businesses, government and NGOs) are needed to enable different consumption?

-What role can information technology and social media play in this transformation?

-What should be the contribution of Rio+20 to enable this shift?

 Track 3: Education and Learning for Responsible Living

-How can education deal with the controversial aspects of moving beyond consumption?

-What skills do teachers need to empower tomorrow’s consumers to look beyond consumption?

-How to evaluate the success of education for responsible living?