Effects of Consumerism Article Questions/Thoughts

After reading the article Effects of Consumerism, it was somewhat alarming at some of the things that we do in order to function in society that is gravely affecting the world we live in.  Some of these effects of consumerism that are mentioned were not as shocking to me because I had already become aware of that particular issue, but there were still other things that then made me feel like we are not willing to think about what we are doing to the planet before proceeding to make something that will most likely leave a huge mark in/on the world.
After reading this article, these are some questions that came to mind:
There are so many products that are mass produced and these things are often seen as a necessity in order to function in today's fast paced society, so what do we now believe to be a necessity when it is actually a luxury?
People have already created small groups/organizations in order to help cleanup our environment of trash and other harmful things, but what can we do to get more people involved or have more people make better personal changes when it comes to their trash, or even their carbon footprint?

Artist Statement

 A piece of art is usually meant, if not expected, to represent something that is important to the artist that created the piece. For my work this isn't always the case, although some of my work can have a deeper meaning to them, most of it is simply meant to be enjoyed by the viewer.  The work is still meant to provoke some sort of emotion from the audience, but that doesn't mean it will be related to anything going on within today's current events.  During certain times there seems to be something of a theme that many artists join in on in order to give their own opinion or to help spread the news of whatever is going on. Instead of following this trend, I try to focus on something else that may have been forgotten at the moment even though it is just as important to know and think about as this new wave of info from current events is. When thinking of what I want to draw from more personal issues, I think about what is going on in my personal life at the moment.  What my likes and dislikes are, what's going on with family and friends, and have I learned anything new that I would like to continue practicing? This can be seen in my hand-drawings that I have simply drawn for fun and have little to no further meaning for why I wanted to make these works of art.