Consumed: Part One

Majora Carter is a community activist from The Bronx, a part of New York that's home to more than its fair share of waste and power plants that serve the whole city. She wants investment in a greener, more equitable future.

There's a thriving global industry recovering the precious metals in the millions of electronic devices we throw away each year. But the toxic by-products are showing up in cheap imported goods. Scott Tong reports from China.

Once-isolated Bhutan glimpsed the rest of the world seven years ago with the arrival of TV and the Internet. Now happiness is an increasingly rare commodity, and young people dance in blue jeans.

Can the profit motive solve our energy problems? Management professor Stuart Hart of Cornell University, and physics professor emeritus Marty Hoffert of New York University consider that question with host Kai Ryssdal.

Some economists believe we can innovate our way out of the global problem of carbon emissions. But Boston College professor Juliet Schor says what we really need to do is go on a consumer diet.

The farming town of Reynolds is a potential Saudi Arabia of bio-fuel and it's looking to become energy independent. So far, it's still a big gamble, but town leaders think it will work -- if they can lure investors.

Crisco is a staple in many American kitchens and a must-have for homemade pies. But it's also an invented food made by chemists, and the story of how the white stuff became a must-have has become a marketing legend. Sarah Gardner reports.

Global consumer spending has skyrocketed in the past two decades. But is advertising to blame? Do we all simply want more stuff, or do we need it for our high-speed modern lifestyles? It's a little of both, says marketing expert Kit Yarrow.

Consumption has nearly doubled in the U.S., and fashion leads the way. One growing retail fashion chain, H&M, specializes in budget knockoffs of high-end clothing, with inventory coming in daily. Amy Scott reports from the shopping frenzy.

America's consumer economy may be a symptom of a bigger illness -- and it could be killing us all. As a species, we simply don't know what to do with all this excess, says prominent UCLA researcher Dr. Peter Whybrow.