Fostering Ecological Awareness: The Roles of Ecological Virtues in Transforming Consumer Culture for the Common Good

Abstract

In recent years, natural disasters have intensified globally, revealing a fractured ecological bond between humans and the rest of creation. Consumerism, heavily influenced by Western capitalism, has exacerbated this ecological crisis by distorting human desires and lifestyles. Virtue ethics, particularly the Christian cardinal virtues, can foster environmental responsibility and transform consumerist culture within faith communities. Alasdair MacIntyre and Augustine offer a theoretical account of human flourishing as a
communal practice oriented toward the common good, grounded in the virtues. From a public theological perspective, cultivating virtues has social and ecological implications. This calls Christian communities to embody and teach practices that redirect desire and reshape consumerist habits toward ecological care. Christians in the United States have a particular role to play, given the country’s impact on the ecological crisis.