Consumer culture and destruction of nature: the approach of environmental associations to the ecosystem (Case study: Chya the Green Organization)

This research is an attempt to analyze critically the green politics as the basis of the approach of environmental associations to the ecosystem. This attempt is done through relying on the concept of consumer culture and its role in destructing ecosystem in contemporary world. The main argument is that environmental associations neglect the role of global capitalistic mechanisms when analyzing the causes of environmental crises and its solutions. Hence, they fall into the trap of a marginalist cult due to concentrating on particular and contextual phenomena. From the viewpoint of this research, the destruction of nature in contemporary era is something deeply related to social and political conditions, and this relation can only be explained through analyzing texts, documents, attitudes and activities of activists of environmental associations. The field of study is Chya Green Organization in Mariwan. The data are gathered in two levels: texts and documents produced by Chya and interviews with active members of this association about their attitudes and behaviors towards environment. The first data are analyzed by way of symptomatic reading and the second data through thematic analysis. The findings show that culturalization, violence, management, human rights, nostalgia, ecotourism, Zagros, Zaribar and campaign are among the most prevalent signs in texts and documents produced by this association. Also, constitutionalism, identification and realism are the central themes as to the green politics of Chya.