NOTE:  Consumer behavior has not traditionally been regarded in the United States as an environmental issue.  However, there is an increasing awareness that the earth's ecosystems cannot support rapid and unlimited consumption of its natural resources (or products crafted from them).  This awareness is becoming more acute as populations swell.  Consumer behavior as an environmental issue is especially relevant to the United States, because Americans consume more per capita than any other country.  It has been estimated that while the U.S. comprises only five percent of the world's population, it is responsible for 25 percent of the world's consumption.  Two ways people are responding to this issue are by consuming less, and when choosing to purchase items, by ensuring that they have been produced in an environmentally sensitive manner.

Little data on consumer behavior specific to N.C. is available.  Below are listed sources for information on consumer behavior and related topics such as income, production, and cost of living.

GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SOURCES:

		STATE:

N.C. Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources (DEHNR) - Water Resources Division 
(P.O. Box 27687, Raleigh 27611-7687; 919/733-4064):  
	Collects annual water consumption data, divided into categories such as municipal and county, domestic, industry, etc.

N.C. Employment Security Commission - Labor Market Information Division 
(P.O. Box 25903, Raleigh 27611-5903; 919/733-7546):  
	Publishes annual and quarterly editions of Employment and Wages in North Carolina, a statistical summary of employment and wages by industry for the state, counties, Metropolitan Statistical Areas, and Planning Regions.  The book can be found in many libraries (especially academic ones).  Also publishes North Carolina Labor Market Information Directory which includes a detailed directory of other publications available from the Division.

		UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA SYSTEM:

Western Carolina University Center for Improving Mountain Living 
(Cullowhee 28723; 704/227-7492):  
	Annually publishes County Development Information reports for all 100 N.C. counties.  The reports include data on total retail sales, population demographics, employment, personal income.  County data is compared to other counties and the state as a whole in graphs and tables.

		FEDERAL:

Government Printing Office 
(Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954; 202/783-3238):  
	Annually publishes Statistical Abstract of the United States, a collection of statistics on a wide range of subjects.  Contains no statistics on consumption broken down by state.  Includes tables with data specific to N.C. on disposable personal income per capita, total unemployed and insured unemployed, and average annual pay.  Available in many libraries.

U.S. Department of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics 
(Washington, DC 20212; 202/272-5060):  
	Annually compiles the Consumer Expenditures Survey.  The Survey lists data on average consumer expenditures for numerous goods.  Data appear in tables with assorted variables including percent change from previous year, income, age, household characteristics, race, urban/rural, and U.S. region.  Available in many libraries.