Ecology and environment in home economics

The chapter addresses the contributions of American home economists to environmental issues and the influence of ecological aspects on their approach to economic theory and policy. Their ideas, which drew from the domestic science of the 19th century and advancements in sanitary science, led to an innovative view of economic activity at the household and community levels and its organic interdependency with the surrounding natural environment. Proper access to natural amenities and protection from pollution and other deleterious effects of industrialisation would allow for higher standards of living and, in turn, increase national wealth and well-being. Mainly driven by female intellectuals such as Ellen H. Richards, home economics was thought of as a science of ‘human ecology’ which aimed at improving people’s living conditions. Breakthroughs in home economics included a more integrated view of the natural and social sciences, a progressive stance on education and regulation and attention to the behavioural attributes of consumers and how to improve them, which led to a sharp criticism towards the neglect of mainstream economists in the matter of how preferences are shaped as well as how to distinguish them from human basic needs. The chapter aims to elucidate how home economists have grappled with ecological science and environmental questions, assessing some of their contributions, from Ellen Richards’s take on human-nature relations to Hazel Kyrk’s, Elizabeth Hoyt’s and other second-generation home economists’ views on consumption, well-being and sobriety.