Chief Economist of The Australia Institute Richard Denniss defines affluenza as our modern compulsion to “spend money we don’t have to buy things we don’t need to impress people we don’t know”. His illuminating book Curing Affluenza outlines how we can combat an epidemic encouraged by those who profit from a culture of exploitation and waste. In conversation with George Megalogenis, Richard explores the difference between consumerism – a love of buying things – and a sustainable form of materialism – the love of things themselves.