Green, Ethics and Materialism

While reading today I came across a quote "In this world it is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich" - Henry Ward Beecher. Instead when we think of materialism the way people spend money, horde stuff, more materialism in paratheses, eat out constantly, which is far from green I wonder where our values and ethics take us in life. The more we take up, use up is less for others, except of course corporate profit. I'm always assumed when someone tells me about how great a restaurant is and I would try it out and end up thinking "what does that person usually eat" because it would be a disappointment versus a joy to consume the meal ordered. Granted I have a long life of cooking and cooking from scratch 99.9% of the time. Anyway I'm digressing, just think about the fundamentals of life and what is really important when you're tempted to spend, spend, spend.