Along with the popularization of environmental concerns in the 1970s and 1980s came a growing critique of the highly consumerist, resourceintensive American lifestyle. In the wake of Earth Day 1990, recycling came to be seen as the perfect solution to these concerns, allowing each American to participate in a perceived ameliorative effort without actually making a substantial sacrifice in consumption. For many advocating recycling is synonymous with environmental awareness, while purchasing recycled products (paper and plastic goods abound) is seen as a kind of consumer activism. By social convention, all businesses and academic institutions are expected to recycle.