The National Retail Federation has published its <a href="http://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=News&amp;op=viewlive&amp;sp_id=1157">survey </a>on back to school spending for K-12 and college students. Trends are flat due to the bad economy, but retailers are still counting on college students to power their sales as they return to campus. Retailers like <a href="http://backtocollege.craveonline.com/">Ikea</a> and websites like <a href="http://www.collegefashion.net/trends/back-to-school-shopping-guide-fall-2011-fashion-trends/">College Fashion</a> are telling us what we "need"--without, of course, any mention of the environmental impacts of our "necessities."