the story of stuff
GreenTeaDisease
Posts: 3,359
http://storyofstuff.com/
this is a very cool little video everyone should watch. even if you live a fairly "green" lifestyle, it is a good reminder. It puts complex environmental and economic problems in very simple language.
think twice before you buy something, throw something away. if your offered a bag at the store, please say no. even small actions can make a difference.
this is a very cool little video everyone should watch. even if you live a fairly "green" lifestyle, it is a good reminder. It puts complex environmental and economic problems in very simple language.
think twice before you buy something, throw something away. if your offered a bag at the store, please say no. even small actions can make a difference.
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I really like the story of the little radio. it's a great explanation of externalities for people who don't know much about economics.
A must watch for every man, woman, and child.
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg
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the problem is tho that everyone has been told that consuming is not only good but imperative for survival ... its the model most live by ...
abolutely ... couldn't agree more ... the concept of sustainability is never factored in ...
there are a lot of people out there trying to come up with ways to maximize consumption and sustainability in harmony, but it's a hard problem, and people disagree on moral grounds how much of each should be allowed. the problem is trying to fit these theories into a system that is already established is an uphill battle. I have a graduate degree in this very subject and I don't have a clue where we would even begin. I once got into a fight with a saleswoman at macy's because I didn't want her to put the earrings I bought in a cardboard box! Once people are trained to think one way, it's difficult to switch. But really it's not about completely changing the system, just changing the ideas that go into it, little craddle-to-grave products...there are people making them out there, but more people need to know about them.
Land use is a BIG thing for me...they mention in the video that the average american house is twice the size as it was in 1970. Obviously if people lived in smaller houses in 1970, they don't need the big ones now. It's out of control. the subdivisions, the auto-centricity of the modern suburb. very sad, imo. I am always proud to walk down my street and know that a lot of people are living comfortably in a very condensed area.
What really kills me is that here in the US, especially since 9/11, we've been told that consumption is not only good, but PATRIOTIC.
well consumption is good. it's not a bad thing. to me it's the WAY we consume that's the problem. And the WAY we produce. there are ways to make biodegradable and cradle to grave consumer products- eg if we take wood out of the earth and make something out of it, it can go back into the earth as...well, wood! I forgot the name of it but there's a rug company that makes rugs that can back into the earth as what they came out as. I don't see why we can't do that with almost everything.
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It's pretty interesting stuff.
you can buy "plastic" silverware that's made of corn or sugarcane. completely biodegradable.
an amazing stat!
exactly..."it's never really what you owned but what you threw away" to quote a little bad religion.
and it's really true when you think about it.
what was the other stat? ... there was 70 cans of garbage produced for the 1 can we put out? ...
anyways - i'm not surprised this thread is not getting much attention ... it touches on what i think is the crux of the problem with many issues ... people don't like feeling guilty ... acknowledgement of their role in this wasteful world would force them to act and no one really wants to do that ... press snooze ...
I believe it's because being a consumer is so ingrained in all of us, that actually realizing it and changing this behavior is a LOT to ask for some. Some people can't separate the "consumer" from the "human". If people just realized that things don't make us happy, we'd get somewhere.
actually, I'm not sure where you can buy them, I never have. I've only used them at large events and in cafeterias. they are made by a company called biocorp. supposedly they are going to start using them in fast food restaurants. they may not be available in stores yet. if anywhere I would think Whole Foods.
if you're using them for parties or picnics ... whole foods sells a line of cutlery made from 100% recycled plastics ...
and to your point about happiness - couldn't agree more ... the only thing i would add to it is that belief that if we don't consume - the sun will never come up ...