The New Green Economy

Ok, so this facebook page might seem a little extreme to some people, but take into account that 99% of what Americans buy ends up in a land fill within 6 months (source: The Story of Stuff). Add to that, this continuing image of my trash can.

As someone who is pretty conscientious of my consumption habits and their effects, I am often dismayed at the last thing that I still need a "trash" can for: plastic.

I have to admit that plastic is handy, but really, we need to be using it in closed loop cycles, i.e. in the "technosphere" as William McDonough described it in his book Cradle to Cradle. Our society has made some attempt at setting up recycling systems, but we need to push farther towards actual closed loops.

An additional problem with plastic is the "nurdles", tiny plastic pellets that are shipped around the world to be melted down and shaped into various plastic products. These pellets tend to spill out of their containers and find their way in to the respiratory and digestive tracts of marine life and birds. In Thor Heyerdhal's books, he talks about the difference he saw in the oceans between his 1936 voyage and a later expedition that took place in the 70's, describing the vast increase in oil droplets and plastic garbage floating in the ocean. The problem is so bad that we now have floating continents of trash in two oceans.

To summarize, it's important to remember the sustainable values of future life and interdependency when making your purchasing decisions. And a facebook page that reminds us just how heinously wasteful and unconscious some design can be gets a thumbs up from me.

In part three of this ongoing, original series on Sustainable Values, The New Green Economy™ introduces the Sustainable Value Set and begins the discussion and exploration of what sustainable values are and how they are laying the foundation for our future.