If nothing else, consumer demands for more environmentally-friendly products is making an impact on the way bottled water is manufactured. That’s a good direction to head in.
Infographic: How You Can ‘Share’ Responsibility for the Planet
Big thanks to Recyclebank for creating this splendid Infographic!
Great way to put things into perspective!
A comprehensive approach to sustainable living. Michael Reynolds spent decades developing completely sustainable housing. You can watch his documentary above, Garbage Warrior, to learn more about his efforts with sustainable housing. http://www.garbagewarrior.com/
To learn more about Biotecture and earthships, visit this site: http://earthship.com/
It’s really awesome! And if you get interested, they have an academy at which they teach people Biotecture.
Consumer pressure can create change. Apple took the initiative to push for an investigation of Foxconn and is working to create fairer labor regulations. Check it out:
This website is a great resource for those who would like to shift into a more sustainable lifestyle. There are many great ideas and tips for all facets of life. My personal favorite right now: Non-toxic homemade cleaning products. Try using the website’s search bar to search anything that you would like to learn about.
Anonymous asked: What are your thoughts on the Deep Green Resistance movement?
While I can understand why the concepts behind the movement are appealing to many, I personally do not believe that it is the optimal path of change.
First off, extreme ideologies are rarely very catchy. While that might not seem to be of any great importance at first, since the principle is more important than the popularity, the reality is that long-term change has to be brought on from a larger base. Historically, the “bring down the system” type movements often don’t cause huge reforms unless the population is in a situation that acts as a catalyst for such ideologies (examples include the Russian Revolution and other fascist and communist overthrows in the early 20th century, where there was already deep political and economic unrest).
Secondly, the environment will most likely last long after we’re gone, albeit in an altered fashion. Life on this planet is persistent and exists in many ways; the idea that all life is threatened by our activity is not giving it enough credit. Rather, our destructive habits will much more likely cause us to destroy ourselves and our own ability to thrive. There will be damage done to life as we know it, but it will be Earth and the environment that will react and recover, not us.
Third, I’m not a big fan of explosive change. We live in a cycle and a system—what affects one part of that system will affect the whole. If we abolish industrial lifestyle, then we must also prepare for mass death, disease, anarchy, and destruction. If we suddenly don’t have industrialization, then cities suddenly won’t have a food supply, and people suddenly won’t have their previous methods of living healthily…there are a lot of bad things that could happen, and it would be hard to prepare for. Obviously, that’s unlikely to happen so easily, but the idea of trying to rush that large of a change without consideration to the possibility of such consequences.
Finally, it is extreme excess in lifestyles that have gotten us to the place where we are now. Is extreme backlash going to really be the helpful next step? Actions that are so polarized are rarely sustained for long, and even then, they often prompt equally strong opposition. While it is actually beneficial to have a few individuals be so dedicated to a cause, the reality is that excess is what has us in the current dilemma, and moderation is the thing that the world seems to have forgotten. One of the most important people can do is understand—understand their relationship to the planet, understand their relationship to the industrial world, and understand how to minimize the impact their lifestyle has on others. The problem is not just in the habits or lifestyles—it’s in the prevalent attitudes of our culture, in our attitudes and the way we think. I don’t think it’s best to change from one extreme to the other without first taking time to stop in the middle.
I hope that was clear, and if you have any other questions or commentary on the subject, don’t hesitate to contact us.
-Diane
GOLD MINING IN AMAZONIAN RAINFOREST: DEFORESTATION, POLLUTION, and SLAVERY
Both legal and illegal gold mining is cutting into large swaths of the Amazonian Rainforest. The mercury used in the mining may slowly be polluting local water. Furthermore, small camps and makeshift business have popped up around the mining sites to cater to miners. Some of these businesses include kitchens and brothels in which children have been duped into slavery. Click on the picture to read Smithsonian’s coverage of this issue.
Anonymous asked: Why not be anti-capitalist or anti-corporation?
Capitalism as a concept is, like all concepts, a neutral entity. There are positive aspects to it in addition to the negative aspects. When applied to a certain community or with a certain mindset, it can work well; likewise, when it’s abused or manipulated, it can be destructive. We don’t want to demonize the entire system, but rather focus in on what is causing the negative aspects to manifest, since it is likely that these things would be a problem in whatever system could be implemented (in short, greed, corruption, and ignorance would probably ruin any economic system, capitalist or not).
The same goes with corporations. If directed correctly, a corporation doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Without proper management and supervision, however, it could easily become something terrible.
Instead of polarizing all things into what is good and what is bad, we think it’s better to look at things for what they are and why. That way, we can formulate more appropriate and effective reactions.
The title of this article from GOOD says is all! I have had my iphone for a couple of years now. Since I bought it two new versions of the iphone have been released (4 & 4s). I am still jonesing for the latest and greatest phone but the one I have works just fine: It still makes calls and keeps me connected. One of the most surprising things: “Americans throw away about 130,000 computers per day, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. We also toss about 100 million cellphones a year.” Surely this behavior is not sustainable!
Electronic items are some of the worst things on the market right now. The resources used to create them are difficult to get, and like the article mentioned, many are acquired through less-than-ideal ways, funding war and endorsing human rights violations. Assembly of these items are no less brutal.
Furthermore, when these items are thrown away, they are often shipped to various E-waste dumps across the globe, leading to terrible conditions for those living in the surrounding areas.
Best thing to do? Live out the life of your electronics. Don’t throw things away unless you really need to. Don’t be tempted by the newest and shiniest gadgets coming out—ask yourself, “Will this actually improve my life in any sort of real or significant way?”
Because, odds are, you will be doing much more good to many more people through conservation.
This animation provides a wealth of information about the current outlook on global consumption. Be warned: it’s awfully depressing. However, it’s also great motivation for change, and it’s a good start for deciding what steps might be most successful.
