Week+4+volos

**__Production__**. We use energy to mix toxic chemicals with natural resources in order to produce consumer goods. During the production process, a lot of toxins escape with finished products and others as byproducts, adversely affecting both the people and the environment. **__Distribution__**. The main goal of major distributors is to keep the prices down, keep people buying and keep inventory moving. Some of the products on the shelves are unrealistically cheap due to the low-cost of production and extraction (as most of the products are produced by cheap, often child labour overseas using materials extracted in Asia and Africa).
 * // According to Annie Leonard , materials economy//** is a linear system, which consists of five major parts: 1) //extraction// , 2) //production// , 3) //distribution// , 4) //consumption// and 5) //disposal// . However, we live in a finite planet, which requires a system that will be able to prolong and preserve the planet’s life for as long as possible. The current system fails to do so.
 * __Extraction__** . As we increasingly use more and more ‘stuff’, we are using up our limited natural resources. US, for example, has about 5% of the world’s population, however, uses 30% of the world’s natural resources. Due to lack of resources in their own country, U.S. is now gathering them from Third World countries. Since individuals in those countries do not own or buy a lot of things, they do not have much say with regards to their own resources.
 * __Extraction__** . As we increasingly use more and more ‘stuff’, we are using up our limited natural resources. US, for example, has about 5% of the world’s population, however, uses 30% of the world’s natural resources. Due to lack of resources in their own country, U.S. is now gathering them from Third World countries. Since individuals in those countries do not own or buy a lot of things, they do not have much say with regards to their own resources.
 * __Consumption__** . Over the past 5-6 decades, we have become a consumerist society. However, it wasn’t accidental. It was a planned solution, with a major goal in mind: to recover from the losses of the WWII. There are 2 major ways in which consumers are forced to increase their shopping. 1) __Planned obsolescence__ à  technology and or products becomes incompatible with new technology and/or products. Discontinued products are also examples of PO. This forces one to make a new purchase. 2) __Perceived obsolescence__  à  products become unfashionable, out of style, outdated. In order to keep up with the current times, and to ‘fit in’ with the others, we buy new products.
 * __Disposal__** . An average person in U.S. produces 4.5 pounds of garbage/day. The garbage either goes directly to a landfill or it is burned in an incineration before preceding to the landfill. This process produces a very toxic chemical, called **__dioxin__,** which has a direct adverse effect on our environment.

National happiness since the 1950s has been declining, as we face ourselves working longer hours, buying more products and spending less time doing the things we love. We are using up our natural resources and trashing the planet with our garbage. The more products we buy, the more extraction of natural resources is needed, which is then produced by women and children in developing countries under poor-conditions, which is then distributed and advertised to consumers, which is purchased by the consumers and then disposed of a few months later. This is an endless cycle that keeps repeating itself over and over again. Although recycling helps, it is not enough. We need to change our obsessive-consumerist habits. We need to think about sustainability and equity.

Source:"The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard." Free Range Studios. 1 Feb 2009 .  Back to Mariya's Page  