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 * Write three paragraphs on how Annie Leonard defines the system of the 'materials economy' and describe its interactions.**

Annie Leonard defines the materials economy as consisting of five parts; Extraction, Production, Distribution, Consumption and Disposal. She then states that this current system is faulty, and is not sustainable. The process as it stands misses several important factors, including people. The two major ‘people’ with great control are the government and corporations. It is important to note that she places the corporations as being larger and more important than the government, as the government caters to them.

The process starts with extraction, which is the destruction of the environment for the purpose of removing the valuable items we need to produce our ‘stuff’. The limit to this step is the planet’s natural resources, which have been destroyed at a higher rate than it can possibly be reproduced. The second step is production, which involves mixing toxins with natural products to create the final product. These toxins are mostly untested and have lead to high level of toxins in the air and importantly in our bodies as described with the high toxicity of breast milk. Distribution entails selling all of the produced materials as quickly as possible to make a profit. The price of the final product is not reflective of the actual cost to produce the item. Many people involved in all of the previous steps had to make sacrifices that allow the item to be sold for so cheap. Consumption is now a status figure, and people can only be as good as the items they own. Our society tells us that we must buy the newest and the best to be worthy, which leads to the unhealthy cycle of work to television to shopping. Disposal goes back to the destruction involved in the first step. Even with recycling there is only so much that can be done because of all the toxins involved in production.

This is a faulty process that does not have to remain the same. It was invented by people so it can be changed by people. There are plenty of options available to us like ; green chemistry, renewable energy, zero waste, closed loop production, and local living economies.