Eco-Act 022: A bit of sacrifice, with purpose, in hope

Imagine “a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts.” In this system, supplies of goods exceed demand, so tools such as planned obsolescence and advertising must be employed to create demand and sustain economic growth. What would you call this system? It’s consumerism, of course, and it’s linked to climate change. Or, as a June 2019 New Republic article title states succinctly: “Climate Change Is the Symptom. Consumer Culture Is the Disease.” And it’s a disease we need to cure if we’re serious about the health of our world.

But how can one person take on consumerism? The answer is complex—but positive, and urgent. It starts by understanding who that “one person” is in the context of economic power. According to James Dyke, writing in inews.co.uk, ”If [your household has a net annual] income of at least £30,000 [$38,700], you are one of the richest 10 percent of the global population and can row back on your consumerism. It’s those households … that are responsible for 52% of the carbon that was emitted into the atmosphere from between 1990 and 2015.”

fight consumerism

one decision at a time

So not only can we do something, we MUST do something, because we are dealing with a global economic/ecologic imbalance, and we’re on the side with influence. The “10%” described above fuels consumerism and enjoys its benefits, driving carbon emissions. The remaining 90% of the world’s population deals with varying degrees of poverty and enjoys less or none of the consumer lifestyle. To achieve quality-of-life gains, they actually need to consume more. As new Oxfam research states, climate change is associated with growing consumption among the “have’s,” not by poor populations rising out of poverty. It’s we who must act. What to do? In posts 016 and 018 we talked about the circular economy as an earth-friendly alternative to the linear “take/make/dispose” model that contributes to climate change and threatens our world. Our contribution to “circularity” includes recycling, but vital as this act is, even consistent, disciplined recycling cannot by itself compensate for the excesses of consumerism and address climate change. So we humbly offer "5 R’s” to prompt some thought about additional actions each of us might take:

1. Refuse/reduce: do I actually need that? Can I delay buying it, or buy less/fewer? Can I rent or borrow or barter for it? Can I take fewer/longer vacations instead of shorter/more frequent trips? Can I substitute a vegetarian meal for a meat-based meal once a day?

2. Reuse/repurpose/reclaim: can worn-out sheets or draperies become rags, towels or rag rugs? Can I build my deck with reclaimed lumber? Am I doing everything I can to stop wasting food? Can I walk or bike more to reduce driving?

3. Repair: can an item’s life be extended through careful repair? Do I know someone who can reweave a tattered wool blanket, for example?

4. Recycle/return: am I doing everything I can to responsibly recycle? Can I return an item, clothing or electronics, for example, to the seller or through a city program?

5. Relocate: okay, it’s a stretch, but it’s an “r,” and it’s meant to suggest relocating something I own to someone else via sharing or donating.

You get the idea. My small sacrifices joined with your small sacrifices, made with purpose, in hope, can moderate consumerism and make a difference.

A final thought: businesses, especially profitable ones, may not rush to change what works for them just to benefit the environment. We, as consumers, acting responsibly, intentionally, collectively, have to tell them to do so by what we purchase or decline to purchase. We can do this!

Eco-Act 016: Joining the Circular Economy

In past weeks, we’ve focused attention on recycling as a way we all can help protect and restore our environment. This week, we look at how recycling actually fits into a much larger picture.

Our existing economic model is often referred to as linear, characterized in this CNBC article as “take—make—dispose.” We all know this model can cause environmental damage in all three phases: destructive raw material acquisition methods … manufacturing processes that create air, land and water pollution … and the mountains of waste that we as consumers create when we dispose of our purchases as they wear out, break or no longer meet our needs. Our recycling efforts help moderate this third phase of the linear economy …. But what can we do about the “take” and “make” phases?

enjoy it

& pass it on (or not!)

We can migrate toward a different kind of economy—a circular economy—that addresses all three phases.

In a circular economy, producers of goods TAKE less: they use recycled/reclaimed/repurposed materials to the greatest extent possible. This behavior can reduce raw materials mined, milled, extracted, harvested, etc. And it can reduce deforestation, ruined landscapes and global resource depletion.

Manufacturers in a circular economy MAKE increased use of recycled materials. They make things that last longer. And—very important— they take back their products when we’re done with them (think of your smartphone). And note that returned products become raw materials in the next “make” cycle.

All of our efforts to properly recycle help in the DISPOSE component of the circular economy. But we can do more if we’re up to it. For example:

• Instead of buying a product, we can intentionally rent, lease or borrow it—and avoid the disposal problem altogether. For inspiration, check out what’s on the horizon at Philips.

• We can consciously buy from companies like Patagonia or Girlfriend Collective that use recycled/reclaimed/repurposed materials and repair their products for us when we damage them.

• We can choose companies like H&M that take their products back when they’ve served their purpose or no longer work—in other words, companies that follow a make/use/return model.

• We can buy used items, and share, sell, or donate things we no longer need.

How close are we to converting the old linear economy to a more earth-friendly circular economy? Judging from the wealth of articles and videos available online, we can be sure that the concept is wellestablished. And the links above demonstrate that the world is actually moving from theory into practice. In fact, real progress is being made in countries such as Sweden. But here’s where we come in: companies will behave the way we motivate them to through our actions. If we want less “take— make—dispose” and more earth-friendly circularity, we can be intentional, eco-conscious consumers. We have the power to move this migration along!

Eco-Act 014: Being Part of the Change

Last week, we proposed a challenge: adopt one new behavior in August that will reduce plastic waste. 

One way to think about this challenge is to divide it into 3 separate approaches:

• properly disposing of plastic;  Seattle Public Utilities helps with this approach, and urges us to make sure our recycled plastic items are empty, clean and dry. Companies such as Ridwell help with more difficult-to-recycle items. And sites such as TerraCycle and Where Seattle Recycles identify additional recycling resources we can make use of.

• avoiding plastic in the first place; our “one-new-behavior” goal can be achieved in the grocery store by consciously and consistently choosing metal/glass/paper packaging over plastic, making bulk buys that allow us to (re)use our own containers, or by refusing to purchase single-use plastic beverage containers.

• repurposing plastic that’s already out there; we know that vast quantities of plastic have been and continue to be dumped into the world’s oceans, creating massive floating garbage patches, or gyres that endanger sea life, the earth—and ultimately humans. But what modest step can any of us, as mere individuals, take to counter this despair-inducing situation? How about … buying a bracelet?

shopping with intention

Shops like 4Ocean recycle and repurpose plastics

Next time you need a gift for someone, or just want to treat yourself, check out 4Ocean, where you can pick up a bracelet made from plastic recovered from an ocean, river or coastline. According to the company’s website, 4Ocean recovers a pound of plastic for every item purchased.

Actually, it turns out that today an encouraging number of products incorporate recycled plastic (and other recycled materials, such as wool). Visit World Wildlife Fund for one list of such items, which include sportwear, sneakers, rugs, yoga mats, dog collars, blankets, building materials, backpacks, and more. Some other products? How about Nike and Adidas shoes, Allbird shoes (a favorite of Barack Obama), Bionic Yarn, cutting boards, outdoor furniture—even Pilot pens. 

The take-away? There really are things we can do—a lot of them. Can we make plastic disappear from the environment tomorrow? Will any one of us be the tipping point that triggers this rescue? No, of course not. But could we see positive changes, worthwhile improvements, in our lifetimes, or even sooner? With hope, we say yes. And with purpose, intention and commitment, we act.

Eco-Act 013: Make August Your “One New Action to Reduce Plastic” Month

frameworks and ideas

to use less plastic

Somehow, humans got along for eons without plastic. But within the past century, we have seen this material emerge from non-existence to achieve environmental threat status, endangering oceans and sea life, for example. We respond to this danger through our recycling efforts, and we can feel good about these purposeful acts. But if we stop for a moment and think (an opportunity this pandemic certainly provides us!), perhaps additional actions we can take will come to mind.

In their book Active Hope, Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone describe a three-step framework we might apply to thinking about plastics in our lives:

• Holding actions: stopping unconscious behaviors that contribute to the problem. An example of this might be “aspirational recycling”—I’m not positive this plastic item can be recycled but I’ll toss it into the bin anyway and hope for the best. Reference guides are available to support proper recycling.

• Life-sustaining practices: intentionally changing an established routine, such as switching to an environmentally friendly reusable water bottle and no longer buying water in single-use plastic bottles, or consciously buying products packaged in paper, metal or glass instead of plastic.

• Consciousness shifts: acting out of a sense of connectedness and responsibility—taking an action that might not be convenient, but one that makes a difference. Examples might include cooking more/buying fewer prepacked meals, shopping more at farmers’ markets (when this option becomes more feasible again), buying foods in bulk/(re)using your own containers, etc.

Earth911.com suggests a “good-better-best” approach for thinking about reducing plastic waste; check it out here.

• “Good” actions include actions most of us already take, but here are their examples: https://earth911.com/home-garden/plastic-free-home-5-simple-changes/

• “Better” ideas include making use of organizations such as Ridwell (featured last week) that handle more difficult-to-recycle items (Ridwell accepts plastic film). And here are a few additional locator sites along the same lines:

  • Earth911 Recycling Search

  • Terracycle

• “Best” approaches are more ambitious, like the consciousness shifts noted above. They may involve changing attitudes, even values, to positively impact the environment.

Now August begins, our sixth month of living in a different world. Along with the many negatives we have had to adapt to, might this now be a time to take a positive action? What if each one of us were to change one habit, or start one new practice that would reduce plastic waste from this month forward?