Human inventions surrounds us in this generation. Some are useful but more of it is not. In this topic
I will discuss what I learned about materials economy. The ones who are powerful divide its system into 5 steps. Annie Leonard, a critic of excessive consumerism proves and demonstrate through the video 3 more parts which is the factory workers, the government & the corporation.
5 Parts Of Materials Economy
Extraction
All of the things invented and fabricated came from our natural resources and mixed with chemicals. Cutting trees, mining, & killing animals are usually the type of extraction (which is non-renewable) a production will go through just to produce a product. Because of that we are running out of resources, in the video it states that in the past 3 decades 1/3 of the earth's basis are gone. It will cause global warming and cause the earth to loss its equilibrium which is dangerous for us. The problem on the customary extraction is that they are using a lot of natural resources which is very much inordinate. Derived from a study conducted by environmental group in Aurora Forester states that only 20% of the Philippines original forest remains and 4,200 people die each year due to contaminated drinking water. It is very alarming because there will come a day that humans will struggle.
Production
The extracted material will be move to production where the natural resources will be mix to chemicals to create a desired product. Majority of the products are toxic for us humans. The most affected people are those who work inside the factory & the pregnant women that breathes the polluted air due to the toxic coming out of the factory. Instead of helping the neighbors and giving what consumers need they are giving us sickness, useless & harmful things.
Distribution
It passes the goods/products until it reaches the end of consumer. Its goal is to sell all the products quickly, keep the people from buying & keeping the inventory moving. The secret to sell all the products quickly is to lower the price of each. But to be able to do this the owner should lower the salary of each store workers & to skip them to be a regular employee to avoid government benefits. Which is bad, greedy & inhuman!
Consumption
It is the heart, the priority of the system, because of this all the businessmen are working their-self off even though they would become inhuman. The people in this generation are a nation of consumers even I will admit. I cannot blame myself because it is common and we are used to it. Majority of the new invention today will be replace of something new which has the same benefits or function but different look and much more expensive! Because of that we consumer will be convinced that we need to have an updated product even though or without knowing that our existing product is still working well. Because of that commercial is that best example of how the corporations easily brainwashed our minds. Some people depends their happiness through things which is not good because that is not the true happiness, more things can make us busy (because of working hard just to buy updated/useless stuff) and having us less time for our family, friends and other productive doings
Disposal
Not all that we consume will last forever most of it is not sturdy so that we will buy again their stuffs. Most of it will be trash! In a study a single resident here in the Philippines produces an average of 0.7 kg of waste per day or 8,400 to 8,600 tons of trash per day. All of this garbage will either be left at the ground, at the air and even on water that makes the planet polluted. Solution for this is to recycle those trash but the problem is many of these product is the recyclable and that is not the root cause of the problem. So the best solution is to change the culture of what the generation today are used to.
People, Government, Corporations, Society, Culture, Economy & Environment.
The video shows us that the 5 steps of material economy are incomplete, the government sugar coated the diagram so that it can look simple as if theres no danger to the surroundings. Diagram don't include the people living on the province who are affected of the extractions of natural resources like cutting trees, killing the animals which is the source of their food, contaminating their water which result of undrinkable water & harassing their shelter just because they do not have the papers to prove that they own the land even though they live there before since the early time. The weather at their place will be affected because of illegal logging and like I said the corporations harassing them which lead them no choice but to transfer on urban places just to find a source of living. Majority of the factory workers came to those provinces affected by the extraction. Governments are more concerned about the economy thats why the corporations are their priority, even though the people, their culture and the environment will be affected. This linear practice should be replace because our planet has its limits thats why we should think of something new that can help our society to be organized and to avoid harming the environment. As a student of Mechanical Engineering I should think of a solution that can solve this problem in the long run, I thought of some but the profit I will get is low. That's a problem here in our present generation. For now as a consumer we should avoid buying things that is worthless to avoid toxic and trash, and so that the leaders will think of something new to boost the economy rather than harming the nature. Because if the stuff they produce will not be consumed, they will stop its inhuman activity. This solution cannot be done by one person only, people should help each other, understand each other so that we can be united.
