Lab4

Our stuffs move along 5 stages: extraction to production to distribution to consumption and to disposal. This system interacts with the societies, cultures, economies and the environment. However there are some flaws in this system. One of these is that people matters a little more than what it should in this system.

The first stage is extraction. This includes chopping down trees, and blowing up mountains for mines. This resulted to 80% of forests gone, 2000 trees a minute lost in the Amazon, and 75% of global fisheries are beyond capacity. To consolidate one’s own resources, countries take other countries resources.

Once resources are acquired through extraction, the production stage takes place. In the process of production, energy is utilized to mix toxic chemicals with natural resources to make toxic contaminated products. The yielded products include computers, appliances, couches, pillows and etc. The US industry admits to releasing over 4 billion pounds of toxic chemical a year. These toxins are harmful for our health and the environment. Just like in extraction, to alleviate risks of polluting one’s own land, companies/countries move their factories overseas.

After production, these contaminated/toxic products are sold as q uickly as possibly, distribution. Companies externalize costs by not showing the real price of producing and distributing the product. These products have cost of worker’s health, people’s natural resources, and clean air- which aren’t displayed in the price tag.

Fourth is consumption. Our today’s culture made us consumers. American economy’s ultimate purpose is to produce more consumer goods, instead of providing health care, education and etc. 99% of the stuff we acquire through the system is trashed within 6 months. Companies practice planned obsolescence and perceived obsolescence; and advertisements and media made us perceive useful objects un-useful. Advertisements make us unhappy with what we have. Instead of having more time with things that really make us happy: family, friends and leisure time, people are more indulged to consuming goods and acquiring stuffs that the advertisements make us think are important.

Fifth stage is disposal. Once we perceive the stuffs we have are useless, we dump them. Since 99% of the stuffs are trashed within 6 months, this damages the environment. Garbage are either dumped in a landfill or burned in an incinerator first before dumping in a landfill. Burning garbage releases toxics in the air and we breathe in to these toxins.