Consumption: Think before you Amazon
We live in a world now where anything you could possibly want is at the touch of a button. Unicorn onesie? I'll take 2, horse head mask? sure, why not? But most of us, including me, fail to think about was goes in to everything we buy. Consumerism is a major driver of climate change, believe it or not. Every product has a life cycle, starting with raw materials and ending with disposal.
First, every product starts with its raw materials. Most products are made of plastic and metal/electronics. Plastics are generally made from petroleum (crude oil). Lots of energy is used to process the crude oil into its usable plastic composition. Additionally, the burning of fossil fuels has been proven to increase carbon emissions, which leads to climate change. Just like most manufacturing processes, the production of plastic releases toxic chemicals into the air and water. Metals require mining, which also has toxic byproducts that pollute the environment (remember when the Animas River in Colorado turned orange?). Also, many metals used in our beloved electronics are found in the rainforests and jungles of South America and Africa. This has led to large scale deforestation and habitat loss that effects the animals, plants, and people living in these areas (2). Also, with those trees gone, they can no longer reduce carbon emissions for us.
Next in the product life cycle is distribution and the consumer. Once you order a product it must be transported to you. This involves the use of more materials (cardboard box and bubble wrap) and then the use of gas for all vehicles involved in getting it to your door. Distribution definitely makes an impact when only ordering one item because often the packaging is oversized. Then, once you have the product, you need space for it. And overtime, we all get overwhelmed with how much stuff we have and we want more room. Then a whole nother product system opens up with building materials and utilities/infrastructure.
Then, the product has lived its life and must be disposed of. Depending on your local recycling programs, many things can be recycled. This is great option, especially for metals. Metals can be processed many times which means less demand for mining. Plastics on the other hand lose quality every time they're reprocessed so that limits the "resale value" and some plastics cannot be recycled at all. In the end, most things end up in a landfill. Landfills take up a lot of space which could be used for other purposes. And, as everything breaks down, they release toxic byproducts. Electronics and plastics release mercury, arsenic, acids, lead, and many other substances that find their way into the air and water. Organic materials like food scraps break down and release methane, a very harmful greenhouse gas (5). Some landfills are utilizing methane capture systems but the majority do not.
So what can you take from all of this? It would be very difficult to try and change everyone's developed American lifestyle. But, there are some simple things you can do to help reduce impact to the environment. The first thing is thinking twice before you order something online or buy from a store. Ask yourself if it's something you really need or will make you happy. Also, before throwing anything away, look up if there are any recycling programs for that type of item in your community. Many areas have special recycling facilities for household chemicals and grease/oils, electronics and batteries. Many stores even have recycling centers now for lightbulbs, charging cords, and electronics. I have seen them at Best Buy and Ikea for instance. You could also consider composting your organic waste. Composting bins turn kitchen scraps into very rich soil. Buying used and donating used goods is also an option. There are many high quality resale stores that sell lightly used items such as clothing, furniture and housewares, which lowers the impact of new production. Donating goods to resale stores also keeps things out of landfills and increases the life of the product once you no longer need it. And of course, I think the easiest thing you can do to reduce impact is use a reusable water bottle and water filter. Americans use 50 billion plastic water bottles each year which is enough oil to fuel 1.3 million cars for a year (4). One reusable bottle can last many years.
I hope this article raises your awareness on the impact consumerism has on the environment. Humans' relationship with the Earth is a system with many interconnected parts. Anything we can do to help will benefit us all.
Look up recycling programs in your area and learn more about recycling:
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