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Sustainable products
Sustainable development simply means that the present generation (you and me) will leave future generations (our children and grandchildren) a good, if not better, environment. This rule sounds so simple, but in actual practice it is not. The scary thing is that things are getting worse faster than most of us realize. Sometimes I look around and imagine others walking around with blindfolds on to avoid seeing the damage being done.
Take a look at recent headlines from any media and more Bold (to draw our attention) we see falling reefs, rising gas prices, freshwater shortages, prolonged droughts around the world, melting ice caps and glaciers, fisheries collapsing due to ocean acidification, and ever rising energy, food and sea levels. Recent headlines from Yahoo and Google, The Wall Street Journal and Forbes, Nature and Scientific America, and even the IPCC, and recent statements from Exxon and other executives and academics confirm that we, as a civilization, are in a bad position. and worse and worse times. And yet the habits of overproducing, producing unsustainable products, ecological washing of products, and the increasing inability of our Congress to address these problems are alarming.
False green
Neysayers are influenced by corporate interests, corrupt representatives, lobbyists of one kind or another, and business and government think tanks that continue to proclaim that everything is fine, perhaps certain events are cyclical and caused by nature (until the next election), and that the Change climate is nothing to worry about. Ocean levels will not rise overnight, food will be plentiful, electricity is fine, GM food is the future, topsoil erosion is not an event, over-fertilization is a farmers problem, air pollution is better than it was and freshwater is not a problem.
Reasoning with the people that corporations that don’t live and breathe pay to speak and perform unsustainable activities is just a waste of time and energy. The markets that affect these players are driven by consumer demand. The consumer is the most powerful group in today’s society and at the same time the most unspeakable. As long as the consumer wants to fill his homes with unsustainable products, the consumer will have more unsustainable products to choose from. How many different large screen TVs do we really need to choose? What form of genetically altered food will we eat? We have a hard time distinguishing between the worst sustainable product and the less bad unsustainable product. We can ultimately choose the lesser evil that turns out to be worse because of the Green Laundry of the product and the company it comes from. What source of energy to choose, coal or oil? There is an option to opt out of a purchase and do without, but these days we have other options that are readily available and can send desired messages to mega corporations.
Environmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly products exist and not only at the local level. An environmentally friendly product made in China ceases to be environmentally friendly before it reaches the shores of the USA or Europe. Transport costs, energy costs, air pollution and even inequality at work come with costs and must be included in the actual cost of the so-called sustainable product. These additional and hidden costs are thrown on society as a whole as additional pollutants, deteriorating water supplies, declining fisheries, deforestation, costs of wasted energy, climate change factors and ultimately influence the political maneuvering of our representatives and companies.
Eco-friendly clothing produced in Taiwan is not eco-friendly or sustainable because we can buy cotton clothing here in the USA. Bring Levi back from Mexico and produce clothes here with less hidden costs. Global trade is good for some items, and that’s not the point here. I am not saying that all products manufactured outside our borders are not good choices. What I’m saying is that, thanks to marketing pressures, trade deals and other agreements designed by business for the benefit of businesses, our representatives and companies believe that almost all products that claim to be environmentally friendly are actually good for the environment. The truth is, the products aren’t good for the environment, and they’re definitely not sustainable.
Erroneous steering and reactions
Examples include our coal reserves in Montana and Colorado. They are mined at an increasing rate and shipped to the West Coast to supply Chinese coal-burning plants and factories to produce energy that is used to make products that are ultimately sold here. It is not environmentally friendly, but rather economically based on greed and myopia. Firms want to beat their results both here and in China, and they are entitled to do so because they influence certain rights or give representatives favors in return for the status quo. Another example is tar sands in Canada and their environmental impact. Economic reasons include developing jobs and supporting communities, yet it is clear that the development of this type of fuel is extremely dangerous to the Global Environment. If sustainability is one of the considerations of the Canadian and US government or the oil and transportation companies, then these jobs and community support would be of a different nature. Unreasonable behavior should not exist with current technology and insight into the damage they will eventually cause.
I argue that sustainability is not at all important to our government, or to the many companies that affect it and our rights. Until We as a Nation get upset, nothing will change dramatically enough to make a major change in the events to come. The time of protest is over. Negotiations are coming to an end. Diplomacy seemed to have failed. The time has come to respond to the global population. There is certainly some movement in the air, and the coming storm will be unpleasant.
Sustainable options
Home shopping is becoming more and more important for those who want to lead a greener lifestyle. The Internet provides a wide variety of online stores with which to do an ethical business. Sustainable individuals and groups are actively choosing those companies and products that really matter in terms of green, sustainable products and sustainability.
Ecological Laundry for many products still exists and smart shoppers can see the difference. When a product is labeled “green” and found to be inaccurate, the company making the claims must be held responsible. What if all household cleaners that are harmful to you and the environment were thrown back to the manufacturer’s doorstep? I think they would understand the message. If you add to this the real costs of burning coal, such as those associated with acid rain, water and air pollution, and climate change, would it be able to compete in the Real Market, one that is not manipulated by corrupt business and government? I think not. The consumer has a lot of power if he chooses to wield it.
Thank you
Author: Paul McGuinness
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Source by Paul A McGuinness