Have you ever considered our disposable lifestyle, how many of the products we use everyday are designed to be thrown out after as little as just one use? Tissues, toweling paper, razors, coffee cups, drink containers, food containers, nappies, tea bags, plastic shopping bags are all manufactured, packaged, transported and sold to be used once and then discarded, sometimes within a matter of minutes.

And it doesn’t stop there, nearly all consumer products have a conceived limited lifetime. In a society that places so much value on the ‘latest’, ‘greatest’, ‘up to the minute’ fashion and trends it is not surprising that we often find ourselves throwing out or replacing many household and lifestyle items year in year out. Computers, televisions, white-goods, clothes, shoes, cars, home wares, furniture and so many gadgets and ‘necessities’ of everyday living are repackaged and re-released all the time, creating a false sense of obsolesce in the ‘out dated’ model.

This didn’t just happen, it was designed. Throwaway, breakable, disposable goods were originally conceived after World War II as a way of creating mass economic growth and we have embraced them for their convenience and perceived necessity.

And you’ve got to hand it to them, this revolution in disposable goods certainly generated an economic boom but at what cost?

The earth is being forced to try and digest an ever growing amount of waste. Through landfill and pollution we are drowning the planet in toxic waste that, in the case of plastics, can never be entirely broken down.
We are relying on cheap oil to manufacture and transport all these goods for our convenience and immediacy but how much longer will this be an option?

Consider the amount of garbage one household generates, how much of our trash is made up by disposable, convenience items; plastic toothbrushes, pens, lighters, batteries, containers, cleaning cloths, oven trays, wrapping, packaging and so much more.

We need to consider the environmental impact of these items and weigh it up against their convenience.

Plastic is non biodegradable which means after it is thrown out it does not breakdown to a natural state and will more often than not end up as pollution either in landfill or quite often in our oceans and waterways
When plastic waste is incinerated it creates toxic fumes that pollute our air and environment
It takes large amounts of chemical pollutants to create plastic, as well as significant amounts of fossil fuels
Although biodegradable the paper industry also contributes to air and water pollution, energy consumption, water consumption and deforestation

When we look at the facts above it may be worthwhile considering an alternative to throw away and disposable items. Weigh up the very negative long lasting environmental impact of a disposable item’s real lifespan against their designed use of a few minutes, days or months and an imbalanced picture begins to emerge.

Yet, there are alternatives readily available and with a few changes in our habits and product choices we can reduce the need and reliance on an unsustainable disposable lifestyle.

To limit our dependency on disposable items and our overall consumption and resulting waste; consider the following:

Use reusable items whenever possible this includes reusable shopping bags, pens, lighters, razors, food storage containers, refillable drink bottles, coffee cups, washable dish cloths, cloth napkins, hankies, nappies etc. And this doesn’t necessarily mean going back to the days of old, there are new exciting reusable items available from sustainable forward thinking companies for nearly every item imaginable.
Avoid the use of plastic wrap and disposable sandwich and freezer bags by investing in quality glassware storage containers to refrigerate leftovers.
Always reduce, reuse and recycle and look for items made from recycled products or with recycled packaging. Be inventive, any item that can be washed out and reused saves on waste and consumption.
Before replacing an item consider the option of repairing it or replacing it with a second hand item. Is the need to replace it based on a conceived obsolescence? Can you make do with the item for a little longer?
Try not to be over influenced by fashion and advertising. When it comes to clothing, foot ware and gadgets consider the impact of your choices before buying into fashion and fleeting trends.

We owe it to our planet and ourselves to escape from this unnecessary throwaway lifestyle. Make a simple change next time you are faced with the option of disposable or reusable and see the difference. With a little imagination, creativity, forethought and care we can move towards a sustainable and positive future.

Small.Simple.Life Happy and Healthy, Ethical and Sustainable Living

Please Note... All links within articles are placed by their author-owners and not by this blog.Products with in those links may or may not be the best in the world.If it sounds too good to be true it could be a scam.Articles are posted for their info,ideas and or entertainment value only.

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As the coordinator for a Think Tank which happens to operate online, I am often flabbergasted by the number of applicants who have committed themselves to a low carbon footprint and want to be involved in sustainability and eco-friendly innovations. It seems folks have been very busy soaking in all the media push surrounding our alternative energy future, the global climate warming crisis, and anti-fossil fuel trends. But is it really possible for “ALL” of these people to work in that sector?

Not long ago, there was a really interesting article on MSN.com titled; “10 Jobs for the Future,” by Rachel Farrell, a researcher on career management writing for CareerBuilder.com. You may wish to surf that title on the MSN search engine and read that article, and then come back to this article, because I have some comments to get you to think about which way our society and over all civilization is heading.

Now then, did you read the number 10 item; Sustainability Officer? Yes, that sounds like a “cool job title” and it was summarized as; “Sustainability Officer: Sustainability has become a concern around the world and also among businesses. Since the executive suite may not have time to learn all there is to know, organizations are hiring eco-savvy individuals as “sustainability officers.” These folks will find, research, and implement eco-friendly policies to benefit the organization.”

Interesting isn’t it? Sure it is, and I do not doubt that such a person may be needed in the average corporation in the future, especially considering that the whole world is turning green as our society makes that long corner towards alternative energy, one I might add we’ve been on for some 40-years now.

In fact, I often laugh when politicians stand up and say; “We have a new plan for America – an alternative energy future!” Ha ha ha, you know what, in my personal library I have dozens of books from the 70s with the words “Alternative Energy” or “Energy Conservation” in the titles – this is nothing new believe me. What is new are all the folks who pick up this vision and dedicate their lives to fulfill it. Every decade or so, there is another huge push forward towards these eco-friendly futures.

Guess what? Nothing has changed. Further, the concept of a job title; “Sustainability Officer” wouldn’t really be anything different than a Six Sigma strategy company-wide with an environmental, recycling, and alternative energy flair. Before Six Sigma, we had TQM or total quality management, yes, I have dozens of those books too, guess what, nearly all of them have chapters on eco-trends, recycling, and alternative energy efficiencies and reduced waste.

Indeed, I often wish folks would step out of their 24/7 brainwashing through school or mass media and take a look at the reality of the situation, energy usage, and the realities of living on the surface of the planet. But, one man, someone like me, cannot prevent the onslaught or massive deluge of wishful nonsense being purported out there. Yes, I know it’s cool, trendy, and hip – yes, I know alternative energy is sexy, and of course I am well aware of all the purported promises of the future. But I am also someone who has no choice but to live in the real world.

“Sustainability Officer” – you have to be kidding me, corporations already have that, they spend lots of money finding ways to cut costs and increase efficiency. After all, Stanford Business School’s Professor Collins is all over that with his famous books; “Built to Last” and “Good to Great” – and besides, the word; “Sustainability” is probably the most over-used word in the English language, almost to the point it’s meaningless. Anyone wanting to make a point just loves to banter it to provoke a reaction. Indeed, I sincerely hope you will please consider all this.

Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank, a diverse group of achievers, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, futurists, academics, dreamers, leaders, and general all around brilliant minds. Lance Winslow hopes you’ve enjoyed today’s discussion and topic. http://www.WorldThinkTank.net – Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance Winslow.

Please Note... All links within articles are placed by their author-owners and not by this blog.Products with in those links may or may not be the best in the world.If it sounds too good to be true it could be a scam.Articles are posted for their info,ideas and or entertainment value only.

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