The world is going to end and it must be my fault. That's how I felt after reading Chapters 1 and 2 from Cradle to Cradle. While it brought new and interesting information to my attention, I felt that it offered no viable solution except to wait to find one in the mist of the pollution we will obviously continue to make.
This morning as my suite-mates and I sprayed our aerosal spray cans of hairspray and threw away non-biodegradable plastic make-up containers I couldn't help but recall the chapters and what was going to happen--what was happening--to the planet as our hair became stiffer and our trash cans filled. The o-zone holes were getting bigger and land-fills were piling up with plastics that would remain there until they were burned.
Reduse, Reuse, Recycle(Cradle to Cradle, 53). I GOT IT! I GOT IT! But apparently, no matter how much I recycle, reuse, or reduse, it will never be enough or even begin to undue the damage started with the Industrial Revolution. The chapter explains the harm in almost every attempt to become more eco-friendly. We cut down the amount of oil used to for heating and cooling the average home by more than 95% and are left with poor polluted air in our houses (63).
I want to be part of the Strategy of Change not Strategy of Tragedy (44), as coined in Chapter 1. But if what I'm doing now isn't enough, I need to know what will be. I felt enlightened after reading and knowing more about the state of our planet, but five seconds later I felt deflated, realizing how little I difference I can make, if even eco-efficiency is still so damaging. "Eco-efficiency only works to make the old, destructive system a bit less so" (62) so where, oh where, is the solution?
Hopefully in the following chapters.
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2 comments:
crap, i jsut noticed a bunch of typoes...please ignore them
=)
i totally know what you mean. from this text, other articles, and in the news, they're all talking about the damage we're doing, but offering no viable solutions as far as i can tell. it's really disheartening when all you're told is what you're doing wrong; it feels hopeless. even in the introduction of "cradle to cradle", the book was telling me that even the chair i was sitting in was to blame for our disintegrating planet. what am i supposed to do then? sit on the floor? no, according to the text, even the carpet isn't planet-friendly. is there really anything we can do short of returning to the primitive life? i really hope that this book will offer some positive information soon. i'm tired of being accused of abuse.
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