In the Student Blogging Challenge: Week 9, Miss W. asked us to write about a global issue that we would like to help solve.
One of the things that concerns me is the amount of garbage that is everywhere, in our oceans, lakes, streams, landfills, and more.
Where is all of this garbage coming from? The answer, us, the consumers, who mindlessly buy stuff we don’t need or is cheaply made and breaks as soon as you buy it, and then thrown away.
Since it is almost time for Christmas, the busiest shopping season of the year, it is the perfect time to think about the stuff that we buy.
For me, thinking about what I want for Christmas has been very hard. I don’t really “need” anything, and I know that Christmas should be about being with my family, and it is, but I can’t help the feeling of wanting to see lots of beautifully wrapped presents under the tree. But, I am doing my best to think of things that I would really use, and I am working on making homemade presents for my family, instead of buying them.
Also, I have done a little research about where all of our “stuff” comes from, and one of the things I learned is that companies plan in obsolescence, which means that they make stuff to intentionally break so that you will buy more. How messed up is that?
Another thing I learned is about the true costs of all of the electronic gadgets, which includes “land grabbing,” where people are thrown off their land that they have lived on and farmed for centuries so that the land can be mined for minerals. How horrible!
If the people (corporations) creating our gadgets are so “intelligent,” then why don’t they make them to last? There must be a better way!
- Sometimes I wonder if it is too late to make any real change in our world. If what I try to do will even make a difference. Does it even matter when there are so many people (corporations) out there that don’t seem to care? Are we doomed?
- I may not be able to solve all of these problems, but I don’t want to be a mindless, zombie consumer. So, I am trying to be more aware and do what I can to help, like buying only what I need, trying to buy local, recycling, and figuring out ways to make old items new again. Oh, and we don’t buy bottled water any more.
- If everyone starts caring and changing for the better, I believe we can make a difference!
“When the Last Tree Is Cut Down, the Last Fish Eaten, and the Last Stream Poisoned, You Will Realize That You Cannot Eat Money.”
A Native American Proverb, found on QuoteInvestigator.com:
