Circles Not Lines
While many schools are proud to announce that they recycle and that recycling has become part of the curriculum, how many are exploring the issue at a deeper level? How many are asking: “Why do we have garbage? Is garbage inevitable? What are its costs?” Most schools, through their lack of curriculum, do not address these important questions, and in turn, propagate the idea that garbage and waste is an inevitable part of life.
Schools need to teach that garbage is a strong indicator of poor design. Ultimately, these design flaws need to be eliminated. We pay for this poor design in many ways: Discarded products pollute our air, water, and soil. Energy is wasted (creating more pollution in the process) in the handling and processing of garbage. The environment is degraded by the need to get more raw resources to replace the ones that have been tossed out. The more garbage that is associated with a product through its manufacturing processes, excessive packaging, low recyclability/reusability, low durability…, the more expensive it becomes. The consumer ultimately ends up paying more for the product or service due to this waste. (It is estimated that of the United States’ annual $9 trillion gross domestic product, $2 trillion is wasted.1 This money, of course, could be used to buy things of value and improve life for all.) At the end of the product’s life, money must be spent to haul it away. To add further insult, tax dollars are often wasted trying to clean up garbage that has contaminated air, water and people’s peace of mind.
Too much of what is produced by man travels in a linear direction: 1) the resource is mined or harvested, 2) it’s processed or manufactured, 3) it’s shipped to the consumer, often very far from where it was made 4) it’s used 5) it’s thrown out. This linear movement leads to resource depletion and waste–two major challenges confronting us in the 21st century.
We could learn a lot from nature by observing how it works. In nature, materials flow in circular paths. Closed loops prevent waste, resource depletion, and allow for very high levels of efficiency. One organism’s waste becomes another’s food and habitat. In nature, organisms “understand” that their survival is tied to their ability to maintain a healthy environment. For this simple reason, “successful” organisms, don’t foul up their habitats.
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Some manufacturers understand the value of closed loop manufacturing. Interface Corporation, makers of carpeting and flooring material, realized that by designing well they could increase profits while reducing their environmental footprint. This win/win scenario is largely done by creating products that are designed to provide “services”. That is, what the buyer really wants is the service the carpeting provides, not necessarily the carpet. Manufacturers who understand this “service” model, design products in such a way that when their useful service life is over, they can be taken back and easily repurposed. Good design means that this can be done with minimal inputs of energy, processes, and materials, creating savings for consumers, profits for manufacturers, while minimizing environmental impact.
Students who are educated to understand these concepts will be in high demand as businesses start to appreciate the value of this new industrial revolution. Is your school educating along these lines? If you’re worried about your kids being left behind, then ask your administrators if they understand the garbage problem and the need for a new paradigm.
Excellent video below. How come we don’t find any of this stuff in the textbooks? Hmmm.
1 Natural Capitalism, p. 57.
Photo credit: Interface Corp.
