Re: OT: Earth Hour

On Fri, 15 May 2009 09:22:35 -0700 (PDT), gabi <gabiks@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

i'm rather indifferent to the whole thing myself. culturally we've
embraced
the economy of 'stuff' a long time ago. the worker as interchangeable/
expendable
cog is still playing out.

we bought our son some bedroom furniture about a month ago. the
drawers were
manufactured in china. they arrived via UPS, all *individually*
packaged in double
wall, shipping grade paperboard boxes, each swaddled in bubble wrap
with styrofoam
coverings on all edges. not styrofoam corners, mind, but an entire
frame of styrofoam
around each edge, top and bottom.
the actual three pieces of 'furniture' were delivered *separately*
each on a different day
by the same truck.

i just about died.

the paperboard was easy to recycle. the local packaging center was
happy to accept the bubble wrap. the styrofoam? most likely trash.
over 50 pieces of the stuff.
now, i have no idea were the paperboard, bubble wrap or the styro were
made. nor do i
know if the styro can/will be sold to places in asia were it is cost
effective to recycle them.
maybe in terms of economic dollars it all balances out in the end.
don't know. but when i
contemplate the amount of energy and pollution that went into moving
all this stuff around the world
i wonder if we are not too heavily invested in the way things are
(business as usual) to save the
planet we live on.

My personal take on that is that if we put our minds to it, we could
save the planet *and* continue to live as we do -- barely. But human
nature being what it is, the greedy and irresponsible will continue to
pillage and plunder, and leave the future a smoldering wreck -- all so
people can zip around in what to my eyes at least are senselessly
wasteful living patterns.

There are clear advantages to globalization, but there are also clear
disadvantages, not the least of which is that it is making those of us
who live in the developed world poorer and creating the  risk of
depression. As I see it, we should be finding approaches that
encourage trade industrialization in the third world without doing
this. That will inevitably involve some compromises, but economic
suicide shouldn't be among them.

that seems inevitable. we need to produce, then dump as much product
as
possible to keep our economy going. raising the wages/employment (out
sourcing)
of third world countries in the hope of creating an even bigger market
in which to sell
our stuff serves that function. quantity over quality.

at some point social (quality of life) and environmental costs may be
re-factored
into the equation, but not anytime soon. nor in a big way.

Not as long as a) government is controlled by monied special interests
and b) we start seeing the bigger picture. Neither of which I think
are going to happen to the extent that they should. I mean, look at
New Orleans . . .

--
Josh

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex and more violent. It
takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction"

- Albert Einstein.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: OT: Earth Hour
    ... the economy of 'stuff' a long time ago. ... not styrofoam corners, mind, but an entire ... know if the styro can/will be sold to places in asia were it is cost ... exploit the labor force. ...
    (rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated)
  • Re: OT: Earth Hour
    ... the economy of 'stuff' a long time ago. ... wall, shipping grade paperboard boxes, each swaddled in bubble wrap ... not styrofoam corners, mind, but an entire ... the paperboard was easy to recycle. ...
    (rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated)
  • Re: Aggregate debt
    ... >total amount of debt will grow bigger and bigger. ... that money is returned to the economy. ... In return banks earn a fee for service or earn interest ...
    (sci.econ)
  • Re: Layoffs
    ... each one seems to get bigger and bigger. ... The economy was floundering badly during the Ford Administration- ... Carter inherited rampant inflation, ... increased employment but OPEC's massive oil price increases scuppered ...
    (rec.music.makers.guitar.jazz)
  • Re: Forte Agent Filters
    ... economy are mutually exclusive. ... As a matter of fact I think BOTH are unobtainable. ... radical left wing environmentalist whacko you will ever meet, ... The masses on those continents will be creating bigger and bigger ...
    (rec.motorcycles)