Story of Stuff (Essay 2)

Introduction

Have you ever wondered where do your old stuff end? Well, in this essay you'll learn about how it was produced and where it ends up being. A major problem facing our environment nowadays is the consumption of a lot materials and not using the resources to reuse the consumables.

Extraction

The resources used to make things does not come from nowhere, they come from many elements in the environment. The process of extraction affects our environment in a very bad way. The environment has many resources such as metals, trees, animals, water, and many more. The problem with this process is that we are using up much of the environment without doing anything to compensate of what we used. “Mining pollutes the water of surrounding communities through cyanide contaminated waste ore and other abandoned mine waste” (Where’s The Harm? 2013). Something must be done towards this issue or eventually our resources will inevitably come to an end. Humans are using up these sources at such a fast rate that, in the future the next generations will not have many resources to work with.

Production

After the resources have been extracted they move on to production. In the process of production many toxic chemicals are added to the materials in production, producing a toxic product. These products we use in our lives on daily bases which may harm our bodies or if not our environments. Some of the products are not even tested for how the chemicals used in them will react to chemicals we interact with daily. There are other issues too, where it even affects infants. The milk used to breast feed babies is contaminated too. It is not about not using chemicals in production, it is more about using the right ones which will not affect us or the environment in a bad way.

Distribution

Now that stuff have been extracted and then put to production, they are ready to go to distribution. This is where the products made go out for the people. With distribution it is important to keep selling the products as soon as they come. Doing this requires a lot of steps which include having low prices, and having low salaries for the people working. See in this process people are not actually buying the things for their price, they're buying with the cost of other people's lives and environments, which are used to make these things and put them into distribution.

Consumption

This part of the whole system is what the extraction, production, and distribution leads to. It is not a problem to buy a lot of products, but the problem is in buying things we don't need. When the products are distributed are they all sold? No, and this is a huge issue. This means that using up all these resources will go to waste and we're just destroying our planet. People have been molded to a mindset which makes them crave more stuff and makes them want to buy thing not because they need them, but just because they want to and have the means to do so. “Increasing consumption and a developing economy continue to generate large amounts of waste” (Waste and Material Resources 2012). We as humans must evolve our way of consumption to moderate the rate that things are used at.

Disposal

Now this is the final step of the whole process. Disposal is getting rid of the unused stuff, junk, in a way that will harm our environment. The way things are disposed of results in massive air pollution because of the amount of toxins released due to incineration. "Garbage pollution is main cause of various bacterial diseases and gastro is one of them." (Muba, M. 2012). Not only does it affect the environment but it also affects our health. There should be awareness in the garbage disposal and its consequences, and people must learn more about recycling. Recycling garbage allows us to reuse the stuff we want without using the resources of the environment.

Consumption in the UAE

Here in the UAE, the people are blessed with a lot of money. Of course with a lot of money it must go towards something. It can be seen in the cars people drive, houses people live in, clothes people wear, and many more aspects. From personal experience, people in the UAE spend a lot of money on food that goes to waste. Many families buy food more than what they can consume because Arabs are known for generosity and they would always want to serve the best for their guests. Now statistics have shown that "UAE people have emerged as the world’s largest water consumers" (Staff 2011). There should be awareness regarding the huge consumption in the UAE as it harms our environment and don't really benefit us in any way.

Conclusion

To conclude, I think that we as residents of this planet should do our best to conserve what we have. The nature is not ours to destroy, we can use thing to a limit but not exploit the resources of the environment. People around the world should be more aware of the problems that affect the environment and the planet as a whole as a result of what they do to it.

References

  Waste and material resources  —  . (2012, October 31).   European Environment Agency's home page  —  . Retrieved May 28, 2013, from http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/waste/intro

'UAE water consumption highest in the world' - Emirates 24/7. (2013, March 13). Breaking News, UAE, GCC, Middle East, World News and Headlines - Emirates 24/7. Retrieved May 28, 2013, from http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/uae-water-consumption-highest-in-the-world-2013-03-13-1.498498

Muba, M. (2012, July 15). Garbage pollution | Pollution Pollution. Pollution Pollution. Retrieved May 28, 2013, from http://www.pollutionpollution.com/2012/07/garbage-pollution.html

Story of Stuff (2007, OFFICIAL Version) - YouTube. (2009, April 22). YouTube. Retrieved May 28, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM

Where’s The Harm – From Materials Extraction? – Electronics TakeBack Coalition. (n.d.). Home – Electronics TakeBack Coalition. Retrieved May 28, 2013, from http://www.electronicstakeback.com/toxics-in-electronics/wheres-the-harm-extraction/