How are the topics of these videos connected with Global Issues and Sustainability?
The video “Story of Stuff” talks about a global issue and how ‘Stuff’ move through a system consisting of a cycle of:
àExtraction
à Production
à Distribution
à Consumption
à Disposal.
This worldwide system is in crisis since it interacts with the real world (society, cultures, cultures, economies, environment…).
This is a global issue because it is based on a worldwide industrial system. We are trashing the planet and trashing each other: cancer, asthma (baby shampoo, gloss). Even babies are born pre-polluted!!
Sustainability is development meeting the needs of the present generation without foreclosing options for future generations. This balances non-developed and developing worlds while protecting the natural resource to ensure intergenerational equity. It contains 2 key concepts:
1- - Needs: essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given
- Limitations: on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.
- Limitations: on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.
Corporations experiment with chemicals on people. Even though we have the option to buy from different products, but there is no option to buy safe ones. An average woman uses 12 personal products daily. To attain sustainability, we need FDA to guarantee us safe personal-care products, to use green chemistry, zero wastes, renewable energy, and the precautionary principle to get toxic chemicals out of our products.
Globally, people live and work all along this system controlled by big corporations. The production stage is the core for global issues. It mixes toxics with natural resources leading to our first global issue: “toxins in, toxins out”. The 2nd global issue is consuming too much of the planet’s natural resources. What worsens these issues are the low prices for rapid selling. Also, workers have no choice but to work in toxic conditions harming themselves and their community.
Recycling is Not an enough solution! It doesn’t attack the core of the problem, and not everything could be recycled.
Honestly, the word ‘economy’ scares me. Here, “externalizing the true cost of production” was designed to improve the economy. It was based on 2 main concepts:
1- For the dumb: useless stuff (dvds cameras, computers…)
2- Perceived: using the media to convince consumers to throw away things that are perfectly useful because it is ‘embarrassing’ or not ‘cool’ to own something for more than a year.
Daily, we are exposed to an average of 3000 ads. We see more ads a year than people 50 years ago saw in a lifetime!
What was the most surprising/shocking/interesting information that I learned?
Some shocking information I learnt from reading "Global Change and Our Common Future" were that 4000 days before the 3rd millennium, Earth will have to accommodate for another billion people and within the next 50 years, we have to accommodate extra 5 billion individuals which is the current population of the entire world. This is not only scary but too much for my mind to imagine. I think it is ugly how we are consuming too much of our Earth’s resources. 80% of our original forest is gone. 1/3 of resources were consumed in the last 3 decades.
I also learnt a lot from the videos. I was shocked to know that the cosmetic industry makes its own rules as there are no legal definitions for the terms “herbal, natural & organic”. This encourages corporations to mark any products with those terms claiming that they are natural, lying to the public. I was also shocked to know that there are NO laws to get rid of unsafe products, or laws that force the corporations to list all ingredients on their products’ labels. The bad impacts might be small, but not when the consumers mix them daily with other products. DO THEY WANT TO POISON US?!
The “Story of Stuff” video mentioned that national happiness is declining. There is a trend of: “WORK… WATCH… SPEND” where we watch TV or shop when we’re free. Even though we own more stuff, but we have less time for true happiness like family, friends…
How does this information impact life on the planet Earth? in Kuwait?
This information raises awareness and makes people understand the real everyday risks and the importance of spreading the information to future generations. It is also important for them to realize the impact of any product/service used on the environment and Earth. Eventually, each individual can contribute personally to benefit the planet.
In Kuwait, and especially at my school (AIS), we recycle plastics and paper. This simple step plays in a big role in encouraging other individuals to contribute and make smart decisions based on the benefit of our planet.
At the end, I don’t think that the info impacts life on the planet and in Kuwait. Instead, I think that life on the planet and Kuwait impacts this information. This is because the way we live our lives is the only thing that is able to improve or worsen those global issues.
How have I been affected by the information in the videos?
Whenever I look at a shampoo or food product, I have the video in the back of my head. Being aware of their implications is the first step. Next I need to do something about it. I’m not going to buy any product without taking into account its origin and its influence on my environment I know that I want to spread awareness to those around me such as my family friends and hopefully my future children. We need to be in control in what we buy and do DAILY.
