DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

While reflecting upon my work, I wrote this post while I was taking City Seminar I during Fall I of 2012:

 

I am keeping a consumption diary for environmental awareness. I.e. I am recording EVERYTHING that I ate/used or threw away (e.g. Beverages, paper products,cleaning supplies, food you ate (including wrappers, bag, can/bottles, and napkins associated with that food etc.). In addition, I am keeping track of how much water I use or drink (e.g. When I wash my hands, take a shower, or boil water, wash dishes, the amount of water being used whenever I turn on my washer machine or dish washer, and many other daily rituals that we mindlessly perform on a daily basis). Also, don't forget about the quantity of cleaning products associated with these daily hygienic practices. In contrast, I will also be recoding how much I recycle. Lastly, I am also keeping track of how much I have spent on disposable/convenience products. Do I spend the majority of my money on things that are sustainable or disposable/short lived? Remember, this is an extremely comprehensive diary of my every minute, hour, day, week consumption patterns! 

 

Why am I doing this? Well, first of all it's a college assignment, and secondly, I am expecting it will radically change my mindset on how I consume things, whether it be items, products, services, or ideas (e.g. Planned obsolescence, repetitive obsolescence, and disposability). 

 

Did you know that America annually produces 10 billion pounds of paper trash (e.g. Napkins, paper plates, coffee cups, toilet paper, tissues, and computer paper). Also, did you know that we globally produce 5 to 4 trillion tons of plastic bag trash every year? And the majority of that does not end up in landfills, but float away into our oceans. Isn't it strange to think that if one crosses the Pacific Ocean, he/she will eventually crash into a swirling mass of plastic garbage that is approximately twice the size of the US? Well, that is exactly how ignorant we are of our REAL trash problem! 

 

To another example that is probably closer to home, consider the process of receiving a slice of pizza. When you ask for a slice, the chef slips on plastic gloves, if he has not already. The chef then will ask if you want it to stay or to go. You reply "to go." The Chef then will proceed to grab a paper towel and wipe off a spatula. Next, he/she will place the slice on a paper plate and hand you it in a paper brown bag with napkins supplied. Bam!!! There you have it. In order to receive a piece of pizza on the go, I have already mentioned five disposable items: the plastic gloves, which should be replaced regularly, a paper towel, a paper plate, a brown paper bag, and napkins. And all for ONE slice!!! "These things are all necessary, but isn't it ironic that in order to remain hygienic and healthy we cause negative impacts on our environment?" -- Chet Jordan CUNY New Community College Professor of City Seminar, Reading & Writing

 

I encourage everyone reading this post to keep a consumption diary, even for a day, just as I have described above. Remember to be very specific about the item, time and your consumption pattern (I.e. Did you use it. How much of it? What did you eat? How much did you eat of what you bought or made. How much ended up in the trash?  What did you recycle or reuse?).  I recommend recording your diary results in a chart as opposed to writing it all in paragraph form. If you are an average joe like me, you'll start to realize how wasteful you are on a daily basis   

 

I am currently approaching my 16th hour of keeping my consumption diary, and let me tell you, it's a guilt trip! 

 

Beavan, C. (2010). No impact man: The adventures of a guilty liberal who attempts to save the planet, and the discover- ies he makes about himself and our way of life in the pro- cess. New York, NY: Picador.

ISBN-10: 0312429835

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.