CORRESPONDENT OF THE DAY
Buying New Gadgets Could Harm Environment
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
Holiday shopping has ceased and people with return items once again flood department stores. Many got what they wished for, but have the majority of Americans stopped to ponder where their items come from? What about the human and environmental consequences of those super low prices?As students in the Hermitage High School Humanities Center, we commonly debate such topics as this. We have recently stumbled upon an Internet site called storyofstuff.com. There, a 20-minute video, written by Annie Leonard, reveals hidden facts about product production and how items are disposed of. During production, often environmental, health, and social problems arise.
Industries extract resources from nature, destroying many animals' and humans' homes and sources of food in the process. Toxic chemicals are often released into the environment. If that isn't enough, in order to sell items at extra low prices, workers are skimped on health care and are barely paid minimum wage. According to Leonard, 99 percent of consumer products are thrown away after six months. In disposal, trash is either burned or dumped into landfills, creating future problems for the environment.
We are a nation of consumers. We purchase the latest and greatest, grow tired of them, and move on to bigger and better things. But all too often, people force the repercussions of buying to the back of their minds, hoping future generations will fix the world's growing problems.
Our goal is not to make the consumer feel guilty but rather to make one aware and to become a more conscientious buyer. Next time one wants to rid himself of yet another MP3 player, ask, "Where does this go and what can I do make sure it's disposed of properly?"
Courtney Taylor, Quang Pham.
Richmond.Advertisement
Reader Reactions
You gotta be kidding me. I don’t know how any of us over the age of 35 lived this long - we grew up with lawn darts, BB guns, model glue and popcorn liberally coated with liquid butter. Life has improved significantly since then, we ought to quit this non-stop hand wringing about too much consumption and all of these other liberal self-generated crises and live our lives - enjoying it without liberal busy-bodies getting too far into our business.
My child already knows the difference, and he is just 6 yrs old. We also know how we affect the world around us and take great pains to ensure that we are good stewards of the environment. We are also not drinking the “globull warming” kool-aid. It is nothing more than an arrogant ruse to separate people from their money and property and to impose further draconian restrictions on people’s lives.
in response to Henry’s Ghost, perhaps you should teach your children the differnce between need and want… and how to appreciate the difference. Insatiable consumption is not good for anyone involved, whether you realize that or not. I suggest you study your effecct on the planet with your own consumption habits- you might be the one that benefits the most from a little more knowledge.
If we as parents actually took away all the electronic “toys” that our high-school and college age children must have, and explained to them that this is where the environmental movement is taking us, we would see support for these environmental extremists fall off. It’s time for Atlas to shrug, in more ways than one.
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