Welcome to a New Age

                                 Welcome to a New Age

Do you remember hearing the saying, “Waste not, Want not”? What ever happened to that saying and that way of thinking? It seems inevitable...the inhabitants of this earth seem to be going in a self-destructing direction. In most parts of the world, we are over-consuming to where it actually endangers every living being on this planet. We are under the impression that we “NEED” this or we “NEED” that when what we do have, is way more than enough. This over-consumption results in a monumental amount of waste. Even though our world is a magnificent beauty and there are many people striving to better our communities, if we continue this downward spiral, our way of life will be substantially affected.

FACTS

You think I’m kidding when I say we produce an abundant amount of waste.  I wish I were over-exaggerating but let’s take a look at the facts, shall we. FACT: “Every year, the United States generates approximately 230 million tons of "trash"--about 4.6 pounds per person per day. Less than one-quarter of it is recycled; the rest is incinerated or buried in landfills” (Learner). It’s astonishing that just ONE person can produce that much waste per day! Why do we produce that much? Moreover, why are we throwing it out instead of recycling the waste? FACT: “Over 75% of waste is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30% of it.” (DoSomething) The leftover 45% of recyclable waste that is not being recycled could easily make it to many recycling factories. FACT: “There are more than 74,000 recycling centers in the United States.” (Green). So, knowing that there is an ample source of recycling plants, why are we not recycling more? Is it because of the higher costs to cities and taxpayers to recycle? If that were the case, than why are we not trying to emphasize the importance of the “reduce and reuse” system? It could possibly be that people simply do not care.

OVERALL APATHY

It seems that people today are more concerned with when they are going to get the newest and advanced  iPhone or complaining about how high gas prices have gone up because they have  to fuel their huge, gas-guzzling SUV’s.  Many people do not think about how much they’re consuming because they are more focused on what they want, or shall I say “NEED”. They’re not focusing on the needs of others and furthermore, they’re not focusing on our Earth’s needs. Yes, I’m saying they’re selfish, by the way.  Today in our society, we have so many outlets and ways of consuming, that it’s difficult to not get caught up in the hype of having the newest and coolest gadgets or gizmos. Peer pressure is, indeed, a bitch. But all considering, there are people that just don’t want to care or don’t need to care.

For example, the other day, my husband was mentioning his work and how he was down in Ponte Vedra, a wealthier beach neighborhood close to where I live. It must have been trash day because he came across a house that had a bunch of garbage at the end of their driveway. He saw tons of good items in this garbage, especially what seemed to be a brand new vacuum cleaner. Upon viewing the vacuum cleaner, the owner of the house came out and said she only used it once. Since the bag was full, she decided to throw out the (once) used vacuum cleaner and get a new one. This story just blew my mind. I mean, really lady?? I bet you she is a major contributor to our waste problem here in the States.

The Few Out There

But alas, few and far between, there is a small amount of involved civilians that take the time to teach, preach and practice the importance of minimizing our waste problem. They’re activists and/or everyday do-gooders that go above and beyond to inform and educate others. There are documentaries like “Dive” that are enlightening and are overwhelming effective at making someone like me aware of the waste problem.  In “Dive”, you follow the world of dumpster divers who live off of grocery store(s) waste. I mean, I’ll never look at a strawberry in a grocery store the same way again. I encourage you to watch the film if you haven’t already. It’s eye opening to say the least. If we had more people that make films like “Dive”, the waste problem would become less of a global issue.

Conclusion

Overall, it’s sad to think that we are a world that is starting to over-consume to the point where it harms us. We live in a selfish world and the average person doesn’t even think about the issue at hand. It’s all about awareness and the little things we can do to help better our world.  The next time you go to the kitchen to get a paper towel to use as your napkin, put it down and save it for when it is needed. There’s no need to waste a disposable paper towel when you have a perfectly good cloth towel that you can use instead. We really need to start enforcing and encouraging a new age of “Waste not, Want not” way of life. I welcome it and won’t waste it. 

**Please listen to http://youtu.be/ktvTqknDobU

   while reading this blog post :)