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We are consumption machines.
Almost every activity of every day we consume something. From the coffee we drink to the car we drive, we propagate a chain of consumption. The amazing thing (aside from our rate of consumption), is our disconnection from the origins of our consumables. Ours is a global economy that from all corners of the earth, the whole can be traced to the sum of its parts.
I don't often stop to think about a can of soda I drink at lunch. But a surprising amount of effort went into bringing me the soda. Sugar cane grown in Florida provided the sugar (in addition to toxic agricultural waste polluting the Everglades). A bauxite mine in Australia, which combined with caustic soda mined in California, produced most of my aluminum can (part of the aluminum can likely came from recycled aluminum cans) at a smelter. Water pumped from some aquifer or reservoir, then carbonated, combined with some secret flavorings, creates my soda that I consume in a couple of minutes. Over 2000 calories of energy was required to produce a product with a nutritional value of two calories. This would be considered a bad investment in the investment world.
The soda is transported over asphalt roads consuming petroleum and producing air pollution.
The fact that I purchased the soda in a store creates an illusion that the product is created in a store. The journey of almost every product is mind-numbing in its complexity. The fact that this product created a number of jobs at different level is a positive consequence, but what about the environmental consequences of air and water pollution, not to mention that this product has very little benefit of contributing to my well-being.
There is a big difference between needs and wants. We tend to focus on the wants during the holiday season. The wants satisfy our frivolous nature, yet tend not to address our needs. Each year, I stop to reflect on my needs and wants. It helps to put a perspective on our individual impacts. My goal for the new year is to tread a little lighter. Next time, I'll have water.
Charlie says - "Our best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year."
Duncan Watson is the solid waste coordinator for the Keene Public Works Department.