https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM

What do you think about this? Do you think there is any way we can contribute to lessen the pollution? Share all your ideas. If it was already posted, doesn't matter as long as you share your thoughts.

Ohh I had to watch that for a course I took at my university. It was really, really interesting. Makes you look at the materials economy system in a new light.

To lessen pollution, speaking with regards to the materials economy, we need to stop consuming so much -- the video says it and it's right: consumption drives the exploitation, manufacturing, and distribution of stuff. And, most importantly, we are brainwashed to keep consuming more and more, even if it's something we don't need.

Look at how often people change their phones, their cars, their furniture, etc. these days. Targeted ads with the purpose of manipulating you into believing you should throw away something that's still perfectly good to use.

I think to lessen this kind of pollution, which comes from the huge waste we produce as a result of our consumer society/culture, the change has to start with the consumers. That is, with us, the people.
And that's easier said than done. People are so used to buying a bunch of stuff -- we really are a materialistic society, we're so shallow. But governments and, especially, corporations won't miss a chance to manipulate us into over-consuming. People need to wake up.

How often have you changed your phone in the past 5 years? How often have you bought new clothes? How often have you changed your furniture? Probably more than necessary.

My family still has the same eating table, couch, and armchair we've had for the past 13 years. Our car we recently changed a few years ago for a -- not new!! -- but used one which works perfectly fine. Not fancy, but it serves its purpose, it's comfortable (it's a Mercury Grand Marquis). My phone? I only changed it 4 years ago when my old one broke down for good.

I could really go on here. But what I'm saying is people need to stop being so greedy and so materialistic. And they need to stop letting themselves be manipulated by fashion magazines and ads and the like. You can't expect governments and corporations to make a change, that's the reality, our governments suck up to corporations and corporations in turn manipulate society (hint hint: the big transnationals, I'm sure you know of a few).

Of course, this is just one of many sides of pollution. There are other areas pollution comes from that need to be addressed. The pollution problem won't be solved with just fixing up the materials economy system (which is a linear system, as the video said).

Well those are my thoughts. I'll stop here before I write an entire essay :P

Great line of thinking. In my house we've had the same furniture since I have memory, I think one of my mom's familiars gave it to her or something, and it's on perfect state!!
Let's be honest, power of a country nowadays it's based on the economy. They wouldn't stop producing so many products saying "they want to help the environment" when it isn't convenient for the bussiness. I heard on another video of this that governments wouldn't invert on the potabilization and care of water, but they invert tons of money on hiding the trash that all this consume is generating.
Videos like this are pretty interesting.
And I totally agree with you. It all starts on the consumer. For example, the bottles of water. Instead of buying them constantly I buy jerrycans weekly, have a few bottles at home, refill them and take to school or when I go somewhere. That way I don't buy small bottles everyday.
I had to also watch this video speaking of that. Here's the link if you are curious:

https://youtu.be/Se12y9hSOM0

Exactly! Annie said it too in the video: since after WWII, the government and corporations made it their goal to turn America into a materialistic consumer society to supposedly boost its economy. The conspiracy is real, I'll say no more.

Thank you for the video! (That website, Story of Stuff, has a lot of cool information don't it ;) )

Plastic in general is probably one of the worst inventions possible to be honest. It's only recycle once, then you're done with it (eeh, correct me if I'm wrong). It would be much better if people went back to using glass -- now that can be reused over and over and over again. It can be melted and shaped anew. But of course you have to be more careful with it (because if you drop it or hit it it'll break), though I don't think that'd be a big deal *shrugs*

Bottled water is the biggest lie ever yep. It's mostly just tap water. It would be better if the government invested more in maintenance of its tap water facilities. Still, my problem with tap water (and this depends where you live) is that it has a bunch of stuff added to it -- including fluoride, and I'm totally against that. Normal water filters usually don't filter out the fluoride and chlorine and all that stuff. Natural water has SOME degree of these chemicals, but in extremely small amounts (in ppm).

I'll let you know I'm a big conspiracy theorist and I absolutely do not trust the governments and organizations like the UN (oh boy, I better watch out for the FBI and NSA now!). The UN is a lot of talk and not much action. My environmental studies course just proved to me how useless the UN is. There are organizations out there actually doing good and properly tackling environmental problems and issues.

People need to return to a more natural state of living, a more natural lifestyle. Technology is good, industrialization is good, but too much and look where we are: a brainwashed society that can't tell its government is a big POS, and that is completely hooked up on technology.

I expanded this discussion quite a bit from the original point, oops hehe...

No worries!! You have interesting opinions.
Let's see. Glass. Actually the fact that it is pretty fragile and can easily break would be an issue in my opinion. People would still be pretty careless, no matter how you look at it, specially after something as plastic. The demans would increase. Glass is more expensive than plastic, the costs of making products would be higher and the constant demand wouldn't help much. People would soon recurr to secondary options, ones that last longer than a material that becomes useless to them once it falls.
Here, tartar is one of the biggest issues of tap water. Also polluted water due to the fabrics that throw away all of their rubbish on them. Bottled water is the best option is you don't want to get sick from tap water, but it's all as the video says, done on purpose to depend more on bottled water.
Everything has chemicals. Crops are covered in pesticides, with chemicals like glyphozate. And plastic bottles contain bisphenol A, for example, a carcinogenic sustance. In stores you csn buy the bottle in a cold state usually, but what about the transport? As it was moved from its source to the fabric the bottle isn't cold but hot due to being under the sun rays. The plastic releases bisphenol A on the refresh that we later on buy and drink.
Wow, never thought someday I would be making public use of all that my biology teacher taught me on random discussions.

This thread is Rora-chan and PsycheDelic138 only

XD your posts are so long so i was like: tl;dr

test post

Hmm, I suppose you're right about glass. But, there can and should be a reduction in plastics nonetheless. Glass had been used plenty before plastics came around (e.g., glass milk bottles). And let's say that glass is more expensive, sure. But in terms of environmental costs -- is the manufacturing process less environmentally damaging than that for plastic? I actually don't know the answer to this, would be interesting to know. Of course, companies are looking to increase their profits -- that's why the added cost is unsightly.

Crops are only covered in pesticides and other chemicals (fertilizers included) if they are not grown organically (although SOME agrochemicals may be used in organic farming, if one follows the standards set by the USDA, and I don't agree with all of them). (Add anti-GMO activist to your list of things about me lol.)

Bisphenol A acts as an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) and, in low levels as it occurs in the body, mimics biological hormones (e.g., estrogens) and inappropriately stimulate endocrine receptors on cells. At high levels, it inhibits these receptors. So bisphenol A is like a double-edged sword, a bad one.
Phthalates and brominated flame-retardants (BPDEs) are teratogens and they're found in plastic. BPDEs are really common in electronics, like TVs and cell phones sooo... knowing all this, in addition to what you mentioned, why are we still using SO MUCH plastic? -- at least when it comes to our food containers, toys, etc.

Something you might find interesting if you haven't already seen it is this documentary: Waste = Food (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xhgsKenR5w). It's an interesting concept to deal with all the waste generated from our "stuff." Video quality isn't that great though, sorry.

I also didn't think I'd be using all I've learned throughout my university years haha!

>>6 Sorry Kuro, we're such geeks XD But hey, you should give it a proper read and jump into the discussion, why not ;P And for the record, I think it's my posts that are freakishly long; I always write too much...

>>6 lol Sorry about that xP

I made a little of research, tomorrow I'll ask my "Environment" yeacher about it, but I found that the manufacturing process of plastic bottles generates 100 times the toxic emissions to air and water than making the same size bottle out of glass. But I'll try to have more information. that was actually a subject that is maing me pretty curious.

In resume, we are surrounded of toxic sustances in our daily life. Like with cosmetics. Most of the sustances it's made off are cancerigen. Sometimes they might be in only small proportions, but if we consider all the cosmetics used in a day or how many times it's used, out body ends filled with this toxines. Doesn't sound too healthy. And let's not talk about the refresh drinks.

Pretty interesting video. Never saw it. I would share it with my class but due to being in english most of my classmates would complain and it wouldn't be possible. But pretty nice. Thanks for sharing it.

The production of glass is better for the environment as despite it requiring high temperatures that bring with it lots of carbon emissions, plastics are created directly from oil, so you're getting synthesizing process added onto the drilling process and the freighting process when plastics are being made, as opposed to just the melting process associated with glass.

>>10 Correct.

Another reason why plastic was more accepted than glass on the momrnts societies little by little changed from one to another, is the cost od transport. The transport of glass bottles caused many of the bottles to break.
In my country there's a bottled water company called "bon aqua", the bottles are thinner, more flexible and easier to recycle, using a minnor cantity of materials on its production. Meanwhile there are also thicker bottles from another company that are easier to reuse. They clean them and refill. I thought it was interesting.

>>9 I would have been surprised if glass produced toxic emissions or its manufacturing was worst for the environment than that of plastic :) (Check out 'glass blowing' if you haven't or don't know what it is; a bit random, but it's very cool!)

Yes we are, that's why we have to try to minimize it! :) (For the record, makeup is a horrible invention, I don't wear it, it feels gross lol.)

Well I'm glad you enjoyed the video, too bad there are no other translations for it.
And thank you for a great discussion, this was an interesting talk, let's have another one sometime about some other subject 8)

>>10 Exactly, that's correct Bastion.