The term "ecological footprint" describes the impact that a person or community makes on the planet as a result of the way they live. The more a person or a society consumes, the larger their ecological footprint. We live in a consumer society. That means that our culture is based on the production and consumption of goods. The products that we are able to buy make our lives more comfortable, but we do not need most of what we use. This is most apparent in the large gap between wealthy countries and poor countries. Half of the world’s population does not have access to clean water, let alone the latest fashion of sneaker. Furthermore, many manufacturing processes of the goods sold in wealthier countries has been moved to the poorer countries, so that the goods can be made at lower... (more)
The term "ecological footprint" describes the impact that a person or community makes on the planet as a result of the way they live. The more a person or a society consumes, the larger their ecological footprint. We live in a consumer society. That means that our culture is based on the production and consumption of goods. The products that we are able to buy make our lives more comfortable, but we do not need most of what we use. This is most apparent in the large gap between wealthy countries and poor countries. Half of the world’s population does not have access to clean water, let alone the latest fashion of sneaker. Furthermore, many manufacturing processes of the goods sold in wealthier countries has been moved to the poorer countries, so that the goods can be made at lower cost and profit for the manufacturer increased. These factories are often very unsafe and unpleasant places to work, but the local people take jobs there in order to be able to survive. More often than not, they cannot afford the goods they are making. Unfortunately, these factories also often have unsound environmental practices, and contribute very little to the economic growth of the country.
Not only is our culture a consumer culture, it is also a disposable culture. We make stuff that exists to get thrown out, like garbage bags, paper cups, disposable mops, junk mail, packaging and overstock. This produces so much waste that developed countries sometimes pay to export their garbage to poorer places. This does not solve the pollution problem: it is simply displaced. China is well-known for recycling technological waste, such as computers and cell phones. Recycling is better than just throwing things out, but the recycling process can also produce toxic by-products that pollute the land and make people and animals sick. For many years, the city of Toronto, Canada has shipped its garbage to Michigan in the United States. The people of Michigan finally refused to continue with this method in 2006, and Toronto had to find new ways to deal with its waste. One of the methods it found was a city-wide composting program, where each household puts its organic waste into a green bin. On garbage day, that organic waste is taken to a plant where it is composted. Composting reduces the waste that goes into landfill, but it does not reduce packaging waste. In Europe, many countries have passed strict packaging laws, where it is illegal to put too much packaging on goods. These are good steps to reducing waste, but it will take a major change in attitude to reduce our excessive production and consumption. (
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