The Link Between Materialism and Pollution

Pollution and recycling are such hot topics right now, and many people are gearing up to make a difference by shunning plastic bags and halving their toilet paper use. These changes probably make a difference, but they may not do as much as we hope. There are things beyond our control that we are a part of that do a lot more damage.

Our consumer-driven culture creates the need to buy so much, so during a television show that gives you great ideas to “go green”, you are hit with a dozen commercials tempting you to buy things. This causes you to throw away what you already have, creating more junk in the world. You become used to this cycle and shopping as a form of entertainment.

Think about what you buy. It will create less clutter in your home, you’ll save money, and you’ll need to throw away less.

Companies need to work on using less packaging. Some products, and these are just food products, are sold in plastic containers wrapped in paper. Some products use such excessive packaging that one wonders if it was there to protect the product until it reached the consumer or protect the product from the consumer.

As “going green” becomes more trendy, and it’s starting to, companies will feel the pressure to adapt. If higher-end companies are the first to do this, mid to low end companies will follow suit, in order to align their images with those of higher end products. They will compete to produce the most “green” product.

If products are made to be more durable and last longer, they will need to be replaced less often. If people need to replace things less often, they might decrease their cost of living and improve their financial situation a little. Cars, for example, begin to break down after a certain amount of time. Even if the car is running well with minimal repairs, at some point it becomes a target for replacement due to rust. In some areas where salt is used on the roads frequently, cars begin to rust rather quickly

Maybe at some point a compromise would have to be made between innovation and conservation. Innovation creates new products which then replace the old, creating pollution. But If the innovation is mindful of creating new out of the old, or new technology that overhauls the old, this gap can be bridged. Innovation needs to be guided so it solves problems rather than inadvertently creating them.