Throw Away Culture

Where have all the coke bottles gone?

Yes, you can still get coke in bottles--quite the novelty, alright.  Some of us are old enough to remember how the bottles would be collected, recycled by the company, and then sold again.  Bottle drives were the big thing for charities.  Now, look at the picture above and the plastic coke bottle.  Holds more, sells more, no need to recycle.  Done with it and just toss it. 

Now think about the culture in general--and it is more cost effective to toss than to repair things?  "Why bother to fix it when it is cheaper to get a brand new one?"  That includes the fancy Bose stereo in my car.  No point in fixing it.  Just get a new one. 

What does that say about us?  First, we don't make things to last--- there's built-in obsolescence.  We expect things to break. Second, that we a consumers to a high degree--we are "user-uppers."  Third, the bottom line is the profit, not expensive recycling for the environment.  There's no getting around the fact that we participate to some extent in all three levels. 

How do we reverse that?  Do we go green in other ways where we can?  Take advantage of recycling when possible?  That's a step in the right direction.  Reversing what is going on in the culture.  At least we can think and act locally by cultivating the environment we are working so hard at using up.