Shopping with me is a lot of fun. Just kidding! I'm a pain in the ass. That's because I have a sixth sense - I see externalities. Take a cellphone, for example. This item is on my mind because T-Mobile just decided to cancel me. When I walk into, say, Verizon or Radio Shack, I don't just see a bunch of cute, stylish cellphones on display. No, each cellphone has its own set of demons surrounding it. According to NYT Magazine, just the mining of gold for a single cellphone circuit board creates 220 pounds of waste - there's one hulking ghoul, 800-times the size of the phone, drooling toxins on the floor. And that's not even taking into account the waste from the other components. Then there's the carbon footprint - a towering, floating specter, not unlike the dementors of Harry Potter fame, glowering down on me. I pick up the cell and look at the tag - hmm, "Made in China." Thoughts of human rights abuses swarm around me like pestering insects. I could go on...
You might think I have an overactive imagination. I think I just know too much. Actually, I think the rest of the world knows too little. The more we can get these demons out in the open - make them visible - the easier it will be to conquer them.
To stop feeding the Externalities check out the Better World Shopping Guide. To learn a little more, check out The Story of Stuff.
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1 comment:
ha ha! I love your analogy. I see them too!
Not as many though, since I'm so focused on transportation these days. Usually the only purchases I make during the month are food related, so then I see big diesel puff spectres or pollution from ag inputs. Occasionally I'll glimpse a laboring seasonal. Admittedly, not often.
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