video reflections: sustainable consumption

After viewing The Story of Cosmetics and The Story of Bottled Water I think key message to take away from the videos was the reduction and prevention of pollution - both to ourselves and the environment. It was interesting to find out just how many toxins are in everyday cosmetics, and just how much energy goes into making disposable water bottles. The narrator, Annie Leonard, simply breaks down the business behind the cosmetic and bottled water industries to highlight key environmental issues.

It is common knowledge that things such as drugs and alcohol are harmful to the body, but personal hygiene products? The average woman uses 12 personal hygiene products a day, the average man uses 6 - so I found it appalling to learn that only 20% of ingredients that go into those everyday products are actually checked as being safe. A number of harmful toxins enter our bodies, many of which being carcinogenic. With countless amounts of cosmetics and personal hygiene products to choose from, the cosmetic industry conveniently hides the fact that a lot of products contain neuro toxins and lead which can seriously interfere with vital body processes like the heart and bones. Which makes me think that if people knew this, would they really fork out money to ingest lead and other damaging ingredients? I found it quite ironic when it was pointed out that brands such as 'Estée Lauder' advertise charity towards breast cancer research when in fact a lot of the chemicals used in the product itself are known to cause the cancer they are claiming to help! I've learned that it is clear that the 'better living through chemistry' mindset is outdated and needs to be changed. It is good to know that many companies are taking the step towards 'green chemistry' to reduce the toxins in cosmetics and create products made from natural ingredients.

Leonard speaks about 'Manufacturing Demand' - companies creating a desire for something most people can get for close to nothing in their houses. Wily companies are using scare tactics to make people think that tap water is bad for them, creating a false belief that they have to buy bottled water. They are also using serene imagery on packaging to seduce consumers, all the while the water is usually just regular filtered tap water. The energy that goes into producing plastic water bottles harms the environment on a number of levels, the oil that goes into them could fuel 1 million cars! After the water is consumed the bottles are either put into landfill or recycled. Not that recycling is the perfect solution anyway, recycled bottles are shipped overseas to be downcycled into cheap products that will eventually end up in landfill. The unnatural part of it all is the vicious cycle these companies have created - the pollution generated by the production of bottling water is the reason why the water is polluted in the first place. The solution seems so simple; eliminate the need for bottled water by taking some of the millions of dollars put into buying bottled water into programs that promote using tap water. It was good to learn that the sales of bottled water has decreased while the sales of eco-friendly bottles has increased, the next step would be to make clean tap water more readily available with fountains etc.

Both the videos were extremely insightful into revealing what really goes behind making these everyday essentials. I must admit that I do tend to use a lot of cosmetics and I certainly don't know what is in them, but I think I will start to make a little more effort into selecting eco-friendly products. Although I am fortunate enough to live where tap water is clean and safe to drink, I can't say that I don't purchase bottled water (almost) on a daily basis. Even though I make the conscious decision to recycle plastic bottles, after finding out that recycling isn't actually a idealistic solution to the problem I will definitely start to make the conscious effort to bring a bottle to fill with tap water. After gaining an understanding of how these industries work, it will definitely make me think twice about the products I choose.

ecoredesign

Results can be found here.

video reflection: giving packaging a new life

The segments of "Giving Packaging a New Life" undoubtedly educated me about the various innovatory technologies utilised in the process and how extensive and thorough recycling actually is. It definitely makes me understand the importance of my role as an industrial design student to consider every facet of a product's life in order for the materials to be recycled.

The video displayed some really clever innovations, I was particularly fascinated with the idea of conserving resources through the aid of mixed plastics to produce pig iron. The process not only recycles mixed plastics produced by many sorting plants, but supports the production of pig iron as it replaces heavy oil on a 1:1 ratio, therefore conserving precious resources. I think this is a profound invention; reusing mixed plastics seems amazing enough, but to then use it to produce pig iron is an incredible way to add value to the material. I also found that that utilising various fully automated processes like infared scanners to detect composite carton in order to replace sorting by hand was an outstanding innovation. It is methods like these that make me understand the significance of recycling.

It is clear that with implemented recycling plans, consumers can take the necessary steps in order to contribute towards creating a more ecological friendly planet. It was pleasing to see that in the glass segment of the video, consumers care enough to sort glass into colours using the labeled bins to aid in the recycling process. Although sorting glass right down to colour seems a bit strict, I think by having glass, plastic, and paper bins and not just general rubbish bins available in public areas, people would choose the appropriate bin. It would be nice to see Australia implement similar programs as education plays a major role in the process, by streamlining the process it makes it less labour intensive for environmental services down the line, and ensures a more overall efficient process.

I believe that an eco-friendly world starts with knowledge, if people (not just designers) are educated about the affects of products and packaging on the environment, the necessary steps can be made to ensure the best possible waste disposal. The content in the video is beneficial for industrial designers to become aware of how to intelligently utilise resources in order to support the recycling process to its full extent. Educating ourselves about keeping up with technological advancements is an essential part of making clever decisions in the design process.

Image: gettyimages

my ecological footprint

Well, this was an interesting and eye-opening result. My carbon footprint is well above the average; yet my food, housing, and goods and services footprints are below average. This definitely highlights that extensive daily commuting by car and public transport, as well as taking overseas trips are negatively affecting my carbon footprint.

However, it is good to notice that leading a vegetarian lifestyle dramatically reduces my food footprint. It is also nice to see that obsessive household recycling combined with having a backyard vegetable garden substantially lowers my housing footprint. But it is in the goods and services footprint that shows the most noticeable difference; buying second hand items and keeping a product until its end of life is evidently paying off.

This assessment has made me realise the impact I have on the planet. The high carbon footprint outcome has made me reassess my lifestyle and think about ways to reduce it considerably.