Personalized Touch

It seems that when people have an emotional attachment to a product they tend to take better care of it. They want it to last a long time and don't want to have to replace it. As discussed in Design Activism,  overconsumption is creating many environmental issues. The rich 20 percent of the population, which includes us, is creating many of these problems because of their mass consumption. We are using more than we have and we know there has to be a change. However, the real question is how?

In Design Activism they discuss how the focus of design should be on society and transforming a sustainable way of living. Like discussed earlier, society seems to have a different level of connection with a product that means something to them. A 'halfway' product is something that allows a consumer to complete a product by adding their own personal touch which creates an emotional attachment. If a consumer uses their own creativity and stories to make a product then it will mean more to them. Which in turn will make them want to take better care of the product, not allowing it to go to waste or easily replacing it.

My idea would be creating a store where you can design your own belt. The store will supply you with a leather belt with just holes, no buckle. The customer will have a wide variety of buckles to choose from to add on to their belt. Next, the customer will be able to design their belt however they desire. There will be paint, stamps that will imprint the leather, and jewels to create your own design. Once you are done, the belt will be sealed for protection and to ensure a long lifetime. Customers can create their own story through the design and it will be unique. Belts are something that are used often and can be worn many times. It is ideal to have a belt that has emotional meaning to you so you don't have to keep buying more and more. Not only will this help save on overconsumption but it also a fun activity that you can do with friends or family.

I feel that this class made me aware of all of the environmental problems that I had no idea about before. One of the most valuable things I have learned is that we need to educate people if we want to see a change. Change starts not only with designers and manufacturers but also consumers. No one will be encouraged to make a change if they aren't aware of the problems. I plan to take all the information from this course and spread the word in the workforce. I want to educate people so we can all work together to make a change. However, one thing I would like to learn more about is organic materials. I would like to learn in depth about how it works vs. using chemicals. I think going organic is great but I would like to be more aware of exactly what that entails.

Time to Get Technical

Imagine a world with no waste. In the article Textile futures: Fashion, design and technology, Earley brings up the point that creating clothing for long term use is not the answer to our environmental problems because after it goes out of style there will be no use for it anymore. That's where McDonough and Braungart's idea of "upcycling" comes in to play. This concept allows what would be waste to be reintroduced back to the top of the consumer chain. By implementing "upcycling" into our world, we maybe could see a time where there is no such thing as waste.

My idea will focus on technical metabolism. In the article C2CAD they describe technical nutrients as a product that will continuously circulate within "closed-loop" industrial cycles while remaining the same value as when it started. They also address the issue of how reusing and recycling clothing from more than one material and using permanent junctions can be difficult. That is why I will be sticking to 100% polyester and as little junctions as possible.

My idea is making polyester neckties in to bracelets. The only supplies I will need is a pair of scissors. I will take two neckties and intertwine them together.They will be secured together at one in with polyester string and a polyester button. Some ties come with buttons attached so I will use that button and I will use thread form the tie to secure the button. At the other end I will cut a small slit in both ties, overlap them and then put the button through both slits to secure it around the wrist. The bracelet will be avaliable in all sizes. Some of the bracelets will be made from the thickest part of the tie, some from the thinnest and some with one piece from the thick part and the other from the thin part. The patterns will be mixed together so no two bracelets will be alike. This will allow for variety and individualism. This will also allow for every part of the tie to be reused so nothing goes to waste.

Waste = Food!

Recycling has become more and more popular through recent years. However, the focus has been mainly on downcycling and it's time to make a shift more toward upcycling. Upcycling means creating a product that is worth as much or more than the original product. Designing products that allow upcycling should be is key. We need to understand that waste = food.

In the Cradle to Cradle video, they discuss how they set out to find a safe way to dye. In the end they succeeded, which allowed for their left over materials to be recycled and used for mulch for gardening. The product was just as useful and beneficial in it's second life as the first. In the article Cradle to Cradle, by McDonough and Braungart, it discusses the two type of metabolism, biological and technical. A biological nutrient is a product that is created to return to the biological cycle, meaning consumed by animals and microorganisms in the soil. The product goes back into the environment.

My idea is to make shoe boxes made from polylactic acid, potato and other vital nutrients. This would create more of a plastic like box, but much stronger, instead of cardboard. The plastic is not only stronger but more flexible so it doesn't snap or crack like normal plastic. It is 100% biodegradable and can be used as gardening soil once broken down. Most shoe boxes just go to waste because there is not much use for them after you buy the shoes. This shoe box with come of great use after the shoes are out. Once out in the right environment the shoebox will compost rapidly. The consumer themselves can use it
for their own garden. Or they can take it to a recycling bin that will be in most shoes stores which will ensure the products get their proper use for their second life. Another benefit to this shoe box is the material is less expensive than plastic so the overall production would cost less also. The waste of this product in coming back around in it's second life to create food for the environment.

Expanding Ideas

The concept of biomemicry opens up a world of ideas for future products. The focus is now on creating concepts/ideas for future products. There is only one way to ensure a sustainable future and that is to take action. Benyus provides great IE information to use your imagination and expand on.

Two more principles of IE that Jane Benyus addressed that I found important for my concept were "Gather and use energy efficiently" and "Optimizing Rather than maximizing." Gathering and using energy efficiently can be done by using current sunlight as renewable energy. In the book Textile futures: Fashion, design, and technology, Quinn explains how our products today mimic nature and how we use nature today. Peacocks feathers are not actually colorful, they look that way because of the material and how the sunlight reflects. Morphotex is a colorful textile made without dyes or pigments. It gains color by the reflection of light and the angle that the light hits. I think creating a clothing line that uses only materials like morphotex would be ideal because you aren't using the energy or chemicals that it requires to dye clothing. Using nature is one of the best ways to save on energy and materials.

"Optimizing rather than maximizing", discusses how our world today focuses of making products as fast as possible and getting them to the consumer as fast as possible. This creates no diversity and 85% of manufactured products quickly become waste so there has to be a better way to do this. In the book Sustainable Fashion & Textiles: Design Journey, Fletcher talks about the benefits of producing locally. Producing locally is a much slower process but it allows for diversity. Also it provides environmental benefits by reducing emission form transportation,  encouraging social engagement and creating diversity. I think selling the line of clothing made from materials like morphotex at these local stores would be an efficient idea.  This will allow for one-of-a-kind products that consumers are striving for these days. 

My Concepts for Survival

As we all know by now, our world and environment are headed toward a major crisis. Now, we have to think about a logical solution to this problem. The time has come to develop a concept and plan that leads to a solution. No solution will be reached by simply tweaking the current system. We must replace portions of our economy will another type of economy until the system mirrors the natural world.

Janine Benyus provides a number of principles of industrial ecology and goes into detail about each. However, there were a couple that stood out to me. The first being, "use waste as a resource." The bottom line is that our system needs more recycling loops to keep it from collapsing. We can't take more from the environment than is available to us so instead we must build a no waste economy by recycling and reusing. The goal is to create a system where a minimum of raw materials comes in the doors and minimum waste escapes. This can be achieved by companies working together. One companies wastes could be another companies resources. Companies can us their waste to heat peoples' homes. Apparel companies can take left over scraps, from fabrics such as denim, and use them to insulate homes and in result save energy. Any waste is valuable and can be used for something efficient. Another concept that could be used is lake-back laws. Companies will be required to take-back merchandise from the consumer and either repair the product or reuse the material on another product. This way the company can mostly survive off of recycled material and not have to waste materials. In return, the consumer will receive a bonus, like savings off next purchase, for taking back the products. Last, refilling containers on cosmetics and toiletries is already a concept that has been in action. However, this can be expanded greatly but eventually filling up containers like condiments and cleaning supplies so you can avoid wasting materials by buying a new bottle every time.

The second Jane Benyus' principle of industrial ecology that stood out to me was to "use materials sparingly." Organisms build for durability by building exactly what is needed, no more or no less. They do this by using the maximum amount of space in a minimum amount of material. One structure can have multiple purposes or functions. This will means that fewer products will have to be produced if you can achieve the same results from one product instead of having to use 3 or 4 different products. As the amount of functions of a product grow the size of the product shrinks. For example, the iPhone is now a phone, computer, tv, camera, etc. My concept would be a solar powered lunchbox for that could be heated or cooled. It would allow for your food to stay warm without having to use energy by heating it up or allow it to stay cool without having to use energy to refrigerate it.

If we can take in and learn from these lessons found in nature, there is hope that we can turn this crisis around for the better.

Visioneering Project: Part I

Do the stories you tell yourself contribute to optimism or pessimism?
In general I think of myself as a optimistic person. I am always trying to look for the good in people and situations. However, when it comes to certain topics, like if you asked me a few weeks ago if I envision a sustainable future, I would of said no. Now, I see a different side. Over the past few weeks I have become well informed about the problems we face today with the environment and what we need to do to make a change. From becoming aware and learning this information about the environment, I now have an optimistic envision of a sustainable environment. The article Thinking Ahead: The Value of Future Consciousness describes it perfectly when they talk about how when you have a pessimistic view "you are more likely to do things that increase the likelihood that you will fail again." Basically you are setting yourself up for failure. The future holds possibilities so you might as well anticipate positive rather than negative. By having an optimistic envision on a sustainable future, I feel that you are more likely to see positive results.

What are the key tenets or characteristics that define you vision?
-Recycle
-Inform and Educate
-Control Consumption

What are the mental modes (or beliefs) which will be required to create that future? What would on have to believe to bring about your vision? 
-You can make a difference. Recycling is almost like a trend. If you recycle, you never know who will follow in your footsteps. Everyone should recycle. It doesn't take much extra time or effort. Recycling clothing takes just as much effort as throwing it away so you might as well recycle it.
-By becoming aware and learning about the problems we face today with environmental sustainability you will be more willing to make an effort towards change because you will realize the problems we face are real but there is something you can do about it.
-Only use what you actually need.

What are some habitual beliefs (the stories we tell ourselves) which may present barriers to your vision? 
In the article Visioneering: an essential framework in sustainability science it talks about how one of the first steps toward sustainability is to envision a sustainable world. It is impossible to envision a sustainable world when you are unaware of the sustainability issues the world faces today. Most people are not well-informed about the issues we face today and how severe they are. I know that a few weeks ago I had no idea that there were so many problems. I didn't think that I could make a change, mostly because I didn't know what the issues were and I wasn't interested. People need to realize that learning about our environmental issues is necessary and that they can make a difference by changing little things in their daily life. For example, reusing materials or recycling clothing. Every single person makes a difference. When one person hops on, more people are likely to join which is what creates a big difference. The article Limiting Consumption: Toward a Sustainable Culture talks about the problems with over consumption and underconsumption. People need to give up the idea that money equals self-worth because this will get you nowhere. Studies have shown that money doesn't by happiness so why do people over consumer? Advertising. Advertising is one of the main reasons why people overconsume. People buy into all these great ads and buy things they don't need and may never use. One solution is that ads are gearing more towards teaching sustainability but ultimately it is up to you.  It may be hard but you need to try to not buy into these ads for the sake of the environment and yourself.

How might you communicate and engage others in your vision that will compel them to follow?
In order to engage others in my vision I will have to be truthful and give them the facts in a way that they will understand. It is important to always be truthful so people will put their trust in me and my vision. Also they need to understand my vision and I can do this by boldly stating the facts. I think also stating what good will come out of this for them is important. Because no matter what people will always be concerned with themselves and they need to know that they will also benefit from this. People will save time, money and the environment by engaging in my vision.

hemp hemp hooray!

Hemp is a very valuable fiber because of it's several uses. Not only can it be used in apparel but it can be eaten, sat on, written on, painted on and even slathered on your body. When most people think about hemp, they associate it with hippies or all things natural. This stereotype has actually has created some problems here in the United States. However, in a way it can be looked at as a good thing because consumers are becoming more and more concerned with "buying green" and hemp is a very natural fiber that causes little harm to the environment.

Hemp comes in several forms and the US doesn't distinguish between marijuana and the non-psychotic cannabis. This means that hemp is not allowed to be grown in the US. Hemp can be imported to the US but cannot be grown here. According to Hemp: Historic Fiber Remains Controversial, a small group of hemp enthusiasts called "hempsters" have come together to introduce bills to legalize hemp growing in the US. As of now, the US is the only member of the G7 alliance that is not allowed to grow hemp. The DEA says that the two plants are indistinguishable but Steve DeAngelo, CEO of Ecolution, says that the growing method is different. He explains that in a field the recreational plants are spaced out apart from each other, while hemp plants are grown in close proximity to each other. In the movie Hempsters: Plant the Seed, the also discuss the controversy with the US growing hemp plants. Hemp activist Woody Harrelson plays a main part in the film who shows off his clothing made from hemp. These hempster activists in the film are trying to get the production of hemp to be legal in the US. They are trying to get people to learn the facts about hemp. The interest in hemp is steadily increasing for many reasons, especially its environmental benefits as well as better marketing. Hemp is and expensive fiber so we would save on the cost of importing it if we could produce it here in the US. I do not think that is a good choice on the US's part to not produce hemp. I also do not agree with their reasoning, like DeAngelo stated these are two different varieties and the growing methods of the two are different. I think it would be a great success for the US if we could grow hemp here.

Hemp: Historic Fiber Remains Controversial, emphasizes on how hemp is a growing market because of it's eco-friendly factors. Hemp is often compared to linen and cotton. Hemp and linen have similar growing methods. Hemp, unlike cotton, uses no pesticides to produce and requires little water. Yitzac Goldstein, VP of HTI, says farmers will benefit from the low water use because it will dave them money. Hemp also takes a much shorter time to grow than both cotton and linen. The problem with hemp compared to cotton it that is it much more costly to produce because we don't have the proper technology and there is limited access. Eric Steenstra of Ecolution introduced the term "cottonizing of hemp" which means producing hemp on equipment made for cotton. The results will create better and much stronger hemp. This to me sounds like an idea that could change the ways of hemp for the better. When you combine the fact the hemp is much more environmentally friendly than cotton and much stronger, I would have to say that hemp could become the new cotton. Especially, if hemp can be spun fine enough, it will be a huge competition to cotton and linen. It's because of these factors that more and more people are leaning toward hemp. Big name designers in that fashion industry and slowing adopting the use of hemp into their clothing. This is another thing that will be a huge benefit and cause a huge boost of the hemp fiber. In the article Are You Being Bamboozled? they discuss how you never know if you are for sure being properly informed about the products you are buying. By buying bamboo you may think you are being environmentally conscious. However, that is not always the case because it contain rayon. It is important to be aware of what you are buying. All of the facts have been laid out about hemp and we know that it is good for our environment.

When it comes to cotton, bamboo and hemp, each has their benefits and each has their negatives. However, if a consumer is concerned with going green, I think hemp is the way to go. At the rate that hemp is improving, I think it's on it's way to becoming the new cotton. The US needs to jump on board before they are left behind.

Taking Action Toward Sustainability

Cotton is a fiber that can most likely be found in the majority of items in your closet, seeing as it is the most used fiber on the planet. The problem that we face today with cotton is the production method. It can be expensive to produce and can create many problems in the environment. The key is to find the most sustainable way to produce it.

According to The sustainability of cotton: Consequences for man and environment, cotton is produced in over 100 countries. Of those countries 6 of them produce over 78% of all cotton, China being the top producer with 24% of the worlds total. Cotton can be a rather difficult crop to grow because it is sensitive to drought, low temperatures and attacks by various insects. Every country faces different climates so this can make the production easier or more difficult for certain countries. Water use and pesticide use create the most environmental problems in cotton production. Some countries can be more efficient in the production due to better technology. Another issue is whether organic or conventional cotton is more environmentally beneficial. A majority of cotton(80%) is produced under conventional farm management. But is that a good thing for our environment? Organic farming is a certified type of production, which can be beneficial because it is easier for retailers and consumers to understand the history of the produce and that causes them to make inferences about environmental impact. For some countries, like the USA and Australia, conventional farming can also be classified as organic but the pesticide use may still be high. However, for developing countries conventional farming is anything but sustainable. By increasing organic cotton in rain-fed regions, it will save on water use and no pesticides will be used. Our reading from last week, Fashion Sustainability and Textiles, talks about how more and more people are converting to organic farming and that organic farming can significantly reduce the use of water and pesticides in cotton growing.  I think that increasing organic farming will be the most beneficial option for our environment but for best results it needs to be produced in the proper environment and climate.

The golden age of water is over, according to the video Cotton and Water: White, Blue and Green. In the video they focus on the environmental problems caused by the production of cotton specifically in terms of the lack of water access. The world's most precious natural resource, water, is becoming more precious than ever. The cotton industry is trying to discover inventive ways to use far less water in the production process in factories and the field. Cotton farming now has undergone a dramatic change within the last 8 years. Cotton farmers in the US have developed a new irrigation system where water is delivered directly to the soil unlike old sprinkler system. It has underground pipes that deliver the water to the cotton plat directly. This has saved a lot of water use but is creating other problems. Now, they have to figure out a way to pump less out of the ground because it is getting too expensive. The ultimate goal is to produce varieties of cotton that are far less thirsty and require half as much as they are using now. Scientists believe that you must set a high goal if you want a large impact. In factories, companies in china and india have created high tech textile manufacturing method that uses vibrating membranes that removes indigo moleules after dying so the same water can be used again and again. This system recycles at least 80% of the water and saves 20,00 gallons of water everyday. This video provides many solutions to cut back on water use in the field and in production. It also provides many ideas of ways that technology is still advancing to cut back more because water is becoming more and more limited so we must take action before it becomes a crisis.

Based on my professional opinion, I think that the cultivation of cotton can be sustainable if you do it the proper way. When it comes to organic or conventional farming I think each have their pros and cons but I think we should start seeing a shift more toward organic farming because it has more benefits for everyone. However, I think the key is putting these ideas and suggestions form the reading and video to action. If everyone does their part I believe we will see a significant improvement.

Natural's Not Always Best

People, especially designers, are becoming more and more aware of the issues we face with environmental sustainability in clothing production. The questions we face today are how to solve the problem? And is one solution better than the other? When it comes to using natural v. synthetic fibers there seems to be many different opinions as to which is better. I overheard a coworker explaining that she prefers to use natural fibers over synthetic because they are "natural" and inherently sustainable. I can see where she is coming from that because it is "natural" it has to be better for the environment, right? However, that is not always the case. Synthetic fibers have their perks as well.

I was unaware, as stated in Fashion Sustainability and Textiles, that cotton and polyester account for 80% of the textiles used worldwide today, which leaves us with very little diversity. Producing 1 kg of cotton uses as much as 8000 liters of water. In the past decade they have converted to using more organic cotton, to reduce pesticide and water use, rather than conventional cotton. Manufacturing 1kg of polyester consumes twice the energy needed to make the same amount of cotton. A shift from polyester to renewable and biodegradable fibers could bring benefits. Fibers such as wool and those made from materials like corn starch would reduce our oil dependency. The result would help reduce consumption but it would also create a more diverse and locally sensitive agriculture, more regional fibers, more healthy and socially robust environments and open up more job opportunities. While the production of cotton uses a great amount of water and pesticides, manufactured fibers also how their negatives. Manufactured fibers such as polyester nylon and acrylic use a lot of energy and chemicals that pollute the environment. Both natural and synthetic fibers have pros and cons, but the most impact lies in consumer care. It takes both changes in the production and the consumer to make a different in the environmental problems today.

In the video Textile Exchange, Charline Ducas makes some interesting opening points when discussing the environment and improving the production of fibers. She addresses six ways to be more sustainable including:
1. Reducing, recycling and upcycling
2. Renewable
3. Re-exploring naturals
4. Doing more for less
5. Water-less
6. New-ways
Ducas emphasized the most on "re-exploring naturals" and "doing more for less." In "re-exploring naturals" she explains how we like naturals, like cotton, because they are comfortable and no man-made fiber has been known to provide that kind of comfort. However, natural fibers might not always be the most efficient method. In "doing more for less" she explains how we can be more clever with the way we produce textiles. For instance, she talks about Clariant advanced denim and how it is a more efficient way to dye clothing. I do agree that there are definitely ways we can get creative with production methods to be more efficient.

I don't particularly think that one is better than the other when it comes to using natural or synthetic fibers. Both have proven to have their benefits and downsides. I think it all comes down to getting creative with better production methods from the use of technology and putting our minds together. I, as a designer, will continue to use both natural and synthetic fibers but I will try to think of more clever ways to produce the clothing to benefit our environment.

Keeping Up with Fashion, While Keeping Up with Sustanability

People today have one main concern when it comes to fashion, and that is staying on top of the current trends. Everyone gets so wrapped up in the latest trends and looking good, that we forget to take other very important aspects into consideration. It is important that consumers and designers start looking at fashion in terms of sustainability. The way we produce, use and dispose of our clothing has got to see a change or it could cause some serious environmental problems, more than we already have. Luckily, Fashion Sustainability and Pricing Environmental Impacts: A Tale of Two T-shirts, gives us some great insight on how to make these changes.

Fashion Sustainability reminds us that these challenges we face in the clothing industry are not new but there are ways to improve them. This reading shows all of the stages of a typical item of clothing and explains how impacts can be reduces at each stage. Some of the main issues we face are pesticide and energy use in cotton growing, animal cruelty, fashion consumption, working conditions, unsustainable man-made fibers, energy consumed during clothing care and the disposal of clothing. Some great solutions to these problems are given, solutions that will work with the help of the retailer and consumer. Cotton has raised many issues lately. The use of pesticides and the amount of water it takes to grow cotton is causing many problems. One solution they have given is to produce organic cotton and use proper irrigation to limit the use of water and energy. The use of oil based materials have been used as a solution because they are more energy saving and durable but the downfall is they take a longer time to degrade. One of the main key solutions is to raise awareness of the issues we are facing. Many people have no idea about how much trouble we could soon be in if we don't make changes. By raising awareness consumers can be more conscious decisions and change certain habits. It is also very important to have a transparent supply chain so that everything is traceable back to the source. This will allow them to make sure high standards of sustainability are being enforced. In order to convert to sustainable practices along the supply chain support is needed to ensure that it will work. Ultimately, it is up to the designer. It is up to the designer to promote sustainable solutions and encourage consumers that is it desirable, comfortable and stylish. After all, the consumers main concern is keeping up with the latest trends.

Fashion Sustainability and ESMA "Promising Interventions" both offer valuable advice as to improving the way we care for clothing today. One issue that they both touch on is the use of water efficency. In the Fashion Sustainability reading it discusses how it takes millions of tons of water to produce enough cotton to make 1 pair of jeans. This is a total waste of cotton and energy. As a solution, they state that irrigating cotton can be useful when harvesting and drip irrigation are combined. While this is a good solution ESMA goes on to say that investment in science and technology could help increase water efficiency in growing agriculture. These two solutions go hand in hand. Another topic that both reading discuss is making people aware of the issues. ESMA talks about the importance of access to knowledge about the history of the eco system in order to effectively manage and take control of the issues. While Fashion Sustainability, states that raising awareness is key because there needs to be an understanding of the problem among the industry and consumers in order to make necessary changes. They both discuss  that  increased transparency is key. They both talk about how it will allow more participation and will be good for tracking information. The solutions in Fashion Sustainability contribute to ESMA in many ways and it was great to see how each of them looked at the issue a little bit differently.

In the reading Pricing Environmental Impacts: A Tale of Two T-shirts, they have discover a way to translate life-cycle analysis into monetary costs. The whole idea behind their method it to evaluate what the environmental cost on a product when producing it. They give a dollar amount to the impact the product had on the environment. I think this is a good method to use when comparing two similar products. This method considers externalities which is very helpful. Externalities are environmental costs that aren't under control of the manufacturer. These externalities allocate the cost to specific stages of a production cycle. In their comparison it shows that it is more cost efficient to produce and organic cotton t-shirt rather than conventional cotton. I think their costing method could actually be very beneficial and it is a tool that can be used by management under the right circumstance, like here, where they are comparing two like options.

I believe that these issues stated in Fashion Sustainability can bring real change with the help of consumers, retailers and brands. It will take effort from everyone to really bring about change.While these solutions are great, it takes people implementing the solutions to make an impact.

In Our Hands

Today, the world is facing a serious problem. A problem that needs our help. An ecological crisis is well on it's way if we don't try to do something about it and one of the main concerns is deforestation. There have been several warnings about an ecological crisis for us, but nothing that has caught enough attention to make an impact. This is not new news though, this is something that has been going on for thousands of years but is increasingly becoming more and more of a problem in our world today. Now, it's our time to step in to stop this crisis before it's too late.

"The Lessons of Easter Island" by Clive Pointing is a great example of what can happen if we are not aware of this problem and work toward a solution. When Easter Island, a tiny remote island off the coast of South America, was discovered by Dutch Admiral Roggeveen, he stumbled upon something which was probably very unexpected. The island had turned into a rustic war-like environment and the few thousand of people left on the island had turned to cannibalism to survive. Years before, when the population was at it's prime, the island was an extraordinary place. People were intrigued by how socially and technologically advanced the island was. However, if you don't use your resources wisely it can create many problems, and this is what the people on Easter Island soon discovered. Deforestation is what caused the downfall of easter Island. They used the trees for everything from food sources to transportation and when there were no longer trees left there was a fight for survival. Today, we are facing the same type of problems and it is up to us to take control and use our resources wisely.

Another way deforestation an impact us today is in form of natural disaster. As stated in "Ecosystems Millenium Assessment" deforestation has a major impact on natural disasters such as floods and fires. These natural disasters have increased due to the fact that natural forests are diminishing. Also, as the human species is increasing, the number os species is decreasing which is creating problems that relate to the ecological crisis. Because the human population is increasing so is the demand for things such as food, water and timber. It is important that we use our resources wisely so we do not face an event like Easter Island.

However, there are ways that deforestation. The article"Benefits of Deforestation" from Edu.udym.com explains that "the forests are disappearing because people benefit from deforestation." Cutting down the forest helps to meet the needs of people in more ways than one. We need deforestation in order to get our supplies of lumber and wood products which greatly benefit our economy. Another reason it is a good thing is because it provides access to natural resources located beneath the mature trees and provides land for building homes and industry. Last, it creates many jobs that support the economy and people rely on these jobs to support their families. The world would be without many jobs without deforestation.

All of these stories and articles make great points but there has to be a balance. There has to be a way for us to balance this ecological crisis that we are facing because as stated, it does provide many benefits but it also has many negative effects. It is not necessarily deforestation that is causing this crisis, it is the way that we are handling it. We must be smart not use too much too fast. This is in our hands.