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.