WASTE: The High Price of Our Dirty Little Habits.
“We live in a disposable society. If it breaks we don’t fix it, we replace it. If it is out of date, we upgrade. If it may require cleaning, we opt for alternatives we can just throw away. Out society is structure around this mindset. It is cheaper to us, in the moment, to replace than repair. Out cell phones, computers, and cars seem programmed to fall apart jus part the warranty date. Out clothes lose their shape, color and stitching after a handful of washings. And our solution is to throw it all away.
"For many I the world, this disposable lifestyle is a symbol or wealth – a person can afford new items and the status they convey. Since their introduction into mainstream society, disposable items were promoted as a means to help people feel rich, granting them the ease and cleanliness usually only available to those with money for servants. The twin lures of status and convenience proved too temping to resist, so over the last century, we have slowly become a disposable society. (p. 145)
“We now own more clothes, more labor-saving devices and more entertainment items than our predecessors would ever have dreamed possible. Some may see such acquisition as a sign of progress, but “progress” always comes at a price.” (p. 146)
On the fifth Sunday of Lent, the focus of the Everyday Justice was the subject of waste, based on Julie Clawson's Book
Everyday Justice. The definition of waste that we considered included the squandering of a resource because it was not needed and the disposal of a resource after it had been used (e.g. garbage). So, the areas we briefly thought about included (a) How should we gather, use, etc. resources before we process them, (b) How should we efficiently use these resources, (c) Whether we should use certain resources and (d) How do we dispose of these products and the byproducts?
Why is it important for a Christian to consider the subject of waste? The Bible discusses in numerous places the two great commandments: Love the Lord your God, following the dominion principle (discussed more in depth in chapter 4 of
Old Testament Ethics for the People of God by Christopher Wright as well as in a number of Sunday night teachings by Doug Bannister as well as honoring God ("The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof") AND Love your Neighbor, with Jesus discussing loving your neighbor in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Bible discusses also the concept of justice and when we consider our global economy, what we buy and use affects those we would never see. Perhaps, the point that I am continually reminded of from Julie Clawson's book is that there is a cost to everything and when someone gets something cheap, someone else pays for it.
Our class watched
The Story of Stuff (after mentioning some of the criticism and accusations presented elsewhere on the internet concerning both the facts behind the story and that the presentation was anti-capitalism - another topic in itself), a clip about the
Pacific Ocean Garbage, and another photographic presentation on
electronic waste. Afterwards, we thought briefly about some of the things we use in our daily lives in terms of the Extraction -> Production -> Distribution -> Consumption -> Disposal line of use discussed in The Story of Stuff. (Although there may have been some issues with some of the facts presented, it was felt that there was legitimacy in the general use of resources.)
We summed up asking How can we make a difference? What life style changes need to be made? Angela shared at the beginning of the class that we should not panic. But although it does not seem critical, we are already at a critical stage. We must consider how to decrease our waste. The main solutions are Recyling,
Precycling, and Simplifying. It involves a significant change in our way of living. In thinking about our personal waste, how do we best Love the Lord our God, the Creator, Love our Neighbor (even if they live thousands of miles away), and practice dominion we the resources we have been entrusted from our God?
