on consumerism and life cycles
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Review: Abundance → Nature →
these excerpts from Robin Wall Kimmerer's "The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World" resonated with me and spurred my thoughts around consumerism. i think reading the quotes first helps with understanding my writing around them.
"Materials move through ecosystems in a circular economy and are constantly transformed. Abundance is created by recycling, by reciprocity." [p. 16]
"[Nature's] processes are the models for principals of a circular economy, in which there is no such thing as waste, only starting materials." [p. 17]
. . .
consumerism, which masquerades as abundance, creates much "waste" which is to say materials that are processed in a way that renders them non-biodegradable and often difficult (not impossible !!) to repurpose or transform. but they are not initially created with the full life cycle, including decomposition, in mind - they are knowingly transformed from their source materials into an object for the junkyard. they are knowingly consumed, by consumers (us), for short periods of time. and we know after our consumption is done this object will end up in the washing up on the western shores of Africa.
what is the lifespan of a Shein shirt or disposable vape?
how many lives did they live before transforming into their current state?
how many lives will they live after?
what happens when there's a rift in or barrier to the cycle of reciprocity? the cycle of life?
how can we repair?
not just shifting our consumer habits ALSO widening our imagination for what transforming "waste" into a another life cycle can look like
not just reduce, reuse, recycle ALSO create with intention and understanding of the full life cycle of these precious materials