The Boon of Plastic

There's been a lot of talk about plastics lately. I've read people's comments and heard conversations about how "plastic is poison" and that we should ban plastics. Okay, what are the alternatives? It's pretty ignorant to think about reverting to a world without plastic at this point - especially when voiced by people who rely so heavily upon it. I find it humorous that the people are making these comments are using devices made almost entirely of plastic to voice their opinions.

Plastic is perhaps THE ONE thing that has enabled us to advance into the age of technology. Without plastic, the world would definitely be different - but not necessarily in a good way though. There are devices and processes that would not even be possible. Virtually every modern essential uses plastic in some way, shape or form - from communications to construction to transportation to medical to educational to food and agriculture - plastic is the one common denominator that makes it all possible and in the least expensive, most durable and most hygienic way possible.

With every advantage, there's also going to be drawbacks though. As with all our resources, we need to be good stewards or there will be adverse consequences. Although plastic is fairly inert, the mass quantity of plastic that enters into the waste stream seems to be unmanageable. Though in North America (and other industrialized areas of the world) we have infrastructures in place to manage recyclables, we still can do better. While the vast majority of the plastic that enters into oceans and other bodies of water are from third-world countries that don't have and infrastructure in place (or don't really care about the environment), there is still a notable amount from the U.S. that makes it into the oceans and litter our public lands. This is unacceptable. But calling on outright bans of certain plastic items... or worse, all plastics, not only demonstrates the ignorance of those calling on the bans but demanding such radical decrees is detrimental to the industrialized infrastructure that is in place. Since this notion is absolutely absurd anyway, such a ban isn't going to happen.

I have worked with materials (wood, metal, plastic, glass, ceramics, etc.) for most of my life and just in the past 50 years or so, I have observed the evolution and progress that has been made with technology and manufacturing. We can make things now that weren't even a possibility just a few decades before.

As stewards over these resources, we need to be responsible at the consumer level. We can't and shouldn't expect government regulations and decrees by political figures to solve problems that we personally are a part of causing. It's fair to say that most of the population does not know where plastic comes from, the differences between types of plastics or where it goes when it's disposed of. One of the things I want to do in my life is to not only be a part of educating others about the benefits of materials and how to be more resourceful, but also to be more of an active part in the chain of reuse/repurposing of such and proper disposal of that which is no longer usable. It's quite a learning curve. I've been doing this for most of my life, but I still have a lot to learn and as technology advances, we have to keep up with that as well.

Stay tuned for more specifics on what I'm doing and learning and what we're doing as a family.

Built To Last

It's not hard to see the difference in quality between these two potato mashers. 

One of them is a "vintage" masher that is much sought after and worth the cost

on eBay. The other is a cheap, expendable item currently found in supermarkets 

and "big box" stores. We've had the good one for decades. It was built to last.

I've been seriously considering an industry or actually more of an industry concept that could fundamentally change manufacturing and marketing as we know it. It's not a new idea, though, but one that would be renewed or revived. The concept is called: Built To Last.

This is an idea that is ripe for implementation because there are many people who are truly concerned about the way consumables are manufactured and marketed and who want to make a difference. Now, I know I'm not going to change everybody's mind, but I sincerely believe that there are enough people who desire such a change that this concept can be implemented... however I can't do this alone.

There are a number of reasons why Built To Last should be implemented. Here are a few:

1) There is a niche in the consumer market of those who really want (and would pay for) tools, professional equipment, vehicles, sporting goods, consumer electronics and so forth. I am one of them. We want to own and use items of premium quality, but such items are getting more difficult to find - unless you buy "vintage" or "legacy" items, many of which are used and getting hard to find.

2) The concept of Built To Last is also an environmentally conscious movement. Much of what is currently manufactured is made as cheaply as possible - using plastic and minimal amounts of metals... and even then, the materials that are used break or wear easily. The practice of "programmed obsolescence" has become more commonplace, so essentially many consumer items are expendable. This is unacceptable on many levels. Manufacturers of these items have their reasons, but at the core it amounts to greed. We need to rethink and retool our manufacturing process, if nothing more, to minimize the introduction of toxic chemicals into our atmosphere and groundwater via manufacturing and landfills.

3) Manufacturing takes energy - lots of it. At a time when we are expected to turn off lights and appliances and purchase energy efficient consumables to replace those that are less efficient, many of us don't even consider the energy that is used in manufacturing. Many of the items that we are replacing the old and "less efficient" ones use manufacturing processes and procurement of raw resources that guzzle large amounts of energy and require mining of rare or diminishing minerals.

4) Revival of a dying industry. When was the last time you brought a consumer electronics item to the repair shop for servicing? Many consumers in the past couple of decades have resorted to simply discarding an older item because it quit working or "became obsolete." This practice is not only wasteful, but has resulted in putting repair professionals out of work. You would be hard pressed to find a repair shop now, even if you wanted to get your item repaired or otherwise serviced. At one time, I worked at an electronics repair shop and the older items were designed in such a way that they could be adjusted and moving parts replaced. While I was working there, a new wave of electronics started hitting the market that were lighter, more fragile (chintzy) and not engineered for repairability. Even the simple act of repairing a drive belt or fuse (each costing only a few cents) became not even worth the trouble anymore because you could simply go out and buy another chintzy item for about the same price as it would be to change the belt. Why not have a quality device to begin with - one that was worth repairing? This shift in manufacturing and marketing is going to make some waves though, because it will reduce the amount of workers who work at factories that churn out a constant stream of trashy products. This shift will open up another industry of workers... actual skilled workers who repair, adjust, clean and calibrate rather than the current industries (many of which are outsourced overseas sweatshops of unskilled laborers).

5) Promoting quality manufacturing practices will bring more  manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. and will enable such industries to pay more laborers a living wage. There will also be a greater need for educated and skilled workers in the fields of engineering and design as well as research and development.

This concept has many layers, facets and degrees. In the next few weeks or months, I plan on starting this campaign on social media, starting with a Facebook page and I will probably post my ideas on a blog. This is more than just an idea, but a process, which will evolve and be subject to refinement, just as any endeavor where whatever the end result is quality - Built To Last!