" The Upcycle is a book about how we can develop and prosper without damaging the soil, water, and air. It was written by the architect William McDonough,and the chemist Michael Braungart. The book covers a vast amount of topics, from sewage to energy. The Upcycle is actually the second book written by the two authors. I recommend that you read the first book Cradle to Cradle Remaking the Way We Make Things before you read The Upcycle. The Upcycle reveals how we can truly benefit both the earth, our health, and the economy. Here are a few examples. Many people tell you to 'use less water' or 'Use less energy' or in general, 'Do less bad'. This is confusing, and as The Upcycle stated 'Like getting into a taxi and telling the driver "I'm …show more content…
However, The Upcycle goes way beyond this by suggesting the design of products that will not just give minimal impact to the environment, but give maximum beneficial impact to the environment. This means that it can decompose in the soil without giving off harmful chemicals, or it can be recycled completely. Speaking of recycling, the term 'recycle' is partly incorrect. Most items that gets recycled are turned into products of lesser value. A good example of this is a car. When cars are to be 'recycled', they are usually melted. This is a grand mistake, because when the car melts, all the different types of metals join together into a 'monstrous hybrid', thus making it impossible to be made into a car again. The authors call this 'downcycling'. If we can recycle everything we discard into an object of equal or increased value, we would not be required to mine for the resources. The authors call this …show more content…
William McDonough and Michael Braungart are known for the certification program they created. To get certified, a product must not have any harmful chemicals that are listed and identified by the certification. This program strives to list every chemicals and identify the harmful ones. We were excited to find a Cradle to Cradle certified cleaning product called Method in almost every natural food store. Even the Real Canadian Superstore sells this product. Our table is totally clean; it works truly well, and it seems guilt-free. The Upcycle is a compelling, and sometimes humorous book to read. All the examples I wrote above are just a fraction of the book. Please read The Upcycle and check out the rest of the information.....though I recommend reading the first book Cradle to Cradle before it. The book itself is as non-toxic as possible, with the safest ink and adhesive. The authors even wrote in the book that they hoped the book can be edible! One of my favorite part of the book was the beginning. It read:'To our families, and to all of the children, of all species, of all
In order for sustainable development to be achieved, humans need to reduce their effect on the environment by consuming less in terms of resources, and living more lightly on the planet. As difficult as this may sound, there are a number of ways in which this is easily achievable. One of the most effective ways to do this is to alter the way in which we function day-to-day, and to begin to change our homes to make them more efficient in terms of resources. In addition, sustainability is not only about ensuring a future in which we can sustain our society without impacting negatively on our environment, but also but ensuring that everyone can have access to this. Therefore we must look at the triple-bottom line approach and align our movement towards sustainable development with this.
Instead of being a country focused on self-betterment, we need to be geared towards societal-betterment. Recycling is an element to societal improvement because it decreases waste. Additionally, it allows for materials to be reused, so future generations can enjoyed the same resources. However, changing a societal dynamic is a monstrous goal. Therefore, immediate change needs to adapt to the millennial way of life.
There are many ways in which we can help out our environment, and the most common would be recycling. It is great to recycle so that plastics and other recyclable material can be reused to make a new product. Today now
Many people say that recycling is a waste of time or that they just don't have the time.”Yes it’s popular in affluent neighborhoods like Park Slope in Brooklyn and in cities like San Francisco, but residents of Bryon and Houston don't have the same fervor for sorting garbage in their spare time’(“The Reign of Recycling”). The world needs more people to recycle no matter where they live. It seems that even if more people have started recycling things have not changed much.”While it’s true that the recycling message has reached more people than ever, when it come down to the bottom line,both economically and environmentally, not much has changed at all”(“The Reign of Recycling”). People need to work harder to make a change that will account to something. The goals are being set higher and higher but with little success. ”While politicians set higher and higher goals, the national rate of recycling has stagnated in recent years”(“The Reign of Recycling”). This rate has ceased to flow. If something changes how people feel about recycling then the nation may be able to meet its
Recycling is a very essential and crucial process in our world today. The term recycling means that waste can be converted into new products instead of being discarded. As the population continues to grow, humans are using more and more products. In order to reduce the amount of waste on planet Earth, and to preserve its resources, recycling is significant. Not only does recycling allow the environment to thrive, but it also allows living people to thrive as well. There are many materials that can be recycled. Plastics, electronics, aluminum, food and glass are only but a few products that can be recycled. Recycling can benefit our environment in numerous amount of ways. However, without recycling, negative impacts on our environment can occur. Some of these effects include pollution whether it is air, land or sea, depletion of natural resources and even an increase threat to global warming. Therefore, recycling is extremely important to sustain our environment.
For centuries, the world has been fervently told to “reduce, reuse, and recycle” (Grabianowski). The idea many people have is that if everyone does his or her part in tossing old homework sheets and leftover yogurt cups into big blue bins, the world will recover from the devastation of human interaction with the environment. From this standpoint, recycling would seem a savior to mankind. Unfortunately, this is not the reality of how the process of recycling works, nor what the outcome of using the system actually is. Not every glass bottle can be tossed into a bin with the expectation of it becoming a brand new window pane, and even many paper products are considered non-recyclable. Recycling is takes time and is very
As we produce and consume more we add more into the environment. We continually produce products and services and create consumers that consume these products and services. These processes require more energy and resources, thus generating increasing industrial and consumer wastes, all of which are added to the environment.
America currently has a growing population of over 300 million people. Every day the average American produced 4.4 pounds of garbage. As a nation Americans produced over 200 million tons of waste in 2013. Only 34.4 percent of that waste was recovered. Over 65 percent of that garbage is left to rot and pollute the environment. Many other countries face the same epidemic. There are many ways Americans can reduce pollution and keep our planet cleaner, one for those ways for instance is recycling. Recycling defined is to treat or process used or waste materials, to make suitable for reuse. The process starts by knowing what to recycle and how. Understanding the effects and benefits of reprocessing can persuade people to make
He shows how both points of view have sound foundations as well as unavoidable flaws, mostly economic and environmental in nature. He states that nothing short of “a changed culture” will solve the world’s waste issues (264).
Increased recycling means less trash entering landfills. The greatest environmental benefit of recycling is the use of energy and natural resources when old materials are used to make new products. Many consider recycling an easy task. Products that become garbage have an effect on global warming, which makes recycling as a viable option. The phrase ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ was coined to promote recycling and a clean environment. Recycling is a simple way in which people can contribute to making a better world. It takes time and effort to collect, separate and send trash away. Recycling effects every aspect of our environment—homes, schools and hospitals.
In Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, the two authors take into great detail by explaining the “cradle-to-grave” manufacturing system. The system explains every step of a product’s life from the creation to the disposal of the product. It is important to learn about this system because in order for a company to track and take responsibility of their hazardous waste . The system itself explained where products are created and the mass production goes into this system without enough consideration to human health and the environment. McDonough and Braungart promote for a new framework where companies take into consideration on every step of a product’s lifestyle. In the authors’ observations that human industry should co-exist with nature by designing products that are in a way non-toxic, biodegradable, or recyclable without loss of material quality. With this in mind, a common type of consumer product such as a plastic bottle that could be redesigned to be healthier for humans, environmental friendly, and create less pollution towards our planet. The two ways that plastic bottles can become more “intelligently designed” is by changing how plastic bottles are manufactured in these industries and removing chemical ingredients that are harmful to human and environmental health.
The first reason to support recycling is it helps keep the environment clean and healthy. Just by recycling steel you can reduce 76% of the water pollutants, 86% of the air pollutants, and 97% of the mining wastes. By simply recycling, you save trees, historic statues and more, humans, ect. The author of the passage ‘Is it Possible to Create Zero Waste?’ stated, “In 2009, San Francisco, California, passed a law that called for zero waste, and made recycling and composting mandatory. By 2010 San Francisco had become the greenest city in the United States, keeping 80 percent of its waste out of landfills and incinerators.” This statement supports the fact that when San Francisco made recycling mandatory, 80 percent of waste was kept out of landfills, which keeps the environment cleaner.
Up cycling, is a prodigious way to reduce waste of any substance in your community. You do not necessarily have to meet anyone to give something a new purpose in life, unless you want to take an up cycle class, or group project. I did not meet anyone to do this project, but my mom who set me up with supplies, and showed me how to sew. Benefitting the community is also a giant part of this because it helps reduce plastic pollution in the air one plastic item at a time. Up cycling, is subsequently a huge part of our life, by allowing us to make remarkable items, from already brilliant things such as jerseys, coffee mugs, or glass cups as vases. In conclusion, up cycling is a fun and easy way to reduce pollution around
We, humans, are producing waste every day, polluting and destroying our planet. To save the world, many people believe recycling is the obvious solution. It is the process of converting certain waste into a reusable material. Therefore, the recycle motto is “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle”. However, have you ever wondered why the word recycle is placed at the end? Well, it’s because it is not the only way to reduce waste and save the world from global warming. Recycling may have many advantages, but its disadvantages’ list is not a short one either. Recycling may look very simple and easy method, but when there is a need for a new unit of waste recycling, it takes up a lot of space. Not to mention the amount of money the building costs along with paying the staffs, buying new utility vehicles, upgrading the recycling unit and different types of chemical disposals. It is not only expensive but also, unhygienic, unsafe and unsightly with piles of waste materials on every location. These wastes spread infectious diseases putting human health at risk. Aside from recycling
The hierarchy of waste minimization prioritizes prevention, minimization, and the reuse of trash as the most preferred options aiming to reduce volume of waste. This is followed by recycling and resource recovery that aim to reclaim the waste generated. Lastly, the less preferred options are incineration and landfilling which are utilized as a last resource if there is not any chance of recovery (Oelofse & Godfrey, 2008).