What’s old is new again
As this recession continues (except for the short rally on Wall Street), people will be starting to preserve the items they have, and look to buy used goods at discount prices. In fact, a new consignment shop just opened down the street from me. I can’t help but wonder if this mentality will be good for the environment in the long run. Keeping the things you have running, working, and generally in use, will help keep stuff out of the land fills. Buying used items from others also helps in this regard. So all seems good from the environmental point of view.
But what does that mean if our great manufacturing facilities slow down? I’m not an economics major, but having no new goods produced is probably not a good thing. Maybe we need to look at making manufacturing more environmentally friendly, as opposed to just making more stuff faster and faster. There will always be a need for newly produced items–you can’t maintain everything forever. After this recession might be a time where society can find a balance –and hopefully the environment will benefit from the outcome.
Mr. Bitton, While I agree with your initial conclusion (that this trend for reuse and increased maintenance on our existing consumer products) is a fantastic trend, and one that can surely benefit both the environment and our pocket books I’m afraid I must disagree with your proposed direction of where we should go once the economy recovers.
More environmentally friendly production is always a good thing, but producing the same products at the same quality and in the same quantity will only drive up the cost of our consumer goods and drive us back into tough times, or at least limit our climb out of them.
To me (and you know well that I’m not an economic wizard either) but the answer seems to be that if we can make better quality products although the initial price will go up, the higher quality will enable these to be resold for a reasonable cost at a later date, and it would force us to take care of our possessions to help maintain their resale value, a lesson (as a new dad) I feel we must all begin teaching the new generation. That lesson is that we can no longer afford (environmentally or economically) to live in a disposable society.
James Bull - June 4, 2009 at 6:05 pm |