Notes from the Woods

seeing · environment · exploration · photography

Sustainability

Underwater photo of sand

Infinite Sand, Bonaire, Caribbean Sea #WA9397

Written by Mark

Born and raised in Detroit, c. 323 ppm CO2, Mark Graf is a Michigan photographer, naturalist, and diver whose muse is summoned by exploring the endless connections in nature; land, sea, and sky.

Friday, April 22, 2016

S is for Sustainability

An appropriate AtoZChallenge topic for this Earth Day, and any day for that matter.   I have thought about a particular idea regarding sustainability that would really shine light on what we are doing to this planet.

We have regulations and laws on our food labels that require manufacturers to specify the amount of calories, fat, carbs, etc.   (I won’t get into sugar as that is a topic of its own!)  All of this in order to inform the consumer how to better manage their health.

Underwater photo of sand

Infinite sand, Bonaire, Caribbean Sea

Similar to this information we have on our food we buy, what if there were a Sustainability Index required for every other product we buy?   We care enough about our personal health to require labels to make informed decisions, shouldn’t we care enough about our only planet and it’s health?

Drug commercials fill their last 10 seconds or so with warnings and disclaimers, what if this applied to many other products?  These days it is so hard to keep track of what is green, what isn’t, what is somewhere in between.   You have to spend hours upon hours of research and keep a small journal with you everywhere you go.

If these labels could educate society on the positive or negative influences of products and their manufacture on the planet, I think we would see a dramatic shift in our buying habits.   We would immediately have information in front of us to access.    Information is the key to making things better.

Of course, this idea doesn’t mesh well with the money in our politics.   Many manufacturers would fight it vigorously.   But if people wanted it enough, maybe it could happen.

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6 Comments

  1. David Brown

    Thank you for sharing. This is a very thought-provoking subject and just one of many things that could be done to make this world better for everyone.

    Well done with the A-Z Challenge and enjoy the last few letters 🙂

    • Mark

      Thanks David, I am glad you stopped by.

  2. Monte Stevens

    I agree. Just this past week I saw numbers on the quantity of coffee packets for the Keurig coffee makers. Blew me away!

    • Mark

      I am seeing more and more comments about those little packets myself. I am not a coffee drinker, but can imagine there are tons of those things piling up.

  3. Darla M Sands

    What a provocative subject. If only it were a more perfect world. I recently learned that cosmetics in the United States are seriously unregulated. Gave me chills to wonder what has been done to me over the years. ~sigh~ Happy blogging!
    Awakening Dreams and Conquering Nightmares with a Pen
    It looks like I will have intermittent Internet access soon, so forgive me if I don’t stop by as often. I’ll try to maximize whatever time is allowed.

    • Mark

      Well, we can all do our own little parts in effort to help. Many people don’t even think about it.