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Welcome to Stuff of Tomorrow

This is where I deconstruct our daily consumer goods – what minerals and elements are used, the costs of extraction and production, and identify new sustainable alternatives.

I work in a retail auto parts chain and the number of plastic goods on the shelves got me wondering where plastic is from, how it is processed, how it gets to us, and most importantly what happens to it afterwards. Then I got to wondering where ALL consumer goods are from. I started this blog with the goal of answering these questions. At around the same time, I came across a news article featuring Earth Overshoot Day, #https://www.overshootday.org/ and how much of the world’s resources we have used to date this year. It was a sobering read but really all the same.

Basically, Earth Overshoot Day represents the date when our demand for Earth’s ecological resources and services exceeds what Earth can regenerate in a year. In 2021, the date fell on July 29. For some countries, the date fell several months earlier. Maybe if we knew the circumstances from which the raw materials in our daily consumer goods originate, we would be more inclined to reuse, reduce, and recycle. Because this is a buy-and-throw-away society we live in, whether we wish to admit it or not.

Furthermore, the IPCC’s 2018 report on the dangers of global temperatures rising by 1.5^C focused on not only depleting ecological systems and extreme weather but also made the heightened CO₂ emissions a salient point of concern. As will be apparent in the posts, the processing of consumer goods requires immense amounts of energy and heat fueled by fossil fuels, coal, and natural gas. One item of merchandise can represent several tonnes of CO₂ emitted during its extraction and production process.

We are bombarded by new products all the time. Every few months, producers modify and improve their products for our convenience, ease, and entertainment. But every line of newly-produced goods requires energy and resources, from extraction to processing, from transportation to distribution.

As for research, I don’t limit my searches to ten years or 20 years. Before using the source, I read through and evaluate it against other material I have come across. This is not a literary review so if some sources contradict each other I won’t add it to this blog. Unless that is if you would like me to.

This is a single-page website, where all posts are categorized under ‘Consumer Goods’ at the top of the page. To get to specific topics, I have tagged headings with hyperlinks below for easy access. This list will be updated every time there is a new post.

If you use the stuff of today with consciousness and awareness of their origin, perhaps we can reduce the stuff we throw away tomorrow.

I’d love to know what you think about my blog or if there is something you’d like me to post. Write me at k.larsen@alumni.utoronto.ca.

#sodacans

#solarpanels : #siliconsolarpanels #cadmiumtelluride #copper

#tyres