Sometimes I look back at my lifetime, and am awed by the progress of technology. So many things have changed over the last few decades, and so much has stayed the same. What is most impressive is how we manage and distribute information and entertainment.
Think of how you get your news. I haven’t watched a local news program in years, and I rarely watch national news. In the 9 years I have lived in Cleveland, I have done many crosswords and Sodoku puzzles, but read less than a dozen articles in the Plain Dealer. I get my news from feeds, blogs, and networking sites. I learn more from links than from television news. Given this trend is it really that incredible that print media is in its death throes and broadcast media is looking for ways to alter its income stream? I say great! When you contemplate the amount of resources used in printing a newspaper or magazine, it blows my mind that it is still even done. Mast require the use of large amounts of paper. This paper usually is made from virgin materials, but even recycled paper uses a large amount of water to produce. As much as we like to think of ourselves as a progressive and earth conscious bunch, most of what is recyclable in this country still ends up in the landfill. Even my mother, who is over 80, owns a computer and knows how to use it. So why are companies even bothering to create printed editions? A ton of newspaper uses about a dozen trees. An online news service, blogging service, or feed uses no paper, no water, and probably far less energy to create its content. It also has little carbon emissions from distribution and delivery. Ditto on magazines.
What about entertainment? Do you remember LP’s. Vinyl albums that scratched and skipped, and were unsafe anywhere near a warm location. They were replaced by 8 tracks and cassettes that caught in the player and ruined your equipment. Next came CD’s. Now I think it is time to say goodbye to this technology. MP3s and other digital formats have made CD’s virtually obsolete. Same with video entertainment. Video started with things like BETA and VHS. Optical laser discs opened the door for DVD’s and now Blue ray discs. As broadband technology improves and digital video files are compressed, we can expect the same results for video discs. I say great!
CDs and DVDs are made from many different materials. Lets look at some of them. Aluminum is used in making CDs and DVDs. It is abundant, but is extracted and refined from a material called bauxite. In order to refine aluminum, bauxite must be mined, washed crushed, filtered and then the extracted aluminum must be smelted. The next ingredient is plastic. Multiple types of plastics are used to make discs, like acrylics and polycarbonate. Most plastics are made from petroleum and refined with natural gas. Other elements used include gold, silver and nickel-and all are mined from the earth. Glass and water are also used. It takes all these elements just to produce the CD or DVD. Then comes the labeling, the packaging, and the all important shipping and handling. The last album I purchased was online, used the electricity of my computer and a little time to copy onto my MP3 player. No minerals, no water, and very little carbon from my electricity use. So why are we even using CDs?
The time has come that we need to rethink the way we live. We know we need to be concerned about our carbon emissions. We know that we need to save water, energy and natural resources. If we really want to make a difference, we need to go beyond changing out a few light bulbs. We need to start thinking about the embedded costs of the actions we take and the products we buy. We need to think about how and what we consume. We Americans average over 300 pounds of paper, per person, per year. Why? I agree that we have a good life in the US and don’t think there is anything wrong with that, but when the technology is there to reduce, why are we continuing to use up the finite natural resources that we have?
Tags: conservation, environment, Go Green
lol…aaron and i just bought 2 cds last week
. maybe when tyler gets an ipod “upgrade” we can get his hand-me down one.
I know that Mac laptop you love so much plays MP3s!