Baskadia

Lesson 1: The structure of modern industrialism is inherently damaging to the environment.

During the Industrial Revolution, everyone wanted to produce things in the most efficient and profitable way possible. Most people believed that nature had a bottomless supply of resources for the taking. So naturally, as large-scale manufacturing exploded, little to no thought went into the environmental consequences. 

We may be more aware of our environmental impacttoday, but it still remains a linear system. Meaning, the things we purchase go from producer to us and to the trash. This way of production is known as the cradle-to-grave model. We get resources to make products, sell these, and they end up in a “grave,” most likely the dump. 

Corporations also tend to design things using a one-size-fits-all-approach. An example of this can be found in laundry detergent in the US. Though many places like the Northwest have soft water so they only need small amounts of laundry detergent, soap manufactures make only a strong detergent suitable for people with the hardest water. It might save money, but it’s terrible for the environment.