Waste = Food

Waste = Food Movie

It easy to look over the issue of trash and waste. We live in developed society where we daily purchase and consume goods, products, and services that generate waste… yet we conveniently dispose of them is trash reciprocals of every kind and shape. We don’t spend much time thinking about where this trash and waste go. We lose any concept of how much trash we create and where it goes. Because of this, it is quit shocking (and necessary) to be confronted with images and statics on the amount of waste we produce. Man is the only creature that produces landfills. Natural resources are being depleted on a rapid scale while production and consumption are rising in na­tions like China and India. The waste production world wide is enormous and if we do not do anything we will soon have turned all our resources into one big messy landfill. We are not a sustainable rate of destruction of our t environment. We watched a film called “Waste = Food” that focused on the topics of rampant waste, and the work of those to combat it. The movie presents the dire nature of the current system but also gave an inspiring look at the efforts of some companies like Nike, Herman Miller, Ford, Rohner Textile, and even industrial countries like US and China. These companies and countries are making strides to change waste disposal policies, make recycling easy, and create more responsible products. However, as stated in the film, "...less bad isn't good...". It's not enough to have one line of hemp running shoes, make a PR stunt, or build a prettier factory. The world’s community needs to be awakened to the issues and together seek a complete overhaul that changes how the whole process works. That is what people like chemist Michael Braungart and architect William McDonough are seeking to do. The movie told the story of how the two met and are now creating solutions that are changing the way the world is producing and building. Braungart introduces his concept of Waste = Food. Everything in nature (flowers, trees, birds, bears, rocks) is a renewable resource that goes back into the ecosystem creating new life: food. Unlike nature, we are mass manufacturing are products made from Styrofoam, plastic, and synthetics that do not break down nor go back into the environment; they go to landfills.  Braungart wants to see that the waste created from products and processes would become food for the “biosphere” or the “technosphere” (all the technical products we make), produc­tion and consumption could become beneficial for the planet. Another name they have given this idea is “Cradle to Cradle.” Every product in should at the end of its lifecycle, have the component materials it’s made and packaged in become a new resource for other products, or go back quickly into the environment. The ideas of Braungart and McDonough are being listened to by Governments and Businesses around the world! Much needed change is happening. We must see these changes continue.

Fun Fact : There is now "Cradle to Cradle" Certification for Businesses!