Did you ever not have enough from buying more products in increasing amounts, even if you do not need them?… Well, you’re contributing in the presence of consumerism to a large extent. We might all be getting more consumed with good and products that are of little use; hence getting more into consumerism without even realizing it.
Consumerism has been criticized since a long time ago… but unfortunately, it remains… harming our own pockets, and the environment. Do not be surprised while reading that. Doesn’t consumption mean we’re producing more garbage?… Isn’t that garbage a burden?… Actually, we should try decreasing the amount of trash we produce as much as possible, before looking for ways to get rid of the rest of it.
While many countries suffer from a waste crisis, such as Lebanon, New York’s “trash man” has been asking America to wake up to its garbage problem. This all started two weeks ago, in a country where an average citizen produces 4.5 pounds (two kilos) of trash per day.
America contributes to a great extent in the world’s solid waste production, since it generated 33% of the total amount worldwide. This is a HUGE number for a population that does not exceed 4.6% of the global population.
AFP news agency has interviewed New York’s “trash man”, as everyone is calling him, and perhaps this will continue for the next 30 days, when his “Trash Me” project ends on October 19.
The project, which will be made into a documentary, obliges the environmental activist to eat pizza, hamburgers and fries, along with sodas. When done, “trash man” stuffs the empty packaging, cups and pots into see-through bags strapped to his body for around seven hours a day.
“I’m fully embracing the American way of making trash,” he tells AFP with a smile. He expects to accumulate 100 pounds of trash, instead of his target 135 pounds.
AFP mentioned that Residents in New York, the largest city in the United States, produce 12,000 tons of waste every day, according to the GrowNYC sustainability organization.
“Everywhere you walk it’s ‘buy, buy, buy, consume, consume, consume’,” says Greenfield. “If you really want to live an environmental conscious life in the United States, you kind of have to go against the grain.”
Actually, we need to start thinking more about cutting on household wastes, rather than just conserving the nature. According to Greenfield, “Americans are cool with the recycling, with buying more eco-friendly products, but not many people want to reduce (consumption)”.
Now, what if the man who has lived all over the world, and has tried living in a house without water and electricity once, came to Lebanon??
In a country bombarded by huge amounts of wastes, and an ongoing garbage crisis, this might be an inspiration for another documentary even.
Dear, Greenfield… Here, you will find a new definition of consumerism… and Of course, you can try eating all the fast food most of us consume regularly, or even the Shawarma. Could it be that most of our garbage is made of Shawarma? …
It will be great if you come to wake our politicians up, and push them towards finding a “sane” solution to the garbage crisis. It might be great if we saw you walking on the streets with our daily garbage, we might wake up as well. Consume less. Conserve more.
People in New York have been taking photos with Greenfield and finding it amusing… Why is such a catastrophe a joke for many people? A garbage crisis is not something funny, and it will keep affecting our health, that of future generations, and most importantly, our planet…
Twitter: @Zeina_w_nasser
