Waste in “The Ecology of Commerce” by Hawken Essay

Introduction

A human is a creature that wants to believe that everything is under control and can be improved by people as soon as there is a need. Unfortunately, this kind of human self-interest and self-confidence does not make a human stronger. On the contrary, these are some of those most dangerous and unpleasant factors that can weaken a person. A person can hardly guess what is happening. The point is that people cannot even guess that their desire to have or produce more lead to their self-destruction. Hawken (1994) admits that that “in the process of taking too much, we [people] waste too much” (p. 37). This author introduces several interesting ideas about the connection between the environment and business, human desire to succeed, and human inability to avoid waste, etc. There are many socio-economic implications of waste, and Hawken helps to realize how people and waste are interconnected. This paper aims at analyzing several Hawken’s approaches with the help of which it is possible to comprehend the essence of waste and the outcomes it has in regards to people and the economics people try to create to survive. It is not only a philosophical concept that has to be considered. It is a call to action for people, who want to be saved.

Position Statement

One of the most captivating and powerful ideas offered in the source under analysis is the fact that nature is cyclical, and waste created by one living system can become food for another living system (Hawken, 1994). At the same time, people are bothered by the necessity to dispose of wastes and cannot understand that their main problem is connected with the creation of wastes. Unfortunately, people continue neglecting the rules and standards offered by nature. They like to think that they can gain control over everything and create the conditions that are preferable to them. People start neglecting the fact that nature is the basis of everything. As soon as the limit is achieved, nature cannot stand human activities anymore and declares itself most unexpectedly. The amount of the damage people do to the environment, as well as the dangers that are created by mankind, cannot be defined; that is why the main problem is not the necessity to think about the best means to dispose of wastes but the necessity to stop creating wastes, especially toxic wastes that are too harmful to people (Hawken, 1994).

Support of the Position

Nowadays, the issue of waste creation and disposal is burning indeed. People continue talking about the necessity to control the amount of waste produced, investigating and categorizing waste, and offering their independent ideas on how people can improve the current environmental situation (Hawken, 1994). However, even the fact that people know that there are many types of waste as hazardous, medical, industrial, electronics, agricultural, etc. (Pichtel, 2014) cannot help these people improve the environment they have to live in because they are not able just to stop using something. It is hard to realize how dangerous human actions can be.

Philosophers offer to use the concept of time as the only means to identify the quality of waste and its danger (Viney, 2014). Time shows the way of how a particular stage can be experienced or reproduced. Time explains how waste can be disposed of. Time identifies the length of the creation or destruction of waste takes place. Socioeconomic implications of waste are hard to define and measure. Of course, they can be defined as dangerous and irreversible. But people want to know and understand the essence of these implications. If concerns about waste and its disposals are neglected or misunderstood, several problems may take place including resource pollution, multiple diseases, greenhouse gasses, etc. (Singh & Chari, 2010). All these studies help to realize one simple truth: people want to protect themselves against the threat of waste they created. However, they are cornered because they do not know how to stop using the current technological progress and industrial opportunities and creating wastes to the environment.

Examples and Explanations

Hawken’s position (1994) is definite indeed and can be explained with the help of several good and interesting examples. First, Hawken writes about the ways of how people like to think they can deal with the waste they produce. They simply transfer one household waste from one environment to another and believe that the bigger size of a new environment is the best solution for people (Hawken, 1994). However, this solution is far from being the best. It is not even an option. It is just the only available means that can be used. Hawken (1994) explains that the biosphere is the source of human wealth that continues to be polluted by people. The time may come when the biosphere loses its ability to protect human lives, and civilization faces a serious problem. It is one of the socio-economic implications of waste people should know.

Another important implication is based on the necessity to create myths with the help of which it is possible to change the image of the environment and provide people with a kind of hope. The myths focus on the necessity to analyze the current industrial economics and biological knowledge and prove that there is still an opportunity to clean up the environment people live in (Hawken, 1994). Of course, environmental consciousness is important (Dente, Fareri, & Ligteringen, 2013), but it can be easily substituted by the necessity to promote economic, political, or agricultural aspects. People like to investigate the reasons why waste is created. People find it crucial to evaluate human activities to diminish the level of threats created by their actions. However, the main danger is that the majority of actions are in a written or oral form only. It is hard to take real action. It is impossible to explain and define the outcomes of economic solutions made regarding the existing environmental problems.

Even though people try to take many precautionary measures, the implications of the current studies on the effects that may be caused by the compounds of wasteful products show that people are not able to protect themselves against the harmful effects of waste in their lives (Hawken, 1994). People develop different programs and consider their economic and environmental possibilities. They like to introduce new ideas on how it is possible to diminish the level of harmful effects when waste is created. On the one hand, it is a sign of progress that people understand that they cannot avoid creating waste and have to elaborate on the methods to solve the current problems. On the other hand, Hawken’s article shows that the circulation that exists in nature predetermines the way of how the problem of waste circulates in society: as soon as the problem appears, it may be solved; still, it does not disappear but gains another form.

Finally, Hawken’s work is a significant contribution to the way of how social and economic implications of waste should be considered and analyzed. The author informs that the present standards that aim at regulating the existing problem of waste creation and the methods that are used to solve the problems cannot be effective all the time (Hawken, 1994). People need “increasing amounts and different types of poisonous chemicals to live in a healthy and civilized world” (Hawken, 1994, p.51). Man-made toxins help to survive even if they create the conditions under which the industry can work. His identification of the problems and the inability to solve them serve as a good chance for people to have hope and prospects for the future.

Waste scavengers turn out to be the main means to control the amounts of waste even though this group of people does not earn a lot and is not accepted by society according to the level of contribution made (Magaji & Dakyes, 2011). Not many researchers pay enough attention to the role of this group of people, still, it is better to focus on their role in society. In other words, if people can understand the threats they create, they still have an opportunity to prolong their existence. The only obstacle they may face is the desire of nature to help them in their intentions. If nature can co-exist with the demands of society and the intentions to promote technological or industrial progress, people have a chance to survive. Unfortunately, the intentions of nature are hard to define and comprehend. And time remains to be the only factor that does matter.

Current Understanding and Examples from Past Readings

To organize appropriate waste management, American consumers and manufacturers try to categorize waste considering its physical and chemical properties (Pitchel, 2014). Among a variety of waste classes, municipal (also known as household or domestic) and hazardous types of waste remain the most crucial because they may arise from industrial, commercial, residential, etc. origins. Even though people promote waste management properly, it is hard to resist the fact that such waste as office paper, food scraps, cans, bottles, wood pallets, abandoned autos, etc. does exist and continues to damage the environment. It proves one of the main ideas offered in the article and supports my current understanding of waste management that even if people can manage waste control, it is impossible to dispose of all waste. The change of the place where waste can be placed does not alter the fact the waste exists and create a problem.

Another example is the role of hazardous waste and the inability to avoid it today. Hazardous waste can be produced in the same spheres as domestic waste is. Still, its quantity exceeds a particular limit usually (Pichtel, 2014); that is why the management of this type of waste has to be done on federal or state levels. Hazardous waste is ignitable and toxic. Corrosivity and reactivity are its key features. It is expected that waste to be managed with bigger care even regarding its transportation. The presence of such waste in the world proves another idea offered in the article about the inability for people to realize how dangerous their activities can be. The desire to achieve progress leads to the creation of dangerous waste. People should realize this proportion.

Finally, the creation of EPA waste management in 1989 was a crucial step to improve the waste situation and reduce the impact of waste on people (Pichtel, 2014). More than 80 million tons of waste was recycled in a certain period. It proved the last idea that time is the only appropriate measure that can be used to solve the problem of waste. People need more time to understand how to manage waste correctly. However, time promotes the development of waste at the same time. That is why time is one of the most dangerous and, at the same time, helpful items that cannot be neglected when people try to improve waste management.

Conclusion

In general, the work developed by Hawken in 1994 has a significant impact on the actions that are taken today and the decisions that are made by people every day. The concept of waste and its implications is crucial indeed. However, the way of how waste is created should become the main problem for consideration. It is not enough to know what to do with waste people produce. It is more important to understand the urgency of the amounts of waste created and work with the reasons of why waste is created. The creation of waste defines several social and economic aspects of human life. People are under threat of extinction due to their own inability to comprehend their weaknesses and inabilities to co-exist with nature. Human confidence and desire to have more are the reasons why so many wastes are created. Hawken (1994) teaches the reader not only to understand the reasons why people should pay more attention to waste produced but also to realize that it is still possible to change the situation and create better living conditions. Until people comprehend that waste does matter in the world, they have a chance to be saved. As soon as the problem of waste stops bothering people, it can be the beginning of the end, a terrible end created for and by people.

References

Dente, B., Fareri, P., & Ligteringen, J. (2013). The waste and the backyard: The creation of waste facilities: Success stories in six European countries. New York, NY: Springer Science & Business Media.

Hawken, P. (1994). The ecology of commerce: A declaration of sustainability (37-55). New York, NY: HarperBusiness.

Magaji, J. & Dakyes, S.P. (2011). An assessment of socio-economic impact of waste scavenging as a means of poverty alleviation in Gwagwalada, Abuja. Conference Journal of Environmental Studies, 42-56. Web.

Pitchel, J. (2014). Waste management practices: Municipal, hazardous, and industrial. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis Group.

Singh, R. & Chari, K.R. (2010). Socio-economic issues in waste management by informal sector in India. Birla Institute of Management Technology, 10, 1-5. Web.

Viney, W. (2014). Waste: A philosophy of things. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Academic.