Many Americans take part in recycling programs. Every garbage day, they set out their basket of newspapers, soda cans and beer bottles. Yet, despite this important and well-intentioned effort, few take a broader approach to the problem of resource depletion.
Recycling recaptures component materials, reduces the energy needed to produce new items, cuts the space and energy needed for garbage disposal and reduces the destruction and utilization of natural resources. But the recycling step is only part of the solution; we must also be willing to choose products that are made with recycled materials, avoid items whose production threatens natural ecosystems and diminish overall consumption of new products.
Excessive consumption is the primary threat to our natural resources. The demand for new cars, new houses, new clothes and the latest gadgets all take a toll. Of course, this consumption is especially evident in affluent countries, of which the U.S. is king. That basket of recyclables is only a start; we must reduce our population growth and learn to live with less. Otherwise, we will consume our way to desolation.
