Like it or not, everyone bears some role in the world?s depleting rate of natural resources, whether it be found in our school notebooks, or snack wrappers, or all the components in our smartphone. The fact that we use these products with such ubiquity makes it unsurprising that many do not pay attention to such origins. In short, we take the limited supply in front of us for granted and the long term consequences are not able to be seen in plain sight.

For instance, in China, the world?s most populous nation, this issue is even more accentuated. One of WWF?s studies showed that the use of resources is at a speed 2.5 times more than the ecosystem can sustainably supply. Being also a country with one of the most diverse creatures, having their habitats destroyed is devastating.

In another perspective, contamination of these raw materials are also an issue. Approximately 38% of major lakes and 30% of major rivers are unsafe for use due to greenhouse gas emissions and the amount of coal burned is almost equivalent to the amount done by the rest of the world combined. With a dramatic economic growth comes increased demand for produce as seen in the national consumption of 22.6 billion tonnes of domestic goods. 99% of that is sure to find its way to the oceans or landfills. Therefore, it is imperative that legislations are passed to monitor and act upon statistics, while making sure citizens can also change their general trends in actions.

Noticing the excess of ?stuff? that we have, Annie Leonard founded the Story of Stuff. It first originated as a documentary explaining the process of how consumerism follows a flawed linear pattern and that once something enters, it exits. With stages of Extraction, Production, Distribution, Consumption, Disposal, problems don?t just revolve around the environment there are social and political factors as well. As highlighted in the video, harmful chemicals are released in manufacture and waste. Fair trade and labor rights are violated. The concept of obsolescence is misused. There is the need for a circular approach where both waste and extraction can both be minimized while tackling the aforementioned topics at the same time. More information can be seen at this website which has grown to a full fledged campaign: http://storyofstuff.org/about/ while the original video is found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM

Works Cited:

"About the Story of Stuff." The Story of Stuff Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 July 2017. <http://storyofstuff.org/about/>.

"China." WRI. World Resources Institute, n.d. Web. 23 July 2017. <https://www.wri.org/our-work/topics/china+>.

"China's Industrial Growth 'a Threat to Resources'." South China Morning Post. N.p., 02 Aug. 2013. Web. 23 July 2017. <http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1294075/chinas-transformation-industrial-powerhouse-eating-away-resources>.

"WWF: China Is Depleting Ecological Resources Too Quickly." Asian Scientist Magazine | Science, Technology and Medicine News Updates From Asia. N.p., 02 July 2013. Web. 23 July 2017. <https://www.asianscientist.com/2012/12/features/report-chinas-ecological-footprint-wwf-2012/>.