This is a post intended to guide you to a variety of other Medium articles by posing questions while thinking about present day environentalism questions. If you enjoy this post, please let me know in the comments and/or subscribing. I try to feature a variety of Medium authors who may be overlooked due to the age of their content even though it is still relevant.
In the future, they’ll remember us.
Who thought this the first time? Were they the same people who examined the past remnants of other humans?
This incredible moment, staring back through time at glimpses of a past and grasping that all will be remnants someday. Anything that survives will be pieces of puzzles to be understood and re-examined.
Academics from a variety of fields will collectively wonder, “Who were these people?”
While examining the pieces of artifacts left behind, a common question arises: “What forgotten knowledge is contained here?”
Clutter Left Behind And Forgotten
But what history is meant to be forgotten? What bits of data are people now leaving behind that are the result of a culture that is detaching from traditional methods of togetherness and emotional processing? How is culture changing globally? What about our space junk?
When we keep our homes decluttered, where does the waste, both mental clutter and physical clutter, go? Physical clutter often ends up in landfills, unsorted, and eventually, our oceans if we aren’t careful. By introducing composting and proper waste management practices physical clutter can be maintained, which has been shown to help with mental clutter.
But what about storage units? Out of sight out of mind comes into play. I recently took up the practice of “shopping the storage unit” any time I need something since downsizing to a smaller apartment. Instead of going online or purchasing something that will only get thrown away, I first go to the storage unit and make sure I don’t already have something that will work. And then I declutter the box it was in and continue to shrink the amount of stuff I own. This only works to an extent though.
Quality Manufacturing And ReUse Reduce Waste
With a return to American manufacturing we need to keep our standards high and reduce the possibility of high waste low cost goods like the disposable fast usage import items of the past. How can you reduce your impact, realistically? Shopping and donating at thrift stores helps to offer one possible interim solution that gives back.
What About Zero Waste?
Did the coronavirus pandemic end the zero waste movement? Studies show that zero waste lifestyles had immense benefit on the planet and those who chose to incorporate aspects of it into their life. Can we bring that back?
Once we’re dead and gone, how will we be remembered? Do we want to be remembered as the era of trash mountains and landfills coating the Earth? Why not the era of decluttering the Earth because it is our home. One of the greatest impacts on our mental health can be caring for our environment. With a global mental health crisis related to the environment, what can can we do to make a difference?
Mining Landfills And Improving Waste Processing
Even Massachusetts Institute of Technology discussed landfill mining as a potential solution to some of our biggest environmental and economic resource related problems. Others are suggesting this too as a solution.
Some future minded thinkers in India have even begun to address our global economic and waste processing issues for countries with large populations. In Hawaii and around the globe there are groups focused on cleaning our oceans and removing trash from them. Even IBM has figured out how to use blockchain to help remove plastic from our oceans.
A Way Forward: Futurism and Science Fiction
This presents the common question: how can we create something better?
There’s hope yet. If we can dream our future, we can create it too. The more we encourage people to think about climate change while writing speculative fiction, the more we inspire future generations, peers, and current thought leaders to take action.
If we all believe in a better future and dream it together, maybe we can make it happen.
