According to John Ambler, global environmental degradation is more attributable to poor governing and land management skills. Ambler suggests that improving the management resources will help people as well as the environment. Understanding poverty-environment interactions proves that poverty does not necessarily lead to Global Environmental Degradation. In the study, Ambler pointed out that sometimes privileged groups force the poor onto marginal lands, thus they are unable to afford conservation and regeneration methods for land upkeep. In order to change this habit, we must identify and effectively communicate the environmental issues through education and incentives.
In Leyla Acarolgula’s TedTalk, she discussed the use of plastic and paper bags. She reflects on how we can create a more sustainable and greener future overall using the resources we have now. Everyone has the idea that plastic bags are bad for the environment. But no one opposes the use of paper bags. She points out the perspective that it all depends on how you use these materials. If you’re just using the plastic bag once and tossing it in the garbage, it will end up in a dump somewhere and stay for eternity. I like how Acarolgula makes the point about lettuce in the garbage. We have a lettuce that has been sitting in the fridge for sometime and it has gone rancid. As most people would, we throw it in the garbage rather than using it as compost for a garden or something. Even though it is going to the garbage, it will not decompose into the earth like it should because it is on top of all the rest of the trash in the landfill, thus making it pointless.
Thankfully, people have recently been making an effort to avoid these wasteful habits. Today, we have resources like reusable straws and water bottles, as well as washable food containers for storage. These are efforts in the way of a post-disposable future. Having a post-disposable future means that we have broader ideas and perspectives on how to reuse what we might consider waste. Another way to strive towards this is through the use of biophilic designs. Biophilic designs connect people with the ideas of nature. This type of design is used a lot in hospitals and has proven to help people recover more quickly. Biophilic design and reusable designs are the right step in a sustainable and post-disposable future.