i wish i didn’t need a new lighter every month

The kind of sustainability that was practiced by Dieter Rams is impossible in the post-postmodern age. The addiction to sensationalism prevents sustainability in the design of products. The utility of products have been exchanged with the experience of the purchasing of products; emphasis on packaging display—the kind of euphorias that make people watch unboxing videos on YouTube. There has been a shift towards the biodegradability of products; simply to make products out of materials that can be discarded in greater volumes without damaging the ecosystems or shores they wash up on. That or making the materials in such a way that they can be remade into other products. The kind of sustainability that interests me most is from the modernist sensibilities; products reduce their ecological footprint by expanding their effective lifespan. While this is good for people and the quality of products, it is bad for the economy driven by production and exchange of products.

The problem seems to always come to economy vs environment. It’s the problem my generation will have to find a solution for, but for now we pretend that it isn’t real and that we aren’t going to be the ones to pay up when the bill is due. I mean, it’s a monumental problem, and as a member of the generation responsible, I have no clue what can be done. We focus on recyclable packaging, and biodegradable materials. Ideally we could focus on not producing so much waste in the first place.