Lance Dy

12CLE-E

Journal Entry #7

Reading the article really bothered me in the sense that it seemed as though creating
waste detrimental to environmental and human health just seemed inevitable. Anything
that we use in our daily lives has the potential to end up in a landfill or incinerator that
releases toxic gases into the air, indirectly killing humans, plants, and animals.
Environmental degradation is a common occurrence as a result of this culture of
consumerism, and while I generally do not support the overconsumption of materials and
resources, I do think that anything we do will produce some kind of waste. Thus, we
cannot necessarily eliminate waste entirely; we can, however, learn to be able to create
more sustainable alternatives in terms of packaging and buying culture. For example, we
can create biodegradable and recyclable packaging as opposed to plastic bags. Using the
example of the article, we are also often deceived into thinking that donating our clothes
and/or materials prevents waste, but only a minuscule fraction of our donations goes
towards second-hand clothing and the creation of new recycled products. Furthermore,
we’re more concerned about the economic aspect of things instead of the environment,
as many people also give away their things just so that they can be able to get back some
money from thrift stores. I, for one, believe that I am guilty of this culture of
consumerism and waste. Oftentimes, I quite literally bite more than I can chew; I
usually buy food in excess because I’m a heavy eater. When I feel hungry, I order lots of
fast food and buy chips, resulting in more plastic waste (this happens on a weekly basis)
coming out of my household. Right now, as I want to live a healthier and fitter lifestyle, I
aim to cut down on such food consumption. Looking back on my eating habits, I think
that I was foolish to give in to my gluttony. Though the compromising of my health may
have been the primary problem I faced, I never once considered the environmental
impacts of my consumerist lifestyle. Now, though, I believe that I’m more aware of the
holistic aspect of markets, in which I’ve been educated on the different factors of
production that involve both human labor and environmental degradation.

Thus, in responding to the call of Pope Francis’s Laudato Si (which details the importance
of environmentalism, ethics, and the Christian faith in living our day-to-day lives), I can
Lance Dy
12CLE-E

now commit to thinking twice before buying all of my products. I learned that there are
so many indirect effects of production that can harm humanity and the environment. The
various factors that create our products such as human labor and environmental impacts
(depletion of resources, toxic by-products of production) give me a broader understanding
of the wasteful lifestyle that I’ve been living in. In thinking twice before buying my
products, the effects are twofold: I am able to produce less waste from my own home,
and I am able to shift towards ethical alternatives in the purchasing of my products. I
think that it’s self-explanatory that not buying products compulsively works to the
benefit of the environment. If I only buy what I need at a specific point in time without
going too overboard, I am able to save money, and produce less plastic,
non-biodegradable waste from my household. In shifting towards ethical alternatives in
the purchasing of my products, I am able to support organizations that are committed to
providing their workers with employment opportunities geared towards the maximization
of their talents and skills. Moreover, keeping up-to-date with employee welfare of various
companies is important in ensuring that I do not indirectly propagate a culture of forced
labor and workplace harassment. Finally, I must consider how much companies value
being eco-friendly, as I can be able to create my own movement into boycotting wasteful
businesses (which, in turn, may motivate them to come up with greener alternatives to
save their companies).

Today, I commit to doing my research on the employee and environmental ethics of

some of the brands that I buy from. The results from this research will determine my
customer loyalty to such brands (little to no employee and environmental initiative =
switch to another brand that cares about such issues).