The Next Edge

Global resource consumption has increased 10-fold since 1900, and Americans now use an estimated 88 kilograms of goods per day, with modern gadgets requiring some 60 different elements in their manufacturing. This has led to a boom in mining, especially for rare earth materials that are used in technology such as computers. Meanwhile, our gadget lust is forcing us to develop more unconventional and costly resources, which generate significant amounts of waste. To produce the same amount of ore as 100 years ago, for example, companies must now process three times as much total mining material.

 

Written by Antonia Sohns » Moving Toward Sustainable Prosperity

 

(photo: People on Black Friday in Seattle via Flickr, Michael Holden)

Snippets:

 

 The great Kevin Kelly recently wrote a post titled “Cities are Immortal, Companies Die.” He states that

 

"Both are types of networks, with different destinies. There are two basic network forms: organisms or ecosystems. Companies are like organisms, while cities are like ecosystems."

 

The fact is that we need both, healthy organisms and a healthy ecosystem where these organisms can thrive. The industrial mindset continues to shape the social sector, and it can be challenging to transcend our organizations – we tend to over-identify with them, and to compete rather than collaborate with natural allies, this can make for an unhealthy ecosystem.

 

shared by Jean Russell @NurtureGirl

context: https://tedchris.posterous.com/131417405