Reading Reflection Chapters 1-3

              In this blog I wanted to focus on the eco-effectiveness chapter, this chapter opens with a comparison of three books. The first is a typical bookstore book, which is printed on beautiful quality paper with nice bright ink, including a beautifully colored jacket and sturdy cardboard cover. One might think it is a biodegradable product, but it is not. Instead, the paper contains chlorine in every aspect of production, so it adds toxic chlorine to the environment when recycled. In addition, printing inks, even soy inks, are toxic when they break down. An electronic book is an option which is now being discovered. However, there is another option.              In the natural world, systems replenish each other, as with the cherry tree. It is a cradle-to-cradle model, because even when things die, they provide a clean, natural environment for new life. Early nomads and early agriculture follow a similar model. Certain cultures, such as Rome, turn away from this model and deplete the landscape with tree-felling and nonsustaining agriculture. The same things happen when great cities arise in America, when the surrounding farmlands are depleted. Soon "nutrients," such as food and other raw materials, become transferred from localities instead of remaining local. Agriculture becomes industrialized, but this threatens the soil as well as adding toxins to the local environments.