The two Ted Talks that I watched were titled Leyla Acaroglu: Paper Beats Plastic? How to rethink environmental folkore and Van Jones: The Economic Injustice of Plastic ad both were in some way abut plastic and how they impact the environment. The first was about engineering products, such as refrigerators and plastics, in ways that make them easier to use in sustainable ways. This struck me as an interesting and important point because I am majoring in aerospace engineering and therefore need to keep in mind how people will use the products that I will design. The point that Leyla Acaroglu brought up that was certainly true for me is that most people don’t think about how a product will be used as being the culprit of the environmental harms it creates, most only think about its creation and disposal. She pointed out that poorly designed refrigerators could be the source of a significant amount of wasted food and oversized electric tea kettles could be causing significant wastes of electricity. More than anything, this helped me become aware of the fact that I may actually be the source of pollution because of my particular usage of everyday products, which will certainly make me think more frequently about whether or not I am using things in a sustainable way and help me change my usage accordingly.
The second Ted Talk was about another thing that many people do not think about, but this time it had to do with the demographics being affected most by pollution and what parts of the manufacturing process affect them. Van Jones talked about how not only does the manufacturing of a plastic product release toxic chemicals, but sometimes the recycling of such products can be toxic as well. In many areas of the world, recycling plastic simply means to burn it and release dangerous fumes into the air. On top of this, it takes fuel to get the plastics to the place where they are burned. While there is not much I can do about this process, one thing I can do is try to do use less plastics. Finally, he linked our obsession with disposable products with what seems to be our view of people as disposable. What this means is that many people are extremely concerned with making sure every bit of plastic is recycled, but are totally okay with people being “thrown away” in the justice system. Not only is this not fair to the people who are incarcerated when they don’t need to be, but keeping someone in prison costs a significant amount of resources and certainly not good for the environment. Overall, this talk will likely not change my behavior because the issues are on a level that is currently inaccessible to me, but it did change my view of not only plastic production and use, but also the US prison system.