Nick V.

Perhaps one of the most unsustainable things that I have heard of is the concept of large-scale planned obsolescence: the planning or designing of products in such a way that they become dysfunctional, unfashionable or outdated within an unnecessarily short amount of time. What started in 1924 with the Phoebus cartel’s plot to limit the lifespan of incandescent light bulbs – sometimes referred to as the ‘light bulb conspiracy’ – seems to have become an industry standard strategy to ensure steady long-term sales needed to last as a business in our consumption driven global economy.

As far as heroes go... well, I do not consider anyone I do not personally know to be qualified for that title. When it comes to sustainability I like the cradle-to-cradle vision spearheaded by William McDonough en Michael Braungart. Even though still a bit idealistic compared to today's reality, the idea that all of our waste somehow should be reused or returned to the natural environment without causing ecological harm is a noble one aim to say the least.