Our own Chapter

This is the last AP of our Fall term STEAM class, Econ. In this unit, we dove into the fundamentals of economics, and especially the concepts of a Circular Economy. The main basis for our coursework was the book Doughnut Economics, by 21st-century economist, Kate Raworth. The book is essentially about the economic Doughnut model, which, "...balances between essential human needs and planetary boundaries". The book outlines, "7 Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist," each implemented into their own chapter. We also visited Plant Chicago, which helped us understand the Circular Economy, using Aquaponics. In preparation for this project, we were assigned groups and we each read, summarized, and presented our own chapters. So, after understanding how the book is structured and the substance in the chapter we read, our goal for this project was to create the beginnings of an 8th chapter. I chose to build off of Chapter 3 in the book, which was called "Nature human Nature". Below, you will see my summary and commentary for the beginning of my 8th chapter, "Change your Behavior". Enjoy!

Change your Behavior 

Chapter 8 model. Noun project. 2021

    Have you ever stopped to really think about your behavior throughout the day? All of the choices you made, conversations you had, and actions you performed? Or in this case, environmentally, all of the trash you passed on the street that you paid no mind to, every wrapper, cup, utensil, straw, or disposable item you used, that you carelessly discarded? There are many ways that we need to change our behaviors, in order to support our environment for the future. In Chapter 3, there was mention of an economic model that needs to change, now we need to use economics to change the environment. We need to spar away from our own self-interest and start to act in the interest of other people, or at least create a balance between the two. We also need to change the way we consume, produce, dispose of, problem-solve, and much of our current capitalistic system. Instead of an “every man for himself” ideal, we need to adopt an “everyone helps everyone” mindset. Much of what we have now, are short-term fixes, but we need to support long-term ideas. There are so many systems that are already in place that run on using, reusing, and recycling energy, resources, food, clothes, etc. it is just about taking what we already have and putting it on a bigger scale.

    In Chapter 3, we talked about our current economic model, Homo economicus. It included how the model affects us, and how it will affect us in the future, if we do not change our actions. Kate Raworth said, “There are, most likely, going to be more than 10 billion of us by 2100. If we head towards that future continuing to imagine, conduct, and justify ourselves as Homo economicus- solitary, calculating, competing, and insatiable- then we stand little chance of meeting the human rights of all within the means of our living planet”. This introduces us to how we need to change our ‘norm’ for our environment. One person that we can seek inspiration from is Gary Becker. He started the work, changing what we thought about economic decisions from investment-based incentives to self-interested behavior. Now, we can take it one step further, and start to incorporate acting in the interest of others, instead of just ourselves, which you can see in the model above. In order to do this, new incentives, appeals, and resources need to be implemented. To start with some of these appeals, there are many statistics about waste. According to SDG 12 (Responsible consumption and production), there is an average of 7.3 kilograms of electronic waste per capita, but only 1.7 is recycled. Additionally, in the United States alone, there are over 108 billion pounds of food waste, 17million tons of textile and clothing waste, and 292.4 million tons of other solid waste produced each year.

Sources 

EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materials#:~:text=The%20total%20generation%20of%20municipal,25%20million%20tons%20were%20composted. 

“Gary Becker's Concept of Human Capital.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, https://www.economist.com/schools-brief/2017/08/05/gary-beckers-concept-of-human-capital. 

“Goal 12 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs.” United Nations, United Nations, https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12 

Raworth, Kate. “Nurture Human Nature.” Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist, Random House Business Books, London, 2018.