Hello, Shelley. I enjoyed reading your post. Thank you for sharing your analysis with the class. I agree that consumers need to shoulder caring for the environment alongside the businesses that support and operate in our communities. I also agree that we need to see and celebrate the progress made in cleaning up our shared natural resources and the environment from the individual households to the national and international levels of nongovernmental and governmental bodies and organizations. Lastly, I agree that we should think of better ways to use cutlery and dishes for our visiting restaurants. I believe more collaboration should occur between innovators, businesses, and individuals like you and me (and within our families/households). Together, we should find more full-cycle products/services to create to reduce our carbon footprint and negative ecological impact on our already stressed natural resources.

Speaking of full-cycle products/services, while at work yesterday (Friday), I was fortunate to access many different magazines that our company subscribes to. I came across an article in the Convenience Store magazine, stumbling onto the section called "The Buzz," and blurb titled, "What Goes Around Comes Around." The Convenience Store blurb reads:

"A group of Canada's leading consumer brands, retailers and restaurants are spearheading a new organization--Circular Materials--that will help companies with new blue box recycling rules in ONtario, which require companies to pay to recycle the packaging they put into the market. The 15 founding members include Coca-Cola, Lassonde, Keurig Dr Pepper Canada and Nestle Canada Inc."

We could be moving forward to a business operations system where we are making things that last a long time but that do not negatively impact or have a significantly reduced effect on our fragile natural ecological systems. I also think it is the most responsible thing for businesses to build enterprises that communities and governments can invest in that will not fall apart. Lack of forecasting outlooks and forethought can cause community supports, financial and loss of life due to a business infrastructure that was, in the long run, unsustainable and perhaps destructive investment/idea to pursue.

My questions to you, Shelley, are the following:

1. What other businesses, products, or services do you think societies should agree to turn into full-cycle operations or outputs?
2. Do you think this will reduce profit because companies will be making items that last longer?
3. Do you think it is responsible for extending this long shelf life to food products?
4. Lastly, do you think new businesses can emerge to support the right to repair market when these high-quality produced items break down rather than tossing them into landfills/garbage dumps?

References

Convenience Store News Canada. (2021, October). The Buzz - What Goes Around Comes Around.Convenience Store News Canada,4(5), 6.