“Made in China”

I was on a wind-energy offset chairlift in Aspen with my tree-hugging ski instructor who brought up a rather interesting point that I can’t help but bring up to you.

Clothes, toys, appliances, equipment, electronics, even food are shipped en mass from China, distinguished by “Made in China” stamps and tags discretely designating them as originating overseas. American manufacturers punctuate their products with statements of “Made in the USA!” to stand out from the sea of imports- a symbol of both American allegiance and quality craftsmanship.

More than quality and national loyalty, as we are learning, objects made overseas and the energy it takes to transport them are contributing to the degradation of our planet, and, somehow, we are individually partially responsible. Our personal carbon and environmental footprints are not just defined by the actions that we personally take, but those that our belongings took on their way to our hands- hence a good chunk of the concept behind local foodie (also known as locavore) ideals.

But let’s go beyond our personal commitments to the environment and consider that our nation’s GreenIQ has risen (at least in awareness if not yet creating a noticeably cleaner environment), while China’s is steadily and drastically decreasing. Seems that lots of Americans are fast to place blame on China for putting the planet in even further peril due to its chemical-use during manufacturing and general emissions emitting in the name of growth.

Just putting it out there, but is it possible that China’s IQ is going down and ours is going up partially because they are doing of our dirty work for us?

It is an interesting point that definitely deserves a moment of consideration. Of course, Americans are much more aware of their individual impact on the environment than ever before and new standards have been put in place to regulate emissions and conserve energy and water. But “Made in China” is something to think about.

Thanks for listening.

xx

Laurel