It's no surprise that we live in a materialistic society. A lot of people are measured not based on who they are as a person, but what they own, what cars they drive, and what clothes they wear. Recently, with the release of the new IPhone 7, many people have been buying the new product and doing away with their old phones, even if the phones are perfectly fine and in good condition. This cycle of consumerism, throwing the old away and buying a new version each and every year greatly contributes not only to the deterioration of our earth but also the ever-growing mountain of waste collecting in landfills worldwide. Resources are being extracted from the earth, workers are being exploited, and perfectly usable products are being thrown into landfills, and the cycle seems to never end.

I agree Sarah. In our society, the continuous exploitation of rare earth materials is even more noticeable. With more products being released than ever before, resources are not being used thoughtfully. People have also been brought into the ideology of having to buy a new item because it's new, because the society has become like that. Resources should be used mindfully and the waste produced from products should be recycled in some way.

I definitely agree and did not think of that. This generation  does live a materialistic society, and feel obligated to buy new trends or items in order to fit in. One thing our generation doesn't focus on as much is recycling or up-cycling certain items. One of the biggest message in saving the environment was when Dr. Suess published The Lorax; society needs another big message to help raise awareness. Some companies recently have installed big containers in their store where customers can recycle electronics, shoes, clothes, and furniture to be up-cycled and reused. In the hallways of my highschool, there is small containers where we can put our old phones to be recycled. We should enlighten our society about how we can prevent this cycle of consumerism.