Recycling Process - Essay Example

Personal Experience From the “walk out” chapter, a good example of a small effort that grew large, not by replication, but by inspiring each other to keep inventing and learning, in the Elos institute, in Brazil (Wheatley & Frieze 17). The institute believes that all the solutions to community’s problems exist within that community itself. They believed that all the resources needed in the community are within the community and hence, they proved their point through a concept of upcycling-the process of inventing surprisingly beautiful, useful products out of waste materials. The institute transforms what many of us would consider trash into useful products that can greatly benefit the community. They have managed to design CDs into lampshades, made window blinds out of the folded newspapers, made beautiful handbags out of weaving the pop tabs and twisted the empty beer cans to make earrings. The institute has also managed to invent jaw-dropping products from the raw materials­ such as making the solar cookers from the car windshields and discarded suitcases, making water pumps from salvaged bicycles, and designing soda cans and plastic bags to make jewelry (Wheatley & Frieze 24). The process of upcycling is suitable compared to recycling in that it does not use a large amount of energy and, therefore, it does not produce by-products. Recycling will generate dross, sludge and toxic compounds that cannot be recovered. Elos institute encourages people all over the world to stop churning the waste materials everywhere as it mountains and reduce the living spaces. The institute notes that waste does not exist in nature and that one species’ waste is another one’s food. The truth of the argument is that in a forest when a tree falls, it will create nutrients for the many other trees to grow. In addition, microbes process dead matter that ultimately becomes food. Soil structure can also improve by the contribution of dung beetles feasting on feces. The only system with unusable waste is that of human beings. The institution does not have a conception for waste and thus recognize it as a resource-finite and precious. Their aim is to use and re-use the waste until its purpose and place can be found. The institution claims that the communities have waste in abundance hence they reclaim it as a very valuable asset. Upcycling is a revolutionary act enraptured with waste and the upcyclers are challenging themselves to re-invent the world by playing with its waste. They have managed to build compost toilets using plastic bags, constructed homes using discarded auto tires that are filled with rammed earth, come up with ‘Trashion Shows” to showcase dresses made with vinyl records, discarded Santa beards and bird feed bags, built chairs out of the campaign posters, used phone books to build coffee tables amongst other impressive resources (Wheatley & Frieze 31). The process of upcycling is playful, exploratory and full of make-believe. This is a do it yourself process, spiritual and deserves creativity as it involves coming up with something ordinary out of the material you have. It requires someone to be a quick thinker, a dreamer and inventor. Tinkering and dreaming are what motivates a person to act and the hip of trash did not overwhelm them but inspire them hence; they experiment and try out new ideas on it so that they cannot take themselves too seriously. Elos believed in the power of a player and that they were not trying to get anything right. There was no failure in play and it only invited them to image the imaginable, distort the familiar and allowed to realize their dreams. Zapatista is a group of poor farmers based in Chiapas, the southern most state of Mexico who banded together to form an army during the revolution (Lynd & Andrej 67). The Zapatistas came up with ways to regenerate the community in the city. They created schools, which provided both the modern and traditional learning where the young men and women could choose from a number of activities they expertise in. The schools do not require any level of schooling or diploma since they only give practical. The students can also learn how to use modern tools that are not there in their communities and the new practices that can help them (Lynd & Andrej 71). I can learn from the topic that I am my own community and hence I should be responsible for myself. In this way, I can instill some level of commitment, have discipline and rigor for the course I take in life. I also learn that real freedom requires internal and social structure and hence I can take charge of my life without being controlled. Berns suggested that “novelty emerges only with difficulty, manifested by resistance, against a background provided by expectation” (Berns 56). When there is a problem that needs to be solved, there may seem to be two distinct, but close ways to tackle it. Hence, a transition can be made to solve the problem by novelty and not by an experience. This will create a complete transformation into a different result altogether kicking out the old idea that has been in existence. This shift in perception is known as the scientific revolution and requires new ideas in place to be written and the old destroyed. The previous concepts can only be used when modified and conceptual and terminology changes done. According to Bern, brain makes decisions based on the factors of risk/potential, gain/loss and punishment/reward (Berns 23). These factors may inhibit the formation of new ideas or they can prevent us from taking action based on the new ideas. The experiences such as what we have learned in had times and what we were taught determines what we interpret. Apart from experience, fear of failure or ridicule can be harmful to individuals as it can cause someone to give up or negatively influence them. An individual needs to be imaginative and think in a positive manner without reflecting on the experiences in order to be successful. I was never aware that my fear of mathematics made me fail the subject. My friends ridiculed me on how bad I was and no matter how hard I tried to study, I could not go for a contest. I heard wanted to participate in mathematics test, but I did not have the courage as I thought to be terrible in it. The concept of element and/or flow loosens or relaxes our brain activity by relieving as of pressure (Seligman 56). This allows your mind to wonder and makes the creative, imaginative part to sail free exploring the possibilities, finding unexpected alternatives and generating new ideas. Works Cited Berns, Gregory. Iconoclast: A neuroscientist Reveals how to Think Differently. Boston: Harvard Business Press. Ch. 2: From Perception to Imagination, 2010. Print. Top of Form Lynd, Staughton, and Andrej Grubačić. Wobblies & Zapatistas: Conversations on Anarchism, Marxism and Radical History. Oakland, CA: PM Press, 2008. Print. Seligman, Martin. Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. New York: Simion and Schuster, 2002. Print. Bottom of Form Wheatley, Margaret & Frieze, Deborah. Walk Out Walk On. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2011. Print Read More