Author name: Ryan P Himmelsbach

Final Blog Post: Personal Reflection on Waste Rebellions (For 4/27)

/ / Uncategorized / , , , / Leave a Comment

Waste rebellions are acts of resistance that make use of the actual reality of discarded items to challenge oppressive systems and question the dominant social order. Understanding that waste streams often reflect and worsen existing social inequalities, these acts turn trash from something we overlook into something that actively creates change. Think about the example […]

Final Blog Post: Personal Reflection on Waste Rebellions (For 4/27) Read More »

Personal Reflection on The Circular Economy

/ / Circular economy / , , , / Leave a Comment

The circular economy, based on natural efficiency, promotes an economic model where resources are kept in a constant loop, maximizing value and minimizing waste. This involves mimicking natural systems where materials cycle continuously, demanding a move away from our present linear economic model. This goal necessitates widespread changes, including the creation of long-lasting, recyclable goods,

Personal Reflection on The Circular Economy Read More »

Personal Reflection on Recycling

/ / Distancing and recycling / , , / 1 Comment

Recycling. It’s a word we hear all the time, yet the process behind it frequently remains poorly understood. We throw items into blue bins, with the expectation that they will be given a second life. But what actually happens in this process? Explaining “recycling” requires describing a complicated process, which includes gathering, sorting, processing, and

Personal Reflection on Recycling Read More »

Personal Reflection on Disposability

/ / Disposability / , / Leave a Comment

After our readings this week, I have come to realize that the social construction of disposability is a subtle yet strong force that shapes our perspectives on value and worth. In particular, it works by creating a hierarchy of things, where certain objects, and, as we discussed in class, certain people, are considered expendable or

Personal Reflection on Disposability Read More »

Personal Reflection on Colonialism, Pollution, and Productivity

/ / Colonialism, pollution, productivity / , , / Leave a Comment

After our discussions this week, I have come to realize that the notion of “waste” is not a neutral one; rather, it is an inherently loaded term, carrying the weight of historical power dynamics and skewed value judgments. How did we reach a point where whole ecosystems, such as rivers, become mere “sinks” for our

Personal Reflection on Colonialism, Pollution, and Productivity Read More »

Personal Reflection on Landfills

/ / Sanitary landfills, wastewater, city structure / , , , / Leave a Comment

I found this week’s discussions on landfills to be very interesting overall. In particular, before this week, I was not aware of the concept of a “sanitary landfill,” and I always tended to assume that there was not such a thing as landfills that are designed with environmental concerns in mind. As we discussed in

Personal Reflection on Landfills Read More »

Personal Reflection on Waste Workers

/ / Waste Workers / , , / Leave a Comment

The everyday ritual of waste disposal, typically a passing thought in our daily lives, reveals a significant story of human effort and societal responsibility when we take the time to consider the work of waste workers. From the busy metropolis of New York City, where the DSNY reigns supreme, to the smaller-scale, community-centered operations of

Personal Reflection on Waste Workers Read More »

Personal Reflection on Care and Repair

/ / Care, repair, responsibility / , , / Leave a Comment

Before this week, I was not very familiar with the extreme amount of work that went into taking care of material objects at the beginning of the industrial era. In particular, I found the reading by Susan Strasser to be quite interesting. I especially liked her detailed explanations of the specific processes of caring for

Personal Reflection on Care and Repair Read More »

Reflection on Freeganism and Dumpster Diving

/ / Food waste, freegans, dumpster diving / , , , / Leave a Comment

Before this week, I never thought of “freeganism” as a particular ideology or lifestyle with valid reasons behind it; rather, I tended to look at “dumpster diving” as simply a gross and disgusting practice since it involves searching through trash, which can be quite unsanitary and possibly dangerous due to sharp objects, broken glass, and

Reflection on Freeganism and Dumpster Diving Read More »

Scroll to Top