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Tools & Craft #120: The Future of Furniture, Part 2 - Goals
@Mark - you really think we're moving towards cheaply and cleanly recycling things like lamps and furniture? I think you're buying into the hype that big corporations are trying to sell you. It's absurd to suggest that it could ever be cheaper or cleaner to throw something away (even if it's getting recycled), versus fixing it (assuming it was designed to be durable and repairable in the first place). Just think about the carbon footprint of hauling the thing, transforming all its components from one shape to another, disassembling it... none of this makes sense to do on a whim, when it's possible that just by replacing or repairing one of those components it could be fixed.
I share the "what a waste" sentiment re: Ikea lamp, and instinctual distaste for the increasing culture of disposability. But I often ponder to what degree this is just an anachronistic bias. My parents grew up in the scarcity and thrift of the Depression, and even into the 70's it was obviously more efficient to conceive of most things as having an extended life (repairability, etc), and that's the culture that molded me.