For our environmental science class this week, our challenge was to make a list of all of the earth resources that we come in contact with in a 24 hour period.  In my opinion, everything that we touch is an earth resource – that is, if you break it into elemental form, those elements were derived from the earth in one way or another.  And so, I made the following list:

Food and drink	Housing/bldgs	Transportation and roads	Clothing
Milk	Counter top	Car	Shoes
Water	Tile	keys	Socks
Zucchini	Appliances		Pants
Beans	furniture		sweater
tortilla	Door knob
coffee	Carpet
Soda can	Couch
School  Supplies	Personal Care Products	Leisure Activities	Other
Desk	Toothbrush	Remote control	money
Chair	Toothpaste	Tv
Paper	soap
Pen	Hair brush
computer	Makeup
Purse
Phone

Next, we were asked to choose an item from our list to research.  The item that I chose to research was the door knob and I was surprised to learn quite a bit about the production of door knobs these days!

Door knobs have been made of metal and used virtually since the invention of the door.  These days, they are being made more sustainably by incorporating the use of more recycled materials and less waste through improvements in packaging methods. The knob is used in conjunction with a door in order to provide security and privacy in homes, offices and anywhere else that you need a door.  The knob that I researched was manufactured by Kwikset. According to the Kwikset website, they have manufacturing and distribution facilities in the US, Canada, Mexico and Asia. Their knobs can be purchased in many retail stores across the nation, as well as online.  You know it is time to replace your doorknobs when they become damaged and are no longer functioning correctly ie: the knob does not turn properly, it doesn’t lock, etc. Old door knobs can be recycled so that they stay out of the landfills and become something useful again. In my opinion, a door knob is a “need.” Without them, our doors could be difficult to open and close securely.  I don’t really think there many alternatives for the door knob, so I don’t have many suggestions for a replace – the only alternative I can think of would be to use a door handle and to eliminate the turning motion of the door knob, however you lose a bit of the security factor that the doorknob provides.

Through this exercise, I have learned that I use a lot of products that are manufactured using plastics and chemicals that are probably bad for the environment. For the most part, plastics are non-biodegradable and once they are created, they never go away. I am conscious of what I do with my plastics though, when they are ready to be disposed of, they are recycled. I try to make a conscious effort to purchase things in bulk and require less packaging, so there is less to end up in the land fill.