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POST FOUR: REFLECT ON YOUR PRODUCT

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The idea of a "leather industry" is somewhat of a paradox. Leather, depending on the volume of production, can be a problem or a solution. After all, many societies before industry have used leather and have not harmed the environment as a whole, nor even their local ecosystems. But I would be remiss to ignore that the worldwide leather industry that my boots are a product of are a problem. As I explored in my previous post, intensive leather production harms just about every imaginable facet of the environment no matter where the industry is located. But, as said above, if preindustrial societies succeeded in not overproducing leather, can we as a planet do the same? The start to using leather as a solution begins in analyzing the old nature of leather. For example, Indigenous American societies - particularly those in cold climates - hunted selectively or depended on the whole use of livestock to produce leather. With that, leather (not to mention hides/pelts in general) wa...
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POST THREE: IMPACTS OF YOUR PRODUCT

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For this post, we will be discussing the origin and transportation of the outsole and leather that comprises my prized Doc Martens boots. (1) What environmental impacts were associated with the  production  of your meal or item? (a) Determine and describe, in as much detail as you can,  where  at least two ingredients of your meal OR components of your consumer item were produced. My model of boots are produced from a specific leather called "Crazy Horse" leather. It is most often made from cowhide and garners its unique pre-aged style by being more thoroughly (as compared to other leathers) processed using various oils and waxes. For the Doc Martens company, leather sourcing and footwear assembly are partitioned into two tiers - Tier 1 manufacturers assemble the product, while Tier 2 partners source and refine various ingredients of the boots, including leather and outsole material. Tanneries are an example of a Tier 2 location. Looking at the tag on the tongue of m...
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POST TWO: INTRODUCE YOUR PRODUCT

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For this multi-post resource tracing project, what better object is there for me to investigate than my trusty Doc Martens boots? I have had these boots for many years and with so they have seen a little bit of all of it, which is reflected in their wear and tear. Here is the product page for the style of boots I own. https://www.drmartens.com/us/en/combs-crazy-horse-leather-casual-boots-brown/p/26006207 But obviously, mine look rather trodden compared to the fashionable stock images... Scuffed and broken-in! My habitual heel-tapping has caused degradation at the rubber sole. I need to pick up drums... With all that being said, I truly don't care if they don't look new. These boots have lasted me so, so long and yet that is only the beginning for them. They are made with- Real 'Crazy Horse' (oil-finished) leather Rubber sole The rough, round shoelaces are a blessing - I haven't had to change them at all. And, finally, the yellow thread stitching holds them together,...
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POST ONE: BATTLE OF THE BAG

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This week, we are discussing the plastic bag and potential methods to minimize the environmental risks they pose. Questions: 1)  What is one local effect or impact of plastic bag waste you observed in the video that you didn’t know about, hadn’t thought about before, or just found particularly interesting? There are plenty of scenes I could mention, but I think the most impactful one is the scene exposing the plight of Kenya. The scene best exemplifies why we perhaps feel uncomfortable when we see the catastrophic environmental effects of our collective actions - because we are actually seeing them. A numerical factoid is easy to forget or not fully understand. But when we see with our eyes the human and animal lives that are suffering because of our society's wastes, such as the Kenyans having to live in their own waste due to the "unbeatable convenience" and ultimate necessity of the plastic bag, suddenly the move to ban plastic bags outright becomes rather s...
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