I read somewhere recently that the US Army is the biggest polluter in the world. That is quite a bummer. But I decided to think about the military industrial complex as a huge untapped resource. If some amazing change in human nature and human society brought a lasting end to large scale conflict, we would have a lot of really neat stuff to reuse. 2,475,967 footlockers for starters. They would be great for container planting of vegetables. Maybe combat helmets are up to DOT standards for use by bicycle commuters. I don’t really have any brilliant ideas. I just know that resources are being created and used up in unfathomable quantities and the world isn’t getting any less fucked up.
Back in 2008, I spent far too much time doing research for an elaborate joke about Dennis Kucinich being a ventriloquist’s dummy. I was surprised to find out that there was a post war boom in dummy manufacturing that was spurred on by a glut in surplus materials. If we could somehow manage to put an end to the making of war, we would have a similar glut of material, maybe even bigger. Who knows what cottage industries might spring up to make use if it. Some materials could be repurposed for alternative energy projects.
November 21st, 2010 at 2:59 am
Alternative energies are being implemented extensively across the planet as time passes. It is a relief to see more information popping up about this on the internet! Thank you!