Can we really call it progress when it creates so much waste? What if your phone — the one you’re using right now — was your last phone? Take a good look at it and imagine using it for the rest of your life. Could it even last that long? Could you? Probably not. Today I want to think about what that means. What happens to a planet and its people when technological progress is measured in product cycles. And what happens when there's no balance sheet to account for the other side of that — when every new product leaves billions of products and accessories and packaging behind…

Show Notes

My first cellphone
My second cellphone
This clip ended up on the cutting room floor, but here's Derek Zoolander's tiny phone
You can learn more about the Agbogbloshie landfill by reading its Wikipedia page, looking at these photographs, or watching this documentary. Please watch it!
You can learn more about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch here.
"The Victims of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch," a clip from 60 Minutes
Project Ara Demo at Google IO 2015
Google Cancels Project Ara
The Fairphone
Danny Boyle interviewed by Marc Maron

Music

All music used in this episode was independently produced by r beny and licensed by Design Tomorrow for non-commercial use.

Felt
Fall Creek Unit
Formation Process
Novation Peak
Mariposa
Alluvial
Natoma
Spindle
Illumination Ceremony

Credits

Design Tomorrow is produced by Chris Butler at the Tomorrow office in Durham, NC.

You can follow the show on Twitter @dsgntmrrw. You can visit the show's website at designtomorrow.co, and you can email me at chris @ designtomorrow.co.

Thanks for listening, and remember, what we do and think today can create a better tomorrow.

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Phones Never Die. They're Eaten By Birds