The Power Cord Example

As most of you already know, the Successful Reversal of Global Warming will require massive efforts.  It will require major social, economic, political, religious, and environmental changes.    The sample described on this page is a very easy way to begin making significant changes.

The example here is assuming that the manufacturer has also created a non-profit foundation  and is participating in The New Corporate World so that the company's survival is not dependent upon selling  products that its customers do not need.

There are are undoubtedly thousands of ways  that we could stop the production of trash.   One of the best ways to do that is to eliminate unnecessary production at the point of manufacture.   The example offered here is used because it's very simple,  easy to implement, and has literally hundreds of thousands of potential applications.   It could reduce new-product cost and would definitely avoid creating mountains of trash.   It's also an excellent way to focus the public's attention on recycling.   The cost to manufactures in re-tooling to produce the standardized products is minimal.  The production of power cords is an easy product in which to:  

1)    Create a set of consumer-product component  standards.   With regard to power cords, most of the standards already exist.   They are just not used by many manufactures.  Instead, they produce cords that fit their own product only.   

2)    Except for special-use products, make all cords  as removable components.   With the exception of the computer industry, most consumer products are made with the cords intimately attached.   They are neither removable, re-usable,  or  interchangeable. 

3)   Produce  power cords using standard male and female ends  as modular components, designed to be sold along with, but separate from the products to which they attach.   If the customer already has a specifically designated  cord appropriate for use with the product being sold,  he/she need not buy another one, 

4)   Encourage customers to substitute the use of existing components in the place of purchasing new pieces.   

A Very Specific Example:   A vast percentage of the U.S.  population own or have access to a computer so we'll use the computer power cord as our first specific example.    When you look more closely at your computer-system's power-cords, one of the first things you'll notice that your computer, your monitor and your printer all use an identically designed power cords.   Color, lengthy and wire-gage may vary slightly, but in terms of function, they are identical.

Next, you notice that although they are interchangeable with each other, they are NOT interchangeable with the standard electric extension cord or with any other electrical devices.   They have no use outside of the computer world, other than perhaps your fax machine (some other similar device)  which may have a similarly designed power cord.  But in reality,  your computer cords are useless there, as well, because each of these other machines comes with its own power cord.  

When a you upgrade your system, your new computer, monitor, and printer each come with a new power cord.   Although you already have three completely usable, good-as-new,  power cords, you must buy three new ones.    So what becomes of the old ones.  TRASH!  TRASH! TRASH!   Collectively, we produce mountains of unnecessary TRASH!  --- All in the name of making a few dollar more in short term profits for the product's sellers.   

And, at the moment, our simple example does not include the addition cords that come with every computer:   computer to printer  -- computer to monitor  --  computer to keyboard --  computer to keyboard -- computer to mouse  --  computer to telephone  --  plus all the external devices that plug into your computer, such as an external hard drive, telephone, camera, etc.   Much of this is also the unnecessary production of mountains of TRASH!  TRASH! TRASH!  --- All in the name of making a few dollar more in short term profits for the product's sellers.   These cords could also be standardized, produced in modular formats and be interchangeable

Example Two -- The Common Lamp:   If you have electricity in your home, you almost certainly have several lamps.   We'll use a lamp cord as our second specific example.    Your lamps are made with the cords intimately attached.   They are neither removable, re-usable,  or  interchangeable.    When your lamp is no longer usable or when, for other reasons, it  is being replaced with a different lamp, what happens to the electric cord.   Although, in most cases it is as good as new,  it is disposed of along with the lamp, and you buy a new lamp with another cord intimately attached -- another cord that is neither removable, re-usable,  or  interchangeable.   

Again we have the unnecessary production of TRASH!  TRASH! TRASH!  --- All in the name of making a few dollar more in short term profits for the product's sellers.   And the same is true for  thousands of other electrical devices.      

The Alternative --  A Few Simple, Easy-to-Make, Design Changes

TLC-Life-Center is suggesting that extremely simple changes be made to power cords for  thousands of different electronic products such as computes,  monitors, printers, TV sets, lamps, etc.   

Computers:   In the world of computers, we  suggest that the male electrical receptacle in the  computers, monitors, etc.  be replaced by receptacles that are compatible with the standard, three-wire, electrical extension cord.    We suggest the the female end on the power cord be replaced with an end that is compatible with the standard electrical extension cord so that the cord is reusable in any application where an electrical extension cord of its length and power-carrying capacity  is required.   

On the marketing side of the equation, we suggest that power cords be sold along with the computers, monitors, etc., but sold separately so that customers who already  have the newly designed cords do not need to buy new ones and then trash them or trash to cords they already have.  

Standards need to be set up and both the products and the cords need to be clearly marked with regard to:  1)  Number of wires in the cord,  2)   Gage (wire thickness --power carrying capacity)  3)  Cord length,  4)  Other technical specification, and 5)  Suggested uses,  etc.   

Lamps:   TLC-Life-Center is suggesting that lamps be designed with plug-in receptacles in the lamps, themselves;  that cords be designed to be separate, detachable, and reusable;  and that both ends of the cords be compatible with the standard extension cord.   This modularization allows either lamp or cord to be replaced separately.   No longer will both need to be trashed when one is good and the other is damaged.

Other Electrical Devices:  This same approach and power cord standardization  is applicable to thousands of other products.   For smaller products that use DC power and require transformers, similar standards are suggested.   In the parts of the world the base their power of 220 volts, standards are applicable there, as well. 

The Bottom Line:   If the majority of the electrical-product manufactures made these simple,  easy-to-do changes, this would be a huge step in the direction of Reversing Global Warming.   If this was also done within the context of  Changing Corporate Stock Ownership to Foundations,²   it would completely re-structure business on the entire planet.   The potentials are endless.   The alternatives are disastrous.²   Business as usual  is simply not an option,  unless, or course,  you're a rapture believer²   and your goal is to leave the rest of us in the mess that you and your fellow believers made, or if your goal is suicide and your intent is to take the rest of us with you.   

Invite your employers to examine our website and see these details  for themselves.

http://www.New-Corporate-World.info²  

Rev. Robert Cote',   Co-director -- TLC-Life-Center
818/727-0727  

Additional Examples of Where to Look and What to Look For:   

One of the ways to reduce unnecessary trash is to eliminate  unnecessary  product production.   For example,  consider the long-term savings that would result if we shifted focus from seeking the lowest entry cost   TO  -->    seeking the lowest cost over the life of the product.   With this concept in mind, here are some areas worth examining:

1)    Look  for products that have components, and/or attachments that are commonly thrown away while they are still in excellent working condition.   
Examples:   electric equipment,   automobiles,  houses, commercial buildings.

2)    Examine products  that are commonly upgrades with new models.  
Examples:  automobiles, computer hardware, television sets, telephones.  

3)    Find product components that could be designed in modular format with the intention of using them again in a future product in place of a newly manufactured component.   
Examples:  Electric Power cords,  home construction components.   

Analyze products to see if they can be redesigned so that as components that wear out  can be replaced without discarding the entire unit.   (For example, the on/off switches in your lamps.)    Find  manufactured products that have significant, components that are still in good working conditions when the product is no longer usable.   

Under the present designs, these parts are trashed while still in good or excellent condition.   (Or the entire product is trashed because one component becomes dysfunctional.)   How could these components be reused in future products?   What if these products were designed and built with the components as modular units.  Suppose the units were designed so that the reusable components could be easily put into and removed form the product?     

In our power cord example, millions of still-usable cords are trashed:  1)  because they are not removable, because they are built into the product, or  2)  because the  customer are required to buy new cords that come packaged in with the new product.   And in case you still haven't got the urgency of making these types of changes, check the section titled:  We Have Turned On Nature's Doomsday Machine.²