TED演讲:消灭铺张浪费,我们需要重新认识节俭(7)

What do we do with them? This process is able not just to recycle them, but to recycle them infinitely¹.

那我们能做些什么呢？我们不仅应该让水瓶可以回收再利用，而且应该让这个过程无限进行下去。

Why is that interesting? Because when we think about reusing and recycling,

为什么这点很有意思呢？因为像那些能重复利用和回收再利用的东西，

metals, glass, things like that, can be recycled as many times as you like.

比如金属、玻璃等等，都能被回收再利用很多次。

There's metal in your car that may well have come from a 1950s Oldsmobile,

比如你的汽车的金属配件，可能来自19世纪50年代的奥尔兹莫比尔汽车，

because you can recycle it infinitely with no loss of performance.

因为你可以无限地回收这些金属，没有一点损耗。

Plastics offer about once or twice of recycling, whether it's a bottle, whether it's a chair -- whatever it is, if it's carpet,

而塑料只能被回收再利用一到两次，不管是塑料水瓶，还是塑料椅子，不论是什么，还比如地毯，

after two times of recycling, whether it goes back into another chair, etc, it tends to lose strength, it's no longer of any use.

如果它被回收过两次后，不论被用来制作椅子还是其他东西，它的强度都会降低，不能再被用来制作任何东西了。

This, though, just using a few enzymes³, is able to recycle it infinitely.

然而我们可以利用酶，让塑料可以无限回收再利用。

I take a bottle or a chair or some other plastic product,

比如，我可以拿塑料瓶，塑料椅或其他塑料制品，

I basically put it in with a few enzymes, they break it apart,

在里面加入一些酶，酶会将它们分解成

they basically put it back into its original molecules⁴. And then from those molecules, you can build another chair or carpet or bottle.

最原始的分子形态。之后，用这些分子重新制作塑料椅、地毯和塑料水瓶。

So, the cycle is infinite². The advantage with that, of course, is that

所以，这可以是个无限循环。当然，这样做的优点是，

you have potentially zero loss of material resources. Again, the perfect idea of thrift⁵.

你不会浪费任何物质资源。再强调一次，这是一个节俭的好方法。

So in conclusion, I just want to have you think about -- if you make anything, if you're any part of a design firm,

总结一下，我想让大家思考，如果你需要制作什么东西，如果你是设计公司的一员，

if you basically are refurbishing your house -- any aspect where you make something,

如果你需要翻修你的房子，不论你想做什么东西，

think about how that product could potentially be used as a second life, or third life or fourth life.

都请想一想，这个产品二次利用，三次利用，四次利用后都能拿来做什么。

Design in the ability for it to be taken apart.

产品应该被设计成易被分解的。

That, to me, is the ultimate thrift, and I think that's basically what my grandmother would love.

我认为这就是终极的节俭，我想这会是我祖母希望看到的。

1 infinitely   

adv.无限地，无穷地

参考例句：

• There is an infinitely bright future ahead of us.我们有无限光明的前途。
• The universe is infinitely large.宇宙是无限大的。

2 infinite   

adj.无限的，无穷的，无边无际的

参考例句：

• The universe seems infinite.宇宙似乎是无限的。
• The war brought infinite harm to the nation.战争给这个国家带来了无穷的灾难。

3 enzymes   

n. 酶，酵素

参考例句：

• It was said that washing powders containing enzymes remove stains more efficiently. 据说加酶洗衣粉除污更有效。
• Among the enzymes which are particularly effective are pepsin, papain. 在酶当中特别有效的是胃朊酶、木瓜酶。

4 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

5 thrift   

adj.节约，节俭；n.节俭，节约

参考例句：

• He has the virtues of thrift and hard work.他具备节俭和勤奋的美德。
• His thrift and industry speak well for his future.他的节俭和勤勉预示着他美好的未来。