Sure, sure. Most of us need to lose weight — me included. What else is new? But here’s something staggering! Mankind has now produced more “stuff” in poundage than all living things. So, I’m wondering: Does the planet need to go on a diet?

If we consume too much as individuals, are we also collectively creating, consuming, and trashing too much?

Here are the facts:

A geophysicist at the California Institute of Technology and his colleagues did the calculations in 2018 and determined that in just the last one hundred years, mankind has produced enough roads, skyscrapers, cars, cellphones, paper napkins, and beanie babies to outweigh all the people, elephants, ants, aardvarks and termites globally.

And speaking of termites (shudder), there are 1,000 pounds of termites per person. Now, that’s a statistic that causes bug-phobic me to shutter and twitch.

But returning to the subject at hand, “stuff” …

If you cannot picture the magnitude of this, there’s help. Two scientists, Dr. Brice Ménard of Johns Hopkins University and Nikita Shtarkman, a computer scientist and graphic artist, created a stunning visual representation of the Cal Tech study.

Proof that the Planet Does Need to Go on a Diet!

And as if to prove my point, guess what arrived in the mail this week? The unwanted, twice-a-year, massive catalog from RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware.

Decades ago, I bought something, I forget what, from that store. Now, alas, I am forever doomed to receive this ridiculous doorstopper of a catalog, which, although unnumbered, is longer than some books I read.

This issue is entitled “Outdoor” and the slogan is “There are pieces that furnish a home and those that define it.” Well, the day RH furniture “defines” my home, is the day you’ll know I’ve been moved into an over-priced, wheat-toned looney bin!

Meanwhile, the point is: what a waste of ink and paper plus the time and energy it took to print, ship, and deliver that unwanted behemoth to my mailbox.

It just underscores the study’s point about how we are using/over-utilizing resources and transforming the planet. It reminds me to be less wasteful and more thoughtful about my own admittedly unchecked consumer impulses. I am a non-stop impulse shopper. I “see” sweater, I buy sweater!

It seems that I and the planet, at least certain countries at least, do need to go on a diet, caloric, and spending! It’s admittedly a simplistic notion, but still, there’s some merit to it.