Consider, for example, shoe production. As opposed to producing cheap quality running shoes with a lifespan of under a year, shoes in Columbia are made from high quality leather and hides, and premium rubber. This footwear is meant to last, provided proper care is taken, practically a lifetime. In this case, the initial use of greater resources creates a much smaller demand on resources in future. When a good becomes damaged, it is brought back to the producer, usually a small to medium sized company in itself, and repaired.
Nothing is wasted or thrown away.
Despite the city state's lack of large scale industry, technology plays an ever increaing role in the local economy. By 1985, a city-wide internet and communications network was in place in every home in Columbia, and digital television, music, and teleconferencing appeared soon after. Yet although digital communications technology is so advanced, it has never caused the citizens to abandon the vibrant community life which so exemplifies the city.