Hi guys,
Justice Talking is a program that airs on National Public Radio (NPR). There was a recently a big story about garbage. And guess what? Royte was interviewed. Please take a moment to listen to her interview, along with several other experts who discuss issues concerning landfills, recycling, and the desire to define "Zero Waste." And I encourage you to post your thoughts and comments about this issue on our blog.
Here's the link: http://www.justicetalking.org/viewprogram.asp?progID=594
I look forward to your hearing your reactions! :0) M
When the Antarctic Ice Sheet melts . .
1 week ago
2 comments:
This interview was a nice summary of what we've read in the book so far. A couple of major points that stood out in the interview for me was just how heavy our food waste is, that 56% of our garbage ends up in the landfill, communities "accept" landfills out of economic necessity, that toxic materials such as throwing away electronics were particularly harmful, and that part of the problem was a failure to make new uses for things. I think part of the reason we throw out stuff we shouldn't is because we don't know what else we can do it with. For example, a lot of people don't know that there are organizations that you can donate your used cell phone to and they will refurbish them and give them to domestic violence victims.
Kim,
Good points--I also found the issue of using food disposals to be interesting. If certain conditions are met--that is, the water pipes are in good working order--then food disposals may be a good thing. Royte said that this food waste, once separated from liquids at a water plant facility, may be used as bionutrients.
I thought another important point Royte made was that there's a disconnect between the waste that's generated by manufacturers ("upstream") and by consumers ("downstream"). Basically, we're all in this together: Consumers and manufacturers need to become more mindful on how to reduce waste. I wholeheartedly agree with this viewpoint.
:0) M
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