05 February 2009
Zero Waste
The Alchemical Nursery Project has been working hard on a number of fronts to combat the concept of waste in our city. According to the principles of
permaculture, everything that is currently wasted (i.e sent to the landfill or incinerator) is a potential resource. Waste cycling, or the multiple reuse of materials, is a concept that not only gives our natural environment a break, but should stimulate economic development and growth.
permaculture, everything that is currently wasted (i.e sent to the landfill or incinerator) is a potential resource. Waste cycling, or the multiple reuse of materials, is a concept that not only gives our natural environment a break, but should stimulate economic development and growth.
The ANP has been involved in several related efforts to begin the dialogue of zero waste in the city of Syracuse, including planning zero waste events and building communal
Aiming for zero waste is quite a feat to undertake considering the current trends in this country. It seems to be a step in the right direction to more effectively sort and separate the waste stream for reuse and recycling, but not having so much "disposable" stuff to recycle and reuse in the first place seems to be more of a nipping it in the bud solution – i.e., the concept of “zero waste” – a more comprehensive approach to dealing with our inputs and outputs so to speak.
According to the Grassroots Recycling Network, “zero waste is a design principle for the 21st Century that seeks to redesign the way resources and materials flow through society. Zero Waste requires eliminating subsidies for raw material extraction and waste disposal, and holding producers responsible for their products and packaging 'from cradle to cradle.' The goal is to promote clean production, prevent pollution, and create communities in which all products are designed to be cycled safely back into the economy or environment.” (http://www.grrn.org/zerowaste/)
Obviously not everybody is excited about bringing about some form of to-go container, utensil, and mug or cup or bottle of some sort for beverage about with them on a daily basis. And to-go containers and packaging for various products (especially food) abound in this country – a concerted effort on the part of the few is not likely going to make all that much of a difference in the face of the many who are continuing to do business as usual. Unless there was some way to spread the word about it – by using what these people are doing as educational opportunities, and even better, going a step further to argue for the economic benefits of such practices - well we may be on to something here.
Which brings us back to the whole psychological aspect of recycling, wasting, consuming and simply not giving a darn. It seems at times like you're fighting a losing battle when more than half of the people in the country have absolutely no interest in taking the time to recycle, let alone taking more effective steps towards reducing the waste they create in the first place. Knowing about what we're up against and how to approach it seems like a good idea: The Psychology of Environmental Problems by Deborah DuNann Winter and Susan M. Koger is an awesome introduction to some of these underlying issues….
Obviously not everybody is excited about bringing about some form of to-go container, utensil, and mug or cup or bottle of some sort for beverage about with them on a daily basis. And to-go containers and packaging for various products (especially food) abound in this country – a concerted effort on the part of the few is not likely going to make all that much of a difference in the face of the many who are continuing to do business as usual. Unless there was some way to spread the word about it – by using what these people are doing as educational opportunities, and even better, going a step further to argue for the economic benefits of such practices - well we may be on to something here.
Considering a new local, green economy, people are all wondering, hey where are the green jobs? We want green jobs, where the heck are they? Well, they're not here yet - they need to be created. Because the reality is that there are very few jobs in this country that could really be considered "green" because people are not interested in making them - they are too busy making money off of the waste we create!If we had more local recycling facilities for all sorts of materials in every city, just imagine all the green jobs that would create. Our current system of single stream collection is not only limited to repurposing a small percentage of the waste that the average American produces each week, but it also reduces the quality of the material that is collected for recycling (it's hard to recycle newspaper when it's full of broken glass). And even if you DO require separation of materials from the get go, plenty of people still just throw it all together in one bin if they do any recycling at all.
Which brings us back to the whole psychological aspect of recycling, wasting, consuming and simply not giving a darn. It seems at times like you're fighting a losing battle when more than half of the people in the country have absolutely no interest in taking the time to recycle, let alone taking more effective steps towards reducing the waste they create in the first place. Knowing about what we're up against and how to approach it seems like a good idea: The Psychology of Environmental Problems by Deborah DuNann Winter and Susan M. Koger is an awesome introduction to some of these underlying issues….
So at this point, the obvious things we can do, such as recycle and compost food scraps, are an important but still small part of the bigger picture. Which is why we are dedicated to furthering education on the subject of waste, where it comes from, and how we might be able to collectively avoid creating it in the first place by means of government advocacy and policy work.
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