(written for and orated at BMC Service-11/29/09)
My faith journey can be summarized into two main areas: music, and a commitment to peace and social justice, and yet I cannot begin to think about my faith without acknowledging the presence of family, specifically parents and grandparents. I come from a family long-rooted in the Mennonite tradition. Both my grandpas were heavily involved in some aspect of the church. My grandpa on the Goering side was involved with lobbying President Roosevelt to legalize conscientious objector status for Anabaptists during World War 2 and afterwards became a pastor at churches in Witchita and Goshen. My grandpa on the Fretz side was a sociologist who studied and wrote books on Mennonites in Canada and Paraguay, and helped start Conrad Grebel college in Waterloo, Ontario. He was the acting president there for several years as well as interim president of Bethel College for a year. I will always remember two walks I had with each; one with Grandpa Goering along the shores of the Outer Banks in North Carolina when I was just becoming a teenager, and one with Grandpa Fretz, probably the last walk I took with him, taking place along the wooded path that leads from Bethel past the Kaufmann museum on to Kidron, right around the time I was starting college. Both walks I was not inclined to offer or accept any profound utterances on the nature of the world, due to a period of adolescent silence although I was always a good listener, leading my Grandpa Fretz to declare for me that "it's better to remain silent than be thought a fool."
My whole family went to Bethel College; mother, father, brother, aunts, uncles, several cousins, and so I was always around Newton in the summers for reunions and other such activities. As I grew up, I became bored with small town life, a fact which led to my announcement that I would be the first in the family not to attend Bethel, and ended up graduating with an English major/Philosophy minor from the University of Maryland in addition to a Freshman year stopover at Loyola University in New Orleans. Big city living was fun while it lasted but ultimately not healthy or sustainable, and now I realize I would have been perfectly fine following my parents and attending Bethel. My recent change of opinion is due in part to sharing some good times with Bethel alums, particularly my brother's graduation party and wedding out among the wheat fields of Kansas. It reminds me of a scene from Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, where a priest asks young Stephen Dedalus if he loves his mother, why doesn't he just follow what she wants for him?
I was quite the stubborn and rebellious spirit growing up, always trying to get what I wanted and questioning the norm. When we went to church, I was the younger brother from "A River Runs Through It," slouching against my mother asking for candy, or heavily invested in whatever book I had at the time, and only paying attention when it came to singing hymns and the childrens story. To this day, hymns are my favorite part of worship, but I can't say I get much from the childrens time anymore. Fortunately, I found vectors to soothe my rebellious inclinations in picking up the saxophone in the 4th grade and co-founding a student group in high school called Students for Social Change.
Music was encouraged through the Goering side. My Grandpa plays Joy to the World on piano every Christmas morning to wake everybody up. He forced my dad and his sister and brother to pick up instruments throughout their schooling. My dad chose the Tenor saxophone and still plays, although with not as much tenacity as earlier on in his career. We actually have a small jazz combo that plays periodically at Hyattsville Mennonite Church and around the Washington, D.C. area. My brother and I were similarly forced to pick up instruments, and while I loathed practicing every day, picking up a new instrument is frustrating and requires discipline!, I'd say one of the greatest gifts a parent can give and teach to a child is an artistic outlet. Music for me is spiritual, relaxing yet stimulating, satisfying yet mystifying and always calling to me. I couldn't get rid of it if I tried, like God. I wouldn't want to live in a world without it, like God.
Students for Social Change, or SFSC as we called it, was entirely student-run and organized around different issues we felt strongly about including homelessness, globalization, political prisoners, the death penalty and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We would make sandwiches and walk around our nation's capital with a boombox feeding the homeless. We were involved with numerous protests, including the World Bank/IMF struggles of the early 2000s, and the massive anti-war marches that failed to stop the inevitable tragedy from unfolding. The height of Students for Social Change consisted of a county-wide walkout in 2003, linking up with our brethren from the D.C. school system, and followed up by a Valentine's Day concert featuring the movement-encompassing message Make Love, Not War.
The middle years of this decade were some of the darkest for me spiritually. Don't get me wrong. I had tons of fun in high school and college playing in different bands, traveling on sporadic road trips, writing and organizing, and other rawkusing in general, but I was always haunted by the question of how could God allow so much suffering in the world? Why were the people in power so heartless and greedy? I still struggle with these questions but several developments have alleviated the pessimism. While my faith was virtually absent during this period, I took solace in words, reading whatever professors would throw my way, and I began writing my feelings through poetry and song lyrics. Writing comforts and strengthens me, gives me a sense of achievement, and perhaps led to where I am currently. The election of Barack Obama also helped, and was literally like a candle snuffer being pulled back to reveal the candle still lit, although some of the promised changes seem to be taking awhile...
Studying philosophy and literature led me to the conclusion that everything is determined, everything is meant to happen. God has a plan, and God is the dramatist. All the world's a stage and God is the audience. In the words of Gandalf from the movie versions of Lord of the Rings, Bilbo was meant to find the ring, in which case, you were also meant to have the ring. I was meant to come to Boulder, I don't know what for exactly, but from an objective bystander observing the time line and subsequent unfolding of the universe, it was not my choice. Each of you were meant to be sitting in the chairs that you're seated in. All you have to do is decide what to do with the time you're given. God not only has a plan, God is the plan. I once asked my mother at a young age what and where God was and she responded "God is everywhere. God is everything." This befuddled me for awhile (many years), but with my realization that determinism and creation go hand in hand, that there is an illusion of free will that veils us from the true spiritual realm, and everything is in God's hands, allowed for this reality to set in. All you have to do is walk in the light, show some love, forgive others, resist temptation, be a witness to God's creation. God will take care of the rest. This doesn't exactly take care of the poor people suffering, but spreading the message of love and forgiveness like Christ did before us will hopefully change something in the world. I've also learned that its better to lead by example, rather than by telling someone how to live.
Two international trips helped me come to this conclusion, one having to do with peace and justice studies and the other having to do with music. They both happened in the month of January, two years apart. The first was a sojourn study group with Patty Shelley and Bethel College Winter Term to Israel, Palestine and Jordan in 2007. Seeing the Holy Land, and locations where events in the Bible take place really strengthened my faith and belief in God. I recommend a similar trip to everyone here. While violence is a reality there, life is fairly normal and safety as an American is generally ensured. Patty Shelley is a voracious singer for those that may know her. We would usually sing a hymn at significant sites and churches in the area, sometimes to the applause of other tourists, and we sang the hymn "Seek Ye First" in a church on the Mount of Olives, which had a tear-shaped window that overlooked Jerusalem. The occupation that Israel lords over the Palestinians, the discrimination shown to Arabs, even Israeli Arabs, the racist government that claims to be democratic, frankly needs to stop, and the conflict is in my prayers daily. When I saw for the first time the giant security wall that tore through the olive fields of Bethlehem, I nearly broke into tears. I hope that one day it will be torn down in similar fashion to the Berlin wall.
The second trip I took was with friends this past January to the mystical island of Jamaica. This was the first time I had traveled south of Orlando, Florida, and while I was somewhat worried going to a third world country, everyone was friendly, sometimes too friendly, but nonetheless warm, genuine, and possessing spates of wisdom that made you rethink outlooks on life. Everything is about respect and no worries, keeping the faith in Jah, meditating daily, dancing and playing music. The language, and music for that matter, once you can decipher it, is uniquely colorful and illustrative, preserving social integrity and promoting moral revolution. Words like Babylon, bredren, inity, respect, ovastanding all play into the spiritual mix. Rastafarianism takes its roots from Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and my explorations into it have delivered me to a strong and positive place in life that enrich the rebel soul within me.
Clearly, freedom of religion and general social acceptance have not been extended to Rastafarian brothers and sisters. Like Anabaptists and Palestinians, Rastafari stems from a theology of protest and martyrdom in refusing to be enslaved to authorities, specifically White male authorities. And while there are similar struggles to the Mennonite church in regards to the question of homosexuality and women empowerment, the language of liberation and personal empowerment and happiness is prevalent throughout rasta, a lot of who follow the teachings of Christ and debate scriptures with each other over games of Dominoes. Survival. Sacrifice. Solidarity. As the legendary Jamaican singer Peter Tosh sang, "If He was here, right now, he'd go to the jail the same."
While hybridization of religion and worldviews is possible from an individual standpoint, I don't know what do you think of Mennonite Rastas, I must admit I feel more attached to the Mennonite church because of my roots there within, but I am always curious to explore deeper meditations. I am glad that you all have accepted me here at Boulder Mennonite. I've made many friends here in colorful Colorado, and I look forward to meeting those that I haven't already.
In conclusion, it is what it is. I am what I am. Take it for what it's worth. And yet it can't be an individual effort, strength comes from togetherness and community. "For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." And I can't tell you what is needed to be done. I feel like the pulpit shouldn't be used for politicking and yet as Newt Gingrich put it in a recent Meet the Press interview on education, "Politics is the art of the possible." And God is what's possible. To quote Matthew 18 again, "Truly I will tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." If that is the case, I pledge to fight for equal rights, spread the message of love and peace, and to incorporate music into everything I do.
And I leave you with a quote from Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. "I will tell you what I will do and what I will not do. I will not serve that in which I no longer believe whether it call itself my home, my fatherland or my church: and I will try to express myself in some mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can, using for my defense the only arms I allow myself to use, silence, exile, and cunning."
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Airline Recycling Moving at a Snail's Pace
One thing volunteers and members of Pick Up America do not have to worry about as they trek along our nation's highways is trash falling from the sky, although I've always wondered what happens to the things flushed down an airplane's toilet... While the state of airline recycling is not nearly where it should be, the 800 million pounds of waste generated each year by the airline industry is at least being contained until the end of each flight and not ending up as litter along the road. What's not gravy boats is that 75% of this waste could be recycled, and only 20% is currently being reclaimed. A significant portion of the remaining 25% could be composted as well.
ResponsibleShopper.org, Green America's consumer watchdog group, released a report last month entitled "What Goes Up Must Come Down: The Sorry State of Recycling in the Airline Industry," which outlines these findings, and evaluates airlines on the current and future status of their recycling initiatives. The report found that airlines could recycle nearly 500 million more pounds of waste each year if they simply instituted standard recycling practices on the ground. These would include employee and passenger education, efficient hauler-airport partnerships, and collecting recyclables that fit within current single-stream guidelines. Implementing such measures seems like a simple task; common airplane items like aluminum cans, plastic and glass bottles, paper and magazines are all fairly easy materials to collect. However, coordinating a hauler to pick up recyclables at every airport and training employees on proper collection methods would probably take a few years to get down smoothly.
The report used a grading system to evaluate airlines on the state of their recycling, with Delta receiving the highest grade of B- and United flunking completely with an F. As it is, "no airline recycles all the major recyclables: aluminum cans, glass, plastic, and paper. No airline has a comprehensive program for minimizing or composting food waste or waste from snack packages, provides good public information about their recycling program, or reports out on progress in relation to any stated goals. In addition, all airlines provide over-packaged snacks and meals and none of the airlines are working with manufacturers to reduce this waste."
This may be changing as you read this since this report will hopefully stir some within the industry to boost their material recovery performance. Consumer pressure always helps, and it wouldn't hurt to ask the flight attendant the next time you fly, "Is this Dr. Pepper/Pinot Grigio/water bottle going to be recycled?" Then, depending on the response, engage with them about the need for recycling and that you've been hearing nasty rumors about the sorry state of airline recycling. You can also fill out a report to Green America to make the airlines accountable for what they say they are doing: http://www.greenamericatoday.org/takeaction/airline/airline_recycling.cfm
The good news is that airlines can have a huge impact on decreasing waste that goes to landfills, about 500 million pounds of impact annually, and they are starting to get saavy with the cause. Midwest Express Airlines claims to have the first on-flight bins dedicated to recycling, and some airlines are following suit. Some airlines do seperate recyclables from trash in-flight but if an airport doesn't have a recycling apparatus, then these materials all end up in the same place. Airport Recycling Specialists, which set up the first independent MRF at the Fort Lauderdale airport and claims the highest recycling rate for an international airport, is helping other airports set up recycling solutions. Seattle, Portland, Denver and Boston airport authorities are all engaged in considering different waste management solutions. While there is no standard for airports to follow, almost all airports are finding themselves subject to new municipal solid waste guidelines and legislation, and if that isn't enough to change the modus operandi, almost all airports are revamping their waste management strategies to include more recycling because of ever-increasing waste disposal costs due to decreasing landfill space. The possibility of energy generated from airline and terminal waste is also an option for airports.
Major airports have sizable operations and autonomy comparable to a small city, so it is vital that resource conservation be a staple of day-to-day operations. According to research published by the Natural Resource Defense Council, annually, airlines throw away 9,000 tons of plastic, enough aluminum cans to build 58 Boeing 747 jets, and enough newspaper and magazines to cover a football field 230 meters deep. The energy savings from recycling this waste would represent a contribution by the airlines to reducing their environmental impact in the face of the considerable climate impact of jet fuel, including 600 million tons of carbon dioxide per year pumped into the atmosphere by commercial jets alone. In order for clear skies to emerge, we must start with the facts on the ground.
ResponsibleShopper.org, Green America's consumer watchdog group, released a report last month entitled "What Goes Up Must Come Down: The Sorry State of Recycling in the Airline Industry," which outlines these findings, and evaluates airlines on the current and future status of their recycling initiatives. The report found that airlines could recycle nearly 500 million more pounds of waste each year if they simply instituted standard recycling practices on the ground. These would include employee and passenger education, efficient hauler-airport partnerships, and collecting recyclables that fit within current single-stream guidelines. Implementing such measures seems like a simple task; common airplane items like aluminum cans, plastic and glass bottles, paper and magazines are all fairly easy materials to collect. However, coordinating a hauler to pick up recyclables at every airport and training employees on proper collection methods would probably take a few years to get down smoothly.
The report used a grading system to evaluate airlines on the state of their recycling, with Delta receiving the highest grade of B- and United flunking completely with an F. As it is, "no airline recycles all the major recyclables: aluminum cans, glass, plastic, and paper. No airline has a comprehensive program for minimizing or composting food waste or waste from snack packages, provides good public information about their recycling program, or reports out on progress in relation to any stated goals. In addition, all airlines provide over-packaged snacks and meals and none of the airlines are working with manufacturers to reduce this waste."
This may be changing as you read this since this report will hopefully stir some within the industry to boost their material recovery performance. Consumer pressure always helps, and it wouldn't hurt to ask the flight attendant the next time you fly, "Is this Dr. Pepper/Pinot Grigio/water bottle going to be recycled?" Then, depending on the response, engage with them about the need for recycling and that you've been hearing nasty rumors about the sorry state of airline recycling. You can also fill out a report to Green America to make the airlines accountable for what they say they are doing: http://www.greenamericatoday.org/takeaction/airline/airline_recycling.cfm
The good news is that airlines can have a huge impact on decreasing waste that goes to landfills, about 500 million pounds of impact annually, and they are starting to get saavy with the cause. Midwest Express Airlines claims to have the first on-flight bins dedicated to recycling, and some airlines are following suit. Some airlines do seperate recyclables from trash in-flight but if an airport doesn't have a recycling apparatus, then these materials all end up in the same place. Airport Recycling Specialists, which set up the first independent MRF at the Fort Lauderdale airport and claims the highest recycling rate for an international airport, is helping other airports set up recycling solutions. Seattle, Portland, Denver and Boston airport authorities are all engaged in considering different waste management solutions. While there is no standard for airports to follow, almost all airports are finding themselves subject to new municipal solid waste guidelines and legislation, and if that isn't enough to change the modus operandi, almost all airports are revamping their waste management strategies to include more recycling because of ever-increasing waste disposal costs due to decreasing landfill space. The possibility of energy generated from airline and terminal waste is also an option for airports.
Major airports have sizable operations and autonomy comparable to a small city, so it is vital that resource conservation be a staple of day-to-day operations. According to research published by the Natural Resource Defense Council, annually, airlines throw away 9,000 tons of plastic, enough aluminum cans to build 58 Boeing 747 jets, and enough newspaper and magazines to cover a football field 230 meters deep. The energy savings from recycling this waste would represent a contribution by the airlines to reducing their environmental impact in the face of the considerable climate impact of jet fuel, including 600 million tons of carbon dioxide per year pumped into the atmosphere by commercial jets alone. In order for clear skies to emerge, we must start with the facts on the ground.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Offshore Drilling A Bad Idea
President Obama's proposal to remove the twenty year-old moratorium for some regions on offshore drilling and to expand it in existing drilling areas is ill-conceived, dangerous and inconsiderate to the millions of young people who helped elect him. When the world, especially America, is looking to decrease its dependence on a dirty fossil fuel in favor of cleaner, renewable energies, the expansion of drilling in the Gulf Coast, Arctic and newly-opened Atlantic seaboard to eke out only a few years worth of fuel is ridiculously unsustainable.
Regardless of numbers, the environmental hazards involved are enough to make a sensible person reject such proposals. Hurricanes, which have increased in strength and number over the past few years, roll through the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Ocean with enough frequency and force to almost guarantee a future oil rig disaster. Oil rigs can blowout on their own if their drill ruptures, a possibility backed by historical reality when an oil platform in the Pacific blew out in 1969, leaking 200,000 gallons of oil that eventually covered an 800 square mile area. The possibility of ships crashing and spilling oil in the water and on beaches is also backed by historical examples, need I remind you of the Exxon Valdez spill in the 90s.
I can't lie; I only became really concerned about this issue when I learned my stretch of the Atlantic Ocean would be included in new leasing. Say goodbye to the pristine coasts of the Outer Banks and Assateague Island; the dolphins will probably have to migrate (or worse) since the noisy underwater drilling will fuck with their sonar and give them headaches. The seagulls, herons, pelicans and other seafaring birds will live in fear of their habitats getting covered in black ooze, and will see their food supplies diminish. Humans swimming close to oil rigs will enjoy an increase in cancer and other mysterious diseases. And the sea turtles are simply too old for this shit anymore.
Solutions on halting this potentially destructive practice abound, but to stop a fast-moving train, you'll probably need the consent of the conductor. While Obama did state his position on offshore drilling during the campaign, he did not outline this specific proposal clearly, and it comes as a slap in the face to many environmentalists. I have heard that most drilling won't start until 2012 (get your clean beach time in while you can!), but this doesn't excuse Obama from continuing where the Bush Administration left off (and I thought we were voting for change in how business was done!). Perhaps state legislatures will actively try and prevent this, or the states in affected regions will band together and pass congressional bans on new leasing in their waters. Or the people will mobilize in enough numbers to make Obama reconsider. Whatever the case, action must be taken and the word must be spread that the future of our beaches and coastal waters is in danger all because of our reliance on oil, imperial budgeting and corporate greed.
Regardless of numbers, the environmental hazards involved are enough to make a sensible person reject such proposals. Hurricanes, which have increased in strength and number over the past few years, roll through the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Ocean with enough frequency and force to almost guarantee a future oil rig disaster. Oil rigs can blowout on their own if their drill ruptures, a possibility backed by historical reality when an oil platform in the Pacific blew out in 1969, leaking 200,000 gallons of oil that eventually covered an 800 square mile area. The possibility of ships crashing and spilling oil in the water and on beaches is also backed by historical examples, need I remind you of the Exxon Valdez spill in the 90s.
I can't lie; I only became really concerned about this issue when I learned my stretch of the Atlantic Ocean would be included in new leasing. Say goodbye to the pristine coasts of the Outer Banks and Assateague Island; the dolphins will probably have to migrate (or worse) since the noisy underwater drilling will fuck with their sonar and give them headaches. The seagulls, herons, pelicans and other seafaring birds will live in fear of their habitats getting covered in black ooze, and will see their food supplies diminish. Humans swimming close to oil rigs will enjoy an increase in cancer and other mysterious diseases. And the sea turtles are simply too old for this shit anymore.
Solutions on halting this potentially destructive practice abound, but to stop a fast-moving train, you'll probably need the consent of the conductor. While Obama did state his position on offshore drilling during the campaign, he did not outline this specific proposal clearly, and it comes as a slap in the face to many environmentalists. I have heard that most drilling won't start until 2012 (get your clean beach time in while you can!), but this doesn't excuse Obama from continuing where the Bush Administration left off (and I thought we were voting for change in how business was done!). Perhaps state legislatures will actively try and prevent this, or the states in affected regions will band together and pass congressional bans on new leasing in their waters. Or the people will mobilize in enough numbers to make Obama reconsider. Whatever the case, action must be taken and the word must be spread that the future of our beaches and coastal waters is in danger all because of our reliance on oil, imperial budgeting and corporate greed.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Hard-to-Recycle Item #7: Asphalt Concrete
There has been some recent speculation over whether recycling is the best answer for reducing our global carbon footprint. While I agree reduction and reuse are the stronger of the three R's, recycling makes economic sense while simultaneously slowing down the Earth's aging rate by cutting down on the use of limited virgin resources. This is becoming more and more evident in sectors of the economy you wouldn't originally think would be down, like transportation, specifically road construction. While this article isn't a spirited defense of recycling over other green practices (stay tuned for that, this one's supposed to be about asphalt), I will say that recycling creates profits out of what would be trash, creates six times as many jobs as landfilling, and cuts material acquisition costs for production companies anywhere from 30 to 50%. When reducing and reusing fails, recycling provides the safety net for materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill, or worse...
As the green paradigm shift begins to be actualized, many industries are realizing the economic and environmental benefits of recycling. If we must make something, we should defer and prefer to defer to making that item with recovered materials. The haunting notion of necessary evil seems to reoccur throughout America's history: indigenous displacement, Hiroshima, the death penalty, defense spending and every war we've fought, preemptive strikes, voting for a major political party, etc. In an overwhelming amount of the cases, the situation could have been avoided through more constructive solutions, but the reactionary political machine and special interests of groups within that machine spun the necessity of action as greater than inaction. With the recent Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United essentially granting corporations the same rights as individuals, this trend is even more disturbing.
Recycling is not a necessary evil; it's necessary but not evil no matter where you stand on green issues, no matter how much you hate the smell of wet cardboard. My point is that if we must grow as part of our national economic stability, we should do so in the most sustainable, efficient and organized ways possible. This isn't a call for Big Brother mandates and cap-and-trade legislation. Institutionalizing sustainability measures throughout industry on a volunteer basis is already steamrolling its way to corporate boardrooms and legislative bodies as simple matters of bottom lines and future existence. Let's explore one of these volunteer partnerships between industry and government more thoroughly through an example: the asphalt concrete industry (finally getting to the crux!).
For nearly 140 years, the United States has continually developed a system of paved roads and highways, which blows the accomplishments of the impressive (for its time) Incan road system out of the water. Nearly two million miles of roads exist in the United States with 94% of them paved by asphalt concrete (PtD in Motion). While the ever-increasing concrete jungle has decreased the amount of green jungles (there are more roads in our National Forests than the entire interstate system according to the National Forest Protection Alliance), and has led to unsustainable community development based around a car economy, readers will be surprised to learn that asphalt is the number one reclaimed material in the United States by tonnage and percentage, with a recovery rate around 90% responsible for recycling 100 million tons each year (PtD in Motion). Even with this staggering fact, according to Blount Construction, only 3% of roads are recycled, again underlining the immensity of our road system.
Asphalt is a petroleum product, a thick liquid that is a byproduct found in crude oil, which makes the importance of recycling it paramount. Incentives need to be increased for companies bidding on transportation projects that pledge to use recycled materials. The Nevada DOT alone has saved $600 million over 20 years using recycled asphalt (Roads & Bridges). The voluntary introduction of warm-mix technologies (rather than hot-mix) and better ventilation systems in work site machinery have improved working conditions and cut down on toxic fumes emitted at the work site. The higher the temperature asphalt is mixed at, the more fumes are produced, so cooler temperatures make it a cleaner product to use. Warm-mix has also proven to be a longer-lasting grade of pavement, cutting down on the use of resources and improving the quality of roads (PtD in Motion).
As Pick Up America makes its way along our extensive highway system, they can appreciate the fact that the surface they walk on is being continually upgraded through recycling, cleaner technologies and public funding. While many of us environmentalists would prefer communities in the future to have less roads, more green spaces and easier public transportation options, the necessary evil of road construction and improvement is vital to our current infrastructure. One wonders what future historians will note about our road system, whether it was too extensive and ill-advised or whether it was a solid and durable accomplishment for a fast-growing civilization becoming ever greener, or both.
As the green paradigm shift begins to be actualized, many industries are realizing the economic and environmental benefits of recycling. If we must make something, we should defer and prefer to defer to making that item with recovered materials. The haunting notion of necessary evil seems to reoccur throughout America's history: indigenous displacement, Hiroshima, the death penalty, defense spending and every war we've fought, preemptive strikes, voting for a major political party, etc. In an overwhelming amount of the cases, the situation could have been avoided through more constructive solutions, but the reactionary political machine and special interests of groups within that machine spun the necessity of action as greater than inaction. With the recent Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United essentially granting corporations the same rights as individuals, this trend is even more disturbing.
Recycling is not a necessary evil; it's necessary but not evil no matter where you stand on green issues, no matter how much you hate the smell of wet cardboard. My point is that if we must grow as part of our national economic stability, we should do so in the most sustainable, efficient and organized ways possible. This isn't a call for Big Brother mandates and cap-and-trade legislation. Institutionalizing sustainability measures throughout industry on a volunteer basis is already steamrolling its way to corporate boardrooms and legislative bodies as simple matters of bottom lines and future existence. Let's explore one of these volunteer partnerships between industry and government more thoroughly through an example: the asphalt concrete industry (finally getting to the crux!).
For nearly 140 years, the United States has continually developed a system of paved roads and highways, which blows the accomplishments of the impressive (for its time) Incan road system out of the water. Nearly two million miles of roads exist in the United States with 94% of them paved by asphalt concrete (PtD in Motion). While the ever-increasing concrete jungle has decreased the amount of green jungles (there are more roads in our National Forests than the entire interstate system according to the National Forest Protection Alliance), and has led to unsustainable community development based around a car economy, readers will be surprised to learn that asphalt is the number one reclaimed material in the United States by tonnage and percentage, with a recovery rate around 90% responsible for recycling 100 million tons each year (PtD in Motion). Even with this staggering fact, according to Blount Construction, only 3% of roads are recycled, again underlining the immensity of our road system.
Asphalt is a petroleum product, a thick liquid that is a byproduct found in crude oil, which makes the importance of recycling it paramount. Incentives need to be increased for companies bidding on transportation projects that pledge to use recycled materials. The Nevada DOT alone has saved $600 million over 20 years using recycled asphalt (Roads & Bridges). The voluntary introduction of warm-mix technologies (rather than hot-mix) and better ventilation systems in work site machinery have improved working conditions and cut down on toxic fumes emitted at the work site. The higher the temperature asphalt is mixed at, the more fumes are produced, so cooler temperatures make it a cleaner product to use. Warm-mix has also proven to be a longer-lasting grade of pavement, cutting down on the use of resources and improving the quality of roads (PtD in Motion).
As Pick Up America makes its way along our extensive highway system, they can appreciate the fact that the surface they walk on is being continually upgraded through recycling, cleaner technologies and public funding. While many of us environmentalists would prefer communities in the future to have less roads, more green spaces and easier public transportation options, the necessary evil of road construction and improvement is vital to our current infrastructure. One wonders what future historians will note about our road system, whether it was too extensive and ill-advised or whether it was a solid and durable accomplishment for a fast-growing civilization becoming ever greener, or both.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Hard-to-Recycle Item #6: Medical Waste
With the passage of health care reform and rising prescription drug use, increased focus on national health systems should be accompanied by discussion of safe disposal options for this immense industry. Medicines come in a variety of forms; from pills to injections to salves to radiation treatment. All produce discards inevitably from their applications, and the utmost concern and scrutiny needs to be employed in handling these potentially hazardous and infectious wastes.
For the most part, training and public health guidelines for health professionals have kept the problems at a minimal level. However, the amount of household generators and private practices has risen in the past couple decades, simply from the development and propagation of new medicines and treatments. The EPA estimates that 45 million Americans are drinking water with traces of medications flushed down the toilet that don’t get filtered at water treatment facilities. Home care nurses, private vets, self-medicators, all fly under the radar, which is better at preventing large-scale generators like hospitals and pharmaceutical factories from improper disposal.
I’ve had several sorters tell me their greatest fear is reaching into a pile of recyclables only to have their hand come back out with needles stuck in it. We average one or two gallon jugs full of used needles a month here at the Boulder County MRF, not to mention the free-floating needles that pass through the system. We’ve had scalpels and IV tubes make appearances, leading me to believe some commercial generators are not following the guidelines. We’ve had one or two sticks in the past before my time here, and the resulting hospital visits and bills accompanying them were not gravy, let alone the fear of the punctured worker. The cost of those bills is more than enough to set up a public drop-off box at the county’s hazardous waste facility, which I am currently lobbying for. There are other options communities across the country have employed. You can see these and more at http://www.safeneedledisposal.org/assets/pdf/med-govt.pdf.
So what are you supposed to do with your old prescriptions, used insulin needles and bloody gloves..? Well, first you should be familiar with your municipality’s hazardous waste guidelines. Most will tell you where certain items need to go; pills and outdated medicines need to go in the trash, needles should be put in a puncture-proof screw-on container like a milk gallon or coffee container and then thrown in the trash, BUT NEVER THE RECYCLING! It should be noted that those little orange pill bottles are made of a recyclable plastic (medical marijuana patients rejoice!), but never leave anything in them. Needles can also be collected through private take-back programs, or incinerated with home devices. Bloody objects should go in the trash, but if they’re big like a mattress for instance, you should call your county’s accident clean-up people. If this is not possible, wrap the object in layers of plastic and drive it to the landfill, checking their list of accepted materials beforehand.
It sucks that the majority of medical waste needs to be landfilled, but at the moment there aren’t any better options; no one wants to recycle contaminated materials. Waste-to-energy incinerators are used by private take-back companies; incineration is generally a better look than landfilling. Perhaps the biggest problem with the medical waste stream is that the compositions of its materials are rarely known, usually involving crazy chemicals, micro-bacteria, viruses and heavy metals. I am not familiar with what is done to discards from radiology clinics, MRI rooms, chemotherapy machines and the like, but you would hope that someone has implemented safe disposal measures. Considering some of the decisions made before my generation though, you never know.
For the most part, training and public health guidelines for health professionals have kept the problems at a minimal level. However, the amount of household generators and private practices has risen in the past couple decades, simply from the development and propagation of new medicines and treatments. The EPA estimates that 45 million Americans are drinking water with traces of medications flushed down the toilet that don’t get filtered at water treatment facilities. Home care nurses, private vets, self-medicators, all fly under the radar, which is better at preventing large-scale generators like hospitals and pharmaceutical factories from improper disposal.
I’ve had several sorters tell me their greatest fear is reaching into a pile of recyclables only to have their hand come back out with needles stuck in it. We average one or two gallon jugs full of used needles a month here at the Boulder County MRF, not to mention the free-floating needles that pass through the system. We’ve had scalpels and IV tubes make appearances, leading me to believe some commercial generators are not following the guidelines. We’ve had one or two sticks in the past before my time here, and the resulting hospital visits and bills accompanying them were not gravy, let alone the fear of the punctured worker. The cost of those bills is more than enough to set up a public drop-off box at the county’s hazardous waste facility, which I am currently lobbying for. There are other options communities across the country have employed. You can see these and more at http://www.safeneedledisposal.org/assets/pdf/med-govt.pdf.
So what are you supposed to do with your old prescriptions, used insulin needles and bloody gloves..? Well, first you should be familiar with your municipality’s hazardous waste guidelines. Most will tell you where certain items need to go; pills and outdated medicines need to go in the trash, needles should be put in a puncture-proof screw-on container like a milk gallon or coffee container and then thrown in the trash, BUT NEVER THE RECYCLING! It should be noted that those little orange pill bottles are made of a recyclable plastic (medical marijuana patients rejoice!), but never leave anything in them. Needles can also be collected through private take-back programs, or incinerated with home devices. Bloody objects should go in the trash, but if they’re big like a mattress for instance, you should call your county’s accident clean-up people. If this is not possible, wrap the object in layers of plastic and drive it to the landfill, checking their list of accepted materials beforehand.
It sucks that the majority of medical waste needs to be landfilled, but at the moment there aren’t any better options; no one wants to recycle contaminated materials. Waste-to-energy incinerators are used by private take-back companies; incineration is generally a better look than landfilling. Perhaps the biggest problem with the medical waste stream is that the compositions of its materials are rarely known, usually involving crazy chemicals, micro-bacteria, viruses and heavy metals. I am not familiar with what is done to discards from radiology clinics, MRI rooms, chemotherapy machines and the like, but you would hope that someone has implemented safe disposal measures. Considering some of the decisions made before my generation though, you never know.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Hard-to-Recycle Item #5: Wine Corks
A hard-to-recycle item because they don't fit into any single-stream recycling category, wine corks have wide reuse potential and are actually compostable if creativity or collecting things isn't your strong point. Harvested sustainably mostly in the Mediterranean region (but can be found in Maryland!), corks come from the bark of cork oak trees, which can be harvested every 9 years, live up to 200 years, and are an important part of carbon sequestration in their region (ReCORK). It is estimated that 13 billion corks are manufactured and sold annually (ReCORK), so it is important that we divert this biodegradable and useful material from entering the landfill. Start collecting your corks, and when you have the right amount, try one of the options below.
The easiest way to get rid of corks is to find a friend who likes to pursue some of the artistic activities in this article. Otherwise, you could send them to ReCORK, run by Amorim, one of the largest producers of cork wine closures. They've partnered with SOLE, a leading footwear manufacturer, to grind corks they receive into, most notably, sandals, but also gets mixed in unique blends developed by SOLE to produce all types of shoes and comfy footpads. SOLE claims to have distribution with REI and Zappos, as well as with numerous professional sports teams, and claim their cork material products will hit stores in Spring 2010. Unfortunately, you have to pay to ship your corks unless you have a minimum of 15 lbs., in which case they will send you a prepaid mailing label. You could partner with other wine-loving friends to accomplish this, or you may be lucky to find one of their public collection partners in your area, like a winery or restaurant or alternative recycling center.
If you're ambitious and possess the technical know-how, in which case you probably wouldn't need to read this, you could create your own boat out of wine corks! Since corks naturally float, someone with engineering skills and dreams like former White House speechwriter John Pollack can create an amphibious vessel for an old school voyage down a cherished waterway, like the Douro River in Portugal, which Pollack successfully navigated and wrote a book about. If, like most of us, you find yourself less inclined to attempt such a journey, the buoyant qualities of cork also allow other nautical accessories to be created. Try fastening one or two to a key chain or sunglasses strap (I believe the official word is crockers) so they'll float if you or your boat gets sacked by a particularly tremendous wave.
Another brilliant, engineering feat accomplished with cork reuse, but with grander implications than Pollack's boat, is Corky, a battery-less mouse that runs on the continuous motion of ones hand, similar to windable flashlights. Created by Adele Peters for the Greener Gadgets convention going down this week in New York City, it is unclear when such a magnificent product will hit stores, and whether its positive response will garner revamping efforts in offices across the world.
I guess you could say my personal interest with corks (other than drinking wine, obviously, although I've had my share of corkless wines) began when my dad started collecting them to create trivets/hot pads with wooden frames for gifts. This activity requires some woodworking experience and/or equipment. Simply measure the size of several rows of corks, depending on your preference or design you can arrange in a similar design to this picture (alternating horizontal and vertical like the center gives the plate more frictional support), and then cut a flat wood piece (stained/treated wood provides aesthetic enhancement) that will allow all the corks to fit. Use wood glue to make the corks stick, and four side pieces are optional to frame the hot plate. Let the piece dry and then try it out with your favorite dish!
Other reuse options include running dull razors through a cork to get a few more uses out of it, creating your own cork board for posting notes and other things, cutting a slit in the top of a cork to hold recipes, slicing into thin circles and gluing to chair/table legs to prevent wood floor degradation, making coasters, picture frames, glass-covered coffee tables, igloo lanterns?, candle bases, wreaths, holders on fishing hats, hanging fly-swatters on hiking hats, flooring, the list goes on. The internet abounds with helpful hints on any of these activities, but you can also let your own creative synergies guide you.
With all these options for corks, there should be no reason to throw them in the trash. In compost, cork acts like wood chips, aerating the pile and breaking down over several compost cycles (Dan Matsch). If a reuse or recycling option can't be achieved, go ahead and throw your corks in that compost pile. Remember that wine bottles also have reuse potential in the home/garden, as either hanging scarecrow glass to shoo away birds and other critters, or as fruit-fly traps. If you keep a little wine (I hear fruit flies prefer red) or vinegar in the bottom of a bottle, and keep the bottle near the center of fruit fly activity, like a kitchen sink, fruit flies will be naturally attracted to the liquid and usually end up over-indulging, getting stuck or drowning, leaving them, indubitably, worse off than someone with a wine hangover.
The easiest way to get rid of corks is to find a friend who likes to pursue some of the artistic activities in this article. Otherwise, you could send them to ReCORK, run by Amorim, one of the largest producers of cork wine closures. They've partnered with SOLE, a leading footwear manufacturer, to grind corks they receive into, most notably, sandals, but also gets mixed in unique blends developed by SOLE to produce all types of shoes and comfy footpads. SOLE claims to have distribution with REI and Zappos, as well as with numerous professional sports teams, and claim their cork material products will hit stores in Spring 2010. Unfortunately, you have to pay to ship your corks unless you have a minimum of 15 lbs., in which case they will send you a prepaid mailing label. You could partner with other wine-loving friends to accomplish this, or you may be lucky to find one of their public collection partners in your area, like a winery or restaurant or alternative recycling center.
If you're ambitious and possess the technical know-how, in which case you probably wouldn't need to read this, you could create your own boat out of wine corks! Since corks naturally float, someone with engineering skills and dreams like former White House speechwriter John Pollack can create an amphibious vessel for an old school voyage down a cherished waterway, like the Douro River in Portugal, which Pollack successfully navigated and wrote a book about. If, like most of us, you find yourself less inclined to attempt such a journey, the buoyant qualities of cork also allow other nautical accessories to be created. Try fastening one or two to a key chain or sunglasses strap (I believe the official word is crockers) so they'll float if you or your boat gets sacked by a particularly tremendous wave.
Another brilliant, engineering feat accomplished with cork reuse, but with grander implications than Pollack's boat, is Corky, a battery-less mouse that runs on the continuous motion of ones hand, similar to windable flashlights. Created by Adele Peters for the Greener Gadgets convention going down this week in New York City, it is unclear when such a magnificent product will hit stores, and whether its positive response will garner revamping efforts in offices across the world.
I guess you could say my personal interest with corks (other than drinking wine, obviously, although I've had my share of corkless wines) began when my dad started collecting them to create trivets/hot pads with wooden frames for gifts. This activity requires some woodworking experience and/or equipment. Simply measure the size of several rows of corks, depending on your preference or design you can arrange in a similar design to this picture (alternating horizontal and vertical like the center gives the plate more frictional support), and then cut a flat wood piece (stained/treated wood provides aesthetic enhancement) that will allow all the corks to fit. Use wood glue to make the corks stick, and four side pieces are optional to frame the hot plate. Let the piece dry and then try it out with your favorite dish!
Other reuse options include running dull razors through a cork to get a few more uses out of it, creating your own cork board for posting notes and other things, cutting a slit in the top of a cork to hold recipes, slicing into thin circles and gluing to chair/table legs to prevent wood floor degradation, making coasters, picture frames, glass-covered coffee tables, igloo lanterns?, candle bases, wreaths, holders on fishing hats, hanging fly-swatters on hiking hats, flooring, the list goes on. The internet abounds with helpful hints on any of these activities, but you can also let your own creative synergies guide you.
With all these options for corks, there should be no reason to throw them in the trash. In compost, cork acts like wood chips, aerating the pile and breaking down over several compost cycles (Dan Matsch). If a reuse or recycling option can't be achieved, go ahead and throw your corks in that compost pile. Remember that wine bottles also have reuse potential in the home/garden, as either hanging scarecrow glass to shoo away birds and other critters, or as fruit-fly traps. If you keep a little wine (I hear fruit flies prefer red) or vinegar in the bottom of a bottle, and keep the bottle near the center of fruit fly activity, like a kitchen sink, fruit flies will be naturally attracted to the liquid and usually end up over-indulging, getting stuck or drowning, leaving them, indubitably, worse off than someone with a wine hangover.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Ambition - Labor pt. 4
With the Winter Olympics in full swing up in Vancouver, the culmination of four years of training is coming to fruition for Olympic athletes. Some have only this platform to showcase their talents and unique sports, giving a new meaning to the sporting mantra of pacing yourself. The desire for gold drives the ambitions of many like American Hannah Kearney, but for a lot of athletes, including the Jamaican bobsled team of '88 (strangely denied participation in the past few games), just getting to the games and crossing the finish line is a victory in itself.
Recently, in a rare, warm spell here in Colorado, I played basketball with a blind student on CU's campus. His name was Ethan, and he came up to me and asked if I wanted to play one-on-one. Hungry for some real competition, I, of course, indulged. He wanted me to play him like I would anyone else, but I couldn't bring myself to unleashing my normal buffalo mode. I did have an impressively hot hand from the perimeter that day, however.
Surprisingly, the final score was not a shutout. Ethan was able to dribble the ball to within four feet of the basket and make lay-ups and baby hook shots even with my arms stretched in the air scoring around seven points. This was possible due to his ability to distinguish black and white shapes, and shadows of movement. When he was guarding me, he was able to tell when I dribbled the ball through my legs or when I posited a spin move. He was also able to tell when I swished a shot calling it "the greatest sound in basketball." His sense of hearing helped him identify a stray rebound, closing in on the bouncing object, or when he wanted to pass it to me, he asked that I clap, and he would sling the ball with decent accuracy in my direction. He asked for any tips, but sadly, because I've never sat and thought about such a dilemma, I was unable to offer any enlightenment other than practicing free throws because of the straight-on, fixed nature of the shot. I also said something about the practicality of handoff plays if we were playing a team game. (I will save these tips for my coaching debut at the special Olympics).
Ethan's favorite team was the Lakers, his favorite players Kobe and Shaq, hearing of their dominant exploits back in the early 2000's when he arrived in America from Ethiopia. He's gone to games, where he listens to the commentators with headphones, hopefully sitting close enough to hear actual sounds from the game e.g. shoes squeaking, players and coaches calling out plays, the substitution and shot clock buzzers, and of course, the rim shots and nothing-but-nets. Above all else, Ethan is a successful example of being able to follow your passions with the proper drive and confidence in your abilities just like the Olympic athletes.
Now that the inmates are gone, the ghosts here in MRFtown are whispering. They're saying we need to start hiring some folks to reward production goals met and to boost our product quality. Somewhere in the last couple weeks we were able to diminish our tipping floor piles, monstrous mountains of trash, that when I arrived and up until a couple weeks ago, were overflowing out the door. I'd like to think that my gophering efforts to help fix machinery, (and the massive dent I put in Eco-Cycle's shop maintenance budget), had a hand in this, but the true saviors of MRFland are the laborers who put work in to catch up with the production curve. I'm hoping a worker appreciation barbecue is in order. Somehow finding myself in charge of the employment task force and with this lull in material coming in, I need to keep pushing the Operations Manager, Jerry, on the bbq, but mostly to hire a few of the better contract workers, some who've been here for nearly a year still technically working for a labor source. These guys are determined to have a job, and if the recession has had any visual impact for me, it is most evident in the struggles of our workers.
I can't tell you how many little struggles I've heard when a worker comes in to the production office with a story. One forklift operator had something stuck in his eye for two weeks, and the dusty environs of the MRF irritated it even further. One of the line leaders didn't come in to work for a week with mental health problems amounting to depression and suicidal thoughts. Another guy whos been here for a year is considering another job that pays a dollar more an hour, but hates starting new jobs, especially when his wife's ex-husband is the business owner. Misplaced checks, multiple family members working different shifts, lunch/small theft are all a reality of working here. These guys must have immense determination to come back to work here every day amidst all their personal problems. Struggle brings strength, and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. It has yet to be seen whether this saying applies to economic theory, or perhaps even labor relations.
In other news, a massive flock of blackbirds returns daily to feed on our outdoor glass piles where we dump our compactor residue around lunchtime. One has to wonder if or when the little bits of glass cullet, inseparable from any existing food residue, will kill them.
Recently, in a rare, warm spell here in Colorado, I played basketball with a blind student on CU's campus. His name was Ethan, and he came up to me and asked if I wanted to play one-on-one. Hungry for some real competition, I, of course, indulged. He wanted me to play him like I would anyone else, but I couldn't bring myself to unleashing my normal buffalo mode. I did have an impressively hot hand from the perimeter that day, however.
Surprisingly, the final score was not a shutout. Ethan was able to dribble the ball to within four feet of the basket and make lay-ups and baby hook shots even with my arms stretched in the air scoring around seven points. This was possible due to his ability to distinguish black and white shapes, and shadows of movement. When he was guarding me, he was able to tell when I dribbled the ball through my legs or when I posited a spin move. He was also able to tell when I swished a shot calling it "the greatest sound in basketball." His sense of hearing helped him identify a stray rebound, closing in on the bouncing object, or when he wanted to pass it to me, he asked that I clap, and he would sling the ball with decent accuracy in my direction. He asked for any tips, but sadly, because I've never sat and thought about such a dilemma, I was unable to offer any enlightenment other than practicing free throws because of the straight-on, fixed nature of the shot. I also said something about the practicality of handoff plays if we were playing a team game. (I will save these tips for my coaching debut at the special Olympics).
Ethan's favorite team was the Lakers, his favorite players Kobe and Shaq, hearing of their dominant exploits back in the early 2000's when he arrived in America from Ethiopia. He's gone to games, where he listens to the commentators with headphones, hopefully sitting close enough to hear actual sounds from the game e.g. shoes squeaking, players and coaches calling out plays, the substitution and shot clock buzzers, and of course, the rim shots and nothing-but-nets. Above all else, Ethan is a successful example of being able to follow your passions with the proper drive and confidence in your abilities just like the Olympic athletes.
Now that the inmates are gone, the ghosts here in MRFtown are whispering. They're saying we need to start hiring some folks to reward production goals met and to boost our product quality. Somewhere in the last couple weeks we were able to diminish our tipping floor piles, monstrous mountains of trash, that when I arrived and up until a couple weeks ago, were overflowing out the door. I'd like to think that my gophering efforts to help fix machinery, (and the massive dent I put in Eco-Cycle's shop maintenance budget), had a hand in this, but the true saviors of MRFland are the laborers who put work in to catch up with the production curve. I'm hoping a worker appreciation barbecue is in order. Somehow finding myself in charge of the employment task force and with this lull in material coming in, I need to keep pushing the Operations Manager, Jerry, on the bbq, but mostly to hire a few of the better contract workers, some who've been here for nearly a year still technically working for a labor source. These guys are determined to have a job, and if the recession has had any visual impact for me, it is most evident in the struggles of our workers.
I can't tell you how many little struggles I've heard when a worker comes in to the production office with a story. One forklift operator had something stuck in his eye for two weeks, and the dusty environs of the MRF irritated it even further. One of the line leaders didn't come in to work for a week with mental health problems amounting to depression and suicidal thoughts. Another guy whos been here for a year is considering another job that pays a dollar more an hour, but hates starting new jobs, especially when his wife's ex-husband is the business owner. Misplaced checks, multiple family members working different shifts, lunch/small theft are all a reality of working here. These guys must have immense determination to come back to work here every day amidst all their personal problems. Struggle brings strength, and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. It has yet to be seen whether this saying applies to economic theory, or perhaps even labor relations.
In other news, a massive flock of blackbirds returns daily to feed on our outdoor glass piles where we dump our compactor residue around lunchtime. One has to wonder if or when the little bits of glass cullet, inseparable from any existing food residue, will kill them.
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