Resource Conservation: Waste More than just recycling

1. Resource Conservation: WasteMore than just recycling Morgan Stewart Topic of Global Significance

2. “’Solid wastes’ are the discarded leftovers of our advanced consumer society. This growing mountain of garbage and trash represents not only an attitude of indifference toward valuable natural resources, but also a serious economic and public health problem.” -Jimmy Carter May, 23, 1977

3. Did you know…

4. … 2.5 to 4 billion metric tons of waste are generated daily? http://www.mimifroufrou.com/scentedsalamander/

5. … 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used every minute globally? http://myecoproject.org/

6. … E-waste generation increases by approximately 40 million tons each year? http://www.ieewaste.org/index.php?inc=producer

7. … 60% of countries at the 1992 Earth Summit reported that solid waste disposal was one of the biggest environmental concerns?

8. … in 2005, 55 billion aluminum beverage cans were landfilled, littered, or incinerated? http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/108139116/Aluminum_UBC_CANS.html

9. … 40% of the solid mass in landfills is paper and paperboard waste? http://mismreps.ideascale.com/

10. American advertising http://www.benadryl.com/ http://www.kleenx.com/handtowels http://www.hostesscakes.com/

11. What are resources? • Land or raw materials • virgin • primary • 2 most common classifications • Renewable • Non-renewable

12. What is waste? • Difficult to define • A negative effect on the environment • Rubbish, trash, refuse, garbage, junk • Many classifications • Disposable Lives • Video 1 • Video 2

13. Brief History • Resources were rare • Limited technology=untapped natural resources • Industrial Revolution (end of 18th century) • Discover and exploit • Hide or bury • Crisis in the 1970s • Oil Crisis • Raw materials crisis

14. So why is waste and resource conservation an issue?

15. Globally • Population • Landfills • Efficient with disposal pick-up • Placed in locations that are out of sight • Beginning to export waste to other countries • Attitudes of developed countries • Pre-industrial revolution • Post-industrial revolution • Attitudes of developing counties

16. Waste & Human Health • Chemical leaching • Landfills • Vermin

17. Waste & Environment • Methane • Nitrous oxide • Carbon dioxide

18. Contemporary Issues • Giant Pacific Garbage Patch • North Pacific Gyre • 2x larger than Texas • 80% plastic • North Atlantic Garbage Patch • Theory of other gyres • Hotel to raise awareness

19. Depletion of Resources • Limited natural resources • Developed countries vs. developing countries • Primary resources vs. secondary resources • Consequences of tapping into raw natural resources

21. How is awareness being raised? Volunteering Art Music Media Real-Life Stories Plastiki Zero Waste

22. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to change. It’s not.” -Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

23. Local Actions • Reduce • Invest in canvas bags for grocery stores. • Some will give a 10¢ discount/bag used • Stop junk mail by registering with the National Do Not Mail List at www.DirectMail.com

24. Reuse • Before purchasing new, check to see if you can buy refurbished items • Shop at places such as the Salvation Army Family Store for gently used items. 817.560.1563 • Become a member of an on-line community like www.Freecycle.org or Dallas.Craigslist.org

25. Recycle • Dispose of household chemical waste (batteries, aerosol cans, CFLs, etc.), at The Environmental Collection Center for free! 817.871.5257 • E-Waste (computers, TVs, cellular phones, etc.) at Goodwill Industries of Forth Worth or at www.texasrecyclescomputers.org • 7 Things to Recycle

26. Repurpose • The idea that an object (such as an empty 2-liter bottle) can be given a new purpose instead of being regulated to the garbage. • Fill a 2-liter with water, invert and stick in the ground at the base of a tree. Water will slowly seep into the ground to tree roots minimizing run-off. • Buy repurposed items from local vendors found on sites such as www.Etsy.com

27. But most importantly • Rethink… • everyday decisions

28. Citations • Lacoste, E. & Chalmin, P. (2006). From Waste to Resource: 2006 World Waste Survey. Paris, FR: Economica Editions • Seuss, Dr. (1971). The Lorax. New York, NY: Random House. • Shah, A. (2011, March 16). Global Issues: Consumption and Consumerism. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.globalissues.org/issue/235/consumption-and-consumerism • Stephens, A. (2008, June 25). Top 15 Shocking Facts You Didn’t Know about Paper Waste. Retrieved from http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/top-15-shocking-facts-you-didnt-know-about-office-paper-waste-461807.html • United Nations Environmental Programme & United Nations University. (2009). Sustainable Innovation Technology Transfer Industrial Sector Studies: Recycling—from E-waste to Resources. (DTI/1192/PA). Retrieved from http://www.unep.org/PDF/PressReleases/E-Waste_publication_screen_FINALVERSION-sml.pdf • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2011). Wastes—Non-Hazardous Waste—Municipal Solid Waste. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/index.htm • Container Recycling Institute. (2005). Stemming the Tide of Trashed Aluminum Cans: Industry Efforts Fall Flat. • Edwards, K. (2009). Waste and Recycling Facts. Retrieved from http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html • Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. (2001). Rethinking Recycling: An Oregon Waste Reduction Curriculum. Retrieved from http://www.oregon.gov/DEQ/