Green Options

This week at ZapRoot: Is Google destroying the planet one search at a time? The recycling market has gone bust. And check out “That’s Just Weird.”

The town of Lowell, Ind., is examining whether or not to build a $ 200 million plant that would convert garbage into ethanol.

Though such a plant might conjure up visions of the “Mr. Fusion” unit in Doc Brown’s DeLorean, the plants could create 165 permanent jobs and 400 construction jobs in the small town southwest of Gary.

Usually, people who recycle and donate to charity are commended for their efforts, but Robert Jessberger of Bexley, Ohio is being asked to stop, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Jessberger reportedly collects items that people in his neighborhood set out as trash. With some cleaning and fixing, most of the items he collects are good as new. He donates thousands of dollars worth of cleaned-up items to charity every year and [...]

An Atlanta, GA-based company called Geoplasma is using trash to provide power to 50,000 homes in Florida. The company’s plasma refuse plant, which should be online by 2011, is a first for the United States. It will process 1,500 tons of garbage each day and send 60 MW of power to the grid.

A number of elephants have died after eating plastic from a garbage dump in Chobe National Park in Botswana.  The Chobe District Council says it has no choice but to continue dumping trash at the site.

Elephants, hyenas, baboons and birds all gather at the dumping site in Chobe to feed. Just this year, three elephants have died after consuming plastic from the garbage heap.

Thunya Sedodoma, the principal wildlife warden in the park, said that last year, plastics were found in the stomach of a dead elephant. She said it is not uncommon to see plastic in the feces of elephants. Sedodoma said that this year alone, the park has recorded over 70 deaths of wildlife, all related to feeding from the garbage dump.

Westport, Connecticut, recently joined a small but growing number of communities to ban the use of free plastic shopping bags within its borders. The new ordinance, which goes into effect early next year, would impose a $150 fine on any store that offers such bags.

WestportNow.com reports that citizens attending the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) vote on the ban overwhelmingly supported the measure. The RTM eventually voted 26 to 5 (with one abstention) in favor of the ordinance, and also rejected a proposal that would have made the ban effective only through Sept. 19 of next year.

The sagging U.S. economy apparently causes people to not only tighten their belts, but to throw away less stuff.

A recent ABC news report said solid-waste managers across the country have been seeing noticeable declines in the amount of trash their communities generate … anywhere from 3 to 12 percent over the past few months to year.

Some of the managers attribute most of the decline to the struggling housing market. Fewer homes being built (or torn down to make room for newer, larger houses) mean less construction waste heading toward landfills. Others say increased recycling efforts might also be making a dent in solid waste hauls.

My husband and I are quite pleased with our brand-new king size mattress.  It’s firm, yet comfy, and because we also indulged in some new down pillows, we are sleeping much better these days.  But what should we do with the old mattress?  I know the mattress delivery company removes it, but I am sure that they just send it to a landfill.  I would like to dispose of our [...]

Sheesh. It seems that everybody and their brothers are ethanol experts these days. But what drives me nuts is that when people are talking about ethanol, they don’t seem to know what type of ethanol they’re talking about.

It’s sad because the widespread misinformation and misunderstanding is killing popular opinion for biofuels in general right now and, in particular, mercilessly destroying the good name of the second generation of ethanol — cellulosic ethanol.

The truth of the matter is that cellulosic ethanol will be made from non-food sources (miscanthus, switchgrass, wood waste, and even garbage) that can be grown on marginal land or is already a waste byproduct of society.

The production of cellulosic ethanol could have huge benefits beyond energy independence:

Just tested new eco poly bags from The Finer Liner.com and I’m impressed. Both business and home owners who simultaneously care about tasteful decor and being green have a solution.

Company owner Annette Savio offers lovely white biodegradable trash liners with shimmering gold ferns printed on them. The scalloped edge is unique and stylish. As pictured, simply fold the liner edge over for a fashionable wastebasket.

Each liner fits up to a 36 inch perimeter, which is your typical basket size for decorated living, bed and bathrooms. A pack of 12 liners is $9 or retailers can place minimum orders for 36 packages.

Note: My inspiration for posting this is attributable to the many radically creative and excellent ideas in Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden and Your Neighborhood into a Community by H.C. Flores.

The clock is ticking. On Wednesday, I am to shoot a segment for the Sust Enable film project in which I construct a draft box (alternative to a refrigerator), solar cooker (alternative to a stove/oven), and hot water solar shower, in order to illustrate how easy and cheap it is to build such items for the average person. Once applied, these technologies can divert significant amounts of energy that would normally come from the plugs in your home, to free energy provided by the sun and wind. (Of course, the issue of winter and weather conditions arises, but I believe that every little applied creative technology helps in the approach toward sustainable living.)

But there is one obstacle looming… can I overcome it in the hours before the shoot begins?

How do I sustainably acquire the necessary materials?

If I am claiming to live a 100% sustainable lifestyle, then certainly I cannot acquire anything new–all supplies must be redeemed from the waste stream of others. Or must they? I began to realize that the likelihood of me garbage-picking a 55-gallon drum, spigots, fixtures, tools, aluminum foil and black hose was rather slim in the time frame given, and with the transportation resources I have (i.e., a bike).

Hence, I must consider the tradeoff of my actions as thoroughly as I can. What are the consequences of the manufacturing of a metal spigot, bought new from Home Depot? What’s the tradeoff if I were to continue to use conventional hot water heaters for all of my showers for the next few years of my life?