>
>The discussion of banning materials seems to be different in that it is an
>implementation strategy. If such are to be included in, then other strategies
>should be mentioned, in particular, those that support waste reduction. This
>may take us beyond where we ever have gone before, because we quickly get into
>changing human behavior.
Exactly!
Can we ban advertising? How do we get couples to
>stop buying 5-bedroom houses and filling them with furniture and gadgets?
Not to mention lots of materials consuming children!! Sustainable
development necessitates putting a lid on that too.
>We need to develop incentives to design for durability and recyclability.
Correctamundo! And design for repairability, reusability, lower toxicty,
less packaging, etc..
>Has anyone seen the comic strip "Mutts" which has been doing a series on
>waste. In my favorite one, the main characters, a dog and cat (mutts, I
>guess) confront a rat on a pile of trash. Rat: "my empire grows daily"
>next panel, rat: Consume, peoples, consume!!! keep selling, keep buying!! keep
>dumping!!! faster!faster! Out with the old!! out with the new!! more, more
>more for me!!! Last panel, rat: "Only the rat wins the rat race."
And does anybody remember Paul McCartney's song, "Junk", with the refrain:
"Buy, Buy, says the sign in the shop window,
Why, Why, says the junk in the yard."
Off his first solo album, McCartney. A good anthem, I think.
>If we want this to be "market driven" then we should mention strategies such
>as manufacturer's responsibility and eliminating virgin materials subsidies.
Yep. And lifecycle assessment as a means of selecting the types of products
to buy.
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Marjorie J. Clarke Environmental Scientist and Consultant
Address: mclarke@shiva.hunter.cuny.edu
New York City Phone & Fax: 212-567-8272