Re: [greenyes] African Environmentalist wins Nobel Peace Prize

["Eric Lombardi" <eric@no.address>]

I want to second this.  After decades of working to grow recycling, I can
see now the limitations of focusing strictly upon the "waste" issue as
society has defined it.  I think Ms. Maathai had it right from the
beginning, it was always about more than just planting trees in Africa.  It
was about justice and poverty and democracy as well.  I think the original
pioneers in recycling had it right in the 1970's as well with thier focus on
resource conservation as opposed to "landfill capacity", which was really a
creation of the media in 1987 with the Mobro Barge sensation.

My point here is to say that the philosophy of Zero Waste is the correct
next step "beyond recycling" because it is about all those high moral issues
that they are recognizing with this Nobel Peace prize to Maathai.  It is
about the bigger picture of corporate responsibility, community health as a
goal of the precautionary principle, good jobs, resource conservation and
local environmental and economic justice.  Does all this sound like a
fantasy?  I'm sure the idea of planting trees in Africa was once laughed at
as well.

Eric

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pat Franklin" <pfranklin@no.address>
To: "Green Yes" <greenyes@no.address>
Sent: Saturday, October 09, 2004 5:33 PM
Subject: [greenyes] African Environmentalist wins Nobel Peace Prize


>
>
> Environmentalists and all who work on sustainability issues, take heart!
> Rejoice in the good news that Wangari Maathai, an African woman, an
> environmentalist, has won the Nobel Peace Prize.  An environmentalist!
> Imagine that.  Having heard the word "environment" so seldom during the
> current presidential election, I was beginning to think that "The
> Environment" (the air we breath, the water we drink, the land on which and
> from which we live) had dropped totally off of the radar screen. I am
> encouraged.
>
> Congratulations Dr. Maathai and thank you for your long years of work in
the
> fields of sustainability, justice and democracy.
>
>
>
> ****************************************
> Patricia Franklin
> Executive Director
> Container Recycling Institute
> 1911 N. Fort Myer Drive, Ste. 702
> Arlington, VA 22209
>
> TEL:   703.276.9800
> FAX:   703.276.9587
> EMAIL: pfranklin@no.address
>
> http://www.container-recycling.org
> http://www.bottlebill.info
> ****************************************
>
>
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