Today's Topics:
1984 13 years later
3RD World Zero Emissions Congress
Business & Ecology Roundtable Retreat
More on "What's Behind the Attack on Recycling?" (2 msgs)
Plastics Retreat
Pro-Recycling Study
Satellite Seminars on Business Waste Reduction
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Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997 15:18:40 -0600
From: RecycleWorlds <anderson@msn.fullfeed.com>
Subject: 1984 13 years later
It is no longer desirable for politicians to talk about "changing or
reforming" environmental regulations, Sen. Larry Craig told the National
Cattlemen's Beef Association, because those words are "an attack on the
status quo" of environmental protection which the public believes has
improved the country. National Journal's Congress Daily reports that Craig
told the Cattlemen that he has "adjusted [his] vocabulary" to talk about
"modernizing and improving" environmental regulations instead.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997 12:06:57 -0500
From: "ZERO WASTE AMERICA, Inc." <lynnlandes@earthlink.net>
Subject: 3RD World Zero Emissions Congress
------ =_NextPart_000_01BC3915.0CF65D20
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Grassroots Recycling Network: Shouldn't we be participating in this =
Congress, observing the proceedings, and/or publicizing its work?
Shouldn't we ask our state and congressional representatives to send a =
U.S. delegation to the Congress? Let's take advantage of this Congress =
and put the heat on U.S. politicians and industry to get on board the =
"zero" movement.
Lynn Landes
=20
Topics for presentation and discussion on the occasion of the Third =
Annual World Congress on Zero Emissions under the title=20
"The second green revolution"=20
how the zero emissions research initiative (ZERI)=20
intends to contribute=20
Held in Jakarta, Indonesia, June 5-7, 1997
with study tour and seminars on June 8-9
Proposed Chairperson of the Congress
HE Tommy Koh, Ambassador at large of Singapore
Speakers from all continents, from all backgrounds including heads of =
state, corporate executives and scientists
Participation in Jakarta by invitation only and limited to 150 =
international guests
Participation over Internet video, audio or text contact <info@zeri.org> =
Objectives of the Congress
(1)=20
Unite scientists=20
on the vision that if we are to respond to the pressing needs of water, =
food, energy, shelter, health care and jobs in this world,
and if we are to secure a sustainable future for all, then mankind =
cannot only expect the Earth to produce more, but mankind
must do more with what the Earth produces. It is a call for further =
multidisciplinary research and a proof of early successes
aimed motivating further and enlarged focus on the great opportunities =
for the Second Green Revolution.
(2)=20
Demonstrate to the business community
that a blend of traditional and new technologies permit the dramatic =
increase of productivity of raw materials, the increase of
output, the creation of jobs and the elimination of waste. The congress =
will demonstrate the tremendous opportunities for
companies which are prepared to go beyond the mere ISO 14,000 or cleaner =
production but which target zero emissions
through the creation of a cluster of complementary industries.=20
(3)=20
Enhance the capacity of the financial community
to assess the financial viability of the zero emissions approach. It =
improves cash flow, reduces investment risks, increases the
return on investment, pushes turnover per employee up while generating =
jobs, thus enhancing overall productivity. The
congress will offer the concrete tools to undertake a ZERI audit and how =
to test yourself using the ZERI Due Diligence
identifying new value added which remained unnoticed before.=20
(4)=20
Facilitate the policy makers at national and regional level=20
to design a framework which will facilitate the implementation of the =
second green revolution. The congress will not only
provide contact with the business community but will offer a clear =
insight how the investment of one industry could lead to the
development of a whole cluster of industries based on the raw material =
cycles. Countries with a strong interest in plantations
are particularly well positioned to take advantage of this opportunity.
(5)=20
Offer a new vision to NGOs
which inspired by their desire to create a better community can envisage =
new strategies for implementing such a strategy in
cooperation with the business and financial community and with a =
government prepared to respond to the new environment.
(6)=20
Provide clear input to the United Nations
special General Assembly on "Rio Plus Five" where the concept of Zero =
Emissions and thee Second Green Revolution were
not debated.=20
(7)=20
Make new course material available to academic
and training institutions on a multidisciplinary basis, combining =
economics, process engineering, microbiology, botany,
chemistry and physics into a common response to the challenges mankind =
is facing.=20
(8)=20
Generate hope and a clear future to the public at large,
disenchanted with politics, lacking confidence in business and reluctant =
to accept technology breakthroughs from the scientific
community
The congress discusses :
how business will compete in the 21st century merging the social agenda =
with ethical responsibility
how poverty alleviation is part and parcel of the same agenda
as productivity programs
how industry can increase ROI while contributing to the health
of the people and the generation of jobs
how government can provide a regulatory framework stimulating
investors to apply the ZERI concepts
how the academic community can catalyze change when it evolves
into multidisciplinary research and development
how the financial community from investors, to venture capitalists and =
can acquire the tools to generate more value added
The ZERI Congress discusses the strategic thrust of over 50 Industries=20
agro-industrial processing alcohol production
algae processing animal feed
anti-oxidants, vitamins and beta carotene bamboo related industries
banking beer brewing cattle farming cellulose cement and cement board =
charcoal=20
chemical (organic and inorganic) chicken broilers
coconut colofonia
composting construction materials cotton mills detergents=20
energy engineering services
enzymatic processing fermentation industries
functional foods
furfural extraction fish farming
food additives (carrageenan) fruit processing
furniture gracilaria
iodine processing investment funds
milk and milk processing mushroom cultivation olive oil mills
paint palm
particle board (fiber board) pharmaceuticals
pineapple plantations
protein extraction pulp and paper
rayon fibers
seaweed sisal
sugar processing textiles=20
tourism vegetable oil mills
venture capital water hyacinth conversion wood processing
LIVE From JAKARTA over Internet
Evening of June 5 : Opening Session at the Presidential Palace in =
Jakarta=20
"The Scientists' of the Developing World Declaration on and Call for: =
The Second Green Revolution"
Presented by Prof. Dr. Keto Mshigeni, chairman of the scientific =
advisory council of the UNU/ZERI, chairman of the
agriculture committee of the Third World Academy of Sciences, editor of =
Discovery and Innovation, the quarterly of the Third
and African Academy of Sciences in name of over 100 concerned scientists =
from around the globe.
Keynote Address by HE Sam Nujoma
President of the Republic of Namibia
"Namibia is committed to demonstrate that a second green revolution is =
feasible. And I believe that the ZERI program will take
us far in that direction". The President will respond to the call from =
the scientists and add his political vision from a developing
country.
Comments from
Mrs. Linda Garland, designer (Ireland/Indonesia)
Prof. Dr. Vargas, minister of science and technology Brazil and chairman =
of the Third World Academy of Sciences
Anders Wijkman, director bureau for policy coordination of UNDP
Prof. Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, Madras, India
HE Noemi Sanin de Rubio, Chair of the Foundation for Democracy
Colombia
Mwalimu Julius Neyere, Chairman South Center, Tanzania=20
June 6 in the conference center of the Ministry of Tourism and Telecom=20
Review of the Core Activities of ZERI and its future
Report presented by the Rector of the United Nations University with the =
Director of the UNU/IAS and the founder and
director of ZERI.
The Case of Beer Brewing: just three years after
coordinated by Udo Stritter, Managing Director Ohlthaver and List Group =
from Namibia with Prof. George Chan
An update on the Fiji and Namibia projects which have passed the =
theoretical and planning phase with the opening of phase
one in Fiji last November and Tsumeb last January. Both openings have =
been accompanied by regional training programs.
Review of the Initiatives undertaken in the host country
Coordinated by HE Minister Sarwono in coordination with the Hon. J. Hugh =
Faulkner and Mrs. Linda Garland.
Review of the Core ZERI Technologies=20
Panel with=20
Prof. Dr. S.T. Chang, Chinese University in Hong Kong on mushrooms
Prof. Dr. Li Kenghai, Director Polyculture Fisheries and member of the =
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Prof. Dr. Habil. Chem. Janis Gravitis, Material Separation Technologies, =
director of program at UNU/IAS
Prof. Dr. Juan Israel, University of Jerusalem on salt water irrigation
Prof. Dr. R. Meyers, earthworm expert, South Africa
Review of the ZERI Training Programs=20
Panel with=20
Prof. Dr. Lucio Brusch, PUCRS, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Prof. Carlos Bernal, ZERI Institute for Latin America, Bogota
Prof. Dr. Manuel Longoria, Rector Universidad Regiomontana, Mexico
Prof. Dr. Tadjudin, Rector of the University of Indonesia
Prof. Dr. L. Lahne, Rector of the Gotland University
Dr. Geoffrey Higgins, ZERI UK Program
Technologies from Nature: ZERI and the water hyacinth
coordinated by Prof. T. Mphuru, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and =
Natural Resources, Africa University in
Zimbabwe and Dr. Maya, director of the South Center in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The water hyacinth is considered a pest. This ornamental plant imported =
from Latin America into Africa and Asia has infested
rivers and lakes, affecting adversely fishing, transportation and energy =
supply. After a first attempt to destroy the water
hyacinth chemically, recent attempts have focused on biological control, =
introducing the weevil beetle from Australia. It also
failed. The ZERI applied its methodology and the findings from this 5 =
country research are presented in a premiere
presentation.
Vegetable Oil industries
with the participation of William Pandolina,=20
Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology of the Philippines
The world market for vegetable oils is one of the core sources of fatty =
acids and proteins. Coconut and palm plantations
produce millions of tons of vegetable oil and by-products. The core =
source of the fats and the proteins are the fruits which
represent less than 10% of the biomass of generated by the plantation. =
While the palm oil presented its case at the second
world congress, the the third congress will focus at the comparative =
position of the coconut related industries. Since the market
of vegetable oils is not limited to Asia, the case of olive oils, a =
Mediterranean produce is also studied since the downstream
problems are vast and the application of zero emissions immense. The =
cluster of industries around the engine of development
includes pharmaceuticals and functional foods.
This review has major implications for food processing industries as =
well as detergent manufacturers, particle board makers,
and indicates the state of the art technologies that permit to convert =
these plantations into major sequesters of carbon dioxide.=20
Pineapple Processing
coordinated by Husodo Angkosubroto, director Great Giant Pineapple Co.
The modern pineapple plantation only collects two harvests, after which =
the pineapple plant is plowed back into the soil. This
biomass is attractive for different purposes and the ZERI approach =
permits the reuse of several components. The pilot study
will be completed by the time of the congress and a new cluster =
presented which will clarify the new options for this industry.
The case of seaweeds: ZERI and Health (iodine)=20
coordinated by Prof. Dr. Keto Mshigeni
The production of agar and seaweed have been discussed in detail during =
previous congresses. The research has identified
new ways to increase the value added generated by looking at the overall =
contribution the extraction of biochemicals
represents when we take the reuse of the fibers and especially the =
iodine into account. Today, the export of dried seaweed
unfortunately also implies the loss of the minerals which are of little =
value to the processing companies. This industrial cluster is
effective and has a series of concrete applications in coastal zones, =
where it not only secures an income but also guarantees the
protection of the coral reefs and the phasing out of the cyanide =
fishing.
The future of cellulose
Prof. Dr. Carl-G=F6ran Hed=E9n
The market for cellulose is growing. Its application from construction =
materials, to pulp, textiles and pharmaceuticals is
expanding. Its source remains limited and much is extracted from the =
hardwoods. There are alternative options and the use of
bamboo as a source for pulp, sugar cane as a source for microcrystalline =
cellulose has been demonstrated. This gives rise to
new clusters of industries we have not identified before. The research =
has been undertaken and the conclusions are presented
at the congress.
ZERI applied to Ecotourism
Mr. Victor Emery, former managing director of the Savoy Hotel Group
The term of ecotourism has been presented since 1992 Rio Summit. ZERI =
decided to apply its methodology and concept the
the tourism industry, reportedly the largest employer in the world with =
an estimated continued growth for the decade to come.
Applying ZERI methodology permits to review new development projects =
where the objective is not only to reduce the
impact, but to virtually eliminate all adverse effects tourism can have. =
It requires an operation where the facilities are
self-sufficient in water, renewable energy and food. This case is =
applied to new developments around the largest Natural Park
in Africa, located in Etosha, at the crossroads among Botswana, Angola =
and Namibia.
Industrial Parks and zero emissions
Coordinated by the Philippe Bergeron, Managing Director of the Regional =
Institute for Environmental Technologies
The application of ZERI concepts to banking and investment services
Coordinated by Leslie Hawrylyshyn, managing director Euroventures
How can we use the audit of the material productivity as a tool for the =
due diligence process of a start-up company, a
take-over bid, or an investment fund for emerging markets. How this is =
translated into regional investment funds.
The Case of the Island of Gotland over Internet
Coordinated by H=E5kan Ahlsten, director Gotland Bank
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997 09:59:03 -0800
From: info@globalff.org
Subject: Business & Ecology Roundtable Retreat
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997 12:07:53 -0800 (PST)
From: ilsr@igc.apc.org (ilsr)
Subject: More on "What's Behind the Attack on Recycling?"
MEMO
To: Dan Knapp and Mary Lou Van Deventer
cc: Greenyes Listserve participants
From: David Morris
Re: Comments on Morris and Seldman's article on recycling
Date: March 20, 1997
I'm unclear why there seems to be so much heat behind Dan and Mary Lou's
comments on my and Neil's piece in Greenpeace on recycling. They seem to
agree with us on virtually every point: that big waste hauling companies
are opposed to recycling because they are losing market share and profits;
that bond trading firms have been a factor in the attack on recycling;
that the virgin materials-based industries have been critical of recycling.
And while they seem to argue with our use of the word "disposal", they
also appear to agree that if we define disposal companies, such as those
that throw away products before reuse or recycling, that these companies
also have been attacking recycling.
With so much agreement, why the fuss? Because we ended the Greenpeace
article with a couple of paragraphs that addressed the issue of recycling
and political ideologies and we used the term "conservative" to describe
those who appear philosophically opposed to changing the rules to benefit
recycling. While we end our article with this brief comment, Dan and Mary
start by focusing on that comment and make it the centerpiece of their
comments.
We can quibble about the use of the word "conservative." I'm sure we all
agree that many, if not most of us, are true conservatives if by that word
we mean that we believe in conserving our resource base and a sustainable
community-oriented way of life. But Dan and Mary have raised a point that
we would do well to engage for in our piece we used the word "conservative"
in its current political sense. In that sense a conservative is someone
who wants to severely restrict our ability to act as citizens, that is, to
make decisions collectively. Although the argument is usually raised in
the context of being against Washington, against government bureaucrats or
against Big Government, current conservatism often ends up being against
the exercise of governance at any level.
The issue of governance is crucial to our efforts to preserve the natural
environment. For governance means establishing rules that affect our
behavior. Recycling and many environmental issues depend on our ability to
establish these rules. Recycling depends on our internalizing the real
costs of disposal and the real environmental costs linked to the kinds of
materials and the quantity of materials we consume. It depends on our
establishing rules of conduct that take the next generation and the value
of community itself, into account.
Thus we require recycling at the local level. We have recycled content
laws. We impose landfill fees to internalize the cost of disposal. We have
environmental laws which make disposal, pollution and the consumption of
energy more costly and therefore make efficiency, renewables, recovery and
recycling more attractive.
I'm unsure that being against the exercise of citizenship, of being against our
establishing collective rules to govern our commercial and resource
consuming behavior is inherently conservative. Indeed one could argue
based on historical evidence that the link is not organic. And even today
one senses a division among people who call themselves conservative on this
issue.
Nevertheless, the term conservative is proudly worn by many in power today
and the rhetoric they use seems dominated by their hostility to the
collective exercise of authority. I for one would be glad to dispense with
such labels.
Indeed we used the word only once in our Greenpeace article. Nevertheless,
I think the issue of governance--its reach and focus--is an important one
for recyclers to engage.
David Morris
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Suite 303
1313 5th St. SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
612 379 3815
http://www.ilsr.org
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997 22:48:50 -0800 (PST)
From: "William P. McGowan" <6500kai@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu>
Subject: More on "What's Behind the Attack on Recycling?"
DAVID--SINCE MY RESPONSE IS IN RESPONSE TO YOUR COMMENTS, I AM INCLUDING
YOU COMMENTS AND RESPONDING IN CAPITALS--SOME PEOPLE MAY SEE THIS AS
"SCREAMING" ON THE INTERNET, BUT I THINK TOO MANY CONVERSATIONS ARE
JOPINED ON THIS MEDIUM WITHOUT PEOPLE KNOWING WHAT IS BEING SAID ABOUT
WHAT--MY COMMENTS FOLLOW YOUR OBSERVATIONS, SO ANYONE INTERESTED IN
FOLLOWING THE DEBATE WILL HAVE TO PAGE THROUGH THE WHOLE MESS ORIGINALLY
SENT OUT
WILLIAM P. MCGOWAN
RINCON RECYCLING (OXNARD, CA)
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT SANTA BARBARA (HISTORY--I AM A PH. D. IN
ECONOMIC HISTORY)
On Tue, 25 Mar 1997, ilsr wrote:
> MEMO
>
> To: Dan Knapp and Mary Lou Van Deventer
> cc: Greenyes Listserve participants
> From: David Morris
> Re: Comments on Morris and Seldman's article on recycling
> Date: March 20, 1997
>
> I'm unclear why there seems to be so much heat behind Dan and Mary Lou's
> comments on my and Neil's piece in Greenpeace on recycling. They seem to
> agree with us on virtually every point: that big waste hauling companies
> are opposed to recycling because they are losing market share and profits;
> that bond trading firms have been a factor in the attack on recycling;
> that the virgin materials-based industries have been critical of recycling.
> And while they seem to argue with our use of the word "disposal", they
> also appear to agree that if we define disposal companies, such as those
> that throw away products before reuse or recycling, that these companies
> also have been attacking recycling.
>NO COMMENT
> With so much agreement, why the fuss? Because we ended the Greenpeace
> article with a couple of paragraphs that addressed the issue of recycling
> and political ideologies and we used the term "conservative" to describe
> those who appear philosophically opposed to changing the rules to benefit
> recycling. While we end our article with this brief comment, Dan and Mary
> start by focusing on that comment and make it the centerpiece of their
> comments.
AGAIN--NO COMMENT
>
> We can quibble about the use of the word "conservative." I'm sure we all
> agree that many, if not most of us, are true conservatives if by that word
> we mean that we believe in conserving our resource base and a sustainable
> community-oriented way of life. But Dan and Mary have raised a point that
> we would do well to engage for in our piece we used the word "conservative"
> in its current political sense. In that sense a conservative is someone
> who wants to severely restrict our ability to act as citizens, that is, to
> make decisions collectively. Although the argument is usually raised in
> the context of being against Washington, against government bureaucrats or
> against Big Government, current conservatism often ends up being against
> the exercise of governance at any level.
AS ONE WHO IS SELF IDENTIFIED AS A CONSERVATIVE, I TAKE ISSUE WITH YOUR
CHARACTERIZATIZATION OF THE CONSERVATIVES AS PEOPLE WHO WOULD SHUT OFF
INDIVIDUAL DEBATE. THE POINT YOU MAKE, NAMELY THAT CONSERVATISM IS A
MOVEMENT THAT PRECLUDES DECISION MAKING IN THE COLLECTIOVE IS CORRECT,
HOWEVER. CONSERVATIVES FEEL, CORRECTLY I WOULD HOLD, THAT THE WILL OF
THE INDIVIDUAL HAS BEEN DROWNED OUT BY COLLECTIVE SPEKA--PEOPLE WHO CAN
JOT GARNER A MAJORITY OPINION AT THE POLLS, CLAIMING TO SPEAK FOR THE
MASSES WHO HAVE NOT ENDORSED THEIR POSITION. THE REASON WHY
CONSERVATIVISM, IN THE MODERN USE OF THE TERM, IS AGAINST THE USE OF
GOVERNANCE IS THAT IT IS PEOPLE WHO CLAIM TO SPEAK FOR THE MASSES--BUT WHO
HAVE NO ELECTRORAL POWER BEHIND THEM--THAT ARE PERVERTING THE DEMOCRATIC
PROCESS. JUST BECAUSE ONE CLAIMS TO SPEAK FOR ENVIRONMENTALISTS DOES
NOT MEAN THEY HAVE GONE THROUGH THE CUMBERSOME PROCESS OF ASKING
CONSTITUENTS WHAT THEY REALLY BELIEVE. RATHER, THE FOLKS WHO CLAIM TO
SPEAK AS ENVIRONMENTALISTS TAKE AN OFT-EXPRESSED SENTIMENMT--LIKE, "WE'RE
FOR THE ENVIRONMENT" AND THEN RUN WITH IT, IMPOSING ALL SORTS OF NEW
TAXES ON AN ALREADY OVERBURDENED TAX BASE.
>
> The issue of governance is crucial to our efforts to preserve the natural
> environment. For governance means establishing rules that affect our
> behavior. Recycling and many environmental issues depend on our ability to
> establish these rules. Recycling depends on our internalizing the real
> costs of disposal and the real environmental costs linked to the kinds of
> materials and the quantity of materials we consume. It depends on our
> establishing rules of conduct that take the next generation and the value
> of community itself, into account.
>
THERE IS NO ARGUMENT THAT INTERNALIZING COSTS IS THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL
RECYCLING. WHAT IS DEBATABLE, HOWEVER, IS THE MEANS BY WHICH INDIVIDUALS
ARE FORCED TO INTERNALIZE THESE COSTS. UNTIL THE CONSERVATIVES (READ:
REPUBLICANS) TOOK CONTROL, ENVIRONEMTALISTS HAD ONLY TO WORRY ABOUT THE
SUPPRT OF KEY CONGRESSMEN FROM THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY TO ENSURE THAT THEIR
WILL BECAME LAW. NOW THAT THERE IS A NEW PARTY IN POWER,
ENVIRONMENTALISTS HAVE HAD A TOUGH TIME JUSTIFYING THEIR PROGRAMS IN THE
LEXICON THAT
REPUBLICANS COULD UNDERSTAND. THE ARGUMENT, "BECUAES IT IS GOOD FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT" NO LONGER CARRIES WATER BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN USED TO FURTHER
TOO MANY NON-ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSES--PEOPLE WHO OPPOSE RENEWAL OF THE
EDNAGERED SPECIES ACT DO NOT OPPOSE IT BECAUSE THEY HATE THE
ENVIRONMENT--FAR FROM IT--IT IS BECAUSE THEY OPPOSE THE VARIOUS CAUSES
THAT THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT HAS BEEN PROSTITUTED TO CHAMPION.
THIS SHOULD HIGHLIGHT A KEY WEAKNESS IN
THE ENVIRONMENTAL ARGUMENT--IF THE CLAIMS AND JUSTIFICATIONS ARE NOT
UNIVERSALLY CONVINCING, THEN THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THEM.
MUDDYING THE WATERS BY CALLING ALL OPPONENTS OF LEGISLATION WHICH
PURPORTS TO BE IN FAVOR OF THE ENVIRONMENT DOES LITTLE TO FURTHER THE
DEBATE.
> Thus we require recycling at the local level. We have recycled content
> laws. We impose landfill fees to internalize the cost of disposal. We have
> environmental laws which make disposal, pollution and the consumption of
> energy more costly and therefore make efficiency, renewables, recovery and
> recycling more attractive.
AS ONE WHO HAS SUPPRTED A FAMILY FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS AS A RECYCLER, I
MUST SAY THAT MANY OF THE RECYCLED CONTENT LAWS ARE FLAWED, AND HAVE DONE
MORE TO HARM RECYCLING THAN HELP IT. RATHER THAN WORKING WITH THE
INDUSTRIES THAT HAVE DONE THE MOST FOR RECYCLED CONTENT MATERIALS, THE
ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT--RATHER, THE LIBERAL ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT, HAS
ESSENTIALLY THROWN ACID IN THE FACES OF INDUSTRY THAT COULD DO THE MOST
TO HELP THEIR CAUSE. IN 1992, I SAT IN ROOM OF POLICY MAKERS AS SIX
PAPER MILL MANAGERS EXPLAINED TO POLICY MAKERS THE PROBLEMS OF POST- AND
PRE- CONSUMER CONTENT LAWS. THEIR ARGUMENTS, TO ANYONE FAMILIAR TO PAPER
MAKING, MADE A WHOLE LOT OF SENSE. BUT THE ENVIRONMENTALIST COMMUNITY
DECRIED THEIR RESERVATIONS AS BEING "ANTI-RECYCLING." THE WOMAN WHO
SPOKE IN OPPOSITION TO THE PAPER MAKERS HAD NO TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE
PAPER INDUSTRY, YET SHE (AND ULTIMATELY, THE POLICY MAKERS) CARRIED THE
DAY, IMPOSING NEW RGULATIONS WHICH WERE TOTALLY UNWORKABLE FROM AN
INDUSTRIAL STANDPOINT.
>
> I'm unsure that being against the exercise of citizenship, of being
against our
> establishing collective rules to govern our commercial and resource
> consuming behavior is inherently conservative. Indeed one could argue
> based on historical evidence that the link is not organic. And even today
> one senses a division among people who call themselves conservative on this
> isues
CINSERVATIVES FAVOR THE EFFICIENT USE OF PUBLIC RESOURCES--ALL OF THEM,
INCLUDING THE TAX PAYER'S DOLLAR. MODERN CONSERVATISM IS BASED ON THE
PREMISE THAT MONEY IS BEING SPENT BY BUREACRACIES IN OUR NAME IN AN
INEFFICINET MANNER. I DO NOT KNOW OF TOO MANY PEOPLE WHO WOULD ARGUE
WITH THAT. SURE, WE WOULD ALL LIKE TO PROTECT EVERYTHING IN OUR
ENVIRONEMNT, BUT AT WHAT COST? MOST ENVIRONMENTALIST THINK THAT NO COST
IS TOO MUCH FOR THE TAX PAYER TO BEAR--CONSERVATIVES ARE MERELY ASKING
THAT A PRIORITY BE ESTABLIOSHED AND THAT A CAP BE PLACED ON PUBLIC
SPENDING. IF YOU WANT MONEY FOR RECYCLING, THEN SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE
SOCIAL SERVICES BUDGET, YOU MUST BE WILLING TO GIVE. IT IS THIS LACK OF
GIVE THAT HAS SO EMPOWERED THE CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT.
>
> Nevertheless, the term conservative is proudly worn by many in power today
> and the rhetoric they use seems dominated by their hostility to the
> collective exercise of authority. I for one would be glad to dispense with
> such labels.
> Indeed we used the word only once in our Greenpeace article. Nevertheless,
> I think the issue of governance--its reach and focus--is an important one
> for recyclers to engage.
THE REASON PEOPLE ARE PROUD TO BE LABLED AS CONSERVATIVES IS THAT THEY
ARE SEEN (RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY) AS PROTECTING THE WALLETS OF THE TAXP[AYERS
WHO HAVE BEEN ASKED TO PAY FOR PROGRAMS THAT NO ONE CAN GET ENOUGH VOTES
TO PASS INDIVIDUALLY. THEY SHOULD BE PROUND, FOR WHILE ENVIRONMENTALISTS
IN CALIFORNIA CONMTINUALLY REFER TO THE PASSAGE OF AB939 AS A LANDMARK IN
THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT, THEY ALWAYS FORGET TO MENTION THAT IT WAS
PASSED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WITH NO PUBLIC DEBATE. IN SHORT, NO
ONE WAS FOPRCED TO JUSTIFY IT ON POLITICAL GROUNDS, WHICH NORMALLY
INCLUDE CALCULATION OF COSTS AND BENEFITS. IT WAS, INSTEAD, PASSED WITH
THE NOTION THAT THE PUBLIC WAS TOO STUUPID TO RECOIGNIZE WHAT WAS GOOD
FOR IT.
AS I SEE CONSERVATISM, IT VALUES THE NOTION OF DEBATING THE INTELLECTUAL
PROS AND CONS OF EACH PIECE OF LEGISLATION, SO THAT IN THE ARENA OF
IDEAS, THE GOOD WINS AND THE BAD LOSES. LIBERALS, AND MOST PROPONENTS OF
ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION, SEEM TO FEAR JUST SUCH A DEBATE BECAUSE THEY
KNOW THAT THEIR ARGUMENTS WILL NOT WIN. IF THESE IDEAS CAN NOT WIN IN
SUCH AN ARENA, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT THEY ARE, BY DEFINITION,
UNDEMOCRATIC AND UNWORTHY OF OUR SUPPORT.
WILLIAM P. MCGOWAN
RINCON RECYCLING
UCSB
> > > > David
Morris > Institute for Local Self-Reliance > Suite 303 > 1313 5th St. SE
> Minneapolis, MN 55414
> 612 379 3815
> http://www.ilsr.org
>
>
>
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 97 23:14:47 PST
From: jennie.alvernaz@sfsierra.sierraclub.org
Subject: Plastics Retreat
INDUSTRY'S FOCUS SHIFTING FROM RECYCLING
Plastics News, September 30, 1996
By Roger King
Carol Shebaberle joined Quantum Chemical Co. in Cincinnati in
1989 as a recycling coordinator.
It was a high-profile job, important because of the nation's new
interest in plastics recycling.
She initially focused on bottle collection programs and later
helped design a corporate-owned high density polyethylene
recycling plant. But like her company - and, some argue, the
plastics industry in general - Shebaberle's career took a turn away
from recycling.
She transferred to a position as a regulatory affairs manager,
and today she is the company's contact person for the Chemical
Manufacturing Association's Responsible Care program.
Now instead of recycling, she evaluates and documents
business-management practices designed to be environmentally
friendly.
Meantime, the plastics recycling plant she helped design in
Heath, Ohio, shut down 18 months ago, and Quantum may be on
the brink of selling the property.
Quantum is not alone.
In the past year, a series of actions suggests that the
commitment to recycling made by the plastics industry just five
years ago is disappearing.
Solid-waste issues no longer are on the public front burner, and
plastics companies today feel free to drop expensive recycling
programs to concentrate on more profitable enterprises.
For example:
Union Carbide Corp.'s HDPE recycling plant in Piscataway,
N.J., is closing its doors.
The Center for Plastics Recycling Research at Rutgers University
will close Oct. 1, the victim of diminishing industry funding.
After several years of industry lobbying, the California
Legislature caved in Aug. 31 and gutted its packaging recycling
law.
The law's most-significant articles, which would have
encouraged minimum levels of recycled content in food
containers, were dropped.
The American Plastics Council quietly sacked what was in 1991
the centerpiece of its plastics recycling program - a commitment
to recycle 25 percent of rigid bottles and containers by 1995.
The effort came up short, but neither the failure nor the
abandonment of the goal resulted in a significant public outcry.
Instead of recycling, corporate managers today take what they
consider to be a bigger-picture approach on issues of
environmental responsibility.
For example, some companies have replaced recycling
initiatives with environmental standards, such as ISO 14000
certification, as an indicator of the extent of their environmental
preservation commitment, said Lynn Scarlett, a Reason Foun-
dation project director.
Shebaberle said, ''Quantum's view always has been that a
program cannot exist on recycling alone.''
Plastics, due to its inherent light weight, traditionally is difficult
to recycle.
Collection programs can be much more expensive than for
materials such as metal and glass.
''Plastic is already a very efficient material. It requires very little
oil to make a lot of shrink wrap,'' said Scarlett. ''Recycling's value
is in materials where there is embedded energy, such as
aluminum cans.''
Recycled plastics do not have the same embedded value, she
said.
''To reuse it is not capturing a lot of energy.''
The Flexible Packaging Association believes the reduced
emphasis on plastics recycling and environmental issues in
general ''sends a message that the public is satisfied that progress
is being made,'' said Marjorie Valin, director of public relations
and marketing for the Washington-based FPA.
''Consumers can afford to turn their attention to the economy
and crime because they are comfortable with the huge strides
manufacturers have made in preventing waste and curbing
pollutants,'' Valin said.
But will people stop recycling?
No, said Scarlett. The legacy of the emotional side of recycling
has left the public with a strong set of values about the need to
recycle.
The quandary left is for managers, who must concern
themselves with a company's environmental commitment, to
incorporate environmental incentives into daily life, according to
Scarlett.
Invariably, Scarlett said, that will include the practice of
recycling.
She calls the current state of recycling ''a reality check.''
Time was when plastics had vocal opponents, looking to place
blame for the very existence of environmentally dangerous
polymers and to shame the public into avoiding the plastics
scourge.
Opponents claimed plastics were a major contributor to
overflowing landfills.
Now, even strident recycling advocates at the Sacramento-based
Californians Against Waste admit plastics amount to a single-
digit percentage of waste disposed in landfills.
The adversarial contests between recycling advocates and
plastics producers, especially in the packaging industry, have
grown peaceful.
''Shorn of its ideological trappings, recycling is essentially a
process of innovation,'' wrote Alexander Volokh, a recycling
researcher with the Reason Foundation in Los Angeles.
Volokh made his observation in a paper outlining market
possibilities for recycled materials in food packaging - a concept
that has gained serious support among recyclers and packaging
producers in only the past three years.
As Shebaberle's career has changed, so has the role recycling
plays in the use - and reuse - of plastics.
Although she points to a vastly greater industry understanding
of what can be recycled effectively since her first job with
Quantum, Shebaberle said she wonders how much of this
understanding the public has picked up along the way.
''What you've seen is the industry maturing. After all, infants
need a lot of care and attention to survive. Now, (recycling) is
surviving on its own. That's how it has to function.''
J. Winston Porter, former Environmental Protection Agency
assistant administrator, said that the hard-cash value of collected
plastic will not be as great as other recoverable products such as
corrugated cardboard - unless prices for virgin resins skyrocket.
''Plastics are going to be a net loser in recycling,'' said Porter,
who is now president of the Waste Policy Center in Leesburg, Va.
''In spite of the good work of the PET recyclers especially, they're
just too light and inexpensive to recycle and there are too many
types. It is not in the cards to recycle a huge amount of plastics,''
Porter said.
''The curve of recycling is leveling off at 25-30 percent,'' said
Porter, sticking to the numbers he has preached since his years in
the Reagan Administration's EPA.
''Any more than that, and the recycling becomes too expensive
to turn a profit.
''Of course, you can do anything if you want to put the money
into it,'' he said.
####
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997 10:18:10 -0600
From: RecycleWorlds <anderson@msn.fullfeed.com>
Subject: Pro-Recycling Study
NRDC's new report advancing the arguments for recycling, and rebutting =
Tierney, is now out, "Too Good to Throw Away: Recycling's Proven =
Record," by Allen Hershkowitz.
It can be pulled off their web site: http://www.nrdc.org.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997 08:49:22 -0500
From: DAVID FLORA <FLORA.DAVID@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV>
Subject: Satellite Seminars on Business Waste Reduction
Could you post the following on greenyes?
We would like your assistance in helping us identify the
TYPES of local organizations that would have the greatest
interest in hosting satellite training programs on waste
reduction for a business audience. We're not looking for
any detailed research simply provide your best guess.
Background:
The EPA solid waste program is planning the development of
a network of local organizations to host down link sites for
satellite training programs on waste reduction for small and
medium sized business. Many local organizations with a
business constituency (e.g. local govrnments, Chambers of
Commerce, Small Business Development Centers,
Manufacturing Extension Programs, University based
pollution prevention programs) currently provide environmental
programs for their customers. Our goal is to enlist these
organizations as local hosts to reach a large national
business audience.
Topics have not been established but all would feature
source reduction. Programs might be targeted to specific
sectors (retail, restaurants, hospitals, printing) or to specific
topics (transport packaging, electronic document handling).
Host organizations would not be charged for the satellite
downlink but would be responsible for all local costs for
providing a facility and advertizing the program locally.
Thanks
David Flora
Solid Waste Program Manager
EPA Region 7
913-551-7523
flora.david@epamail.epa.gov
------------------------------
Date: (null)
From: (null)
The Case of Las Gaviotas
Presented by Prof. Dr. Paolo Lugari, director and founder
The development research center Las Gaviotas in Colombia has applied the =
ZERI concept to the reforestation plan in
Vichada, close to the Orinoco River on the East side of the country, a =
two day drive from the capital city of Bogota. This
center demonstrates how the ZERI concept can be applied in the most =
adverse conditions, both environmentally, socially and
politically. Las Gaviotas employs 160 persons full time, recovers =
biodiversity, reforestates, provides quality water, respects
indigenous cultures, utilizes renewable energies and secures sustainable =
development funded by revenues from the value added
generated in the processing of colofonia.
The ZERI Network in Japan
coordinated by Prof.Yoshimura
Award Ceremony for the Third Leadership Award on Zero Emissions
Workshops and Training offered by ZERI after the congress in Jakarta=20
<REGISTRATION REQUESTED IN ADVANCE>
The one day special workshop on the ZERI Methodology
The one day special workshop on the ZERI Audit
The one day special workshop for bankers on ZERI Due diligence
Study Tour to Bali for Bamboo
<REGISTRATION REQUESTED IN ADVANCE>
Special visit for a limited group to the Environmental Bamboo Foundation =
in Ubud with field trips throughout Bali and an
in-depth training on the role of bamboo in zero emissions, CO2 fixation, =
construction etc. Includes bamboo food and cultural
events. Additional registration fee of US$ 500.
Internet Connections with Brazil, Sweden, USA and Japan for multicast =
conferencing.=20
------ =_NextPart_000_01BC3915.0CF65D20
Content-Type: application/octet-stream; name="Shortcut to Zero Emissions
Research Initiative.URL"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
W0ludGVybmV0U2hvcnRjdXRdClVSTD1odHRwOi8vd3d3Lnplcmkub3JnLwA=
------ =_NextPart_000_01BC3915.0CF65D20--
------------------------------
Date: (null)
From: (null)
We hope you can join us and a special group of friends, business leaders,
scientists, and colleagues for some upcoming Future 500 events, sponsored by
Global Futures and Natural Strategies:
The NATURAL STEP Training, April 25, 1997 in the San Francisco Bay Area --
followed by a Dinner Roundtable with Molly Harriss Olson, in Sausalito, just
across the Golden Gate from San Francisco.
and
BUSINESS & ECOLOGY ROUNDTABLE Retreat, April 25-27, beginning after the
Dinner (or the next morning if you like), at nearby Stinson Beach.
Benefits and Take-Aways
* Expert training in The Natural Step -- the FIRST public training in 1997
* The best trainers and presenters -- Molly Harriss Olson, David Hurst,
Dorie Krantz, the two of us, and others.
* The chance for informal, intimate discussions with executives, investors,
business and environmental leaders.
* Free Manuals on The Natural Step and Industrial Ecology
* Be a Future 500 Member company (one-year membership is free with attendance)
* Right to use the "A Future 500 Company" logo
* The best benefits:
-Tremendous contacts and learning/networking/bonding experiences.
-Joint venture opportunities.
-Great people with the ideas and resources to make things happen.
-Personal renewal and rejuvenation, with new ideas and motivation.
* People LOVE these events -- "One of the greatest experiences of my life"
THE NATURAL STEP TRAINING
The Natural Step training is an extraordinary one-day seminar which provides
participants with a shared framework for understanding sustainability and
powerful strategic tools for achieving it. Grounded in fundamental,
non-controversial scientific principles, The Natural Step provides a way for
people from diverse backgrounds and ideologies to achieve consensus on the
conditions necessary for an
ecologically and economically sustainable society.
We have two of the best presenters available to lead the training: SUSAN
BURNS, who co-authored the U.S. curriculum with Paul Hawken and Steve
Goldfinger, and MOLLY HARRISS OLSON, the former head of the President's
Council on Sustainable Development, who is now President of The Natural Step.
During the seminar, we will:
* Explore the basic science upon which The Natural Step is founded and the
four "system conditions" that can guide society toward a sustainable future.
* Discuss how ecological realities show up in our economy and businesses and
how companies can gain competitive advantage by understanding these realities.
* Share case studies of how companies have applied the principles, the
benefits they achieved and the challenges they had. In addition we will
show how TNS can enhance the effectiveness of tools like life cycle analysis
and ISO 14000. Finally, we will have an opportunity to explore how the
principles apply to your businesses, organizations and communities. A
comprehensive manual will be provided.
The Natural Step originated in Sweden in 1989 and has since reached millions
of people, from corporate CEOs to school children. Over 100 corporations
and 60 of Sweden's municipalities now use the framework to guide their
strategic planning. The Natural Step organization has now been established
in the U.S. Interface Carpets, the nation's largest manufacturer of
commercial carpets is leading in
the application of Natural Step Principles. Mitsubishi Electric America,
Collins Pine, and Monsanto have also been trained .
The Natural Step training happens April 25, 9 am to 5 pm (plus dinner with
Molly Harriss Olson afterwards -- see below) at 6 pm just over the Golden
Gate Bridge from San Francisco, in Sausalito. The cost is $395, plus $40
for dinner if you like.
THE DINNER ROUNDTABLE. Whether or not you attend the training, please
attend the dinner! Joining us will be a fascinating group of executives,
investors, technologists, and visionaries. We will be discussing how we can
work together to implement programs that promote Advanced Resource
Productivity, like TNS and Industrial Ecology. To stimulate discussion,
some specific joint venture projects
in the bay area -- which sprang from prior Future 500 roundtables -- will be
discussed, but feel free to use the opportunity to share your own visions,
plans, and programs with potential partners. The dinner is $150, or $40 if
you attend the TNS workshop.
THE ROUNDTABLE RETREAT: BUSINESS & ECOLOGY
Please join us as we gather with a remarkable group of business leaders,
ecologists, policy analysts and visionaries for a two-day retreat, Friday
evening through Sunday morning. David Hurst, the top management consultant
whose Harvard Business Journal article and book recently showed why
ecological principles are now vital to business success, will join
facilitators Susan Burns and Bill Shireman
and the others for a series of lightly-facilitated discussions of
Industrial Ecology, The Natural Step, Advanced Resource Productivity,
ecological limits and the opportunities they suggest, and a great Nature
Walk by ecologist Annie Prutzman, to see the principles in operation. We
will explore one of the most pressing and unexplored issues of these times:
What is the relationship between busines
s and ecology? What role does business have in sustainability? What can
business learn from nature? although the discussions will be substantive,
we'll also have a lot of fun, we promise. !
!
In between, there will be plenty of opportunity for relaxing and informal
discussions as well. Julia Tindall and Judy Taylor will make sure we are
well-nourished in all the important ways, and insure that the event is fun,
warm, relaxing, and rejuvenating.
The people, ideas, setting, and discussions will create the conditions for a
weekend which we will remember and benefit from for a long time to come. We
hope you can come, bring a colleague or two, participate, and help shape
future retreats.
Our last roundtable in October was a huge success. Participants said the
retreat was:
"One of the greatest experiences of my life"
"seminal and extraordinary"
"practical and thought-provoking"
"life changing" and "very inspiring"
"I feel such a sense of support, even now, from the people who attended the
retreat. We really did build community"
We will begin in the late afternoon and evening of Friday, April 25, and
continue through midday Sunday April 27. All accommodations and meals are
covered in the price for the weekend. Full corporate members of Future 500
may attend for free.
We recommend that participants attend both a workshop and retreat. Because
the workshop focuses on training and exercises and the retreat on
experiential learning and networking, the events are most powerful in their
impact when combined.
Please reply to this email, fax the form below, or call either of us to
confirm your attendance. Give either of us, or Cathy Johnson, a call for
more information. We look forward to a relaxing, stimulating, empowering,
and profitable weekend with you in April.
Sincerely,
Bill Shireman/billshire@aol.com Susan Burns/susanburns@aol.com
Global Futures (916) 486-5999 Natural Strategies (510) 839-8879
========================================================
(Order Form)
R E G I S T E R T O D A Y !
There are several ways to register:
-Reply to Order Form below. Please copy and fill out form then either reply
to this message or email to info@globalff.org
-Online Ordering through website, http://www.globalff.org/globalf/reg-ber.htm
-Fax to 916-486-5990
-Call Cathy Johnson/Global Futures at 1-800-796-8052
-Mail to 801 Crocker Road, Sacramento, CA 95864
* * * * * * * * * *
YES! I and/or my representative(s) would be pleased to join your roundtable
discussions on April 25-27:
____ Dinner ROUNDTABLE, April 25----------$150
($40 to Natural Step workshop attendees. Free to Retreat attendees.)
____ Natural Step Workshop, April 25----------$345
($395 after March 28. Free to Retreat attendees below)
____ Business & Ecology Roundtable Retreat, April 25-27----------Varies
Event: $395 before March 28; $595 after March 28
Meals and Snacks: $105
Accommodations: Executive $500; Shared $300
Non-Profit/Small Business Discount: Deduct $100
____ ALL THREE -- SAVE $445!----------$995
($1200 after March 28. Includes EVERYTHING:
3 days meals, accommodations, dinner event, Natural Step day)
____ SORRY, I cannot attend the Business Ecology roundtable retreat events
(April 25-27).
____ PLEASE keep me informed of future events.
Please provide us with:
Name/Title: |
Organization |
Email |
Phone |
Fax |
Address |
City State Zip |
Thank You.
*************************************************************************
Check out 'Global Futures' feature article this month:
Industrial Ecology
A new generation of CEOs and entrepreneurs
stimulate productivity breakthroughs by
structuring their companies to behave like living systems.
By Tachi Kiuchi and Bill Shireman
http://www.globalff.org/globalf/feature.htm
Global Futures Foundation
801 Crocker Road
Sacramento, CA 95864
(916) 486-5999 voice (916) 486-5990 fax
http://www.globalff.org
***************************************************************************
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End of GreenYes Digest V97 #64
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