Today's Topics:
NRC Congress - Monday Night
Tedd Ward's new e-mail address
Thank you to Steve Suess
Zero Waste
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Date: Tue, 23 Sep 1997 14:01:14 -0700
From: Robin Salsburg <robin@mrwmd.org>
Subject: NRC Congress - Monday Night
Thanks, Steve, for your updates! For those of us unable to attend the =
conference, you are providing a great resource. I almost feel as =
thought I'm there (well, maybe except for your ever present specter of =
Roger Rabbit!)
Glad to see that Zero Waste (at least the buttons) is being received =
favorably. And Bravo to you all for talking up the Zero Waste concept =
and introducing it to a wider audience. =20
I am concerned, however, that real, substantive progress is not being =
made to move Zero Waste forward. You mentioned in your first report, =
that the Zero Waste Resolution was not even introduced!! Is there =
another time/place for this to happen to have the NRC Board and =
Membership vote on this? What about a commitment by the NRC to have a =
Zero Waste Track next year in Albuquerque? What about a pledge to have =
a waste-free conference next year? (By the way, if you have time in =
your next update, could you please give a summary of how they are doing =
this year in terms of creating a waste free conference?) I would be =
really interested to get your sense of why some of the goals we set =
forth to accomplish at the conference aren't happening-- is it too soon =
or are there road blocks that we need to address?
Steve, I also want to thank you for describing some of the other NRC =
attendees who come from states and/or communities that have tiny tiny =
recycling programs-- I used to live in just such places (Hawaii and =
Alaska). When I lived there, recycling was not supported politically =
(no legislation, no money, and limited programs). These communities =
were also very isolated from markets and, thus, made the economics of =
their programs rather tenuous.=20
What I found in working with these communities (I was doing =
recycling/waste management work in both states) was that people just =
wanted to STOP WASTING. Yes, they wanted to recycle because that was =
the only solution they knew. But the underlying reason that they wanted =
to recycle was that they wanted to stop wasting. When I would talk to =
businesses, schools, and communities, many folks were disappointed that =
they couldn't recycle. "Well, if we can't do that, I guess we can't do =
anything." was sort of the attitude. I was then able to show them what =
important opportunities they had to REDUCE and REUSE instead. By giving =
people a different framework in which to operate, they were able to see =
different solutions to the challenge of not wasting.
In a way, these folks who have limited recycling programs have a great =
opportunity to "take it from the top" by promoting and educating about =
reducing and reusing. Now I know how much more difficult it is to =
educate people about this then recycling. When you teach about =
recycling you basically identify certain types of items that instead of =
putting in one container, you now put in a different container. But =
when you educate folks about reducing and reusing, you are challenging =
some of the very basic ways we think and act in our society. Difficult =
work, but you are ultimately creating the foundation upon which Zero =
Waste will be built.
Best of luck with promoting ZW,
Robin Salsburg
Monterey =20
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From: STEVESUESS@aol.com[SMTP:STEVESUESS@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, September 22, 1997 4:41 PM
To: Greenyes@ucsd.edu
Subject: NRC Congress - Monday Night
Helllloo Zero Wasters,
Well I've survived another day in virtual reality world. Frankly I =
am
so tired, I was just asked how many drinks I'd had. Answer: Zero! =20
So I am skipping the dance and going to try to get some sleep.
Today found more than 200 people wearing Zero Waste buttons. Edgar
Miller however will still not wear one. Bill Heehnan (Czar of the NRC =
and
Steel Can big wig) finally went to Rick Anthony and asked him to explain =
what
this Zero Waste thing was. After Rick did his spiel, Bill said that =
this
seemed to be the same as what Steel Can wanted and took a Zero Waste =
button.
I have not yet seen him wearing it - but then I've not seen him at all.
At the policy session this morning featuring the likes of Frank
Ackermann (of Why do we Recycle fame) who was very careful to present =
himself
as a strong environmentalist, Brenda Platt (who described herself to the
moderator as "a radical") and was the only one to consistently bring up =
Zero
Waste, Lynn Scarlett (The Reason Foundation) who actually said nothing I
couldn't not agree with today (made several of us wonder), Richard =
Denison
(EDF) who was really the only one to focus on the environment, and Ed =
Boisson
(formerly of the CIWMB, now in Vermont) who was the one to state Zero =
Waste
was not for now. I of course spent the rest of the day beating him up - =
He
has the button, but has not yet put it on. He is feeling guilty and is
waffling....such a typical liberal)
After the session, there were several panel discussions. I joined =
the
NRC policy panel run by Edgar Miller, who went out of his way to give me
plenty of time to explain Zero Waste. All of the ten or so panelists =
took
the Zero Waste button when I was finished.
I spent the afternoon talking to people at the exhibit hall - =
talked two
people into wearing Zero Waste buttons - people who at first did not =
want to
even have one.
We had a GRN steering committee meeting from 6-8PM, which was =
attended
by Sen. Donzella James as well as the rest of us. This was the FIRST =
meeting
of the GRN (Rick Anthony was the only one who went to the Sunday =
meeting, and
he stayed in the room the whole two hours to talk to anyone who wandered =
by)
This meeting was held to organize the GRN session (which is described =
as a
GRN meeting in the conf. Manuel) which will be held tomorrow from 1-4 =
and
thru which the goal is to enlist 300 more members.
Here is a reality of this group: Many of these people come from =
states
that have virtually no, or at the least tiny tiny recycling programs. =
To
these people this conference is an unimagined concentration of =
recyclers, a
virtual hot bed of radicals. To these people 50% is unimaginable, Zero =
Waste
is insane. To these people America Recycles Day is the best thing that =
ever
came along - It is the God sent opportunity to put the word "recycling" =
in
front of their constituents, and they are eternally thankful to the =
likes of
the Steel Can institute and other corporate sponsors who are making this
happen. Of course there are those who do not believe these things at =
this
conference......
And finally - here is the distilled argument for Zero Waste that I =
am
using on this group, and it works:
All of us here at this conference are here because we want to =
conserve
resources, we want to reduce waste. Everyone admits that once we get to =
the
25,35, 50% targets we have, that we will not go home and call it done, =
but
rather we will raise the target. Well isn't the logical extension of =
those
actions the goal of Zero Waste? Pretty much everyone agrees to that =
line of
thinking... They just begin the "buts...." there.
I tell them to deny that we are working on a Zero Waste goal is to =
be
deceptive! We are not telling the truth, we are liars! We are =
deceptive to
ourselves, and more importantly we re deceiving the public! Through =
this
deception we find ourselves needing to invent more complicated reasons =
for
our actions, which leads to things such as the garbage barge. Through =
these
acts of deception we arm the opposition such as the Tierneys of the =
world who
sense this deception and find our lies. The pubic can feel this =
deception as
well and thus only reluctantly supports us. Even worse - we deceive
ourselves, and this leads us to creating all kinds of paths to our =
stated
goals that all to often take us away from our true goal.
Why do we deceive ourselves? We deceive ourselves because we've =
come so
far away from this Zero Waste way of life, that we are hard wired in our
genes to live, that we've lost sight of it and we do not know how to go =
back
to it! We put our heads in the sand - we sweep the waste under the =
carpet,
close our eyes and hope it will go away. We do not seem able to face =
the
reality that the emperor really does not wear clothes and all the
consequences of that realization. So like drunks on the tracks we shift =
the
blame, we deny the problem, we move into the fantasy world - AND I KEEP
WAITING FOR ROGER RABBIT TO WALK UP TO ME ASK I GIVE MY TALK AND TURN ME =
OVER
TO THE CARTOON PATROL!
If we want the public to support our recycling efforts we have to =
give
them the truth, and we have to give then a vision that they can follow. =
Zero
waste is the truth and it is the vision - the public will follow that =
vision.
They will not follow the mass of confused rules and contradictory =
overly
long arguments that fill the airwaves of todays unreality!
Everyone who has heard that speech ha put on the fucking button -
everyone except Ed Boisson! I'm still working on him!
Any suggestions??????
=20
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Sep 1997 14:40:34 -0700
From: "Tedd Ward, M.S." <recycle@tlk.net>
Subject: Tedd Ward's new e-mail address
HI. My e-mail has been down for awhile as we changed servers. My new
e-mail address is "recycle@tlk.net" Disregard any previous
announcements. Sorry for any lengthy delays in receiving e-mails. if
you have sent anything to me since 22 July 97, I almost certainly have
not seen it.
Tedd Ward
707-465-1100
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Sep 1997 12:30:26 -0400 (EDT)
From: ZeroWaste@aol.com
Subject: Thank you to Steve Suess
Thanks to Steve for his summaries of the NRC conference, and another whole
hearted support for his straight forward attempts to explain why we all
really are for zero waste. I was sorry to hear that no one pushed the NRC
board to vote on the ZeroWaste pledge! How can it be that frightening to
just say that's what our goal is? Some corporations have said it, some
governments have said it, some people have said it. Are those resistant to
the Zero Waste pledge proclaiming that they are in favor of waste, that they
support 100% waste or 50% waste or 25% waste or 10% waste, or whatever?
Our dear NRC has dropped the ball so many times in trying to avoid taking
controversial positions. Nature abhors a vacuum, and in the vacuum created
by the NRC we've gotten the Wall Street Journal's Jeff Bailey and the New
York Times' John Tierney and the Reason Foundation's Lynn Scarlett, with
their widely publicized apologies for doing nothing because the "free market"
takes care of all resource allocation problems. I presume those three all
choose to reside in neighborhoods with no zoning, no traffic laws, no noise
ordinances, no building codes, etc. Yeah, sure!
In reality it's a "socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor"
ideology that these apologists support. In the environmental arena that
translates into clean air & water and a healthy environment for those who can
afford to live in those neighborhoods where "dirty things" are kept out,
mostly via governmental action (e.g., zoning, building codes, and far away
disposal facilities) that we all pay for but only the priveleged enjoy. Just
check out who benefits from most governmental purchases of goods and
services, purchases financed with everybody's tax dollars.
I fear I'm starting to rant and rave. So I'll stop and just say thank you
again to Steve Suess!!!
Jeffrey Morris
Ph.D.- Economics
Sound Resource Management
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 1997 18:59:14 +0900
From: oldxeye@crisscross.com (Hop)
Subject: Zero Waste
------------------------------
Date: (null)
From: (null)
>From: STEVESUESS@aol.com
>Subject: NRC Congress - Monday Night
>
>Helllloo Zero Wasters,
>...... Today found more than 200 people wearing Zero Waste buttons ......
>...... I spent the afternoon talking to people at the exhibit hall ......
>...... here is the distilled argument for Zero Waste that I am
>using on this group, and it works:
> All of us here at this conference are here because we want to conserve
>resources, we want to reduce waste. Everyone admits that once we get to the
>25,35, 50% targets we have, that we will not go home and call it done, but
>rather we will raise the target. Well isn't the logical extension of those
>actions the goal of Zero Waste? Pretty much everyone agrees to that line of
>thinking... They just begin the "buts...." there.
> I tell them to deny that we are working on a Zero Waste goal is to be
>deceptive! We are not telling the truth, we are liars! We are deceptive to
>ourselves, and more importantly we re deceiving the public! Through this
>deception we find ourselves needing to invent more complicated reasons for
>our actions, which leads to things such as the garbage barge. Through these
>acts of deception we arm the opposition such as the Tierneys of the world who
>sense this deception and find our lies. The pubic can feel this deception as
>well and thus only reluctantly supports us. Even worse - we deceive
>ourselves, and this leads us to creating all kinds of paths to our stated
>goals that all to often take us away from our true goal.
> Why do we deceive ourselves? We deceive ourselves because we've come so
>far away from this Zero Waste way of life, that we are hard wired in our
>genes to live, that we've lost sight of it and we do not know how to go back
>to it! We put our heads in the sand - we sweep the waste under the carpet,
>close our eyes and hope it will go away. We do not seem able to face the
>reality that the emperor really does not wear clothes and all the
>consequences of that realization. So like drunks on the tracks we shift the
>blame, we deny the problem, we move into the fantasy world - AND I KEEP
>WAITING FOR ROGER RABBIT TO WALK UP TO ME ASK I GIVE MY TALK AND TURN ME OVER
>TO THE CARTOON PATROL!
> If we want the public to support our recycling efforts we have to give
>them the truth, and we have to give then a vision that they can follow. Zero
>waste is the truth and it is the vision - the public will follow that vision.
> They will not follow the mass of confused rules and contradictory overly
>long arguments that fill the airwaves of todays unreality!
>
> Everyone who has heard that speech ha put on the fucking button -
>everyone except Ed Boisson! I'm still working on him!
------------------------------
End of GreenYes Digest V97 #230
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