Transparency in Waste Disposal→

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 It is so vital for waste disposal systems to be not only comprehensive and effective, but transparent as well. To know where our waste goes - radioactive or otherwise - is to know the level of safety, environmental health, and sustainability that our current systems generate, and that our future systems could potentially provide. Thanks to creative technological and organizational developments, these factors are beginning to be addressed and maximized. 

ThredUP and other ways to take advantage of upcycling clothes→

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Photo: http://www.thriftynorthwestmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Thredup.png

Photo: http://www.thriftynorthwestmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Thredup.png

 I just put in an order to get a bag sent to me in which to ship my no-longer-loved-as-much clothes to ThredUP, for which I will hopefully be given a small allowance, and which others browsing the site can then buy! And any clothes they don't think are fashionable enough (none of mine, obviously) will be donated. Not too shabby, eh? There are lots of other ways to not let your clothes go to waste! DID YOU KNOW that equivalent tonnages of glass and textiles are disposed of as waste in the U.S. annually, but approximately double the percentage of glass is recycled as that of textiles?? Who knew. We did. Booyah. 

Tessa

Chicago's Not-Quite-Implemented Garbage Fee: A Thought on Perspectives→

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In efforts to recover from its $30 billion pension crisis, the City of Chicago is more-than-considering a new fee for disposal of garbage within city limits.

I think it's important to point out that this Chicago Sun-Times article frames the introduction of the fee within an economic context, rather than an environmental one. What an obvious opportunity for the city to take advantage of environmentalism to further their agenda, no? And for the Sun-Times to go on and on about the positive environmental impacts that the implementation of the fee could cause - or fail to cause - no? And yet they limit mention of the environment to a single paragraph.

Even though I could (and pretty much do) spend all day every day writing about the environmental impacts of urban waste management systems, I recognize the importance of writing about environmental issues from economic - and other - perspectives. Issues of environmental responsibility cut across every single discipline and facet of life in a way that is often difficult to conceptualize or capture in writing, and I think the only way to have the largest, most comprehensive conversation about the environment is to do so from all those other perspectives. To simply touch on it in an article can possibly be even more productive and progressive than constructing the article around it. 

And going further, past conversation and reportage, I believe the same principles apply: in order to pass jurisdiction, organize movements, and make systematic changes, those changes have to be justified across not only disciplines, but across cultures, mindsets, and seas. There will always be different voices weighing in, and they all add equally to the ultimate outcome. I often feel as though those in the environmental movement can forget this, and feel obligated to pull everyone else over to where they're standing to give them the "best" view. But hey, the view from over there might be just as beautiful or important, and we should all remember that going in.

Tessa

Photo: http://weknowyourdreams.com/image.php?pic=/images/money/money-02.jpg

Photo: http://weknowyourdreams.com/image.php?pic=/images/money/money-02.jpg

An "unprecedented cleanup effort" of marine debris on the coasts of Alaska and B.C.→

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Photo: http://www.webglimpse.org/nthamerica/images/Alaskan%20Coast.jpg

Photo: http://www.webglimpse.org/nthamerica/images/Alaskan%20Coast.jpg

For me, stories like this one are both heartening and, honestly, heart-wrenching. On the one side of the coin is a tale of human ingenuity: cross-cultural communication and coordination that culminates in an inspirational and - again - unprecedented display of physical and philosophical effort in the face of an immense challenge. But then on the other side that I can't help flipping to is that very immensity of the challenges we face: a tsunami that destroys homes and lives and carries them clear across the ocean, a global crisis not only initiated but spurred by those same humans that were so inspiring in the beginning. Sometimes I find it hard to focus in, because that scale is just a little bit too harsh to ignore. But I remind myself that rather than ignoring it, what we can do is accept its immensity and work within that, and within our own contexts to do the best we can with what we've got.

Not to be a Debbie Downer. And it's really a good read. 

Tessa

A brief update from the Desert -Davis

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I’m currently sitting in a hotel lobby in Tucson, Arizona. I spent a good portion of last night discussing issues of water scarcity and the tactics of the divestment movement with some of the most active young environmentalists around the country. Sometime this weekend I’m planning on meeting with professionals in campus sustainability. It all feels a bit surreal… looking out the window after a run through the suburban development surrounding the hotel, peering out over golf-courses, and trying to see through the cacti on the other side of the highway adjacent to the hotel. After I finish writing this piece I’m going to bargain for water usage on behalf of a Californian Tribe facing drought. It’s a role-play simulation, but it’s a blend of reality that could only be achieved in this state of desert living with academic pretenses.

 

Let me try to explain…

 

In April of last year I was awarded the Udall Foundation’s undergraduate scholarship for environmental action. Established in memorial of Morris K. and Stewart L. Udall, two public servants that served for years on the behalf of Arizona, the scholarship aims to commemorate their work on Tribal Rights and Conservation by bringing some of the most committed students in the two fields together for a week. The surreal feelings that are washing over me now are a result of that particular part of the scholarship experience.

 

There are so many incredible young people here this weekend. I’ve been overwhelmed by the sheer vastness of work that my fellow scholars have been able to accomplish. My roommate for the weekend helped organize a people’s resistance to fossil fuel development in the Amazon rainforest. He’s frequently mentioning the jungle. There’s another scholar here that put solar panels on her university buildings, established a community garden, and is planning on “the next thing” as I write. It seems that every conversation I have is doused in a serious shot of work ethic. It’s impressive. I am unbelievably thankful to have been considered a member of this community. These people are incredible.

 

Although I’m aware that this scholarship is an excellent experience for professional development, I’m trying my hardest not to write about it that way now. The way I’ve seen it, or at least the way that it’s felt, the connections that I’m establishing here over the weekend in the Sonoran Desert are oriented around building a better future; as scholars we’re collectively committed to addressing major issues in our lives and we need a support network of people our own age to make those meaningful changes happen. There is a future here that is being written in the sands of the suburban desert. I’m excited to see where these relationships will take us.

 

Tomorrow I have planned to go for a sunrise hike with several other scholars. I want to watch the desert come to life just beyond the highways and circular developments. On Sunday night I’ll be back in New York and I’ll be finishing up my Economist courses for the summer. The city seems so far away, but yet so close. How do we preserve?