Going into this first week of class, I really had no idea what to expect. After going through the first week, the class was much more interesting than what I ever thought it was going to be. Throughout this first week, we an interesting video on where "stuff" comes from, the process in which the "stuff" is produced, and the effects it has on the environment and people that run the cycle. One of the examples that the video brought up was the $4.99 mini radio. The narrator stepped back and thought about how the little radio was produced from the very beginning. She explained the mining of the precious metals and plastics that it was composed of, and mentioned how the workers that put together the radio sacrificed their lives in order to make a few dollars a day. This idea got me thinking about all of the little items in stores, and larger ones for that matter, should be way more expensive than what they are today. After we watched this video, we were assigned our winter term project. I was assigned the theft of the Hub's silverware and plates with Joe Hennessy. This seems like a very interesting topic and we have begun researching many different ideas about the products. We also took two field trips this week. The first one we took was to a recycling company in Lafayette, IN. We visited Oscar Winski's plant and were given a tour to experience the process in which the trash goes through from when it is dropped off, to when it is finally recycled. On Wednesday, we visited Ray's Recycling outside of Indianapolis, and Covanta Energy. I was very excited to see Covanta Energy. When we arrived it was clear that Covanta was the largest facility we had visited.
This was a cool photo that I found that explains the process that the trash at Covanta Energy goes through from when it reaches the tipping zone, to when it is finally recycled. I thought it was very interesting to learn that Covanta Energy creates its own electricity off of steam and does not have to purchase any electricity from the city. Not many companies in the world are able to do that. They also supply much of the steam to the steam line that runs through Indianapolis, which makes electricity prices for the citizens much cheaper. At every facility we went to the tour guides were amazing and I definitely learned a lot about the whole process of recycling. What does everyone think the most interesting facility was, and what has been the most interesting part of class so far?
Will, I was also very interested in the Covanta Energy facility. In addition to the revenue created from the incineration of trash, I was surprised that Covanta also generates a revenue from receiving trash as well. So, they are very profitable because they are paid to take the trash and then paid again when they turn the trash into energy.
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