Final Field Trip

Today we went on our last field trip to Republic's recycling plant. I thought this plant was very interesting. The tour that Mike gave us was awesome. We were able to go right up next to the assembly line and see the work at hand. I learned a lot of interesting stuff about the plant as well. With the economy being as down as it is, Republic was given 3 million dollars to build their recycling plant and to "do the best they could with what they had". With the amount of money that they were given the plant has exceeded all expectations. With the plants success, Republic has gone back to the drawing board to hopefully put more money into the plant in the near future.

How other countries deal with household garbage?

After two weeks of class, most of us have got an image of how we deal with our trash and where our trash goes. Though America has already got a good system dealing with trash, we can still look at how other countries deal with trash and learn from them.

Blog 2: UpCycling a Term Coined in 1994 is...

Upcycling is a hip term for taking waste materials and turning them into new, useful, quality items. Items that most of us would have never considered as worthwhile to keep around can actually be turned to new products. Websites like pinterest have been inspiring Internet users since 2009. Before you throw away that fruit punch carton, that old map or your T.V. get in touch with your crafty side and come up with a way to reuse that item or if you need help there is always the world wide web at your fingertips loaded with inspiration. Websites like Esty is filled with users that upcycle items and even make a profit because people, green at heart or not, find these items inventive and sentimental. Upcycled items are keeping trash from the municipal waste stream, so less waste means less energy used for waste pick up and less waste going to incinerators and landfills where overall less toxins are emitted into the environment.

Walmart Plans to Buy More American-Made Goods - NYTimes.com

Apropos of our discussions regarding the global economic system, local economies, Walmart, and the complex supply chain of consumer goods, I just saw this in today's New York Times:

Walmart Plans to Buy More American-Made Goods - NYTimes.com

In the last decade or so, American manufacturers have moved operations to China, Bangladesh, Vietnam and other lower-cost countries as they try to meet retailers’ strict cost requirements. However, recent consumer interest in American-made goods, rising labor and energy costs overseas, and pressure to get merchandise from the design phase into stores within weeks rather than months have renewed interest in manufacturing in this country. 

The just-in-time system of lean retailing plays a role in Walmart's shift (a minor one, of course), according to the article. 

Discussion on Walmart?  Are they moving in the right direction, or is there in principle no way for Walmart to operate its supply chain ethically while still being Walmart?

Bioremediation: Answer to Reduce Leachate in Landfills?

One element in class that drew my attention was learning about landfills and the major concern of environmental hazards they produce due to leachate. Because of this, i was curious in finding an answer to the leachate problem that would help this contaminant be a thing of the past. "Leachate" is any liquid that drains from land or stockpiled material and contains high concentrations of undesirable elements developed from the material that it has passed through. this problem is what allows people to question landfills especially in highly populated areas. These populated areas could be subject to water supply contamination, thus being harmful for the people who drink the water.  

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After surfing the Internet for a while, i came up on a process called Bioremediation. This process involves the use of micro-organism metabolism to remove pollutants. Bioremediation involves treating the contaminated material at the site, thus reducing/ eliminating the chemical impact that the contaminant may pose on any location in question. After reading the articles i posted below, i could not help but to wonder why this process is not heavily used in all landfills around the globe. The use of the micro-organisms is a method that not only holds a natural effect on the environment that has been contaminated, but, it is a cleaner, cheaper, and safer way to rid these toxic contaminants within landfills. Therefore, i believe bioremediation allows the process of waste management (in landfills) to be a better and more environmentally friendly method of getting rid of trash in populated areas. ultimately, providing an answer to solve the problem of leachate in landfill designated areas. 

http://www.bionewsonline.com/w/what_is_bioremediation.htm

http://water.usgs.gov/wid/html/bioremed.html

Nike Recycled Jerseys

When you think of Nike jerseys, you wouldn't expect that they are made of 96% recycled material.  This video shows the process of transforming recycled plastic into professional teams' uniforms.  This is the first time I've heard that Nike uses recycled material in their products, and I'm surprised they don't advertise this heavier.  Nike's reputation was tarnished when they employed children in overseas factories, so advertising the eco-friendly products could help turn this reputation around.

The Story of Stuff and George Carlin

Reading ch 4 from The Story of Stuff reminded me of this comedy skit by George Carlin and his view on stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLoge6QzcGY