After reading the two articles US is far behind other countries with altering our waste processing stream to be more sustainable. Both Girardet and Lyle discuss how humans are using linear systems on a world who's ecosystem functions on a circular fashion. The articles both have the similar mentality as the Cradle to Cradle book, which is that outputs need to be inputs as well. One big issue is sewage which is being released into rivers and oceans to pollute our water that we then need to treat to make drinkable again. A more efficient sewage system the article by Girardet mentions is to have a recycling facilities where sewage can be treated to have the main output be fertilizers for farms. This is currently being done in Bristol where the water and sewage company dries and granulates the cities sewage. Other ways to but wast back into they natural cycle is by biological re-assimilation through aquatic sewage treatment and composting.
The way we use energy is unsustainable as oil levels deplete. One reason that alternative energy sources have not caught on it due to the price. Sola energy is about 8 times more expensive then current conventional sources. But there a lot up and coming alternatives to fossil fuels, such as CHP (combined heat and power) stations, heat humps, fuel cells, photovoltaics.
I like the comic. Sad, but true. Oh that Wall-E will never come to pass...
ReplyDeleteAgreed. The comic is great. Maybe a little too truthful!
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