Moves In the Right Direction On Environment

With the mid-term elections behind us, there are some important shifts on the horizon for the environment. Two of the biggest blockages to positive climate action will be moving on climate change - James Inhofe and Richard Pembro - will no longer be controlling the Congressional climate change debate. Meanwhile, other indicators show a shifting focus to address critical environmental threats.

Diverting electronic equipment out of the waste stream has largely been a task taken on by volunteer groups. However, states and communities are waking up to this issue. Electronic equipment contains toxic materials which in landfills are released into the air if burned, and leach into water supplies if buried. This is a big problem as it is estimated that individuals (not counting business which does recycle some) dumped 2.5 million tons of electronic waste last year alone.

Six states (California, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Washington) currently require recycling of electronic equipment. New York is looking at a bill now. The barriers are the same everywhere - how to divert the equipment, and how to pay for recycling it. It would seem that properly recycling electronics could pay for itself. There are metals in much of the equipment which is not only toxic, but increasingly expensive - lead, cadmium, mercury, etc. Most of the major computer manufacturers now have programs for recycling their computers. It would be a good idea if this were the case for all manufacturers, and would ease many of the barriers to getting a mountain of toxic trash out of the waste stream.

The Washington Post reports that small, local, organic farms are increasing in popularity. This is good news. For anti-corporatists, it is a strike against agri-business and corporate farming. For small and family farmers, demand for their goods can save the farm. For those concerned about oil and climate change, a stable food supply is central to relocalization. The article cites Census data showing growth in small farms (10-49 acres) since 2002. This is after four decades of decline from the 1950s forward.

One of the biggest culprits in global warming is air traffic. This is largely because their emissions are dumped straight into vulnerable stretches of the atmosphere. After hearing for years that there is no substitute for oil in fueling planes, and hence little to do about their destructiveness, there is a glimmer of hope. Now there is a possibility of a greener plane. Looking remarkably similar to a stealth bomber, the SAX-40 is both quieter and more energy efficient than existing planes. The article states that it is "35% more fuel-efficient than any airliner currently flying." While the new plane offers some hope of greener days ahead for the airline industry, air fleets turn over even more slowly than autos do. If we want greener planes, then someone needs to step up to the plate to motivate (and subsidize) a change. At least now there is technology moving in the direction to make that possible.