Products/Waste

Products/Waste

Ch. 14 Waste and Recycling (p. 278) - 

Waste-to-energy refers to the process of disposing of solid waste through incineration, then using the resulting heat to produce electricity (Robertson 2017).   

 The WTE was by far the most interesting part of the Lee County Waste to Energy Field Trip. I was not aware of how our human waste is transferred to electricity that is exported to local utilities for our home and business use. Now that I have seen the waste process, it motivates me to reduce the amount of waste I am generating by making the step towards prevention.    

 

Ch. 11 The Population Myth (p. 104) -   

While there’s a weak correlation between global warming and population growth, there’s a strong correlation between global warming and wealth (Jackson et al.,2018).

This statement surprised me more than it should have. I personally thought that there was a stronger correlation between global warming and population growth considering we are the ones responsible for the negative effects causing the environment to go on overdrive to keep us alive. It makes sense that the wealthier a family becomes, the more they consume as it leads to a large generation of waste, pollution, and energy.

https://katestone.global/ditching-the-dump-throwing-waste-management-myths-in-the-bin/

Waste Journal

I organized my waste journal into 3 sections: the discarded item, how the item was discarded, and a better disposal option to consider for the next time. It is unbelievable being able to list the amount of waste I generate in a week's time. I am aware that there were items on my list that could have made it to my recycling bin rather than generating more garbage waste. I have no excuse than to admit it was out of pure laziness and searching for a quick disposal that was of easiest access at the moment. I made sure the items I recycled were rinsed and washed if necessary and were empty of any form of food residue and physical crumbs. As I reflect on how much I threw away and how much I recycled, I can say I am proud for how far I have come. I used to not recycle at all. I honestly started to take it more seriously as I learned more in this class about how one person can implement a sustainable practice into their everyday life to help in making a small difference in the environment that could lead to a big impact. I live in the North Lake Village dorms with two roommates and we chose to go to an FGCU Sustainability event. I remember coming back from that event and telling my roommates I wanted to start recycling. I told them they could place their recyclables in the bag I set out and I left it at that. Within that week, we all accumulated bags and boxes of recyclable materials. I was surprised and overjoyed that we took the initiative to start recycling as a team. It truly takes one person to influence a community to make a change. 

References

Leopold, A. (2018). The Land Ethic. In S. Jackson, A. Nunes-Zaller, J. 

    Salmond, B. Thomas (Eds.). A Sustainable Future: Equality, 

    Ecology, and Economy (p. 65-75), Kendall Hunt Publishing.

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability Principles and Practice. 

    Routledge.