Speaking Greenish: Part two
| I am continuing today with meanings behind two more words used when speaking Green. The first word I am sure everyone has heard: Recycling. This word is part of the famous 3 "R"s... Reuse, Recycle and Reduce. The second word may not be as well known: Gray Water. Let us start with that... Gray Water comes from the used water in Dish Washers, Washing Machines, Showers, Bath Tubs, Bathroom and Sinks. You may now be asking yourself, why are we even going there? | "Why are |
Gray Water Because using Gray Water saves: Drinking Water, Energy and Money. Unfortunately this is not something we can easily redo or retro-fit into use around our house or apartment. Yes, there are systems and ways to save, but serious efforts require a licensed plumber. Nevertheless, that is where we come in... We have to talk about this topic and write about this topic to our congresswoman or congressman. Building codes for new houses and buildings should incorporate Gray Water use. For example, all shower water can be used through a separate set of pipes to supply water to the toilets. We should not be using clean water to flush away our own waste!
Now some Townships (depending on the jurisdiction) may even allow you to use Gray Water for landscape irrigation. I do not subscribe to that use of Gray Water for various reasons. By collecting rain water off your roof, you have a better way to water your flowers and lawn. Add a screen filter to your hose and you can even wash your car. Rain water is sanitized compared to Gray water and if any water comes in contact with someone who may have a cut or broken skin, you don't want to risk getting an infection. Bottom line, we have to be logical, not extremists. Consider getting a GTG membership for access to quick videos, online classes and checklists. All provide more details on Water. Thanks.
Recycling Center Recycling. We all know the word and most of us do some amount of recycling. Yet knowing what this word is all about, all the connecting details, is far more important than just recycling a water bottle or two. First, you should not be wasting your money and our nation's energy by buying "water" in a PLASTIC bottle!
 Number 2 plastic  Number 5 plastic, click on image to enlarge | Recycling is a money game and our voices need to be heard. Today your Township may only be able to take plastic that has a numbered between 1 and 3. At the start of recycling collection throughout a Township, most plastic bottles had the triangle at the bottom with numbers 1, 2, or 3 within. Today, more and more plastic containers have the numbers 5 or 7, thus non-recyclable. Why such an increase in plastic containers with recycle numbers higher than 4? Is it cheaper to manufacture a number 7 plastic container than a number 3? Whatever the reason, this is contributing to less recycling. We need answers from our congress people and then we need action to increase the ability of everyone to recycle, not decrease for the sake of profit margins. Back in autumn of 1978, when I attended St. John's University for my Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies, several other students and I had to present solutions to the inherited problems associated with the closing of Fresh Kills landfill. Detailed recycling solution didn’t make the grade according to our professor and the entire class sat there in shock waiting to hear why all our recycling programs were deemed as failures. Our professor stood in front of the classroom and made us wait for the answer which hit us like a garbage truck. “Nobody will implement a solution that does not make The sad truth is, too many men and women in the real world put profit before people, and that is a serious problem. The lesson learned was companies would never do something that does not make any money! Fast forward a decade and surprise! We have companies getting into the business of recycling, because they finally realizing that they could make money with recycled material. So much so, that by the year 2010 the recycling industry employed more than 1.1 million people. The annual payroll is estimated at 37 Billion dollars and there are over 56,000 recycling or reuse businesses nationwide. How do you like those apples? And compost those apple cores. Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com Environmental Scientist International Sustainability and Energy Consultant Contribute your comments! |
