Re-Gain

Recently, Ryan Grim’s article “Marvin’s Dirty Secret,” appeared in the October Rolling Stone Magazine exposing how the President’s brother’s waste company went bankrupt. This firm left behind Page County , Virginia citizens to pay a $8.5 million dollars environmental bill. Page County has a population of 24,000 and is a hour-and-a-half drive west of Washington D.C next to the Blue Ridge Mountains . It is also home to a major Virginia tourist attraction, Luray Caverns. Page County has been spent a lot of time dealing with landfill issues . There have been numerous questions of conflicts of interest . It’s as if a huge political football is being kicked around regarding what happened and why over the private operation of one unlined landfill and a mega-landfill recently closed by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VADEQ) for ongoing violations and excessive trash intake . There have been many anomalies in the operation of these Page County landf...

Deal with a Full Deck By Rob Arner Nearly a quarter of a century ago, I had a dream as the District's first recycling coordinator. I was inspired by Martin Luther King's dream. Ironically, Dr. King, who is remembered for non-violent action, was slain helping the Memphis garbage workers. I remember the resulting nightmare when numerous building on 7th and 14th Street were burned down. Waste in DC can be utilized once we all better manage the bountiful forms of liquid, solid, gaseous, human, and other resources that are neglected. In the nation's capital, the city government knows exactly where your car is parked. But this town consumes more and knows less where the things it consumes end up than any other American city. Each year in the metro area we lose the equivalent of one Exxon Valdez just from the motor oil, car filters, and antifreeze dumped by do-it-yourself motorist. Discovery happens in the act of recovery, which inspired me to create Ra...

Most Americans are unaware that backyard burning is now the number one contributor of dioxins besides polluting other toxic chemicals into our air, land and water. U.S. EPA data indicate that by 2004, backyard burning will become the single largest contributor of dioxin emissions in the U.S. Also, backyard burning exceeds all other quantifiable dioxin emission sources combined. Backyard burning of household waste emits 1,000 to 10,000 times more dioxins than from modern, well controlled municipal solid waste incinerators. Beside dioxins, smoke from open burning also contains a variety of other pollutants including particulate matter, sulfur dioxides, lead, mercury, and benzene compounds. Breathing these pollutants can damage the lungs, nervous system, kidneys, and liver. Dioxin compounds, such as furans and polychlorinated bi-phenyls (PCBs), are created whenever materials containing carbon and chlorine are burned. These compounds are extremely toxic even in sm...

P romoting best management practices (BMPs) for the land application of biosolids—also known as sludge--will lessen water pollution and safeguard public health. However, while some BMPs have been developed for nutrients, others need to be developed once the full range of constituents in sludge are determined. The designation of proper management guidelines and responsibilities for safe land application of biosolids can translate into improved environmental quality. In response to the Clean Water Act, Federal, State and local governments have built thousands of sewage treatment and collection facilities. Today over 16,000 sewage treatment facilities serve nearly 190 million Americans (72% percent of the U.S. population—not counting those with decentralized septic and wastewater systems). In addition, these sewage treatment and collection facilities serve thousands of industrial and commercial establishments. Roughly eight million dry metric tons of biosolids are annually...

Wood treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) has been identified by EPA as causing elevated arsenic concentrations and other toxins such as chromium exposure. Because of these concerns a voluntary decision by industry was to phase out CCA products by 2004. EPA will not allow CCA products for residential use and also has a special exemption from being considered a hazardous waste. CCA-treated wood does leach arsenic into the environment. EPA has not at this time concluded that CCA-treated wood posses unreasonable risks or should be removed or replaced. Several studies have shown that arsenic in CCA does in fact leach out of CCA-treated wood, both, when the wood is new and when the wood ages. Also arsenic is easily transferable to the hands of anyone coming into contact with the wood according to several swipe tests. However, the jury is still out to the exact risk of this type of pressured treated wood since EPA is making several risk assessment of CCA-treated wood. O...

One prominent recent initiative in this area is Extended Product Responsibility(EPR), which is a set of practices based on the idea that manufacturers should take greater responsibility for the impacts of their products even after they are sold. Under the EPR system, all participants in the products' life – designers, suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, users, and disposers – share responsibility for the environmental effects of the product. The primary goals of this initiative are to ensure the responsible use of resources and to minimize solid waste generation. Manufacturers may take responsibility in various ways, either directly or indirectly. “Product takeback” is currently the most widespread form of EPR. In this process, the product is returned to the manufacturer at the end of its useful life. The manufacturer is then responsible for its ultimate nd environmentally sound disposal. European and Asian nations are aggressively implementing product takeback...

Softspikes, Inc., a company I worked for in the early 1990s, exemplifies just what can be accomplished when the commitment to change is driven by an ingeniously marketing the preventative benefits of an innovative product. Both the British and PGA championship were won by golfers wearing Softspikes now since most of the Pro’s play with these golf spikes. Over decade ago things dramatically changed. A marketing initiative was undertaken by a company called Softspikes, Inc., that revolutionized golf. It was a strategy that established a new paradigm, reversing the traditional method by which products are marketed and sold to golfers on a large-scale basis. Rather than selling products backed up by the endorsement of top players or through television and print advertising, this new strategy sought to gain product acceptance at the “grassroots” level at golf facilities from coast to coast. It also was a strategy to market a new concept , not just a new product. (It was a conc...

We are rapidly awakening to how water affects all aspects of our life. How we use our water is not just about our future, but about our survival. Beyond the billions who do not have clean water, an emerging consciousness recognizes the critical nature of this universal solvent. Water is not just life; it connects and touches all living things. Less than one percent of the world’s water is presently consumable. How we share this precious liquid directly relates to peace and prosperity on this earth. Just a century ago it was common for many to have to carry water. A woman in a developing country, on the average, must walk 6 kilometers each day to get freshwater. Water enables life more than a simple flush of the toilet or drink of water. So why must we better conserve water? Throughout the world both drought and lack of clean water is alarming. While most Americans take clean water for granted there are many who lack this essential amenity. This is becoming increasing...