The United States continues to lag behind leading countries in pushing aggressive environmental programs to reduce pollutants and garbage. Two stories this week highlight the sharp and disappointing contrast. In Sweden, the government has made an incredible leap in reducing household garbage and appears close to attaining the impossible: a zero waste national objective for landfills. Currently, less than one percent of Sweden household garbage ends up in landfills. In the meantime, Germany (which continues to outstrip the U.S. on green policies while continuing strong economic growth) has announced that it will add one million electric cars on the road by 2030 and expects to drop greenhouse emissions from transportation by 26 percent by 2030 from 1990 levels.
Sweden has had astonishing success in reducing landfill waste which is notoriously bad for the environment from residual ground and air pollution as well as the failure to fully recycle trash. The Swedish government has pushed the concept of garbage as a commodity for recycling or fuel production. Swedish families now Produce just 461 kilograms of waste which is slightly below the half-ton European average, but the country does an amazing job in managing the trash.
One of the biggest reasons for the low level of landfill use is a law that I have often spoken about in some countries. In Sweden, producers are responsible for handling all costs related to collection and recycling or disposal of their products. This gives companies an incentive to reduce packaging and increase recycling.
As for Germany, we have previously discussed the incredible achievements of that country in alternative energy sources. Merkel’s government has now announced the plan to have the million electric cars on the road by 2020 and set the 26 percent drop as the goal. Germany is making these achievements while maintaining one of the strongest economies in the world.
These laws of course have the obvious value of not just reducing greenhouse gases but reducing pollution and improving public health. The garbage rules also force greater cost internalization for manufacturers rather than to allow them to simply externalize the costs of packaging and pollution.
How can wanting to ban plastic bags, be seen as EXTREME ????
Like I said…. They end up in the SEA…..
They do NOT decompose….
So, they will be there for 100 YEARS…..
How is this OK with ANYBODY????
Plastic bags are obviously a big deal w/ you. I don’t use them. I don’t even put fruit or vegetables in them. It’s more a clutter thing w/ me than saving the planet. I will put meat in plastic for health reasons. So, I’m doing my part. We should encourage others to do it as well. Banning should be used sparsely. It is taking away a persons rights. I consider peoples rights precious.
HELP>… ONE of my comments is stuck in the Spam Filter….
the ONE comment with a LINK….. UUUggggggghhhhh…..
WHO has EVER suggested YOU to pay for choo choo trains like this is the 40’s. ???
WHY not a rail system like in Europe???
I am pretty sure that is what MOST people mean when they say TRAINS….
I know that is what we have… TRAINS… and NO, they are NOT Choo Choo Trains…. Though, that would be FUN….:-D
Justagurl, it’s simply lack of imagination. They think that all liberals are cookie cutter images of each other. I’m not a vegan or a vegetarian, however I buy free range farm eggs and as much fresh produce from farmers markets as I can, the further away you are from a big city the cheaper it is. I can’t always afford organic meat, but when it’s on sale I will most definitely buy it. I don’t buy packaged food as its full of crap that’s not good for you and tastes bad. Image m own yogurt and bread from ancient grains. If people got back to some of the old skills we would all be better off. However going back in time doesn’t mean giving up advances in medicine, human rights and other good things accomplished by progressive ideas. We can use our talents and our imagination to make things better for everyone. Yep, kind of like “socialist” Europe.
Thanks SWM, I’ll be avoidinding those products.
Annie, I retrieved your comment at 11:04.
Nick… YOU obviously don’t know a LOT about me…
I am LEFT of CENTER…. NOT even in the Ballpark of Far Left Liberal…..
YOU clearly have NO IDEA what a FAR LEFT Liberal looks like….. LOL…
I am even considered Center Right Wing in Europe… LOL
Hell… YOU are probably more ecologically sound than I am….
I carry reusable bags with me to the store….
and I also get plastic bags here…. LOL…
BUT…. We use them as trash bags….
So, there is no way of them flying off and ending up in the sea….
If they did.. and we had a garbage patch…
I would also be OK with banning them…… They are NOT a Constitutional Right…. Sometimes you have to look at the BIGGER Picture…
The ONLY reason I am for the banning of plastic bags, is that they do NOT decompose…. and they are ending up in that horrific garbage patch….
NOT everybody is like you… and even if people are responsible with those plastic bags, they can get caught in the wind and carry out to Sea….
Now, the ONLY way to address that is to ban them….
They tried other ways… and fact is.. MOST people will still just opt for the ease of the plastic bag… like I do… difference being…. they will throw them away, and then they slow away…. and they get carried out to sea….
max, Our house has ALWAYS been the place where kids came to play. Our 2 dogs died recently but many still come over trying to convince me to get 2 more. I make no assumptions on what kind of person you are w/ kids. I’m a positive person and assume you are a good woman. Let’s not get personal. You have no idea how many people I help. And, I have no idea about you as well.
Well, someone here proudly gave up their car. God bless him/her. But, these same folks want me to pay for choo choo trains like this is the 40’s. NO. I will abide different modes of transportation that is forward, not backward. I’m sure some here liked the Unabomber, the left wing terrorist. He thought there should be no electrical grid and we should all compost our own shit. And, he murdered people trying to achieve his “progressive” edicts. If you could have heard these folks on NPR. Well, you would have loved it. “We got off the grid a year ago. No electricity, no computers, no radio. no car, no leather.” Lot’s of NO. As I just said, we are polar opposites. Just stay outta my biz. You do whatever you like.
Somebody above claimed that Muslims were most likely NOT ecologically minded…..
Well… That person would be VERY wrong… NOT shocked of course by this….. as many here seem to have a rather negative view of Muslims….
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http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/07/inside-the-growing-organic-halal-movement.html
These Muslims are asking controversial questions about practices that go on in some parts of the mainstream halal industry: Is it halal if chickens are killed in a mechanical assembly line? Is it halal if the animal lives a miserable life while never seeing sunlight? Is it halal if livestock feed is mixed with animal parts? These Muslims are even looking at how farm workers are treated.
JAG, I retrieved your comment at 10:53.
JAG, There was a discussion recently on this. I’ll say again what I said then. It is not extreme so you probably won’t like it. I use reusable grocery bags. Primarily because they’re easy to carry. But, in Ca. most stores give you a 5 cent credit for every bag you use. That’s a positive incentive. I support that. I don’t support BANNING plastic bags. I walk whenever I can. It saves gas and it’s healthy, win/win. I don’t want to be taxed by the mile which is proposed in Ca. I turn off lights. I don’t let the water run. I like incentives to do positive steps. I am a libertarian. My list of things that should be BANNED is shorter than anyone else here. I don’t want to control your life and I sure as hell don’t want anyone to control mine. Those are the principals on which this country was founded. We are polar opposites, JAG. You do whatever you want to get off the grid. God Bless you. Don’t foist your values on me. I’ll NEVER foist mine on you. Pretty basic stuff.
How can ANYBODY see the Western Pacific garbage patch….
and NOT want to address this in a meaningful way?
So, Nick.. Give us some examples of how these Liberals were going back to the Stone Age ????
Cuz, I am PRETTY sure that back in the stone age, they ate meat….
and the Ultra Liberals I know… are VEGAN….
I am NOT Vegan…. I think it is ridiculous…
But… To claim that they were going back to the Stone age???
I have to hear these examples….
Nick… are you saying that if we find that a product is poisonous, that we should leave it on the market??
There is a GOOD REASON to ban the use of plastic as much as possible….. Have you seen the Western Pacific garbage patch????
THAT should DISGUST you and any sane person…
If you think that is acceptable and that we should just leave EVERY product on the market…. that is just NOT addressing a problem, such as the Western Pacific garbage patch…. It is NOT as if people are banning ways of carrying groceries…. WE are just going back to a time, where the bags were PAPER…. Biodegradable…. Items came in GLASS jars…. this is also healthier for you, as even quality plastic leaches toxins into your food….
You ever open a bottle of water that has been sitting in a hot car for a while… You can SMELL the plastic… It is gross….
That is like being upset over the size of a Pepsi ….
It is NOT as if people can’t buy a bunch of Pepsi…
It is just NOT a constitutional right to but a BUCKET of Pepsi…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/new-nuns-on-the-bus-tour-to-tackle-political-dark-money/2014/09/08/4d991b3a-378d-11e4-a023-1d61f7f31a05_story.html “This time it’s the Catholic sisters versus the Koch brothers.
That’s one way to look at the upcoming “Nuns on the Bus” tour, which hits the road next week (Sept. 17) for the third time in three years, a monthlong trip though 10 key U.S. Senate battleground states to campaign against the influence of outside money on politics.
The issue has come to be identified with the wealthy industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch, whose huge contributions to conservative political causes have raised concerns about the role of “dark money” on elections.”
Funny how “progressives” all want to ride choo choo trains and “get off the grid.” I was listening to NPR on Earth Day a few years back. People were calling in and topping one another on how far back they’ve gone to the Stone Age. It was like listening to Onion Radio. “Forward to the Dark Ages” is the battle cry of the tree huggers.
@Nick Spinelli
Do you also yell at kids to “get off your lawn”?
I’m switching to those brands just to counter you, SWM. Thanks! I think I’ll buy double and donate those products to homeless shelters.
Angel Soft toilet paper
Quilted Northern toilet paper
Soft ‘n Gentle toilet paper
Brawny paper towels
Dixie plates, bowls, napkins and cups
Mardi Gras napkins and towels
Sparkle napkins
Vanity fair napkins
Zee napkins Annie, Koch Georgia Pacific paper products
Extremists on both sides of the spectrum LOVE to ban stuff. They just LOVE it. They love to control lives of hard working people who don’t have time for politics.
I love the cloth reusable grocery bags, been using them for years. No more broken handles and they can be laundered. No more bags to discard. I occasionally get paper bags because thei handy to have at home for various projects. I loath the shrink wrapped stuff too, I’ve hurt my hands trying to open damn things. I won’t have any styrofoam products in my house, I hate the feel of them and they’re bulky, paper plates and cups if need be. I’m not thrilled with paper either, I wonder how many are made by th Koch industries?
And as far as subsidizing corn growers for ethanol, no! Stop it now, use corn for food, not to burn in cars. There are starving people world wide and we burn it? That’s immoral.
smm
Seattle has had a similar program in place now for a few years.
They’ve banned plastic grocery bags and charge $.05 per large paper bag. During the first 6-9 months, the city was giving away FREE reusable bags in grocery stores for each visitor. The changeover was seamless.