I'd like to thank Daniel over at online news site Newsy.com for making a surprise appearance in my inbox yesterday, pointing me in the direction of the website's encouraging report on the adoption of Zero Waste projects worldwide.
This is the first time I've come across Newsy and I know I am biased in relation to the content matter, but I happen to like the nature of its reporting and how it gives an international perspective on this subject.
Hot on the heels of recent news about local Zero Waste projects in the UK, such as our Seven Streets project in Suffolk, it is really inspirational to see how other communities and overseas organisations are also tackling their own waste mountains.
Against the backdrop of environmental issues and sustainable responsibility, one of my favourite quotes in the report has to be the key observation from a Wal-Mart executive who says
"When you reduce waste, you're taking inefficiencies out of the system, which ultimately means you can lower prices."
This is the language of commerce, using incentives that developers, manufacturers and retailers hold dear. And interestingly, bringing it back to a local perspective it was this strong argument that was also used in a presentation that I attended this week about Resource Efficiency, which was aimed at small and medium sized businesses.
So it looks like the old adage "Necessity is the mother of invention" is actually coming true, just as the report illustrates with its news of waste management developments and commitments from retailers.
The path to Zero Waste really does feel like a new and exciting industrial revolution and the great thing is it looks like it is truly international. I now can't wait to see what happens next.
So see what you think of the Newsy report below. And if you're reading this in an RSS feed here's the link to connect directly to the video on the Newsy website.
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4 comments:
Great to see news coverage of zero waste!
(I wish they didn't use such extreme examples though, seems in the comments people can get scared of 36 bins to use, lol! And that footage of using methane from landfills were accompanied with more specifics about the dangers and toxics of landfill gas!)
I checked it out and commented on their website!
I have stumbled about the zero waste management program and discovered the benefit of it just recently and I was surprised by the benefits we can get by implementing it. I think we should start this program in our own home, one example is by recycling bottles of the products that we regularly use. Instead of using plastic bags when we go out to the grocery we can use recyclable tote bags as well.
Thanks for sharing us about the zero waste management.
Hi Layla - the panic over the number of bins will never go away. Glad to say we only need three for our minimum waste lifestyle, plus our wormery of course.
Hi John - great to see you on the blog and thanks for taking the time to comment on a few of the posts. You're right to start with a few things like the bags and the bottles. You'll soon find that as you take things gradually other things will become displaced and replaced too. Good luck and do let us know how you get on. :-D
You're most welcome. I appreciate your concern about our environment.Hope A lot will be encourage too.
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