Film:
“Waste = Food”
There are a lot of
companies and organizations that claim to be “going green” and trying to help
prevent further damage to our environment. What few people realize is that most
of these actions are just for show and really do not help the cause like they
would want you to believe. There are a few organizations, and even countries,
that are truly out to make a difference. The idea behind “Waste = Food” is not
to only help prevent pollution, but to provide and even reverse pollution.
It came as no
surprise to me that China puts out the most industrial pollution in the world.
Something that did surprise me is that they are creating whole cities that
utilize compressed sand with a hardening agent in place of concrete and brick.
To lower construction supplies that will have to be replaced and further
pollute their country; China is also planting vegetation on the roofs to create
crop land that also processes harmful carbon monoxide.
The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation
Institute is a non-profit organization conceived to bring about a large scale makeover
in the production of goods. The concept of this program is to create products
that benefit our planet instead of producing something that is not as harmful
to the environment as its predecessor.
To be a Cradle to Cradle project, strict rules must be followed.
- The product must
be made from materials that are safe for humans, animals and the environment.- Any and all materials must be reused safely by nature or industry.
- Produced and assembled with renewable and nonpolluting energy.
- Production aids and improves water supplies.
- Production must advance social and environmental justice.
- Disassembly must be relatively easy to increase efficiency.
In an effort to become
more environmentally friendly in the interest of Waste = Food, Rohner of Switzerland (a textile company) has begun
utilizing textile materials and ink that is not only biodegradable but actually
act as compost for crops. Rohner sells their scrap material that cannot be used
in production to farmers. This idea actually creates more income for the company,
helping the environment while providing a valuable resource to farmers. Instead
of recycling, Rohner down cycles the amount of waste in landfills.
The Ford Motor
Company has begun the process of using the above mentioned ideals to help
enrich the environment. The river Rouge, near the production facility has been
polluted for over a century due to the lack of environmentally enhancing procedures.
FMC has begun a $2 million renovavtion, called the “Heritage Project”, over the
next 20 years. By installing more windows the amount of artificial light to
illuminate the facility is drastically lowered. The roof of the facility is to
be replaced with vegetation that will double the life of a standard roof, does
not need to be completely stripped off for reroofing and storm water will be
absorbed and used by the plants. FMC is not only making a move to make their
facility environmentally friendly, but are redesigning the idea of using fossil
fuels to power vehicles. By designing hydrogen powered vehicles that are made
of materials that are entirely biodegradable. It takes 50,000lbs of material to
create a 3,000lbs vehicle. Creating materials and processes that help our
environment is a fantastic step towards making our planet a better place. An
even more efficient process would be to lower the material needed to produce
the merchandise.
