Film: “Waste = Food”

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.