YT: E-Waste Hell - Ghana

I watched E-Waste Hell – Ghana on the Journeyman Pictures YouTube channel.  I have written about this issue before, but it is one that is dear to my heart, so I write about it again, using a different source.  The documentary from October 2011 is just shy of seventeen minutes, so it will be easy to make time to watch it!

An electronic waste recycler in Sydney, Australia, Joe Dickio, says he saw hundreds of televisions piling up at a charity depot in Sydney.  When exporters offered to take the televisions off their hands, the charity depot accepted.  Joe’s electronic waste company explained to them that this is wrong.  In response, the charity said they did not have the funds to dispose of the televisions properly.  Personally, I find this shocking.  I find it hard to believe that there is no way to have events geared at funding recycling of electronic waste, so as to avoid environmental, social and health problems that are directly associated with this kind of waste.  Many goods come from Australia, with no permits exist that allow Australian electronic waste to be shipped to any African location.  Despite this, Australian customs does not keep records on how many shipments leave for Ghana.  In the past two years, though, fifteen containers have been stopped from leaving Australia, albeit no prosecutions have taken place.

Llambert Faabeluon of the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency found this shocking and said that personally, he would like these people to be jailed.  He also says that Ghana has limited resources, making it difficult to deal with these problems.  Faabeluon did state that he wants to know why this kind of waste is leaving the core in the first place.  I completely agree.  If the waste had been properly disposed of, then this problem would not have come to such an extreme level in Ghana!  Illegal shipments started arriving in Ghana in 2003.  Now, around five hundred container-loads every month arrive in Ghana (about seventeen a day).  Though they are sent as working used goods, a broken frame shows that the sending parties know that goods are not still in working condition.

Mike Ananie, an environmental journalist, has been investigating the problem.  He brings the film-makers to a colleague of his, who shows them how easy it is to recover information from a computer.  This is something that is happening around Ghana, however not everyone is doing this with good intentions.  People and institutions around the world are therefore unknowingly sending their personal or confidential information to Ghana.  This information can then be found and used, increasing the threat of identity theft, something that can be linked to sakawa (click the word to watch a video for a brief explanation).  This is distributed throughout the country through a small fraction of electronics that can be fixed up and resold locally.  Through this resale, inexpensive used goods can be supplied to locals and more than 10 000 people get a regular income.

Despite this, what does not work ends in the landfill at Agbogbloshie, Accra.  This is Africa’s biggest electronic wasteland, where the poorest try to get money from what they can find.  Often, these are children who can be as young as five years old trying to get at the metals that can be resold, for less than one dollar a day.  By burning the plastic to get to the metal, they breathe in toxins that negatively affects their growth.  They also may complain of breathing problems and headaches.  Nearby, in the streets of Accra, the smoke affects peoples’ health both by their presence near the landfill and through the food they buy there.  Also, heavy metals which cause organ cancers go into the atmosphere, for everyone to breathe.

At the end of the film, Ananie recalls a time when that area had luscious growth.  He and his friends used to play within this growth.

Jimmy Carter:
"Solid wastes" are the discarded leftovers of our advanced consumer society. This growing mountain of garbage and trash represents not only an attitude of indifference toward valuable natural resources, but also a serious economic and public health problem.

CRI - China Sends Smuggled Waste Back to Netherlands

In a past post, I discussed e-waste that is illegally sent to Ghana.  This issue is causing environmental and human health problems, due to the ways Ghanaians find to deal with this waste.  This week, I am writing about a similar issue that is brought to my attention through “China Sends Smuggled Waste Back to Netherlands” in the English section of China Radio International.

In China, there are laws that control what waste enters the country, not allowing anything that cannot be used as a raw material, or anything that will severely affect the environment.  An investigation showed that a trading firm called Hepu hass been buying waste through a company in Taiwan.  This company then finds whatever is valuable in the waste to sell at exorbitant prices, then dump the rest without any thought of its effect to the environment.  In response to the findings on Hepu, Chinese authorities shipped 753-tonnes of waste back to the originating country of the Netherlands on June 1.

This is a great step for the Chinese government to prevent waste in their country.  Whether locals are encouraged to prevent waste is something I do not yet know, however based on this particular law, if they are not yet, this is something that is to come.

Jerry Rawles says it well:
People throw all sorts of good stuff away and I thought no point in having that in a landfill when I can do something with it

AA - Cote d'Ivoire President Ouattara Sacks a Minister Over Toxic Waste Dumping Scandal

This week, I am looking at a press release about a situation in Cote d'Ivoire from this past May, called ‘Cote d'Ivoire: President Ouattara Sacks a Minister Over Toxic Waste Dumping Scandal’, and the title surely informs of the problem.  The press release does not give any information as to what the toxic waste scandal is, but it is comforting to know that President Ouattara is ready to terminate any Minister involved in wrongdoing.  The Minister of African Integration, Adama Bictogo, is the person involved in this particular case.

It seems Bictogo resigned from his position prior to appearing in court.  This particular case of wrongdoing reappeared after Jeune Afrique, a French news magazine, published an article that quoted an eyewitness who accused Bictogo of accepting money originally meant to compensate victims of the toxic waste.  Fraternite Matin published another article that mentions advice by President Ouattara's, that any government official violating the code of ethics, or who is suspected of misconduct must be let go and by letting Bictogo go, President Ouattara seeks to keep his promise.  This brings into evidence that when a state goes through a change, such as the recent change in Cote d’Ivoire, good things can come of it!  Let’s hope this continues both for the citizens of the country, as well as for the natural environment.

An article in L'Intelligent d'Abidjan looks at both sides of the issue.  The author wonders whether Bictogo was truly guilty.  The author also states that by letting Bictogo go, President Ouattara has opened a can of worms, in that other dignitaries have a higher chance of also being let go.  By letting Bictogo go, though, President Ouattara has made clear that he is “listening to the voices of ordinary people", rather than allowing himself to be affected by those surrounding him.  As this is a part of the press release, I do not know what the tone of this article is, but based on these two statements, I personally see this as a good thing.  This means that by listening to those who tend to be ignored, i.e. the general public, and by dismissing those abusing of their power, President Ouattara is making evident that he is taking his position as president seriously, rather than taking advantage of the situation.

An article in Le Nouveau Courrier does bring to light that though there has been a dismissal and an investigation is taking place, this does not mean he will be held in custody, as the law stipulates as the action to be taken.  Bictogo is known for having great financial powers, as well as intimidation abilities.  The author does also request that all of Bictogo’s bank accounts, at home and abroad, be frozen in relation to the investigation.

This press release brings to light the complexity of any situation.  We must always be aware that reading one or two news articles does not mean we understand what is going on in any situation.

This week’s quote is by an unknown person.  Chances are the figure is not fully accurate, but it does give us an idea as to the extent of the problem:
$43 billion worth of unopened and unused food is thrown into landfill sites in the US every year, enough to end world hunger.

This Landfill is Your Landfill by Randy Ludacer

Today want to make you aware of This Landfillis Your Landfill by Randy Ludacer.  It is a song that talks about all kind of things that can be found within a landfill and even goes back in the layers.  The part I like best about the video is that his guitar is made of an old box.  It is worth listening to the lyrics more than anything.  The main reason I am posting it is that it is worth being aware of this song, since it talks about this huge problem in a non-threatening way, just listing things that can be found in a landfill.

This weeks quote is by Ed Rendell:

I think a moratorium probably is legal, and we should probably for a short period of time impose a moratorium so that we don't permit any additional landfill permits for the time being, so we don't exacerbate the problem.

SG - Zoomlion Donates 10 New Waste Management Trucks

WaPreG works with religious bodies, schools and the general public in preventing waste.  Despite this, there will be some amount of waste until we find ways to turn all waste into some form of resource and management will be required during that time.  As can be seen in “Zoomlion Donates 10 New Waste Management Trucks” by SpyGhana, executives of Zoomlion Ghana Limited are finding ways to manage what waste does exist.  In an effort to end Ghana’s filth problem, executives donated ten garbage trucks, as well as other equipment to the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Upper East Region.

The Honourable Lucy Awuni, Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, acknowledged that though Zoomlion Ghana Limited, as a company, works at providing sanitation services to the country, citizens must recall that they need to play their part in keeping Ghana clean.  She also made the point that Ghanaians having bad sanitation habits is having an effect on the country's economy, as there is a need to spend much money on this problem that could easily be prevented.  The money that is being spent on the consequences of these habits could be spent on other things, if only there were a change in Ghanaian sanitation habits.

Mr. Abubakari Issaka, Deputy Upper East Regional Manager of Zoomlion, requested that the Chief Executives devote time during Assembly programmes for educating the public on the necessity to keep their environment clean.  This sounds like a call for WaPreG or a similar organization to jump in and help out!  I don’t know when WaPreG will be able to help in this particular area, so if anyone is in or near the Upper East Region, this is your chance to help with this problem!  If you need support, do contact us and we will be very happy to collaborate!

TG - SABMiller: more beer from less water

This week I write about water.  Water is extremely important to livelihood and excessive use of water is a form of waste.  As written in SABMiller: more beer from less water, executives of SABMiller, the company that brews such beers as Ghana’s Club Premium Lager and Castle Milk Stout, have decided to acknowledge water scarcity.  The way they are doing this is during the period of 2008-2015, they are cutting water usage by 25%.  This may sound like a small number, but this is a quarter of their water usage; significant for a company that depends on water for its existence.

Research has given evidence of water scarcity increasing to a 40% gap between water supply and demand by the year 2030.  This demonstrates the importance for companies like SABMiller, which depend on water for all levels of production, to watch their level of sustainability.  The thing is, water scarcity has numerous risks, including ‘competition for resources, higher costs, reduced water quality and the possibility that shortages will limit production’.  This means as scarcity increases, so does the privatization of something that even the United Nations has declared a human right (I remember reading about this during my time in Ghana in summer 2010).

Recognizing that cutting water usage is not enough, SABMiller employees are also working with local communities to protect shared watersheds.  Also, employees are collaborating with NGOs, governments, communities and industry coalitions, taking part in the water debate, sharing lessons they learn and encouraging better oversight of water.

In 2009, the company teamed up with WWF and GIZ, the German Society for International Cooperation (note the acronym is for the actual German name, not the English translation of the name), to form the Water Futures partnership.  This partnership addresses some of the most urgent water risks facing SABMiller's local businesses, surrounding communities and ecosystems.  Though I have my doubts when it comes to corporate responsibility, the goal of Water Futures is to show that the private sector can engage in promoting sustainable management of resources.  The initiative of reducing water consumption has already begun to make a huge difference, as can be seen in such places as Rajasthan, where groundwater is estimated to have risen by 31 feet so far, nearly the amount consumed by SABMiller that year.

I will probably be sceptical of companies for a long time, but the harder they work at their social and environmental responsibilities, the better.  I would much rather be proven wrong about my skepticism than be proven right.

David Ormsby-Gore quote:

It would indeed be the ultimate tragedy if the history of the human race proved to be nothing more noble than the story of an ape playing with a box of matches on a petrol dump.

WMW - Zero Waste Scotland-Businesses Landfilling Too Many Recyclable

As an organization, we generally work with the public however the private sector must never be forgotten.  As individuals, we often forget ourselves when in the workplace.  I have often seen people, who when at home strive to minimize waste, produce excessive amounts of it in the workplace.  Waste is waste, no matter where you are producing it, so we must always be aware of how much waste we do produce.

This past May, Zero Waste Scotland published a report analysing commercial waste in Scotland, by inspecting mixed waste being sent to landfills.  Retail, education, and health and social work produce over 50% of Scotland's total mixed commercial waste according to Zero Waste Scotland, over half of which could potentially be recycled.  Mixed waste consisted primarily of food, paper, and card waste in all sectors; however other recyclables also showed up in lower quantities.

Regulations passed by the Scottish Parliament require all businesses in Scotland separate paper and card, plastic, metal, and glass for recycling by 2014.  On top of that, those businesses producing over 50kg of food waste per week will be obliged to also separate this by January 2014, with businesses producing between 5kg and 50kg per week following suit by 2016.  According to the report, collections must be available from the council or commercial waste contractor for recycling to be possible.  It must be also noted, that opportunities do in fact exist, encouraging people to increase their use of recycling facilities.

In Ghana, recycling is minimal, though I have found company websites in the past, so it exists.  Now, it is not easy to have this kind of institution where funds are limited, however we have seen in past posts that there is a possibility to recycle from home, even if not in the form of a massive industrial venture.  Possibly my favourite quote in the article is that "it is clear that new waste regulations could boost our economy by getting valuable materials out of landfill and into productive uses."  Regulations may not yet exist in Ghana, but why should that stop us from putting those materials we would otherwise send to the landfills to good use?  Such initiatives as Trashy Bags (I know, I keep mentionning them, but they do great work) or UniquEco in Kenya both take waste and turn it into something people will use, so we know that it can be done!

Tom Udall once said:

It's a national concern, I mean how we dispose of nuclear waste in a safe way, how we deal with this incredible amount of nuclear waste we have created over the years.

DO - Use Africa’s Resources for Sustainable Economic Growth

This week’s post is not directly about waste, however there is a link.  I am writing about an article found in Liberia’s Daily Observer, entitled “Use Africa’sResources for Sustainable Economic Growth”.  It seems a few African countries met at the Summit for Sustainability inAfrica in Gaborone, Botswana at the end of May.  These ten countries adopted The Gaborone Declaration.  The Declaration seeks to improve and maintain sustainability, so as to allow human communities to continue to survive on the Earth, through biodiversity and ecosystem protection, lessening of environmental risks and scarcities.  This will contribute to the economic prosperity of future generations.  An additional goal of this declaration is to reinforce commitment to previous treaties, as natural resource extraction in Africa has been primarily focused on short-term economic gains.

Reasoning behind the declaration recognizes that because of the nature of natural resource exploitation, human well-being will be negatively affected if efforts are not made to reverse environmental degradation.  In Liberia’s case, natural resource extraction followed the urge to satisfy the economy, completely disregarding long-term environmental effects, leaving large craters throughout the landscape, much like other resource-rich African nations.

What is great about this declaration is that it does seek to reinforce previous commitments.  Since those same commitments were not met, however, I wonder how we can be sure this one will be met?  Particularly because of the fifty-seven countries on the continent, only ten attended this summit (or 18%).  Various reasons could have stopped these countries from attending, however the fact remains that they did not and by so doing (or not doing), the Declaration loses its strength.  Despite the small portion of nations adopting The Gaborone Declaration, there is a push for African countries make this vision a reality, exploiting resources sustainably, so as to last for the people.

How I would relate this to waste is the obvious of environment, but also that the goal to become sustainable is, for some, at the cost of increased personal consumption.  Many do not want to minimize their habits, instead preferring to increase their consumption with every day.  What we need to understand is that the more we consume, the less sustainably we live.  There is no way to increase our consumption, while still reducing our environmental footprint that I know of, though I would be interested in finding out how if any readers know of ways this can be done.  The reason I say this is that we really need to be self-aware when we make decisions and we need to stop making decisions blindly, however small the decision, and consuming is a decision.  Rather than finding ways to materialize our lives, maybe we should try thinking about whether consumption really does enhance our lives.  If it does, what are the costs of our consumption habits and are they really worth it.  This may seem like a tangent, but remember: our consumption habits directly affect resource extraction.

Guy Debord said this week’s quote:

Young people everywhere have been allowed to choose between love and a garbage disposal unit. Everywhere they have chosen the garbage disposal unit.

Education and WaPreG

This past week Allie started school.  That is why this post is so late and we do apologize for that.  I do, however, want to link this change in my routine to Waste Prevention Group.  If you look to the side, you will see that the WaPreG goal is to prevent further waste in Ghana.  The plan is to do this through religious bodies, schools and the general public.  By working through these means, how do we prevent waste?  What we need to do is educate.  Now, education is not enough if the population does not want change, however many have expressed an interest in fixing this problem.  If you pay attention in Ghana, you can even catch people scolding others for contributing to this same problem.  That means people want to change and they know how.  As a group, WaPreG concentrates on why and how to prevent waste.  By concentrating on these two aspects, prevention will happen on its own.

Now, education is most obviously found in schools, which is one reason we did choose schools.  Those attending schools have great ideas, but may not realize how much power they have to effect change.  They learn something and believe in it, bring it home to their peers – friends, family, others in their communities – those peers who also believe in it make the change, bringing it to their own peers and it spreads.  What we must keep in mind, however, is that even if we eventually reach out to every school in Ghana, there is a large portion of the school-age population not attending school for various reasons and an even larger portion no longer attends school.  Because of that, we realized that a great place to go that will reach the large majority of the Ghanaian population, both school-age and beyond, is religious bodies.  Religion is very important to a great majority of Ghanaians.  Many religious leaders feel that we must not abuse the earth given to us by the creator.  Despite these two great institutions, we must recall that there are still portions of the population we have not yet reached, so we also work with the general public to be sure to reach as many people as possible.

Now when we hear the word “education”, we think of formal institutions with books and exams and paid teachers.  The kind of education related to WaPreG is about communal learning.  The expression “preaching to the choir” comes to mind, but in a good way.  Sometimes, to start the change, you need to bring together like-minded people to share their knowledge, so they can spread the word and that is part of the goal of WaPreG.  We will work with people who believe the problem can be remedied.  We want everyone to bring their knowledge and ideas to the table, so everyone can be on the same page.  We want to come up with ideas as a group.  WaPreG is not about WaPreG members telling non-members what to do.  Instead, the aim is to bring everyone together to come up with a solution that everyone will be pleased with and that will have a positive effect on the majority.  Sure, having started WaPreG, Alfred and Allie have many ideas, but we are only two people.  Ghana’s last census estimated a population of 24,7 million, or 103,4 people per square kilometer (dense compared to Canada’s 3,5 people per square kilometer, yet sparse compared to India’s 368,1).  We have faith that the 24,7 million in Ghana have plenty of ideas, if only they are given the chance to share these ideas.

Quote of the week, by Imelda Marcos:

People say I'm extravagant because I want to be surrounded by beauty. But tell me, who wants to be surrounded by garbage?

GIW - What If YOUR World Had No Clean Water

Today, I am writing about “WhatIf YOUR World Had No Clean Water?”, another post in the goldinwords blog by Benjamin Anyan.  I am writing more about the idea than about the content.  TAPthirst has played a huge part in my life, in many ways.  TAPthirst, or Tapdrinkers Against Privatization, is a student group at Concordia working at bringing awareness of water issues to the local community, particularly in terms of privatization of water.  In fact, it was through TAPthirst, and with the help of other groups and volunteers, that the decision to phase out bottled water was finally made at Concordia.  Much can be said, but I can discuss that at another time.  Through my work with TAPthirst, I learned so much about water and still have a ton to learn.  When I went to Ghana the first time, I couldn’t help but look at the water all around me and the need for pure water instead of tap water (what I was accustomed to drinking) and wonder how could this be fixed.  This is where I saw the connection between water and refuse, particularly in Ghana.

In Canada, we are lucky enough to have safe drinking water coming right out of our taps; water that our taxes fund the purifying of.  In the parts of Ghana I have been to, we may not always be able to rely on tap water, however we can find pure water for a minimal price, as compared to the bottles.  The thing is, not everyone on the planet has those two options and of those that do, not all of them can afford to pay ten pesewas (five Canadian cents) for 500 mL of water.  In that case, they may use water that has been contaminated in various ways, causing various health problems.  If you are reading this, chances are you can afford drinkable water.  If you are spending your water money on the internet, then please stop reading and use the rest of your money to hydrate yourself!!  Now, if you are still reading and have clean drinking water available to you somewhere, can you imagine not having clean drinking water?  This means no clean water to cook your food, wash your clothes, bathe, or anything.  I remember the opening scene of one documentary, I think it was Blue Gold, described dehydration so well that I felt myself reaching for my water and nearly emptying the bottle, despite initially being fully hydrated.  I don’t know what I will do when I have no drinking water available, but I am sure I will do anything for it.  What do you expect you will do?

Now, like I said, water and refuse are tightly connected in Ghana.  I am sure you can imagine why, but I will tell you anyways.  When we consume more than is needed, particularly of consumables that cannot be used again or that cannot decompose, these consumables are tossed aside.  They may end up in municipal landfills or they may end up in private landfills (see the background picture of this blog).  In such places as Ghana, they may be tossed without a thought as soon as use is complete.  The heavier they are, the more chances they will remain where they are and be moved around by humans or other animals.  The lighter they are, the more chances the wind will catch hold of them, often bringing them to our waterways (unless we threw them in the waterway in the first place).  Over time, the refuse builds up in our waterways and you end up with polluted, undrinkable water that is a breeding ground for disease, such as cholera, typhoid fever, yellow fever, the mosquitos that carry malaria, etc.  This is something that could have been prevented, yet we have intensified it.  The worst part is that instead of looking at the problem and solving it from the root, we are fixing the leaves, hoping that the branches will follow, then the trunk and then the roots.  It doesn’t work that way and too many of us are sadly blind to this.

This week’s quote is a well-known one, allegedly from Fort Minor:

I guess one man's trash is the next man's treasure, one man's pain is the next man's pleasure.

Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home

This weeks’ post is about Garbage!The Revolution Starts at Home.  This movie was created by Andrew Nisker, who made movie because of his son.  He thought about pollution and how it affects his son, which then got him thinking that he needs to do something about this.  Nisker lived with pollution through his life, which is related to his asthma, one of the many issues related to pollution.  Here are a few factoids Nisker presented that encouraged him to make this film:

 - North America has 3000 landfills

 - North Americans dump 1,3 trillion gallons of raw sewage in our waterways every year

 - Approximately 1,2 billion cars find there way onto North American roads in the next decade

One of the Greenpeace founders (if I recall this was Irving Stowe) once said to Nisker that “the Revolution Starts at Home”, which is where the title comes from.  Niskers’ goal in making this film is to have a family keep their garbage for three months and connect this to the bigger picture.  The family is the MacDonald family.

Day 1

The first thing the MacDonald family needed to do was to find storage and prepare their garage for three months of storing their garbage.  A few factoids about waste:

1) Organic waste produced by the MacDonald family is sent to a composting center.  The employee at the center explained that there are lots of plastics within the composting sent to the center.  Because of this, they need to separate plastics from the organic waste with a machine that is not unlike a giant washing machine.  This machine separates the plastics from the rest of the compost by beating everything until the plastic bags pop open and then eventually plastics float to the top of the pile, making for easy separation.  Also, methane from the composting helps to power the machinery.

2) Canada has a problem finding where to put its trash, so trash is exported to the United States.  Because of this export, certain communities in the US cannot sell their land.  One example is the town of Huron, which is surrounded by landfills and has trucks passing through at a rate of one truck every five minutes (i.e. 130 trucks passing in each direction each day).

Day 31

The MacDonalds estimated that they produce about 40 lbs of wet garbage per week.  Mr. MacDonald went to a children’s birthday party with his son, noting that everything was disposable, all of which could easily have been reusable items.  Garbage seems to be primarily from packaging, such as meat Styrofoam packaging, cellophane, plastic, etc.  Some points about recycling:

 - There seem to be issues in terms of which types of plastics can be recycled, which is sometimes based on the recycling capacities of a community facility.  Some plastics are layered laminates , which means they can only be used once and be down-cycled, not recycled.

 - Glass that is recycled is crushed and turned into such things as road aggregate, in the worst case.

 - Newsprint can only be recycled a certain number of times, due to the fiber length decreasing over time.  Eventually it must be recycled into box- or paper-board.

A few more factoids:

 - Enough aluminum to rebuild the U.S. airfleet is recycled every month

 - 500 000 trees are cut down for weekly newspapers

 - In California, 3 million empty water bottles are thrown away every day

Day 50 (Santa Claus Parade)

After keeping track of their garbage, the MacDonalds are more aware of what they see at the parade and how wasteful people are being.  The MacDonalds made sure to bring the least garbage possible and carried their garbage back home with them, which was nothing more than orange peels and a water bottle.

Some notes about transportation:

 - Two SUVs contribute 15 tons of CO2 every year

 - 700 million cars on our roads are the leading cause of smog, global warming and asthma

 - Road runoff is the largest source of water pollution in North America, the most toxic untreated unsanitary sewage

 - Car parts break down, reaching your river, as does oil through leaks and even if not, in concentrated form

 - One gallon of oil destroys one million gallons of drinking water.  In fact, the North American yearly road runoff is equivalent to the amount of oil from two and a half Exxon oil spills

 - When cars are recycled, oil is taken and re-used, then the car get crushed.  Even after crushed, cars pollute; they get shredded, the metal then gets recycled, but the sea-foam ends up in the ocean

Some notes about water:

 - Washing dishes and clothes, as well as flushing toilets all pollute water.

 - The United Nations reports that 1,1 billion people are without fresh water, yet many Canadians find themselves with unlimited freshwater

 - In 2005, Toronto dumped 2,6 billion gallons of raw sewage into Lake Ontario

 - In 2006, US cities dumped 1,3 trillion gallons of raw sewage into waterways, which is equivalent to 99 days of sewage being continuously dumped over Niagara Falls

 - Many cleaning products contain phosphates, which cause flora in the water to over-flourish, which in turn reduces oxygen, starving the fish of oxygen.  Also, many of our soaps contain estrogen-mimicking oxalates, causing the little fish to be unable to reproduce.

 - Bleach goes into the environment, creating compounds that can increase mutations and cancer.  When they react with our bodies, they affect our immune, reproductive and endocrine systems, creating various disorders.

 - Indoor air quality in North America is ten to fifty times more toxic than outside air and this is directly related to our cleaning products.

Day 84

Over Christmas, we can see a significant increase in waste.  Many new products have more packaging than the product itself and most of this packaging material is not recyclable.  The high levels of waste around Christmas-time are not just in gifts but also in wrapping, cards, disposable food, etc.  The North American culture shows each other that we value each other by buying and throwing out things.  There is a fundamental disconnect with the way we show each other we care and the way we show our environment we care and ad-busters shows initiatives that encourage truly showing each other you care.  Rather than buying things for those you love, spend time with them and DONT BUY ANYTHING. 

Day 90

The final count: 83 bags of garbage and 320 pounds of wet garbage, for two adults, a seven year-old, a four year-old and an infant.

Updates noted in the credits:

 - Toronto stopped shipping its trash to Michigan in 2010

 - On March 13, 2007, Massey Energy was granted permission to build a second coal silo beside Marsh Fork Elementary School

 - If you are ready for change, visit the movie website to learn how you can start a revolution in your community

This weeks quote is by Jarod Kintz:

Sure, I’ll take your pamphlet. I need to fill up my trashcan anyway.

WEJ - Impact of anthropogenic activities on the Densu River in Ghana

I have chosen another peer-reviewed article.  This one is a very short five pages long, so a very quick read.  It is called “Impact of anthropogenicactivities on the Densu River in Ghana” and was written by Fianko, Osae and Achel.  The reason I chose this article is that by preventing waste, we must prevent all forms of waste.  Often, the term “waste” brings up images of rubbish in our minds however we must not forget that by definition, waste is a variety of things.  In the end, waste is an excess that is not being used.

Fianko et al do not discuss anthropogenic activities affecting the Densu River (see the river dividing the study area east to west) only in terms of rubbish.  The anthropogenic activities are affecting the river through waste coming from municipal, industrial, rural areas and agricultural farms found along the shoreline.  This means that everyone plays a part in the rivers' state.  The study concluded that:

 (1) The ecosystem found within the river is directly linked to anthropogenic activities that will increase nutrients, as well as other oxygen-consuming materials.  When these materials enter an ecosystem, oxygen often decreases, changing the numbers and types of aquatic plants and animals in the ecosystem.  Other undesirable effects and cultural eutrophication often also occur.

 (2) The study revealed that the Densu River is severely polluted, especially in terms of organic matter.  The worst sites were those near urbanized, agricultural and industrialized areas.  Pollution of the Densu River is to an extent that the aquatic ecosystem in most of the exposed sections of the river has been destroyed.  The results make it clear that the Densu River requires an immediate reduction in pollutant input, as well as the treatment of sewage and changes in agricultural practices throughout the country.

Fianko et al do state that government must establish a body to monitor and control discharge of pollutants into the Densu River, however it seems to me that the change must come from the people.  If the change is forced by the government, the change will not last, however if the people understand the problem and come up with solutions that work for them, then there will be lasting change for the better.  There are surely knowledgeable people within the group who understand the problem and can look at ideas holistically and if none feel ready to take on the challenge, help can easily be found.

This weeks quote is by Ruth Ann Minner and it sure does say what WaPreG is saying:

Benjamin Franklin said there were only two things certain in life: death and taxes. But I'd like to add a third certainty: trash. And while some in this room might want to discuss reducing taxes, I want to talk about reducing trash.

GIW - Who’s Waiting For You

Today, I write not about waste, but about the importance of WaPreG’s goals.  I do not speak of this holistically, but bear with me and this post will become clear.  A while back, I reviewed a blog called Gold in Words, by Benjamin Anyan.  This is a Ghanaian-written blog with topics that vary considerably and which are interesting and thought-provoking.  Today I am inspired by the post entitled “Who’s Waiting For You?”.  It is a post that encourages the reader to think about their purpose in life.  The reader is encouraged to ask themselves why they are procrastinating and what it will do for them, as well as to think about what effect their life work will have.

First, I want to relate this post to WaPreG.  Anyan asks some questions that are worth thinking about when starting up an organization like WaPreG.  I will answer a few (note - the questions are all quoted from the text):

 ₪ If I was waiting for you, then who else is?

The people waiting for WaPreG are the people who see there is a waste problem in Ghana.  The people who want to do something about this waste problem, but who feel disempowered when it comes to finding a solution.  These people may or may not have ideas, but they are Ghanaians of any age, any level of education, any financial situation.  If they care about the problem, they have been waiting for us.

 ₪ How many thousands of humans are there who stand a chance of living a good life because YOU lived yours well?

Any person who sets foot in Ghana will be directly affected by the results of our initiative and any other person who is inspired by WaPreG’s actions will be indirectly affected.  People around the world look at the periphery with differing views and hopefully this will help that view become just a little bit more positive.

 ₪ Do you make decisions convenient to you alone or do you consider the generations of human kind who’ll read about you some day and feel goosebumps all over their bodies because of the challenge and inspiration your life will bring to them?

Native populations throughout North America (and surely many others worldwide) hold a view that is anti-capitalist in terms of their treatment of the environment.  The view is not that the earth holds resources for humans to exploit for profit, but that the earth cares for us, much in the same way as our mothers.  Many groups in Canada (and again, surely elsewhere) believe that the sustainability of all our actions must be questioned.  Each action must leave our descendants seven generations into the future with the possibility of living in the same way as we do.  This view is based on the idea that we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, rather we borrow the earth from our descendents.

 ₪ When you close your eyes and fantasize, do you see your passion giving jobs to 100,000 people the world over, and being the one who makes it possible for those 100,000 people to put 3-sqaure meals on their family tables?

This one is rather difficult.  It seems to me that waste prevention could easily help people come up with some kind of income.  Rather than leaving our waste in a pile behind our homes and then burning this waste every few days, the extremely creative Ghanaian culture can easily take a page from such companies as TrashyBags' (which I would like to remind you IS a Ghanaian company) books.  So many other things can be done with trash.  Why not have a group of people in each village collecting all compostable materials in the village to start a compost pile in an open area.  This could be a farmer, a group of farmers, or people hired by farmers.  The farmers could then use this compost to increase the quality of the soil in which they grow their food, thereby increasing the nutrients in those crops, which will improve the health of those who eat those crops.  So many positive things could happen from this one simple idea.  Waste is greatly reduced, soil quality improves, crops improve, the farmers do not need to use fertilizer, since the compost is the most natural kind of fertilizer and the local population has improved health!  I am surely missing other details but for one simple idea, not a bad start!

 ₪ Does it occur to you that by doing what you’re good at to the fullest, some thousands of people will be able to pay their tithes, and make contributions to humanitarian causes?

Looking at the previous response, it seems to me that the improved health of the local population is in itself giving people an edge to those eating less nutritious versions of the same crops.  Again, not an easy one to answer.

 ₪ How many people are waiting for you to become more responsible? More caring, more romantic? How much longer will they have to wait? 5 years, 9&1/2 years? Is that how long it’ll take you to put that life-draining addiction behind you?

This group of questions goes together quite well.  In relation to WaPreG, we are starting up slowly at this time.  The biggest hurdle at this time is that Allie is still a student in Canada.  That will take another two years, but we have faith that even during that time, we can succeed with at least a small amount.  Afterwards, we can really give a big push and give it our all.  We have faith in our goal being attainable!

Now, I would like you, my readers, to relate this post to yourselves.  Anyans questions are questions you can ask yourself in terms of your own life.  They are also questions you can ask yourself in terms of preventing waste.  Review the post and try to answer the questions from both perspectives.  We would be very interested in knowing your reactions to these questions.  Remember that no matter your limitations, you can do something.  Knowing your limitations and working with them is the best way to succeed and I have faith that each and every one of you can succeed!

And now, a quote by Lynette Fromme:

Keep talking about moving toxic wastes, but never let it cross your mind to quit producing them. Keep judging yourselves in Manson. Don't look in the mirror. You will serve the Earth as much as she serves you or you will commit suicide.

GEN - UK e-waste illegally dumped in Ghana

A few weeks ago I wrote about a Greenpeace report that explained the illegal dumping of electronic waste in Ghana.  Today, I will further discuss this issue through my discussion of the Guardian’s “UK e-waste illegally dumpedin Ghana”.  This article was written in 2011, three years after the report, which was written in 2008.  It seems Panorama and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) conducted a joint investigation which showed that a third party company had been sending electronic waste from Environment Waste Controls (EWC) to West Africa, which eventually ends up in Ghana.

The third party company had been buying television sets for £1.50 to £2.00 each (4.60 GHS to 6.13 GHS), then exporting them to Ghana or Nigeria.  As per the Waste Electrical and Electronic (WEEE) Resources Regulations of 2006, electronic waste that has been tested and is in working condition could be exported, no problem.  The thing is,

the EIA hid tracking devices inside television sets which had been disabled beyond repair and left them at the Merton and Croydon sites. Several weeks later, according to the group, GPS signals indicated that one TV had been shipped to Nigeria, ending up near a well known e-waste recycling centre, and one was found to have arrived in Ghana.

This shows that the checks were either not carried out or not properly done.  The WEEE states that these sets must be sent to another core country, not to West Africa.  In response to this report, EWC claimed working at preventing this from happening again.

As in the Greenpeace article, the Guardian Environmental Network explains some of the hazards of electronic waste on the environment and on humans, such as chemical mixtures and lead found in different parts of television sets.  We must remember that when this waste is stripped in less than ideal conditions, these substances are released.

Also, it seems that the electronic waste trade has become a part of organised crime, something I do plan to explore in the future.  Until then, here is a quote by Lawrence Summers:

I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable and we should face up to it.

PC - Managing the Other of Nature

This week’s article is a peer-reviewed article I saved a while back and forgot about.  I am afraid that it must be paid for to be read but it is well worth it!  “Managing the Other of Nature: Sustainability, Spectacle, and GlobalRegimes of Capital in Ecotourism” shows an example of how culture affects our view on nature and how capitalism globalizes the western viewpoint.  Bandy begins by explaining how ecotourism is an expansive system.  He then provides a discussion as to whether ecotourism fits into the ecology or the economy categories, showing that despite appearances, it is far more economical than ecological.  Once this is done, he is able to explain how ecotourism has affected the core, in that ecotourism is a way of consuming the other, as though this is a way of preserving that same other.  Next, is a discussion of whether this is a form of colonialism or a form of giving the locals autonomy.  I will not discuss every detail, as this is a rather long article at twenty-four pages, however I hope you enjoy what I do discuss!

As you can see by my choppy summary, this article brings up some very important issues that are completely ignored by what I would think (but hope I am wrong) is the majority of eco-tourists.  The thing is, though advertised as a sustainable form of travel, ecotourism is nothing more than the commercialization of a problem in a way that could easily worsen that same problem.  Ecotourism started with the new frontier.  People wanted to experience what they were increasingly losing to capitalism: nature.  Along with nature came other cultures in exotic places.  Initially, only the wealthiest could experience these things, but then volunteer opportunities began to sprout so that the middle class could join in at a more affordable price.

Now, it is proposed that nature preserves be put into place to increase environmental protection of these locales, while contributing to the local economies.  With this comes the ecotourist, who can play the part of environmental ambassador.  In my personal experience, this is not always the case.  When I was a volunteer in Ghana, I expected other volunteers to be philanthropists of sorts, but many turned out to be seeking work experience or resume filler in an exotic place.  They were all very nice people, however their care for the environment and the culture was in my opinion often rather limited.  Returning twice to the same village and meeting more volunteers, I have seen the same thing.  There are always one or two volunteers who, like me, care very much for the environment and the culture of the country, however the majority are merely looking for an exotic experience that will improve their resume.

My favourite quote from the paper felt like it was talking to WaPreG and one of our aims in helping to achieve our goals associated with preventing waste in Ghana:

After her research excursion to the highly profitable and privately owned Rara Avis ecotourist reserve in Costa Rica, Tensie Whelan issued these words of support: “Over and over again, I saw small chunks of the environment being saved by people who had an economic interest in doing so, whether it was villagers saving rainforest habitat in order to raise iguanas for sale, or private individuals preserving and maintaining virgin rainforest as an attraction for tourists ...If we are to save any of our precious environment, we must provide people with alternatives to destruction.”

The reason I found it is related to WaPreG is that we must do just that: give people alternatives for creating waste.  The great thing is I have many ideas and I know the Ghanaians I will work with all have even better ideas and I can’t wait to start brainstorming with them and then spreading the word together!  This also shows how ecotourism and waste prevention are linked.  Any tourist in Ghana is exposed to the Ghanaian culture of creating waste.  No matter where these tourists find themselves, be it in the rich parts of Accra or volunteering in Jinbong, Northern Region, the average tourist likely consumes more than the average Ghanaian, thereby creating more waste for the Ghanaian landscape.  Ghanaians are proud of their country and are extremely accommodating to foreigners.  This mix should come together to improving their own ways and then encouraging tourists to do the same!  It is far more frustrating for me to see a foreigner toss a pure water sachet than a Ghanaian.  Foreigners are only doing what they see Ghanaians do, however most would never do this in their home countries, whereas Ghanaians ARE in their home country!

Many organizations do seek to preserve the communities in which they work.  The problem, however, is that though they are found in less developed countries as tour operators, they are based in overdeveloped countries, meaning the locals are still not in charge.  The majority of this industry is controlled by companies based in overdeveloped countries, so the benefits continue to be robbed from the locals.  At the same time, ecotourism is not a way to protect environment and cultures, so much as yet another race for the bottom line, i.e. the highest profits possible.

In a sense, we can postulate that ecotourism is a new, less aggressive colonialism.  In the past colonialism was much harsher than what we see now.  The thing is, only those who made it to the colonized lands saw what really happened.  In travel literature and art from these times, those remaining in the old world were given an inaccurate view of what was happening in the new world.  Now, because of media and higher rates of travel, many from the core believe colonialism does not occur, however can we really say this?  When reading up on actual corporate activities in the less developed world, we learn of activities similar to those we reject when reading overdeveloped nations’ history books.  When reading about the economy and development, we are shown that there is one linear way of doing things.  Often, when I read Engineers Without Borders blogs, I feel so frustrated because of the condescending tone many authors use when discussing how things are done in Ghana.  Just because it is different from the overdeveloped nations’ way of doing things, does that necessarily make it wrong?

Ecotourism as an industry has corporations within, most (I would assume by the nature of the industry) of which are either multi- or trans- national.  Most of the money these corporations make returns to overdeveloped nations, not the local communities.  Can we really say this is not a modern form of colonialism?

This week’s quote by John Urry can be found at the beginning of the week’s article:

Contemporary societies are developing less on the basis of surveillance and the normalization of individuals, and more on the basis of the democratization of the tourist gaze and the spectacle-isation of place.

OGP - Whats So Bad About Plastics

Ghana is one of the many countries that has been inundated with plastic bags, particularly single-use.  One thing that sticks out in my mind whenever I am not in the country is those black plastic bags that often don’t make it to the customer, let alone to a second use.  They seem to be intentionally designed this way.  Because of this, the only place in Ghana that I recall not seeing these bags was at Kakum National Park when I went on the canopy walk.  When reading the introductory paragraph of “What’s So Bad About Plastic Bags?” by Zion Lights, my previous point is made.  It seems that in the United States alone, 60 000 plastic bags are used every 5 seconds!  I can only in imagine in Ghana, where plastic bags are used for every little thing, including such things as banku!  As can be seen in Ghana, plastic bags don’t break down, releasing toxic chemicals instead.  Even when they are sent to be recycled, it is difficult to do so and they often block machinery in these plants.  They are generally a terrible product.

Because of all the different ways plastic bags pollute the environment, they are also hazardous to human and animal health.  By blocking drainage systems, they help cause flooding or stop the water from flowing.  When the water stops flowing, it becomes the perfect breeding place for diseases that can seriously harm human health.  This one is huge in Ghana.  I nearly cried when I saw a river that was not only so filled with garbage that I could not see the water, but the river was barely flowing, due to the extent of the pollution of that river.  When I researched it in 2009, Korle Lagoon had already been cleaned twice, though how many more times will this occur?  Cleaning a lagoon does not sound to me like a very easy task!

Due to the difficulty in recycling plastic bags, most either go to landfills (despite being sent to be recycled) or are sent to Asia.  When the plastic bags arrive in Asia, they are recycled in sweatshop conditions with open-melting methods, which are terribly toxic.  This is in the United States.  In Ghana, however, when I researched Korle Lagoon for a paper about waste management, I found nothing about recycling.  Now, a google search shows that in general, recycling is all about pure water sachets, which is good, since along with black plastic bags, they are the most visible of Ghanaian plastic waste.  I did, however, see in the job opportunities of the Keep Ghana Clean website that they are requesting people collect all their plastic waste.  When delivered to one of their dump sites, people can make 1000 ghs per kilo of plastic waste delivered!  This may not be the best way to prevent plastic waste, but it is a great way to at least reduce it.  I just hope people will not be looking for ways to use more plastic so they can have more plastic waste.  Now I understand why I saw children going around collecting sachets; all plastic is included, though, so they should take it all!  I am curious what is done with the plastic after that.  For them to have 1000 ghs per kilo, they must be either affiliated with Trashy Bags, or else are doing something similar on their own.  I can approve of it if they are making something new, rather than just piling them up in a landfill.

Moving along to animals, I have already discussed how plastic affects the ocean when I discussed Garbage Island.  This is not the only way plastic bags affect animals, though.  The most obvious way animals are affected by plastic bags is suffocation from eating plastic shards, which can easily come from the bags as they break down.  With further breakdown of plastic, smaller organisms both on land and in water may eat these, which eventually get eaten by humans (in case that is your main concern), meaning we are inadvertently eating plastic.

Garbage Island also brings up the environmental, non-animal, impact of plastic in general.  Watching the movie, one scene shows a jellyfish coming towards the camera until it got closer and we saw it is a plastic bag (not the best picture but still).  The North Pacific Gyre is not the only place affected by plastic bags.  As stated in “What’s So Bad About Plastic Bags?”, the Wild Studies Institute estimates that 80% of the ocean’s garbage comes from land, since all land drainage systems end up in the ocean.  In Ghana, all waste is tossed anywhere, as people see fit.  Because of this, plastic bags fly around until caught by water and then flow through the systems (when still flowing) to the ocean.

According to a 2002-05 study of marine debris in southern Chile (Zion Lights), marine debris tended to be found in particular areas of the ocean, however this was not the case for plastic bags.  Plastic bags could be found in all parts of the study area.  This is something that is easy to believe after having sat in the water on a Ghanaian beach.  With the water flowing onto me came plastic bags; occasionally other shards of plastic also came, but primarily plastic bags.

“What’s So Bad About Plastic Bags?” does give a likely culprit.  I don’t want to get into that because I feel the best way to solve this problem is to do so by changing our habits, rather than fighting “the man”, whomever that is in this case (read “What’s So Bad About Plastic Bags?” to know).  When living in a capitalist society, change comes through consumer choice.  Look at Wal-Mart moving to more sustainable food products on their shelves; they didn’t do so for ethical reasons, they did so because that is what their consumers are increasingly gravitating towards.

It is possible to eliminate plastic bags, as can be seen in Bangladesh (Zion Lights).  That country banned plastic bags over a decade ago, due to massive floods caused by blocked storm drains.  Since then, other regions large and small have been following suit.  Others, though not completely banned, have imposed a fee for every plastic bag.  In Ghana, the fee is already there in a sense, however a ban is not.  A ban would make a huge difference to Ghana’s landscape!  Imagine banku in traditional containers instead of in plastic bags!  Plastic bags were not always found in Ghana, so why not return to the pre-plastic bag culture?

Like any other form of consumption, there are many ways to reduce, if not eliminate the use of plastic bags.  Most importantly, we need to rethink how we see plastic bags.  I have spoken to Ghanaians who remember the introduction of plastic bags to the country and they are not that old!  So this isn’t so much a re-thinking as a returning-to-the-old-thinking kind of situation.  Any time we go to use a plastic bag, we must ask ourselves why we are using it.  Do we really need that bag?  If so, why do we need it?  Could it be replaced with something else?  Chances are it can.  By thinking about our plastic bag usage, we will automatically reduce and reuse.  As we do this and once we have gotten our journey under way, we can re-educate others about this issue.  How, you may ask?  Talk about it!  Talk about why you are reducing plastic bags and how!  The more we do this, the sooner we can remove our dependence on such an unsustainable product.

This weeks quote by Mason Cooley follows the theme of the post quite closely:
Human society sustains itself by transforming nature into garbage

BPNFC - Chickens and Sustainable Living

Reading Br Paul Noonan Formation Centers post Chickens and Sustainable Living was encouraging.  BPNFC had a Sustainable Development Workshop in which they recognized how we all play a part in affecting our environment.  They then pledged to increase the centers' sustainability.  The pictures show the animals the centre has acquired and the post mentions one very important effort: "disposing of garbage, recycling, attempting to make the novitiate a plastic free area".  Disposing of garbage is important in keeping the streets clean, as well as the gutters, parks, peoples’ homes, etc.  Recycling reduces the amount of waste that accumulates.  This can be seen just by breaking down the word, re – again, cycle – circle, in other words you are bringing the product back into the circle of use.  The thing is, this is not always enough, as many products cannot be recycled or are very difficult to do so, particularly plastics.

Through the centers' goal of becoming plastic free, they are starting a very important initiative that will hopefully be mirrored throughout the country.  We existed for millennia without plastic, yet we are completely dependent on it in our capitalist culture.  This is the culture that has dissipated through much of the world.  Around the world, people can be found trying to reuse plastics and trying to reduce their use of it.  One example I found a while back is in India.  The electronic waste is more thoroughly sorted than in Ghana.  These people don’t merely search for the valuable metals, but also use every other material.  When electronic waste reaches India, even the plastic casings are taken apart and sent to factories, where the plastics are sorted and then melted to produce new products.  Plastics are terrible products.  Plastics take so long to break down completely that they become magnets for toxins as this happens.  The smaller the plastic pieces, the more surface area for these toxins, which means the higher levels of these toxins. By creating new products in India, these people are continuing the use of what we already have.  It is a use of energy that should not have been brought about in the first place.  This use of energy, however, reduces the amount of toxic waste.

There are many ways to reduce or minimize plastics in our living.  Like I already stated, we existed for millennia without plastics.  Why can’t we go back to not using them?  It is amazing how easily we could minimize our plastics.  Sure, the computer I am using to write this blog has plastic.  That is something I could not control.  The bottle I use to carry my water, however, is a reusable one.  I only use bottled water in Ghana and even then, I try to avoid that.  When in Canada, I have safe drinking water flowing out of almost every tap I encounter.  Because of that, I use the aforementioned reusable bottle.  I have a metal one and when that one is not available, I use a glass jar.  Both are reusable, last longer than the plastic one if I take care of them and the glass jar is less expensive!  Remember, plastics break down.  One-time-use plastics break down more quickly, but even the sturdier plastics eventually break down into the water we store into the bottles.  We cannot see these plastics in our water, yet they are there and likely have attracted toxic materials and/or bacteria.  It is ridiculous to knowingly introduce these materials into our body when safer products are available.

I may have discussed the bottle, but this is not the only place plastic is found.  Every time you go to use plastic, ask yourself what other option could have been used.  The other option is likely healthier and less wasteful.  If it is something that would still need to be disposed of, could this other product be composted?  Because plastic can never be composted.

This weeks’ quote is a bit outdated, as we are now at approximately a little bit over seven billion.  Also, inhabitants of the earth should really also include all other living organisms.
I wish everybody could have the experience of looking back at the Earth and realizing that it's really no different from a spacecraft. The five and a half billion inhabitants of Earth are all astronauts living on a spaceship that has limited resources. We have to use these resources very wisely if the ship is to keep us alive. – Captain James Lovell