When my oldest child was three or four years old, he asked me an uncannily cosmic question.

“Remember when you were a whale and I was a fish boy?”

It reminded me of being pregnant with him, feeling his body flip over inside me. And I thought: this is what it must feel like to be the Earth….

In spite of the common observation that corporations and governments are the biggest polluters, I still believe our choices as individuals add up. When I think about pollution, the destructive influence human beings have on the health of the planet, I imagine industrialization is like cancer.  We fail to see that we are part of a huge body rotating in the sun. We are alienated from the source of life, running amok, out of control.

What I can do may not stop global warming, but I don’t want to let that be an excuse to remain passive. Nothing leaves this planet.

Plastics are widely used petroleum-based products, yet they cannot break down in landfill. Not even the so-called “biodegradable” plastics, which are better, but still take years to disintegrate. Plastics are  made from toxic substances (i.e. formaldehyde, chlorine, phenol) that can leach into food products we use or through skin contact. Early puberty in children as young as eight has been linked to exposure to plastics, especially the PVC (polyvinyl chloride) found in toys, shower curtains, and packaging labeled with the “3″ designation. Phthalates mimic estrogen. Plastics that have already been manufactured are practically permanent, so it is imperative to recycle them, or find a second use for them. Because they are made of different compounds that will not mix, all of the same type must be broken down together (thus the number-labeling system.)

PET (polyethylene terepthalate) is labeled “1″ in the triangular symbol on containers. PET flakes are used as the raw material for a range of products that would otherwise be made of polyester. Examples include polyester fibres, a base material for the production of clothing, pillows, carpets, polyester sheet, strapping, or new PET bottles.

HDPE (high density polyethylene) is labeled “2″ on containers and is denser and stronger. It’s used for things like pipes, wood-plastic composites, tupperware, and playground equipment.

PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is found in flexible dolls and toys. It’s “3″ and can be recycled into pipes, fencing, and bottles that won’t hold food.

LDPE (low-density polyethylene) is “4″ and can be made into bags, bottles, tubing, or lab equipment.

PP (polypropylene) is “5″ and can be used for car parts;

PS (polystyrene) “6″ can be made into Styrofoam, or harder objects like cafeteria trays or videocassettes.

And then there are the category “7″ plastics, which include everything else (acrylic, nylon, fiberglass.) These plastics have no recycle value at this time.

New ways of recycling plastics are being worked out, however. Heat compression is a method whereby all types of plastic can be melted together and pumped into molds, but takes a lot of energy to do it, so the cost-benefit ratio may not be as great as we would hope. Alternatives to petroleum-based plastics include sugar and starch-based types that are still experimental.

Ohio State University published a discussion about what it means to be an environmentally conscious consumer. This line jumped out:

It has been estimated that the United States generated 195,000,000 tons of waste in 1990.

Of that waste, only 15% was recycled, leaving 165,750,000 tons of natural resources…wasted. When we throw things away, we are wasting natural resources. The stuff we threw away last week wasn’t garbage, it was, in very real terms, resources.

“the ecosystem provides all that is used”

When garbage ends up in landfill it can poison the ground water, and also, through anaerobic decomposition, emits greenhouse gasses comprised of methane and carbon dioxide. Incineration creates ash and releases toxic fumes. Other methods of destroying garbage include composting, (some of which we do ourselves to reduce the amount that has to be done at solid waste management facilities where garbage is sorted into organic and inorganic components) and thermal treatments from which synthetic gas (composed of carbon monoxide and hydrogen) can be derived.

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