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By Meagan A. Weiland and John A. “Skip” Laitner
When examining the recent aftermath of hurricane Florence there are many examples of the unseen consequences of waste beyond simply what ends up in landfills. A recent essay published by the Environmental Law Institute estimates the amount of fecal matter from humans, cows, and pigs is about 1.3 billion tons per year and that number does not include any of the waste matter from dogs, cats, goats, sheep, poultry, and other domestic critters.
When Hurricane Florence slammed into North Carolina it affected an area with massive livestock centers that manage the large amount of animal waste. Currently, these anaerobic lagoons used to hold and break down waste are at risk of being inundated. This means the contamination of hazardous waste into nearby water systems, with the potential to cause a massive public health risk. Add that to the cost of cleaning up such a disaster – in terms of time, resources, and money – and the toll far exceeds the cost of simply managing the actual fecal matter that has been produced.
In other words, waste is more than the sum of its parts. Only considering the waste produced by raising livestock does not show the entire picture. Couple that with the increasing intensity of storms because of the effects of climate change and there will be more times when these waste sites are put at risk.
With current events in mind we should be asking the question, do we live more by waste than ingenuity? The hidden but inefficient use of resources, as illustrated by the magnitude of waste generated every day, is slowly weakening our economy. We don’t actually see all of the burdens created by these inefficiencies as money is drawn away from other social and economic opportunities.
Solutions come hard, but they begin by recognizing the necessity. In an upcoming event on October 4th hosted by the Environmental Law Institute we are calling for a national dialogue to integrate the legal and the social, environmental, and economic challenges into a meaningful solution. The opportunities are clearly there. The question is whether we will take advantage of them. Please join us to discuss potential paths forward and to hear from others working on these problems today.
Please see the event information below for more information and to register for the event.
When:
October 4, 2018
12:00pm – 2:00pm
Where:
Environmental Law Institute
1730 M Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC (and webinar)
Join ELI, the Economic & Human Dimensions Research Associates, and our expert panelists to explore the future of American waste, the potential for transformative sustainable innovation, and the regulatory aspects hindering and helping to establish a circular economy. In doing so, the panel will explore the possibilities of designing circular, waste-free economic, legal, and regulatory models to foster a cradle-to-cradle lifespan of material goods. Expert panelists will lead a dialogue on integrating the legal, social, environmental, and economic challenges of meaningful solutions to American waste.
Panelists:
John Pendergrass, Vice President of Programs and Publications, Environmental Law Institute, Moderator
Mike Italiano, President & Chief Executive Officer, Capital Markets Partnership
John A. “Skip” Laitner, Principal & Independent Consultant, Economic & Human Dimensions Research Associates
Elizabeth Richardson, Principal, Beveridge & Diamond PC (invited)
Meagan Weiland, Independent Researcher, Economic & Human Dimensions Research Associates and Program Coordinator, Science Magazine
Click Here to see the full event information and to register for either in-person attendance or to attend via live webinar.
There is neither a law of physics nor economics that prevents us from quadrupling the productive use of energy and other resources. Rather, it is much more an issue of imagination and our political will to get it done.
– John A. “Skip” Laitner