KC Climate Protection Forums » Solid Waste Work Group

Waste management strategies

(4 posts)
  • Started 1 year ago by jfrazier
  • Latest reply from katiegrotegut
  • This topic is not a support question

  1. jfrazier
    Member

    Global warming is real and we must take decisive and timely action to slow or reverse its impact, both for us and future generations. Please use this forum to provide input to the Waste Management work group of the KC Climate Protection Planning process. We are interested in waste management strategies that KCMO or the Kansas City region can implement to reduce CO2's impact on global warming. We will be having working sessions to consider recommendations to the Steering Committee on Feb 6 and Mar 6.

    - Jamie Frazier, Work Group Chair

    Posted: 2007-01-24 17:25:29 #

  2. ronmclinden
    Member

    Let's quickly get beyond "waste management" -- which has come to be a euphemism for "hauling trash away" -- and concentrate actually reducing the use of resources for things that quickly become classified as "trash."

    Posted: 2007-02-02 17:22:31 #

  3. katiegrotegut
    Member

    I asked David Dods if anyone has offered to form a subgroup on waste management. I am all for this, and am surprised that we aren't further along on it. I worked with Dwayne Walker at OEQ designing and implementing a KC internal recycle program, meaning the recycling of paper, cans and plastic, and supplying information, organization, tools and equipment and supervision for all buildings and departments that belong to the city. I designed a nice outreach PowerPoint to educate and inform all city employees. Its been sitting on my hard drive since June. We were all ready to submit bids and get going on the initiative, when the City Manager got wind of a MARC grant for lots of money. By the time we got that written and submitted and then recieved the result, quite a bit of time went by. Then it was months before schedules and other things allowed Dennis to get back to Mr. Cauthen for input on the future of the program. We have just gotten the OK for all the funding (I think). I have received a lot of enthusiastic input from city employees about this, and we learned a lot about what it will take to implement this successfully. One of the things I think I can offer our work group, is the PowerPoint. Perhaps we can all look at it, at least. If anyone has a suggestion for how this might be put to work for us, let me know.

    I also submitted a short article on a group of californians who made a pact not to buy anything new for a year, except where it affects health. We all should be familiar with Cradle to Cradle, by Bill McDonough. However, I think it will be awhile before we get a majority of Kansascitians to embrace the 3 R's as trendy.

    I also came across the US Department of Energy¹s Industrial Assessment Center's (a network of 30 universities that have conducted thousands of ecoefficiency audits in a wide range of SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) codes) top 10 low cost actions to that would produce the greatest immediate impact as cost and ghg cutting measures by industry, and I want to share them because I love their elegant simplicity.
    10. Have management climb on the roofs
    9. Utilize free cooling
    8. Monitor and limit ventilation
    7. Periodic "dumpster diving" by management
    6. Remove water and disposal costs from overhead accounts
    5. Establish corporate policy for buying most efficient components of new systems
    4. Get plant workers involved in efficient operations
    3. Consider contracting out maintenance issues which "just never get done"
    2. Increase resources committed to "Diagnostic PM"

    Posted: 2007-02-02 21:15:49 #

  4. katiegrotegut
    Member

    I also want to point out how behind we are in the US. We've been trying to decide if climate change is real, and if so, how we can slow it down. But here is what Asia Pacific countries are doing. It just puts things in perspective.

    Table 2.1 Measures to cope with impacts of climate change in selected Asia-Pacific countries
    Bangladesh
    Preparation of NAPA; construction of flood and cyclone shelters, coastal embankments,
    rainwater harvesting,saline tolerant crops;drainage control
    Bhutan
    NAPA 2006 highlighting actions such as artificial lowering of Thorthomi lake,early warning
    systems, rainwater harvesting, landslide and flood control; mainstreaming climate change
    adaptation in national planning
    Cambodia
    Completion of NAPA and identification of additional adaptation programmes of action
    Indonesia
    Setting up of a special division on adaptation within the ministry and a working group on
    adaptation
    Maldives
    Integrating adaptation in infrastructure development;relocation of people from vulnerable
    islands to less vulnerable area;protection of coastal areas including airport
    Mongolia
    Phase 3 of National Action Plan on Climate Change listing various adaptation measures
    Nepal
    Water resources development plan
    Philippines
    Early warning systems and provision of seasonal climate advisories; public awareness
    activities;risk management framework including national hazard planning and stakeholder
    consultations; integrated impact and vulnerability assessment in most vulnerable regions;
    hazard mapping
    Sri Lanka
    Development of drought resistant and flood-tolerant crops and changing cropping
    patterns; sector-based adaptation plans; rainwater harvesting; rehabilitation of irrigation
    infrastructure
    Thailand
    Emergency response measures to cope with droughts and floods
    Viet Nam
    Vulnerability and adaptation assessments in selected sites; assessment of technology
    needs for adaptation;disaster management plans and adaptation framework

    < http://enviroscope.iges.or.jp/modules/envirolib/upload/535/attach/02_national-perspectives.pdf.>

    Posted: 2007-02-02 21:20:37 #

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