HW 3-30

1. Right off in chapter 8 I was blown away by the attempts of the WEF to relabel sludge, biosolids. Secondly, was the revelation that the water-based sewage system is relatively new and it is inefficient and polluting. Most shocking is that there are available dry toilet technology which we completely ignore. My third observation was the discovery of how much human waste is used to fertilize our food, this could be ok if it was properly developed compost, but it isn't, it is sludge filled with heavy metals and toxicants. I laughed at the ICPABUMWSLRBP's attempts to change the portrait of sludge by challenging the "widely-held notion that sludge smells bad". What a load of crock. Finally, after reading about New York City's attempts to pawn off their sludge on, essentially everyone, I really hope that none of it made its way into Vermont illegally.
My question for chapter eight is, considering that using sludge for methane production is likely the most environmentally sound way of disposing of it, is the only obstacle to this goal price? Can we change cultural paradigms to recognize that money is not the ultimate universal truth?
2. In chapter 9 I was first blown away by efforts of the chemical agriculture industry to discredit Carson's Silent Spring. Monsanto even published a parody, The Desolate Year, to envision a world without pesticides. I was next surprised by the counter-protest groups sponsored by industry, my favorite being the Coalition for Vehicle Choice in response to the threats against cars. Thirdly, I both hate, and am intrigued by, E. Bruce Harrison. He actually makes an interesting argument when he points out that Earth Day has become divested and separated from its grassroots constituents in part due to its status as what Harrison calls a, "multi-million dollar environmental bureaucracy,". Fourthly, I'm torn by the state of environmental non-profits. I'm worried that the corporate donations are diluting the movement as each corporate sponsor takes some of the organization's public credibility in exchange for monetary support. It may be a necessary evil, but I'm scared that Harrison is right in saying that nonprofits really want to, "ensure the wherewithal that enable it to green." meaning its existence is more important than its message. Finally, the most shocking thing I saw was Ron Arnold's bold agenda for Wise Use, "We intend to wipe out every environmental group, by replacing it with a Wise Use group." After reading the article before this claim and hearing what Wise Use is, this statement scares me more than anything else.
My question for Chapter Nine is, Is there a place for corporate money in the environmental movement, or is the potential hypocrisy too great?
3. My group is myself, Casey and Colin and we are going to do a PSA about conserving water and electricity by striving to turn off electronic devices, and by turning those faucet knobs all the way. I'll be spearheading the editing thanks to two previous years of film majoring.