Third Dimensional Silo Environmentalism

Plastic is the villain of the mainstream environmental coverage these days. 

To be sure, there are lots of undesirable and unsustainable things about plastic.  But I'm concerned that the attacks are coming out of environmental silos. In the same way I was labelled an "apologist" of used electronics purchases by emerging markets 15 years ago, I've been called an "iconoclast" for even questioning sanctions on plastic packaging, such as the Vermont ban on plastic straws and single use bags. 

Our seeding of the plastic litter offset in Cameroun should demonstrate we are serious about the threat of ocean plastic. But it also shows we are looking for ways to defend the packaging from unfair threats and scapegoatism, without sliding into denial.

https://www.oregon.gov/deq/FilterDocs/MaterialAttributes.pdf

If you never read another one of my blogs, read the Oregon Packaging Paper from 2018. Then visit US Geological Survey USGS.gov every time a recycling story hits the press.

Reporters like Adam Minter, Oliver Wallis-Franklin, and  Laura Sullivan, Emily Kwong, Rebecca Ramirez (of NPR "The Myth of Plastic Recycling") should start with the link above.  It's not all about recycling.

For decades I've described the perfect packaging from a waste silo perspective - organic, reusable, natural and compostable, native American / First Nation adapted... Baby seal pelt bags.

Life Cycle Analysis should keep score of the environmental harm implicated in microplastics, ocean litter, recyclability and recycled content. In all of these, plastic fares poorly. But the camera lenses always focus on the fingerprint, the downstream, the gotcha. It's called fetishism, and it is blind to the role of the total path of consumption. 

If every piece of plastic in existence today vanished - like George Bailey from Pottersville - what would have been the result?

- Aluminum bauxite mining and refining and smelting

- Sand and feldspar melted into glass jars and bottles

- Steel and tin mined from iron stripmines and Indonesian coral reef tin islands.

- Paper bags and containers made from trees.

The recycling bin would be happy.  The aluminum and steel would be great revenue streams for recyclers. The paper would be good, although without plastic lining there wouldn't be much of it from liquid and freezer containers. The glass? Mostly daily cover at landfills, I'm afraid.

But the "Myth" that something is recyclable has to do with a moment in time.  There are buyers markets and sellers markets, and there are periods of time when there may be no market at all.  But markets are a function of scale, of critical mass, of virgin material subsidies.  Anything is recyclable if there is enough of it to recycle, and the original volume, labor, and logistics are problems that every material has had to conquer, since the first secondhand arrowead was pulled from a deceased elk which outran the first hunter.

Post consumer plastic recycling was "invented" or rather made possible by the Bottle Deposit Laws on the east and west coasts.  Double-handling the container first led to a boon by plastic manufacturers versus glass.  The lightweighing and transportation (and carbon) costs saved delivering the fluids was now counted twice.  And the incentive to prime the collection and logistics was increased exponentially by the nickel deposit and redemption center handling fee (often neglected). PETE soda bottle sales increased, glass sales decreased, and bales of PETE led to the invention of plastic fiber recycled content.

Laura Sullivan now calls that "downcycling".  If the soda bottle is made into a shoe, or a carpet, and the carpet and shoe are not then recycled, the end of life analysis for her is complete. Because of course, without the bottle bill and recycling of plastic containers, everyone would be barefoot walking on cold floors.  For that matter toilet paper made of recycled office paper is downcycling, and in Laura Sullivan's world we'd all be forgoing toilet paper if only we stopped recycling office paper.

That "downcycling" silo is just one argument against the anti-plastic press feeding frenzy.  Another is the cost of extracting. Glass looks so wonderful on the shelf. But look into the mining of feldspar and sand to make it. It's another baby seal pelt problem. 

Glass is of course infinitely recyclable, except that modern MRFs (non bottle bill) simply grind it into pieces and sprinkle it on landfill, in a process described as wind litter prevention. Drop the whole bottle on the litter, I say, or put it into a cell in the landfill, plant a flag or geo-tag it, and come back when markets improve. But as the Oregon study on packaging in the lead of this blog explains, glass only wins environmental sustainability if you live in a silo where waste is the only measure.

My philosophy for years has been to use economics to measure inputs and outputs.  The true cost of all raw materials is hidden in an upstream maze of externalization, finite resources, carbon and energy subsidies, and other hidden "costs" of extraction.  

A simpler way to explain this problem is to test if every single package sold were made with a single material X.  Nothing sold but plastic? There would be a mess. Nothing sold but glass? Sorry Laura Sullivan, that's a bigger mess, including food spoilage, carbon spikes, and mass starvation (try shipping rice in bulk glass containers). Metal mining, look it up.

The free market isn't perfect, but the camera lenses always focus on the free market environmental problem du jour.  When I was in my 20s, the cameras were led by Greenpeace to film the baby seals, and clothing made from recycled PETE bottles was the perfect alternative.

Sorry for the whataboutisms, I value environmental journalists and wish them well. But they have a page limit, and they are programmed to make a definitive statement. I'm not. 

What I wanted to do when I started this blog the other morning was to do a three dimensional graph that illustrated the cross dimensionality of environmental protection, as it would be viewed by generations yet to be born studying our history of environmental regulation.

But I got distracted. So I've asked AI to explain it below.  I think it failed to consider the future judgement day, but perhaps I failed to emphasize futuristic retrospect in defining its premise and parameters.

In "A Wrinkle In Time", time perspective (as I recall) is the fourth dimension. Anyway I don't think this got it on the first time, but I don't have time to grade ChatGPT's paper today.



Imagine a three-dimensional graph that serves as a visual representation of environmental issues, using the concept of "silos" to highlight specific facets of the problems we face. This graph is designed to provide a nuanced perspective on the complexity of environmental challenges and the need for a holistic approach to solving them.

Dimensions of the Graph:

X-Axis: Geography's Land Protection Value This axis represents different geographical regions, ranging from local to global scales. On the left side of the axis, you have localized areas such as urban environments and individual ecosystems. As you move towards the right side, the scale increases to encompass entire continents and the entire planet.


Y-Axis: Environmental Aspects This axis represents various key environmental aspects that contribute to the overall well-being of the planet. It includes categories such as carbon emissions, air quality, water pollution, and waste disposal.


Z-Axis: Impact Magnitude The Z-axis represents the magnitude of impact or severity associated with a particular environmental issue. The lower end of the axis indicates minimal impact, while the upper end signifies significant and far-reaching consequences.

Graph Structure:

Each point in this three-dimensional graph represents a specific combination of a geographical region's land protection value, an environmental aspect, and the magnitude of impact. These points create a complex landscape that reflects the diverse and interconnected nature of environmental challenges.

Journalistic Focus:

Journalists often focus on individual environmental aspects or issues within their "silos," which can lead to a limited understanding of the broader context. For instance, let's take the example of plastic packaging. Suppose a journalist investigates the impact of plastic packaging on marine life due to its contribution to ocean pollution. This coverage highlights the importance of reducing plastic waste and its harm to marine ecosystems, shedding light on a critical issue.

However, this focused approach can inadvertently ignore other dimensions of the problem. By only concentrating on one aspect, like plastic pollution, journalists might overlook the larger picture:

Life Cycle Analysis: Eliminating plastic packaging might seem like an ideal solution to address ocean pollution. Still, a broader perspective would consider the entire life cycle of alternative materials, including production, transportation, and disposal. Other materials could have hidden environmental costs that are not immediately apparent.


Carbon Footprint: The replacement of plastic with other materials could lead to increased carbon emissions if those alternatives have higher production-related emissions or require more energy-intensive recycling processes.


Resource Use: Alternative materials might necessitate greater resource extraction, potentially leading to deforestation, habitat loss, and increased demand for water and energy.


Social and Economic Impact: The elimination of plastic could impact industries, economies, and employment in regions where plastic production is a major sector.

Conclusion:

The three-dimensional graph illustrates how environmental issues are interconnected and influenced by multiple factors. It also highlights the importance of adopting a comprehensive perspective when addressing these challenges. Journalists, while crucial in raising awareness about specific issues, should also strive to consider the broader implications and engage in discussions about sustainable solutions that consider the entire environmental landscape.environmental landscape.