“Sustainable Seattle” lists 7 population & resource indicators:
- Population
- Water consumption
- Solid waste generated and recycled
- Pollution prevention
- Local farm production
- Vehicle miles traveled and fuel consumption
- Renewable and nonrenewable energy use
In addition, at the Citizens’ Voices meeting on 27 January, these indicators were also suggested:
- Neighborhood organizations
- Philanthropy--$ and hours
- Public transportation
- Housing
- Immigration
- Demographics of ethnic groups
“Sustainable Seattle” lists 7 population & resource indicators:
- Population
- Water consumption
- Solid waste generated and recycled
- Pollution prevention
- Local farm production
- Vehicle miles traveled and fuel consumption
- Renewable and nonrenewable energy use
In addition, at the Citizens’ Voices meeting on 27 January, these indicators were also suggested:
- Neighborhood organizations
- Philanthropy--$ and hours
- Public transportation
- Housing
- Immigration
- Demographics of ethnic groups
Further, Lou Schwartzkopf offered the following questions:
- Where does Mankato get its electricity? Is the supply secure? Are we in danger of brownouts or power failures? Is the cost of electricity likely to remain stable?
- Where does Mankato get its water? Is the water supply likely to remain stable and free of contamination? Are we using electricity to pump drinking water from the aquifer?
- Where do Mankatoans get their food? How many of the staples, such as meat, bread, milk, fruits, vegetables, etc. are locally produced? Where do the others come from?
- Where do Mankatoans get the heat for their homes, businesses, and public buildings? How secure is the supply and the price of the heat in the short term and in the next few years?
- Where do Mankatoans get the gasoline for their automobiles and other vehicles? How secure is the supply and the price of gasoline, in the short term and the next few years?
- Where does Mankato’s sewage go? Is it disposed of in an environmentally safe way? How does Mankato dispose of its trash? How long can we continue to do it this way?
The coordinator for this group is Deb Fleming (dflemming@mankato-freepress.com )
Other members of the group include
Louis Schwartzkopf
Lisa Coons
Elizabeth Carey
Al Thompson
Greg Mikkelson
Gregg Marg
Jim Hepworth
Susan Coultrap-McQuin
The next meeting for this group is
Not set
The Web discussion site for this group is
Not yet developed
For more information contact Deb Fleming (dflemming@mankato-freepress.com )
RSustainability trend
The rate of increase in recycling every year is very likely
to create a sustainable county in the near future, but at present, solid waste
production seems to be growing each year.
Description
A county that is sustainable is able to generate and
regenerate required products and materials through recycling and reusing. It
achieves such a state by minimizing use of materials and by maximizing the
efficiency of product use.
Definition
The
term solid-waste refers to all household waste products collected from waste
containers; industrial waste and solid waste collected from institutions,
stores, offices and various other sources. It also includes yard wastes which
are usually sent to compost facilities. However, the data presented excludes
the waste that was generated but burnt or buried by the public, contributing to
other forms of pollution. This indicator is based on information collected from
the SCORE report, combining the data for total solid waste generated in the
Interpretation
The
amount of solid waste generated per year has increased almost three fold since
the year 1991. While the amount of waste recycled has increased at least 10
times from what it was in that year. The amount of waste disposed into
landfills slightly increased by one and half times the original amount. This is
largely due to effective programs like the SCORE, monitoring and controlling
the disposal of waste.
Evaluation
The
trend line for the amount of recycling done in this county follows a similar
pattern to that of the trend line representing the overall solid waste
generation. The only striking difference between the two trends is the
difference in magnitude, obviously of which recycling is of the smaller. But
this observation suggests that there has not been a decrease in the people’s
effort given to recycling, rather, that there has been an increase in the
population size and a growth in industries, stores and likewise.
Linkages
The amount and the rate of solid waste
generated in any society are directly related to population size and growth,
and to other indicators like education, economic standard, social lifestyle,
and energy use and such. Other indicators that are affected by the generation
of solid waste are social health, air quality, soil erosion and contamination,
shrinking usable land, decrease in ecology standards, etc.
Education should be stressed in
order to expect an increase in recycling. And, although, recycling is
essential, minimizing the creation of waste and reusing, in the first place is
highly recommended.
Back to URSI Home page Revised 8/17/05