Sustainable Seattle: City Launches New Compost Pickup Program as Part of Zero Waste Strategy, Democracy Now, March 30, 2009
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/30/sustainable_seattle_group_part_of_movement
At the Local Government Level
The “Zero Waste Strategy” proposed by the Seattle City Council, as a local government plan for sustainability represents a great pace beyond individual or city recycling programs. The Zero Waste Strategy essentially provides a way for everyone in the community or city to participate in the compost program by supplying the necessary carts and weekly pick up service. The City Council representative stated “We actually send our garbage to a landfill in eastern Oregon. And every day, we send a mile-long train of garbage out of Seattle to that landfill in eastern Oregon.” Encouraging city-wide involvement by composting will drastically reduce the amount of waste overfilling landfills in neighboring states.
Analyzing the sustainability of the Zero Waste Strategy at the local government level demonstrates city’s planning goals to go beyond recycling, and tackle waste reduction. The city of Seattle has another program, mentioned in the text, “Seattle Beige” where latex paint is reused for local schools and hospitals in the area. By continuing their sustainability efforts through the city council and local citizenry, Seattle will be able to not only change public sector procurement policies, as mentioned in the text, but also allow the community to take part of the planning of sustainability in their community.
Reviewing Sustainability at the Regional Planning Level
As demonstrated in the article previously mentioned, the city’s proposed “Zero Waste Strategy” was easily implemented in a progressive environmentally conscious citizenry. Although this program can successfully be implemented at the local government level, this issue can also be reviewed at the regional level, including suburbs of Seattle, and parts of Oregon.
Considering that the neighboring state, Oregon, is the home of the garbage and waste coming from the city of Seattle, it seems reasonable to be able to gain political and/or local government support in Oregon to establish this “Zero Waste Strategy” throughout Washington and Oregon. Although both neighboring states may agree that waste reduction is necessary, it may be difficult to come to an agreement as to the process of this reduction, in this case, the composting of household waste.
Now considering the environmental conscious bias of residents in Oregon and Washington, the regional planning level may be politically and socially feasible in this example. Now considering Arizona, and its neighboring state, California, I doubt the same consensus would occur due to the differing environmental sustainability viewpoints of the two. In consideration of the current “Zero Waste Strategy”, it would seem likely that environmental quality would improve with regional planning in conjunction with policy makers.
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/30/sustainable_seattle_group_part_of_movement
At the Local Government Level
The “Zero Waste Strategy” proposed by the Seattle City Council, as a local government plan for sustainability represents a great pace beyond individual or city recycling programs. The Zero Waste Strategy essentially provides a way for everyone in the community or city to participate in the compost program by supplying the necessary carts and weekly pick up service. The City Council representative stated “We actually send our garbage to a landfill in eastern Oregon. And every day, we send a mile-long train of garbage out of Seattle to that landfill in eastern Oregon.” Encouraging city-wide involvement by composting will drastically reduce the amount of waste overfilling landfills in neighboring states.
Analyzing the sustainability of the Zero Waste Strategy at the local government level demonstrates city’s planning goals to go beyond recycling, and tackle waste reduction. The city of Seattle has another program, mentioned in the text, “Seattle Beige” where latex paint is reused for local schools and hospitals in the area. By continuing their sustainability efforts through the city council and local citizenry, Seattle will be able to not only change public sector procurement policies, as mentioned in the text, but also allow the community to take part of the planning of sustainability in their community.
Reviewing Sustainability at the Regional Planning Level
As demonstrated in the article previously mentioned, the city’s proposed “Zero Waste Strategy” was easily implemented in a progressive environmentally conscious citizenry. Although this program can successfully be implemented at the local government level, this issue can also be reviewed at the regional level, including suburbs of Seattle, and parts of Oregon.
Considering that the neighboring state, Oregon, is the home of the garbage and waste coming from the city of Seattle, it seems reasonable to be able to gain political and/or local government support in Oregon to establish this “Zero Waste Strategy” throughout Washington and Oregon. Although both neighboring states may agree that waste reduction is necessary, it may be difficult to come to an agreement as to the process of this reduction, in this case, the composting of household waste.
Now considering the environmental conscious bias of residents in Oregon and Washington, the regional planning level may be politically and socially feasible in this example. Now considering Arizona, and its neighboring state, California, I doubt the same consensus would occur due to the differing environmental sustainability viewpoints of the two. In consideration of the current “Zero Waste Strategy”, it would seem likely that environmental quality would improve with regional planning in conjunction with policy makers.
