You may have heard that one ideal way to take care of the planet is to practice zero waste, but what does that mean and how feasible is it for everyone?
All this Earth Week, the "Sound of Ideas" is diving into environmental topics and on Tuesday's show, we'll explore the concept of "zero waste sustainability" which includes everything from recycling to composting to consuming less.
"With the waste hierarchy, you think, reduce, reuse, recycle. When you're thinking zero waste, it's a different hierarchy. It's rethink and redesign," says Doreen Schreiber, Business Recycling Specialist with the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District.
The concept isn't new. There was a zero waste movement during the early 2010s which eventually fell by the wayside due in part to some critics calling it unrealistic and exclusionary.
"When you're looking at sustainability, you're doing a sort of life cycle assessment, it's called, where you're assessing all of the impacts of the waste stream and the practices you're employing," explains Fred Michel, Professor at the Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
"In some cases, choosing one option that may be a zero waste option, maybe [can] have a higher carbon footprint or a higher environmental impact than another, so it's important to look at that," he says.
And while it may seem unattainable, environmental experts say it may not be impossible but also imperative.
Ross Widenor at Summit of Sustainability Alliance says there are small steps people can turn into regular habits, "You've to think about not letting perfect be the enemy of progress."
He says one place people can start acting on the individual level is to reduce existing waste while avoiding bringing future waste into one's life.
A study published earlier this year by the United Nations Environment Programme projected that global municipal waste generation will grow to 3.8 billion tons by the year 2050.
All that waste can impact our environment and also public health.
To begin, we'll discuss what's involved with going "zero waste" and learn about local organizations taking steps to address waste reduction in their communities.
Guests:
-Doreen Schreiber, Business Recycling Specialist, Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District
-Ross Widenor, Chair of the Core Team, Summit of Sustainability Alliance, Summit County
-Fred Michel, Ph.D., Professor, Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Wooster
