So, word on the street is: Canada is getting all eco-friendly. At least, in one (big) small part of Alberta. According to news reports today, a bio-fuel plant in Edmonton is being built, and will be operational in late 2011, which will take non-compostable non-recyclable refuse and turn it into ethanol, which will then be used as an additive for fuel.
That's good news, no?
And this coming soon after I heard about this wonderful invention, sponsored by the United Nations University, which can turn garbage into fuel. The premise is that plastic comes from oil, so why not turn it back into oil, which can be used for fuel? After all, most of the plastic is actually not recycled, or even recyclable. It ends up in landfills. We're running out of room to put our crap. Seriously. Remember garbage island? Or how about shipping it?
I would love to find a way personally to bring this sort of technology to every single town, or at least every county. The science is there. It's possible.
Yes, we have the technology. But it is still very expensive. It is more expensive than mining/producing new materials.
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about that type of bio-fuel generation. I've put it on my list to read about.
ReplyDeleteI think the bigger problem is just getting people to realize they don't NEED to consume like they do. There is no easy answer to this mess, but this might be a good start.
The Mother -- yes, it is only expensive because it's not made in bulk like all the fossil fuel technology... if it was produced in quantities it would be cheaper.
ReplyDeleteJess -- there is a lot of exciting stuff, but the hardest part is getting off the fossil fuel addiction. Definitely less consumption would be good--I'm all over that! But even if all consumption were to stop today, there's still a big mess of garbage to clean up, and I'm just so excited that some people are finally addressing it... instead of just incinerating it and adding to the air pollution.
Our landfill uses the methane to fuel its energy needs. I think it's pretty smart of them.
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