I found this video of Jay Leno discussing his new MagLev Wind Turbine with Ken Johnson of Enviro Energies.  The turbine, technically christened “MagWind Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (MVAWT),” uses magnetism to suspend the turbine, thus providing for virtually friction free operation.  Simply put, the upside is drastically reduced maintenance cost (no bearings to wear out), and improved efficiency (little energy lost to friction).  See for yourself:

Not content with the long-term environmental consequences associated with traditional plastic netting commonly used to control erosion around roads and waterways, Bin Abubakar sought a more responsible solution. What he came up with was a revolutionary project that forgoes plastic netting in favor of locally manufactured, biodegradable netting.  

In addition to providing employment for an entire village that manufactures the netting, the project also eases the burden on local farmers because the material used to make the nets comes from the bark of the York tree, a weed that was once a nuisance for farmers to clear.  

This weed once an expense to clear, has now been transformed into an extra source of income for these farmers.  What’s more, it’s a win-win-win situation as these mats eventually decay, returning their nutrients to the soil and thus aiding the growth of all matter of plants and grasses that will permanently hold the soil down.

Click Here to view “Jute Mats”

Click Here to view “Bin’s Garden”

Even in the 1970s, Callenbach’s vision was firmly grounded in sound science.  Says Callenbach in a recent piece in The Capital Times (Madison, WI), ”I was trying to raise the question that we could be doing all this stuff in 1975 and why aren’t we? Our goose will be cooked if we don’t do it now.”  

While admitting that the challenges can seem daunting, the author insists that we can rise to the challenge.  ”When we went into World War II, in two months, Detroit was making military trucks and tanks,” Callenbach said. “So when things have to be done quickly, they can.”

In the novel, the fictional Ecotopia was founded amid a world-wide economic downturn when Washington, Oregon, and Northern California succeeded from the United States.  The problems that confronted Ecotopia were very much like the problems currently confronting our own nation and we can learn from the creative solutions employed by Ecotopia’s founders.

“We can’t just prop up these failing enterprises,” says Callenbach. “We have to get them to adapt to a new, greener world.  We need an ecological-industrial complex.”

According to The Capital Times:

Callenbach would rather see ethanol made from agricultural waste than corn, and he hopes to see greater use of rivers and lakes for the ferrying of parts and goods.

He’d also like to see the Great Lakes used for wind power. “Wind over water is very strong, not obstructed by hills or trees.”

And according to  consumer advocate Ralph Nader wrote, “None of the happy conditions in ‘Ecotopia’ are beyond the technical or resource reach of our society.”

There can be no better time to get to work on the very sound ideas put forth in Ecotopia (many of the chapters were sent to experts who vetted them for scientific accuracy and engineering feasibility).  In addition to potentially creating tens of thousands of new “green collar” jobs, we could take a big step to energy independence while laying the foundations for greater environmental stewardship and sustainable development.  Or as Ernest Callenbach says, ”This is a country full of capable, dynamic and energetic people. If we get moving in the right direction, we can accomplish an astonishing amount of things.” 

Glen Stubbe / MCT

I came across this piece last night, published by the Raleigh News & Observer which paints a fairly bleak picture for the price of recycled materials in the near term:  

When the economy slows, consumers cut back on purchases, and in turn manufacturers ship fewer products. The demand for used corrugated cardboard, for example, drops. Corrugated cardboard, which is used to make packaging, brings about $25 per ton, one-fifth of the $125 a ton it brought in April.

That’s a considerable drop, and I think it’s emblematic of the complexity involved in a lot of the issues raised by our declining economy.  I mean, less waste in the system is one silver lining to the downturn, but I find it ironic that the ensuing decline in demand for recycled materials by the packaging industry might actually lead many municipalities to drop their curb-side recycling programs.  We should all be speaking up and taking action at the local level to try to ensure that such cutbacks aren’t made without exhaustive discussion of all the consequences.

There are other lessons here as well.  Take this for instance:

“…Recycling plants in the Southeast, while affected by the worldwide slowdown, are doing better than those elsewhere in the country because there are more manufacturers in the region that use their recycled material.

“We have a lot of paper mills in the Southeast that recycle paper,” [North Carolina recycling coordinator Scott] Mouw said. “Some of the largest aluminum plants that use recycled aluminum are here. We’re not quite as dependent on foreign markets.”

This seems like the manufacturing equivalent of “buy local,” doesn’t it?  It makes sense for industry that can make use of recycled materials to locate next to the recyclers of such material.  Such synergies should be supported by all who share our planet.  

Scott Mouw goes on to say ”recycling tends to be one of those things that tends to be looked at as a luxury.”  Frankly I’m afraid that he might be right, and yet that possibility really frightens me.  Recycling as a social virtue must not fall by the wayside, the victim of some misguided “cost saving measure.”  We’re past the point of the “recycling-as-luxury” argument.  We need to understand recycling as a civic responsibility if we’re to leave anything of worth to future generations.