Everything Under The Tropical Sun

Isn’t it great that there are establishments out there that are really thinking and doing things out of the box? The Bronx Zoo, an advocate to wildlife preservation and education has a really cool restroom in their midst. Here’s the video of what they are doing:

New York City has one the biggest per capita water usage in the United States. So, every big or small effort in conserving water can make a huge impact. What they do not say in this video is that the toilet system was installed by Clivus Multrum Inc., a manufacturer of composting toilets and greywater irrigation systems and that it cost US$1.6M to install. I really don’t know if it was billed to the zoo but from what I know, it was the Wildlife Conservation Society who commissioned the work to Clivus Multrum.

I don’t really see it becoming a trend any time soon. The fact is it costs a lot to implement and it is difficult to go about and redo the plumbing of every existing building in New York. Plus, everything that goes down the drain or the toilets has to be non-toxic. It’s just not that realistic to get every household to change their cleaning materials and habits now. But it’s a start.

I came across a lot of blogs that are numb with the progress of eco-friendly technologies today. They think that the politicians only found a new platform to use in their campaigns and speeches. They’re usually people in their 50′s and up. I can’t really blame them because it was their generation that started the whole think green, save mother earth thing (you know, the hippie movement back in the 60′s?) and they do not have much to see now. I bet there were a lot of them who eventually just gave up and caved in to the daily routines of life. But it’s this very same generation that paved and are paving the way for us now. There are those who never gave up and as a result, awareness is here, it’s broad, and it’s unavoidable. Everywhere we go, we are constantly reminded of going green.

These eco-restrooms are just but one of the great technologies out there that can start helping mother earth today. The least I can do as an individual is to prepare for these toilet systems in case it comes my way any time within my lifetime (please let it be soon). The best thing to do is to avoid toxic cleaning materials in my own home. Which I have started, by the way. I used a combination of lemon (or lemoncito in our native tongue) and baking soda to clean my washing machine, stove, oven and refrigerator. It works like a charm and smells really great too. For more non-toxic cleaning ideas, go and visit Care2‘s website. Let’s start doing our part now!

Living in a third world country, we are plagued by our inefficient garbage disposal. Although we currently have laws in place, instructing us to segregate our plastics, biodegradable and non-biodegradable garbage, but strict penalties are not enforced in case we do not comply. This is mainly because our friendly neighborhood garbage men takes care of it for us because there’s money in it for them. They get to sell the paper, aluminum cans, etc. for themselves. Yet, we still have loads of municipal wastes that are simply dumped in open fields. We do not have enough proper recycling centers, properly managed landfills or even incinerator plants.

Those three garbage disposal centers are the most common facilities throughout the rest of the world when it comes to handling your garbage. Recycling plants only handle about 30% (in the U.S.) and 40%-60% (in Europe) of the total garbage generated. Landfills take forever to decompose garbage. Plus the fact that if it’s not handled properly, there is a danger of it contaminating the ground water. Although incinerator plants seem ideal because they get rid of trash and at the same time generate electricity, but they emit huge amounts of carbon monoxide in the air thus converting our beloved garbage into something we could literally breathe in and adds greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

When it seemed like there is truly no hope of ever getting rid of our trash problem, here comes a new addition to the list of garbage disposal facilities created by the Plasco Energy Group. It is a waste-to-energy plasma gasification plant. Basically, what it does is it uses plasma to not only effectively decompose garbage at a fast rate and reduce it to 1.3kg of heavy metals and activated carbon per tonne, it also produces synthetic gas which could power engines to produce electricity (or can produce fuel gas like hydrogen). The ashes generated from the plasmagasification of the garbage creates slag which could be used for building materials, road bed aggregates, insulators and even jewelry. To top it all off, instead of the city paying for garbage disposal services, it can actually earn from getting rid of it. Thus, making garbage in itself, a commodity.

Their ingenuity has filled me with hope for my own country. If a third world country like ours cannot afford to buy a plasma gasification plant, then it is possible to sell our garbage instead of paying someone to get rid of it. Then, maybe in time, we would be able to afford one. It could in turn help bring down electricity costs, help us convert to hydrogen powered vehicles easier and soon after, could bring down costs of basic commodities and goods. It could also bring so much needed focus on conserving our beautiful tropical country with its gorgeous scenery, dive sites, beaches and wonderful people who deserve much more than what they have now.

I know I am over simplifying things and we’re still a long way off since the plasma gasification plant is still in its testing and approval stages, and the fact that my government has to sort through a lot of internal problems, I can’t help but feel hopeful that I might be able to see a huge environmental transformation in the world within my lifetime. It may be, that the very garbage we are using to harm our earth might be the very same thing that can help transform it.