chem 110 unit 3 and 4

primary impacts of agriculture

land use, freshwater withdrawals, eutrophication, biodiversity

subsidy

a form of financial aid given to businesses by the government to preserve lower prices, economic activity, or support public welfare

reasons not to subsidize

• creates trade issues

• done at greater harm to the environment

• harm poorer countries bc they cannot compete

• benefits wealthy land owners, not workers

globally, we overeat

meat, starch, and eggs

recommendations on food sustainability

• seek international and national commitment to shift toward healthy diets

• reorient agricultural priorities from producing high quantities of food to producing healthy food

• sustainably intensify food production to increase high-quality output

• strong and coordinated governance of land and oceans

• at least halve food losses and waste

current main waste management practices

• isolation (landfills)

• incineration and conversion

what are the impacts of a landfill

• open air dump

  • littler due to wind

  • attract vermin/spread disease

  • fires breakout spontaneously

  • emit air pollution (GHG)

  • groundwater pollution (toxic leachate)

BUT modern landfills burn methane and treat lechate

process of incineration and waste-to-energy

nitrogen oxide removal system → scrubbers remove air pollutants → particulate removal → pollution control tests

primary purpose of incineration and conversion

reduces volume of landfills

municipal solid waste (MSW)

the waste generated from consumers, does not include waste generated in making the product, only accounts for solid waste

metric to understand solid waste

life cycle assessment

• captures hidden impact

• help make impactful decision

cycle of waste

“cradle”- resource extraction, other material

“gate”— going from producer to distributor

“grave” — recycling'

*EPR- extended producer responsibility

5 misperceptions about environmental impacts of plastic (LCAs)

• reusable products are always better than single-use

• zero-waste events best minimize environmental impact of the event

challenges of recycling

• many different types

• multilayer and complex materials

• colorants and additives

strategies for upstream innovation in packaging

• elimination (neck tear-offs)

• reuse (using the same bottle for everything)

• material circulation

what makes the most impact in terms of plastic?

packaging

process of mechanical recycling

waste plastic → sensor/sorting → size reduction and washing → water spray →drying-→ waste plastic taken out → pelletizing

problem with composting and recycling as no1 priority

composting doesn’t eliminate the upstream emission, unlikely to degrade in marine environments (doesn’t solve ocean plastic problem), contaminate recycling streams, composting has a worse GHG profile than landfilling

what should always be no 1 choice in reducing waste?

reduce/reuse

how can we reduce waste?

culture shift to “thrify ways”

individual action—consume less, reduce food waste, track waste

consumer pressure to use less

government policies— extended producer responsibility

community-led initiatives

sustainable production

the use of goods and services that respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimizing emissions, use of natural resources, pollution, waste, or toxic materials over the entire lifecycle and not jeopardizing future generations

greenwashing

intentionally providing misleading information about how a company’s products are more environmentally sound

example of greenwashing

mass balancing in LEGO

• takes all unfair credit for recycling

• sell credits to make a product seem more recycled than it actually is

sustainable consumption

the use of materials, energy, and services in a way that minimizes impacts on the environment as well as future generations

ways to consume sustainably

• reduce consumption/buy less stuff

• be thoughtful about what you by

• choose the most sustainable option/do your research

• reduce your waste by enhancing material circularity