| APRIL-
SEPTEMBER 2002 |
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| Contents |
| BREAKING
NEWS |
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World
Bank Bankrolls Global Air Pollution
by Matt Wheeland |
 |
Zero
Waste Success at the Summit's Global Forum
by Muna Lakhani and
Ann Leonard |
| BURNING
ISSUES |
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| WAY
FORWARD |
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Fighting
Waste Burners in Canada and South Africa
by Manny Calonzo |
Sustainability:
Think Garbage is Garbage.
Think Again
by Pamela Hartigan |
| PUTTING
OUT THE FLAMES |
| GOOD
NEWS |
| BAD
NEWS |
|
NEWS
from the REGIONS |
| Citizens
Speak out Against Incineration |
| CAMPAIGN
TIPS |
Seven
Important Campaign Tips Towards
Clean Production
by Beverly Thorpe |
| RESOURCES |
| Resources |
| EVENTS |
 |
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| ANNOUNCEMENTS |
| GAIA
Incineration Database |
| GAIA
Global Meeting 2003 |
| Welcome
to New Members!!! |
| |
GAIA
CAMPAIGNER |
Co-Editors:
Ann Leonard, Von Hernandez,
Manny Calonzo,
Contributing Writers:
Allen Chan, Ann Leonard,
Bharati Chatuverdi, Bill Sheehan,
Bobby Peek, Cancer Action New York, Dorothy Skrytek, Emma Oberg,
Eugene Conway, Fred de Baere,
Gopal Krishna, Hammad Naqi Khan,
Herlin Hsieh, Jeffer Castelo Blanco,
Junichi Sato, Linda Ambler,
Llewellyn Leonard, Manny Calonzo,
Mariana Boy Tamborell, Mark Strutt,
Matt Wheeland, Mike Ewall, Mike Schade, Morag Carter, Muna Lakhani,
Nikki Clarke, Pamela Hartigan, Pawel Gluzynski,
Phill Scott, Roel Andag, Setsuko Yamamoto, Stephen Lester, Swedi
Elongo, Von Hernandez, Zeina Al-Hajj
|
We
welcome contributions
in the form of articles, photographs, artworks, and letters to
the editors. The opinions and views expressed by the writers and
artists do not necessarily reflect the official views of GAIA.
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| BREAKING
NEWS |
Zero
Waste Success at
the Summit's Global Forum
by Muna Lakhani and Ann Leonard |
While
the overall assessment of the recently completed World
Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in South Africa
is one of disappointment, Zero Waste advocates are celebrating
one shining example of sustainable development in action
at the Summit.
The
South African NGO, Earthlife Africa, and GAIA collaborated
to implement Zero Waste at the WSSD, focusing on the
WSSD's largest event, the Global Forum. The Zero Waste
programme included four critical components: designing
waste out of
the system by preventing waste at the source; keeping
materials in the discard stream segregated; composting
organic waste; and investing in education and outreach.
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Preliminary
data from the event indicates a waste diversion rate
of 70% - 80%, which is far in excess of the WSSD average
at 20% -24%. This programme provided an example of the
viability and advantages of Zero Waste as well as the
possibilities and power of international collaboration.
"This not only dramatically shows the merits of
Zero Waste as an
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| organizing
principle, it shows that NGO's are also capable and competent
agents of delivering innovative environmental services,"
says Muna Lakhani, coordinator of the Zero Waste Earth
Summit team for Earthlife Africa in Johannesburg. "This
innovative system has proven that, with comparatively
minimal resources, but with a good plan and a dedicated
team, large diversions of waste from landfills and incinerators
can take place," he added. |
Some
attempts to design waste out of the system were not
wholly successful, as water was still sold in PET (plastics)
bottles, and lids and straws were still used, despite
Coke's initial agreement not to use these products.
Some Government departments and organizations "imported"
unsustainable waste, mainly in the form of polystyrene
containers. It is estimated that between 8% and 12%
of the total waste stream was "imported",
leading to a lower figure than would have been possible.
Reducing
hazardous wastes is a vital part of Zero Waste Systems.
Minimizing of the use of toxic chemicals, by analyzing
the products normally used, and designing alternatives
that are orders of magnitude less toxic, also contributed
to the program's success
.
The WSSD demonstrated that we can not rely on the world's
governments to save the earth's natural resources and
prevent toxic pollution. The ELA-GAIA Zero Waste project,
on the other hand, is one of the many examples of civil
society initiatives in providing solutions that make
environmental and economic sense. If real solutions,
like Zero Waste, are supported in the coming decade,
the next Earth Summit may actually have global victories
to celebrate.
Muna
Lakhani is a volunteer member of the Earthlife Africa
(Johannesburg) Toxics Group. Ann Leonard is GAIA Co-Coordinator
based in Berkeley, USA.
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