ECOLOGY--THE CLOSING CIRCLE Conserve To Greatness---Energy Resource Efficiency and The Future (5 of 5)
Conserve To Greatness---Energy Resource Efficiency and The Future (5 of 5)
ECOLOGY--THE CLOSING CIRCLE
Ecology and efficiency are merely two sides of the same coin. Efficient energy systems require less fuel and emit fewer combustion products. Substituting data flow for that of people and their vehicles reduces fuel and material use. Recycling materials reduces mining requirements and fuel needs while decreasing waste streams. Better materials reduce energy use, mining needs, and dangerous waste products. Better food production systems could feed many times more people at less energy cost and less pain to the environment.
Still, the greatest danger to humanity is probably fouling the nest with wasted resources before realizing their value. Poor farming practices and overgrazing devastated much of the land where classical civilizations thrived (Lowdermilk). Ruined highlands silted and ruined lowlands.
One initiative of China's so-called Great Leap Forward in the early years of the communist regime was the concentrating of large numbers of people to exhaust and annihilate sparrows. Dead sparrows no longer ate seed in the fields, but neither did they eat insects.
After the commercial introduction of synthetic fertilizers, it was suggested that farmers dump the "waste" manure from livestock into local streams to get rid of it. Great Britain dealt with dust and acid rain from sulfur in coal by building taller smokestacks, thus removing the problem and blighting Scandanavia.
Waterways have always been seen wrongly as an infinite storage area and cleanser for poisons. This dumping began with watery graves and has extended to nuclear wastes.
The hydraulic toilet, invented in the Nineteenth Century, removed the bother and smell of local privies by spreading human waste along the rivers that provided drinking water for those downstream. Epidemics of typhus and cholera followed this so-called advance. Only the introduction of chlorine and other sterilization techniques halted the epidemics, but it still left tons of organic material in the waterways causing algal blooms that cause more pollution and kill marine life. Ultimately, the organic matter of sewage streams must be recycled, both for the efficiency of keeping the resources and to prevent spoiling of fisheries. More important, the profligate use of water in hydraulic toilets is a waste of that resource. (Van der Ryn)
THE FUTURE
Finally, the mineral of fresh water would be more precious than diamonds if it ever grew scarce. Then, it would be husbanded, get the respect it was due, and show itself infinitely renewable. The same is true of all all resources when people apply the most precious resources of thought and careful management.
References
Alper, Joseph: "Industry's New Magic Lantern." High Technology; April, 1984; pp. 61-5.
"Aluminum from Coal Ash Looks Promising." Chem. & Eng. N.; Sept. 8, 1980; p. 53.
Anderson, Frederick R.; Kneese, Allen V.; Reed, Phillip D.; Stevenson, Russel B.; and Taylor, Serge: Environmental Improvement Through Economic Incentives. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press (Baltimore); 1977.
Anderson, Walter Truett: "Food Without Farms: The Biotech Revolution in Agriculture." The Futurist; Jan.-Feb. 1990; pp. 16-21.
Baldwin, Samuel F.: "The Materials Revolution and Energy-Efficient Electric Motor Drive Systems." Annu. Rev. Energy; Vol. 13; 1988; pp. 67-94.
Bardach, John E.; Ryther, John H.; and McLarnery, William O.: Aquaculture: The Farming and Husbandry of Freshwater and Marine Organisms. John Wiley & Sons (N.Y., NY) 1972.
Bennetto, Peter: "Microbes Come to Power." New Scientist; April 15, 1987; pp. 36-39.
Bevington, Rick and Rosenfeld, Arthur H.: "Energy for Buildings and Homes." Sci. Am.; Sept. 1990; pp. 76-80, 82, 84, 86.
Bleviss, Deborah Lynn: The New Oil Crisis and Fuel Economy Technologies: Preparting the Light Transportation Industry for the 1990s. Quorum Books (Westport, CN); 1988.
Breen, Bill: "Selling It! The Making of Markets for Recyclables." Garbage; Nov./Dec. 1990; pp. 44-9.
Brookman, Denise: "What Ever Happened to Recycling." Purchasing; May 11, 1976; pp. 71-5.
Bungay, Henry R.: Energy, the Biomass Option. John Wiley & Sons (N.Y., NY); 1981.
Clarke, Arthur C.: Profiles of the Future. Harper & Row (1963); Bantom Books, Inc. edition (N.Y., NY); 1964.
Cook, James: "Not in Anybody's Back Yard." Forbes; Nov. 28, 1988; pp. 172-4, 176,180, 182.
Daviss, Ben: "Batelle Has a Better Idea." Science 85; April 1985; pp. 40-47.
Dertzous, Michael L.: "Building the Information Marketplace." Technology Rev.; Jan. 1991; pp. 29-40.
Dillon, William P.: "Mineral Resources of the Atlantic Exclusive Economic Zone." 84 Oceans Conf. Record; 84CH2066-9; IEEE; Vol. 1; pp. 431-7.
Drexler, K. Eric: Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology. Anchor Press/Doubleday (N.Y., NY); 1987.
Eisenberg, Evan: "Back to Eden." The Atlantic Monthly; Nov. 1989; pp. 57-89.
Fells, Ian: "Rocket Technology Generates More Power." New Scientist; Oct. 2, 1986; pp. 39-42.
Fickett, Arnold P.: "Fuel-Cell Power Plants." Sci. Am.; Dec. 1978; pp. 70-76.
Fickett, Arnold P.; Gellings, Clark W.; and Lovins, Amory B.: "Efficient Use of Electricity." Sci. Am.; Sept. 1990; pp. 64-74.
Flavin, Christopher and Durning, Alan B.: Building on Success: The Age of Energy Efficiency. Paper 82; World Watch Inst. (Washington, D.C.); March 1988.
Ford, Barbara: Future Food: Alternate Protein for the Year 2000. William Morrow & Co. (N.Y., NY); 1978.
Forward, Robert W.: Future Magic. Avon Books (N.Y., NY); 1988.
Frosch, Robert A. and Gallopoulos, Nicholas E.: "Strategies for Manufacturing." Sci. Am.; Sept. 1989; pp. 144-52.
Garrison, P.W.; Frisbee, R.H.; and Pompa, M.F.: Ultra High Performance Propulsion for Planetary Spacecraft, FY'81 Final Report. 715-151; Jet Propulsion Laboratory internal report (Pasadena, CA); Jan. 1982.
Goeller, H.E. and Weinberg, Alvin M.: "The Age of Substitutability: What Do We Do When the Mercury Runs Out." Sci.; Feb. 20, 1976; pp. 683-9.
Hillig, William B.: New Materials and Composites." Sci.; Feb. 20, 1976; pp. 733-8.
Holzman, David: "Squeezing More Miles from a Tank." Insight; April 9, 1990; pp. 47-49.
Keyworth, George A., II and Abell, Bruce R.: "How to Make Space Launch Routine." Tech. Rev.; Oct. 1990; pp. 24-31.
Lovins, Amory: "Saving Gigabucks with Negawatts." Public Utilities Fortnightly; March 21, 1985; pp. 19-26.
Lowdermilk, W.C.: Conquest of the Land Through Seven Thousand Years. Ag. Inf. Bull. No. 99; U.S. Dept of Ag. Sol Cons. Service; Aug. 1953.
Madlener, Judith Cooper: The Seavegetable Book. Clarkson N. Potter, Inc./Publishers (N.Y., NY) 1977.
Martin, James: The Wired Society. Prentice-Hall, Inc. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ); 1978.
McCormick, J. Byron and Huff, James R.: "The Case for Fuel-Cell-Powered Vehicles." Technology Rev.; Aug./Sept. 1980; pp. 54-65.
McDermott, Jeanne: "Does Recycling Pay?" Technology Rev.;Nov./Dec. 1989; p. 13.
Meadows, Donella H.; Meadows, Dennis L.; Randers, Jorgen; and Behrens, William W., III: The Limits to Growth. 2nd ed.; Universe Books (N.Y., NY); 1974.
Mero, J.L.: Mineral Resources of the Sea. Elsevier Scientific Pub. Co.; 1965.
"Method Will Open Way for Bauxiteless Al." Ind. Res. & Dev.; May 1980; pp. 46-8.
Miller, Dale A.: "Environmentalism and the New Agriculture: Biology-Driven Technology of the '90s." Vital Speeches of the Day; Jan. 15, 1991; pp. 221-4.
Olesen, Douglas E.: "The Art of Waste Minimization." Vital Speeches; Aug. 15, 1990; pp. 666-9.
Patterson, Sam H.: Aluminum from Bauxite: Are There Alternatives." Am. Sci.; May-June 1977; pp. 345-51.
Reisner, Marc: "The Emerald Desert." Greenpiece; July/Aug. 1989; pp. 6-10.
Reisner, Marc: "The Rise and Fall and Rise of Energy Conservation." Americus; Vol. 9, no. 2; Spring 1987; pp. 22+; reprinted in Energy Issues Resources Series; (Boca Raton, FL); Vol. 4; Article 49.
Rona, Peter A.: "Mineral Deposits from Sea-Floor Hot Springs." Sci. Am.; Jan. 1986; pp. 84-92.
Ross, Marc H. and Steinmeyer, Daniel: "Energy for Industry." Sci. Am.; Sept. 1990; pp. 88-91, 94-8.
Sanders, Howard J.: "High-Tech Ceramics." Chem. and Engineering N.; July 9, 1984; pp. 26-40.
Shurcliff, William A.: Superinsulated Houses and Double Envelope Houses. Brick House Pub. Co. (Andover, MA); 1981.
Simon, Ruth: "Alchemy, 1990s Style." Forbes; July 24, 1989; pp. 92, 94, 96.
Speth, James Gustave: "An Environmental Revolution in Technology." il. Environ. Sci. Technol.; April 1990; pp. 412-3.
Thayer, Ann M.: "Solid Waste Concerns Spur Plastic Recycling Efforts." Chem. & Eng. N.; Jan. 30, 1989; pp. 7-15.
Uttal, William R.: "Teleoperators." Sci. Am.; Dec. 1989;
pp. 124-9.
Van der Ryn, Sim: The Toilet Papers. Capra Press (Santa Barbara, CA); 1978.
ECOLOGY--THE CLOSING CIRCLE
Ecology and efficiency are merely two sides of the same coin. Efficient energy systems require less fuel and emit fewer combustion products. Substituting data flow for that of people and their vehicles reduces fuel and material use. Recycling materials reduces mining requirements and fuel needs while decreasing waste streams. Better materials reduce energy use, mining needs, and dangerous waste products. Better food production systems could feed many times more people at less energy cost and less pain to the environment.
Still, the greatest danger to humanity is probably fouling the nest with wasted resources before realizing their value. Poor farming practices and overgrazing devastated much of the land where classical civilizations thrived (Lowdermilk). Ruined highlands silted and ruined lowlands.
One initiative of China's so-called Great Leap Forward in the early years of the communist regime was the concentrating of large numbers of people to exhaust and annihilate sparrows. Dead sparrows no longer ate seed in the fields, but neither did they eat insects.
After the commercial introduction of synthetic fertilizers, it was suggested that farmers dump the "waste" manure from livestock into local streams to get rid of it. Great Britain dealt with dust and acid rain from sulfur in coal by building taller smokestacks, thus removing the problem and blighting Scandanavia.
Waterways have always been seen wrongly as an infinite storage area and cleanser for poisons. This dumping began with watery graves and has extended to nuclear wastes.
The hydraulic toilet, invented in the Nineteenth Century, removed the bother and smell of local privies by spreading human waste along the rivers that provided drinking water for those downstream. Epidemics of typhus and cholera followed this so-called advance. Only the introduction of chlorine and other sterilization techniques halted the epidemics, but it still left tons of organic material in the waterways causing algal blooms that cause more pollution and kill marine life. Ultimately, the organic matter of sewage streams must be recycled, both for the efficiency of keeping the resources and to prevent spoiling of fisheries. More important, the profligate use of water in hydraulic toilets is a waste of that resource. (Van der Ryn)
THE FUTURE
Finally, the mineral of fresh water would be more precious than diamonds if it ever grew scarce. Then, it would be husbanded, get the respect it was due, and show itself infinitely renewable. The same is true of all all resources when people apply the most precious resources of thought and careful management.
References
Alper, Joseph: "Industry's New Magic Lantern." High Technology; April, 1984; pp. 61-5.
"Aluminum from Coal Ash Looks Promising." Chem. & Eng. N.; Sept. 8, 1980; p. 53.
Anderson, Frederick R.; Kneese, Allen V.; Reed, Phillip D.; Stevenson, Russel B.; and Taylor, Serge: Environmental Improvement Through Economic Incentives. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press (Baltimore); 1977.
Anderson, Walter Truett: "Food Without Farms: The Biotech Revolution in Agriculture." The Futurist; Jan.-Feb. 1990; pp. 16-21.
Baldwin, Samuel F.: "The Materials Revolution and Energy-Efficient Electric Motor Drive Systems." Annu. Rev. Energy; Vol. 13; 1988; pp. 67-94.
Bardach, John E.; Ryther, John H.; and McLarnery, William O.: Aquaculture: The Farming and Husbandry of Freshwater and Marine Organisms. John Wiley & Sons (N.Y., NY) 1972.
Bennetto, Peter: "Microbes Come to Power." New Scientist; April 15, 1987; pp. 36-39.
Bevington, Rick and Rosenfeld, Arthur H.: "Energy for Buildings and Homes." Sci. Am.; Sept. 1990; pp. 76-80, 82, 84, 86.
Bleviss, Deborah Lynn: The New Oil Crisis and Fuel Economy Technologies: Preparting the Light Transportation Industry for the 1990s. Quorum Books (Westport, CN); 1988.
Breen, Bill: "Selling It! The Making of Markets for Recyclables." Garbage; Nov./Dec. 1990; pp. 44-9.
Brookman, Denise: "What Ever Happened to Recycling." Purchasing; May 11, 1976; pp. 71-5.
Bungay, Henry R.: Energy, the Biomass Option. John Wiley & Sons (N.Y., NY); 1981.
Clarke, Arthur C.: Profiles of the Future. Harper & Row (1963); Bantom Books, Inc. edition (N.Y., NY); 1964.
Cook, James: "Not in Anybody's Back Yard." Forbes; Nov. 28, 1988; pp. 172-4, 176,180, 182.
Daviss, Ben: "Batelle Has a Better Idea." Science 85; April 1985; pp. 40-47.
Dertzous, Michael L.: "Building the Information Marketplace." Technology Rev.; Jan. 1991; pp. 29-40.
Dillon, William P.: "Mineral Resources of the Atlantic Exclusive Economic Zone." 84 Oceans Conf. Record; 84CH2066-9; IEEE; Vol. 1; pp. 431-7.
Drexler, K. Eric: Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology. Anchor Press/Doubleday (N.Y., NY); 1987.
Eisenberg, Evan: "Back to Eden." The Atlantic Monthly; Nov. 1989; pp. 57-89.
Fells, Ian: "Rocket Technology Generates More Power." New Scientist; Oct. 2, 1986; pp. 39-42.
Fickett, Arnold P.: "Fuel-Cell Power Plants." Sci. Am.; Dec. 1978; pp. 70-76.
Fickett, Arnold P.; Gellings, Clark W.; and Lovins, Amory B.: "Efficient Use of Electricity." Sci. Am.; Sept. 1990; pp. 64-74.
Flavin, Christopher and Durning, Alan B.: Building on Success: The Age of Energy Efficiency. Paper 82; World Watch Inst. (Washington, D.C.); March 1988.
Ford, Barbara: Future Food: Alternate Protein for the Year 2000. William Morrow & Co. (N.Y., NY); 1978.
Forward, Robert W.: Future Magic. Avon Books (N.Y., NY); 1988.
Frosch, Robert A. and Gallopoulos, Nicholas E.: "Strategies for Manufacturing." Sci. Am.; Sept. 1989; pp. 144-52.
Garrison, P.W.; Frisbee, R.H.; and Pompa, M.F.: Ultra High Performance Propulsion for Planetary Spacecraft, FY'81 Final Report. 715-151; Jet Propulsion Laboratory internal report (Pasadena, CA); Jan. 1982.
Goeller, H.E. and Weinberg, Alvin M.: "The Age of Substitutability: What Do We Do When the Mercury Runs Out." Sci.; Feb. 20, 1976; pp. 683-9.
Hillig, William B.: New Materials and Composites." Sci.; Feb. 20, 1976; pp. 733-8.
Holzman, David: "Squeezing More Miles from a Tank." Insight; April 9, 1990; pp. 47-49.
Keyworth, George A., II and Abell, Bruce R.: "How to Make Space Launch Routine." Tech. Rev.; Oct. 1990; pp. 24-31.
Lovins, Amory: "Saving Gigabucks with Negawatts." Public Utilities Fortnightly; March 21, 1985; pp. 19-26.
Lowdermilk, W.C.: Conquest of the Land Through Seven Thousand Years. Ag. Inf. Bull. No. 99; U.S. Dept of Ag. Sol Cons. Service; Aug. 1953.
Madlener, Judith Cooper: The Seavegetable Book. Clarkson N. Potter, Inc./Publishers (N.Y., NY) 1977.
Martin, James: The Wired Society. Prentice-Hall, Inc. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ); 1978.
McCormick, J. Byron and Huff, James R.: "The Case for Fuel-Cell-Powered Vehicles." Technology Rev.; Aug./Sept. 1980; pp. 54-65.
McDermott, Jeanne: "Does Recycling Pay?" Technology Rev.;Nov./Dec. 1989; p. 13.
Meadows, Donella H.; Meadows, Dennis L.; Randers, Jorgen; and Behrens, William W., III: The Limits to Growth. 2nd ed.; Universe Books (N.Y., NY); 1974.
Mero, J.L.: Mineral Resources of the Sea. Elsevier Scientific Pub. Co.; 1965.
"Method Will Open Way for Bauxiteless Al." Ind. Res. & Dev.; May 1980; pp. 46-8.
Miller, Dale A.: "Environmentalism and the New Agriculture: Biology-Driven Technology of the '90s." Vital Speeches of the Day; Jan. 15, 1991; pp. 221-4.
Olesen, Douglas E.: "The Art of Waste Minimization." Vital Speeches; Aug. 15, 1990; pp. 666-9.
Patterson, Sam H.: Aluminum from Bauxite: Are There Alternatives." Am. Sci.; May-June 1977; pp. 345-51.
Reisner, Marc: "The Emerald Desert." Greenpiece; July/Aug. 1989; pp. 6-10.
Reisner, Marc: "The Rise and Fall and Rise of Energy Conservation." Americus; Vol. 9, no. 2; Spring 1987; pp. 22+; reprinted in Energy Issues Resources Series; (Boca Raton, FL); Vol. 4; Article 49.
Rona, Peter A.: "Mineral Deposits from Sea-Floor Hot Springs." Sci. Am.; Jan. 1986; pp. 84-92.
Ross, Marc H. and Steinmeyer, Daniel: "Energy for Industry." Sci. Am.; Sept. 1990; pp. 88-91, 94-8.
Sanders, Howard J.: "High-Tech Ceramics." Chem. and Engineering N.; July 9, 1984; pp. 26-40.
Shurcliff, William A.: Superinsulated Houses and Double Envelope Houses. Brick House Pub. Co. (Andover, MA); 1981.
Simon, Ruth: "Alchemy, 1990s Style." Forbes; July 24, 1989; pp. 92, 94, 96.
Speth, James Gustave: "An Environmental Revolution in Technology." il. Environ. Sci. Technol.; April 1990; pp. 412-3.
Thayer, Ann M.: "Solid Waste Concerns Spur Plastic Recycling Efforts." Chem. & Eng. N.; Jan. 30, 1989; pp. 7-15.
Uttal, William R.: "Teleoperators." Sci. Am.; Dec. 1989;
pp. 124-9.
Van der Ryn, Sim: The Toilet Papers. Capra Press (Santa Barbara, CA); 1978.
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