If you wanna go really EcoTech, you gotta check out this waterless composting toilet. I'm still unsure as to the logistics (I mean, how about the smell of the compost?) but it certainly looks nifty. More importantly it cuts down on the water waste and costly treatment, while recycling those "nutrients" eventually back into the soil. Certainly beats burning your garbage for energy... still haven't got over the stupidity of that one (air pollution, fellas?)
I also read an article in the Walrus this morning (at 4am, no thanks to my neighbours with the blaring stereo) about chemical pollution. Yes, right here in Canada... now we've all heard about the MP's who underwent chemical testing this winter, but I suppose it didn't really hit home for me until I read about how formaldehyde from embalmed corpses seeps into the ground...
The Walrus is really good with the gritty imagery, but seriously I could have done with a little bit less of it this time (Janine MacLeod: "Forgotten, But Not Gone"). The most poignant thing, however, was the simple revelation that while so many cancers are caused by chemical pollution, there are far fewer funds dedicated to preventing cancer through cleaning up our environments (and by extension our bodies) and preventing toxins from making us sick, than are invested in finding a pharmaceutical solution... who lobbies the government for funds? The biotech industry, the "drug companies": the ones who seek to profit most by "us" getting sick.
Of course that is NOT to say that medical R&D should be thrown out the window. It's just an observation... and it's tragic that cancer incidence continues to rise despite improving treatment options. Why no examination of carcinogens?! Why no investigation of cause?!
It makes me angry to think that the potential exists for pharmaceutical companies, short-sighted policy-makers, and other powerful individuals - by their negligence or omission - to seriously jeopardize the personal health of you and I.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment