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Previous by Date: Subject: Re: sustainability definition Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:14:30 -0500 Author: "Nail, John" |
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Henry points out (below) what many of us have come to conclude. Ho wever, what happens when a person or a party or corporation decides what th ey are doing is "sustainable" and someone disagrees with them?
So we all have some sort of warm, fuzzy feeling on what sustainable mean s. Let's get down to brass tacks here - the benchtop:
Case in point:
Freshman laboratory experiment performs a simple neutralization reaction - let's say sulfuric acid and sodium bicarbonate, to a pH of 8.0 (a p henolthalein endpoint) resulting in:
1. Carbon dioxide being released. (Carbon dioxide is a green house gas, right?)
2. Sodium sulfate being produced. The school decides to disp ose of this product through a TSDF even though it is both non-hazardous and non-regulated, because, after all, "chemistry lab waste is hazardous." NB - the sodium sulfate may or may not be in solution - it really does n ot matter for this discussion.
For whatever reason, the instructor is unwilling to substitute any of th e reactants as they want to demonstrate salt formation of neutralization, c onservation of mass, stoichiometry, or any number of other things.
I would argue that #1 above is no big deal, though - and rightfully so - some may say that the experiment contributes to a climate problem, be it r eal or imagined. (The existance or non-esistance of global warming or its overall impact or non-impact is not germane to this discussion). However, #2 is a real, economic problem - it creates a manifested haz ardous waste where none really existed and disposal costs are skyrocketing.
Is this a "sustainable" reaction? Why or why not?
H
-----Original Message-----
From: List Moderator
Sent: Sep 10, 2009 1:40 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
S ubject: Re: [DCHAS-L] sustainability definition
The real definition:
Sustainability is a relatio nship, or balancing act,
between factors which are constantly chan ging.
Like "family values," everyone agrees that sustainability
is a good thing, but no one agrees on what exactly it is,
o r even more significantly, how to achieve it and how
to know when we have achieved it.
Georgia Tech Research Institute
http://maven. gtri.gatech.edu/sfi/bes/faq.html
A practical meaning:
The concept of sustainability refers to our ability to operate
ef ficiently and productively while minimizing our negative impact
on the environment. Seeking the best balance between the demands
of doing business and the need to protect the environment can be challenging.& nbsp;
Martin Madaus, PhD, Millipore's CEO
http://www.millipore.com/sustainability/eco3/vision
Harry J. Elston, Ph.D., CIH Principal Midwest Chemical Safety, LLC www.midwestchemsafety.com Editor, Journal of Chemical Health & Safety http://membership.acs.org/c/chas/ "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have" - Thomas Jefferson
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