Green Junction: how do we reduce our negative impact on nature? By Julie Peller, Ph.D.
We live in a dynamic time where new technologies and industrial processes are moving forward, and others are on the horizon. Our laws and policies establish limits on pollution for industrial processes, but often only for protecting environmental and human health and future generations. In Pope Francis’s Laudate Deum, he warns, “We have made impressive and awesome technological advances, and we have not realized that at the same time we have turned into highly dangerous beings, capable of threatening the lives of many beings and our survival.”
The water requirements for a local paper recycling company are huge, over 800,000 gallons/day. The company could implement a water reuse facility to significantly reduce its massive freshwater consumption. Instead, it draws groundwater in compliance with local and state laws, risking overuse of freshwater. This is a familiar story since water is required for many industrial processes. Fracking operations that mine natural gas require enormous amounts of water. According to the United States Geological Survey, the water used per well ranges from 1.5 to 16 million gallons, while larger wells use even more. Several studies show that our thirst for energy may turn into a thirst for water.
Industrial farming is another example of advances in society that are not sustainable. Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) produce massive animal waste daily. The USDA estimates that 1.4 billion tons of manure are produced annually, and runoff from manure ponds contaminates water supplies. In chemical additives, the proliferation of compounds known as PFAS began around the 1950s to enhance products. These compounds have been widely adopted and used in numerous everyday products, from nonstick cookware to cosmetics, waterproof textiles, firefighting foam, and much more. Still, they are now known as toxic, forever chemicals. Last year, the US EPA announced regulations for these contaminants in drinking water.
Given that we want to recycle paper, eat meat, and have plentiful energy and valuable products, how do we reduce our negative impact on nature? Philosopher Roger Scruton wrote, “The goal is to pass on to future generations, and meanwhile to maintain and enhance, the order of which we are the temporary trustees.”
Julie Peller, Ph.D., is an environmental chemist (Professor of Chemistry at Valparaiso University ). She has been writing a weekly column called The Green Junction for the past seven years and is helping to move the call of Laudato Si to action forward. Her Research Interests are advanced oxidation for aqueous solutions, water quality analyses, emerging contaminants, air quality analyses, Lake Michigan shoreline challenges (Cladophora, water, and sediment contaminants), and student and citizen participation in environmental work.