Don't Recycle Paper

It's bad for the environment. Really. I know we've been told since the late 60's that we need to recycle paper in order to save the planet, but it's just not so. Here are some compelling reasons why:

1. Transporting recycling materials increases the use of petroleum and electricity. Most of our electricity in this country is still generated by burning fossil fuels. See where this is going?
2. Before paper can be recycled it must be de-inked. Commercial recycling of paper requires the use of toxic chemicals to de-ink the paper. These chemicals are non-recyclable and are extremely hazardous to the environment. http://www.treecycle.com/papers/we_lived.html


3. Recycling paper requires huge amounts of energy input from non-renewable fossil fuels, much more than is used for recycling plastic. http://www.reusablebags.com/facts.php?id=7


4. Commercial recycling of paper puts money in the pockets of huge corporations, at the expense of the environment.

So, what's a Druid to do?

1. Use less paper. This is the single most important thing you can do. I make an effort to find products in reusable packaging, such as glass or metal.


2. Precycle. The second most important thing you can do is to be more selective about the paper that you do purchase and use.


3. Reduce paper recycling by collecting other people's paper. I use old phone books and newspapers as foundation fill for my rainwater harvesting landscape. It raises ground elevation quickly, and it breaks down beneath the soil on its own with no additional energy input.


4. You can shred it for compost, even bury it in your yard.


5. Just don't burn it, trash it, and especially, don't recycle it.

The Merry Month of May

May was rather a busy month for Mrs. Druid and I.

We went to Mexico for four days of fun and sun. We certainly got it, in spite of the concern for our health and safety expressed by friends and family. We were not decapitated by ruthless narcotrafficos, nor did we contract lethal cases of H1N1. Heck, we didn't even get Montezuma's Revenge, for that matter. Rather, we had a lovely time by ourselves, with only a few thousand desperate, out-of-work Mexican locals as compañeros. This is not a pejorative comment on the Mexican nationals. Rather, it is an observation of life in a third world fishing town. The town in question is only sixty miles from the U.S. border.

Puerto Penasco, or Rocky Point, is a small fishing town on the east shore of the Sea of Cortez, in the estado of Sonora, Mexico. The old town is built on a steep rocky headland, reminiscent of mediterranean fishing villages. The recent slump in the U.S. stock market, combined with fears of swine flu and increased violence in Mexican border towns, caused fewer Americans to travel this past winter, the height of the tourist season in Mexico: http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2009/05/01/20090501biz-rockypoint0501.html

Japanese expansion has had two major impacts on the development of Puerto Penasco. During World War II, Mexico allowed the U.S. to build a paved road from the Arizona border to the coast as a means to move troops rapidly, should the Japanese attempt a landing in the Sea of Cortez. Forty years later, Japanese commercial fishing had destructive effects on the sealife population of the Sea of Cortez:

http://www.baja-web.com/pto-penasco/index.html

Just as destructive, though, has been its impact on the local economy. As the supply of fish dwindled, the local small business fishermen were squeezed out of the picture. Attempts at protecting the upper portion of the sea are ongoing:

http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/3157-overfishing-in-the-sea-of-cortez-are-sustainable-fish-farms-the-solution

Another factor in the decline of a produce economy is the rise of mega-resorts along the region's coast. Tourism has been a part of the town's economy from its earliest days, but it was always within the town itself. The new resorts that dot the long sandy beaches are outside of town limits, and they draw the workforce out of the town itself, who take up residence in shanty towns that have sprung up closer to the resort buildings. These resorts now provide the majority of the cash income, upwards of 70%, leaving residents at the whim of foriegn travellers.

The second bit of busy-ness we had was attending Desert Magic Festival in Oracle, Arizona. That was a good bit of fun also. DMF is hosted every year by Sonoran Sunrise Grove of Ar nDraiocht Fein. We drove from Mexico on Wednesday, to the festival on Friday. There were no end of good classes, including one on ectstatic experiences using body stress techniques, and the usual drumming, dancing, and fellowship. Here is the article on last year's festival:

http://www.ssg-adf.org/photopages/DesertMagic2008/index.htm Afterwards it was back to work to make up the time and money spent.