Overview
Waste management and energy production are both critical to our lives, but both also cause health and environmental issues. Researchers are searching for better ways to deal with our waste and produce energy that does not rely on fossil fuels. One method involves take waste that cannot be composted or recycled and burning it to create steam to generate electricity. These are known as waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities.
The Wheelabrator is one such facility in Baltimore. The company, and proponents of waste-to-energy, argue that they convert waste into clean renewable energy. Others, including residents and Baltimore environmental organizations, argue that the facility reduces recycling and creates air pollution that harms the people who live nearby.
Posts and responses must be completed by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, July 9.
Create a new thread for your initial post and discuss the following:
- Describe at least two (2) advantages of using a waste-to-energy facility to deal with waste compared to a traditional landfill.
- Describe at least two (2) advantages of using waste-to-energy electricity compared to traditional electrical generation methods (i.e. facilities that rely on fossil fuels).
Environmental justice seeks to address the inequity of environmental impacts in poor and marginalized communities. Respond to at least two (2) of your classmates' posts discussing the following:
- For each response, discuss the environmental or health impacts associated with the advantages described in the post.
- What do you suggest can be done to alleviate the impacts on Baltimore residents and address environmental justice?
- Each post must provide a different suggestion/strategy