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In the novel Adaptive Significance, the main characters have an opportunity to build a city from scratch. One of their design concepts is to have no trash pick up. This means all items sold or shipped into the city have to be in returnable containers. Sound impossible? In practice, a totally recyclable city saves its occupants money while servicing them better. We just have to change our way of thinking! How do we get a project going to transform our way of life to non-exploitation of the planet's resources? (Notice I slipped the "we" into the previous sentence. Yes, as always, I'm waiting for your input.) I think we have to find a city whose inhabitants are courageous enough to embark on a total recyclization program that will serve as a pilot program for other communities. A city whose citizens are willing to enter into an experiment which would most likely alter the way half the world’s population function within their society. This city must be large enough to negotiate supply contracts with major food producers in conjunction with major food distribution chains. It would help if the city was enclosed by physical boundaries for a portion of its perimeter, otherwise the closest store for some people may be a non-recyclable one. Most importantly, this city's citizens must have a mindset willing to set aside perceived difficulties in order to create a better society for future generations. If a vote were taken, a 60% to 70% mandate should be required to insure success. Where could such an experiment take root? I was thinking the ideal place would be San Francisco or perhaps Boston. Who would head such a project? This is the key to success, to find the right person to organize and promote the concept and eventually to schedule the transition. In my opinion this person should not be a politician because this issue should not become a political target. For this project to succeed, we cannot afford to have it turned into an ‘us against them’ issue. The project leader therefore must convince all parties concerned this venture will be a profitable one, giving them a competitive advantage. A store, for instance, may strike an agreement with several competitors to enter into a joint purchase of a container filled with assembled bicycles from China, negotiating the price based on additional assembly costs but reduced packaging costs. The shipping racks would be broken down and returned to the manufacturer. Delicate items, like large television sets, would be hand delivered. If we can afford to pay for hand delivering a pizza, a TV should be an unnoticed cost component. I’m merely scratching the surface of a tremendously complex project but I am willing to bet many people would be willing to donate their time and effort to see such a worthwhile endeavor succeed.
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