One short sentence at the height of the Vietnam War became a moment of public epiphany that our view of reality had become distorted. “It became necessary to destroy the town to save it,” an Army major told AP correspondent Peter Arnett. Just yesterday, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute claimed in the New
Environmental General
Speaking of Solar Farms, Landfills and New Zoning Codes . . .
By Tom Terrell on
2,000 years ago all roads, it was said, led to Rome. Today, all roads – or at least all major societal trends – lead, eventually, to changes in local zoning codes. Like when we adopted entirely new zoning codes to adjust to being an automobile dependent society. Like when communities adopted regulations controlling placements of…
Let’s Talk Trash
By Tom Terrell on
Let’s talk trash. It’s a large part of what I do each day, and I’ll start with you. In 1960 “you” generated, on average, 2.68 lbs of trash (household waste) every single day. But in 2007 you generated almost twice that amount at 4.63 lbs per day. In fact, your average daily trash consumption only…
Earth, Wind and Fire . . . and Google
By Tom Terrell on
In the next few paragraphs I will logically connect information giant Google with land use issues, environmental sustainability, the70s R&B group Earth, Wind and Fire and M. Night Shyamalan’s summer flick The Last Air Bender. Ready?
If you read yesterday’s NY Times article Offshore Wind Power Line Wins Praise and Backing, you have a…
The Anatomical Solution to Solid Waste Problems
By Tom Terrell on
Landfills vs. Dumps — Is there a Difference?
By Tom Terrell on
The Greensboro News & Record has been full of front page articles this week about an alleged cancer cluster near its White Street Landfill. The landfill was closed to household waste a few years ago due to political pressure, but has continued to accept construction and demolition debris.
As claims of a cancer cluster circulated,…
Greensboro Still Dealing with Its Own Waste
By Tom Terrell on
A permitted landfill is one of the most valuable assets anyone — private entity or government — could own. Disposal costs, like health care costs, are permanently with us and continue to rise. There is no industrial or retail substitute that would give a seller a higher per-square foot return than a permitted MSW landfill.…
In Search of Solid Waste’s Silver Bullet
By Tom Terrell on
While working out of our Raleigh office yesterday yesterday I had lunch with Vance Moore of the engineering firm, Garrett & Moore. Vance is one of the many outstanding environmental engineers I’ve had the privilege of working with on matters related to landfills and solid waste.
One of Vance’s expertises is conducting financial projections of…
Legal Update – What about “Zero Waste”?
By Tom Terrell on
This morning’s New York Times contained an article titled “Nudging Recycling from Less Waste to None,” a description of some communities’ efforts to eliminate practically all landfilled waste. According to the Times, “Across the nation, an antigarbage strategy known as “zero waste” is moving from the fringes to the mainstream, taking hold in school cafeterias,…
Legal Update – Sewage Sludge and the Doctrine of Preemption
By Tom Terrell on
This week the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court (Commonwealth v. East Brunswick Township) used the doctrine of preemption to overturn a local ordinance that attempted to regulate the application of sewage sludge. Sewage sludge, typically in the form of residue from wastewater treatment plants, is a form of pasture fertilizer that farmers love. It is nitrogen rich…