Diversion is imperative. Diversion is necessary. Diversion is sustainable.

Why do we feel it is necessary to have someone else take care of our problems? We as Americans believe it is our right to throw things away. It feels empowering. And yet we are simply externalizing the problem and offering no solutions. It has become out of site out of mind. Then we get NIMBY involved. The Not In My BackYard philosophy is one that has shaped our culture and continue to do so in a manner than is truly the paradox of sustainability.

It always amazes me what a disconnect there is between understanding of green and the definition of green. The definition of sustainability is the closest example of a “green” definition we have, yet both words scare us. We cannot continue to borrow from our future in the effort of bettering today. This goes for anything – waste is a prime example because it affects us as a society in so many ways. The fact that only 4% of what we “throw out” has no place but a landfill yet our national diversion rate is 32% is testament to the fact that a disconnect is breeding our stupidity towards solving the problems we face.


Posted by Matthew J. Macko
(guest blogger & friend of Deconstruction Network)
Environmental Building Strategies