Lesser of Two Evils: Indianapolis Waste Incineration

Unless you pay for the services of The South Side Landfill,
the Harding Street Incinerator
is the only option for municipal solid waste removal for the city of Indianapolis. Also known as The Indianapolis Resource Recovery Facility, the incinerator is managed by Covanta Indianapolis, Inc. As one of the largest incinerators in the nation, the facility processes 2,175 tons of solid waste per day, which in turn produces 4,500 pounds of steam. Citizens Thermal Energy (CTE) purchases around 70 percent of the steam to power 40 percent of the downtown heating loop. The heating loop is made up of almost all of downtown Indy’s businesses and institutions, including IUPUI and Eli Lilly (Covanta Energy 2012).

It is understandable that Indianapolis-Marion County would support this form of waste management given its win-win, short-term benefits of ridding almost all citywide waste and ostensibly powering its urban center with “renewable energy.” Unfortunately, that steam energy is not renewable in the traditional sense. It might lessen the city’s dependence on fossil fuels to provide electricity to the downtown area, though incineration is accompanied by its own set of harmful emissions: carbon monoxide, sulfur and nitrogen dioxides, dioxin, and metal. Its operations even produce CO2 emissions. The copious amounts of ash residue that is produced by these facilities still end up in landfills. Incineration or the euphemized “recovery” of energy is a seemingly better choice than completely fostering landfills, but it is evil (to sustainability) nonetheless.

Indianapolis currently does not have a sustainable countywide waste management system for municipal solid waste. Residents who opt out of composting at home throw food scraps and other biodegradable matter into the garbage and is burned on the side of State Road 37. While the Office of Sustainability
only promotes non-mandated curbside recycling
and periodic toxic product drop-off services
and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM)
lawfully prohibits throwing away yard waste, there is no municipal or state effort to promote the broader possibilities of composting.

Considering that waste management is largely a municipal function, could it be that a publicly sponsored composting effort would counter the interests of Covanta Indianapolis, Inc. and the entire downtown region? Or is the city just behind the times of sustainable waste management? It is likely that the city could fall under both categories given that general recycling is not publicly mandated. If Indianapolis-Marion County adopted a policy similar to Bloomington’s recycling ordinance
or Ann Arbor’s compost curbside pickup,
it would likely lessen the amount of waste needed to produce adequate electricity for downtown.

The video below gives a snapshot of how the facility operates and the supposed benefits of trash incineration:

Indianapolis is missing out on an opportunity to better the city’s air and natural environment by implementing some of the recycling and composting regulatory tools outlined by Roseland. Many European cities that previously depended on incinerators to manage waste have chose to instead invest in new recycling and composting facilities. Perhaps Indianapolis might someday find a window of opportunity to close the expensive incinerator and rather provide city sponsored curbside recycling and composting? Recycling has been proved to be three to six times more energy efficient than incineration (Girardet 1999). Composting makes use of what many regard as waste. Both of these efforts can narrow the cycle of production and consumption. The questions are whether the city is willing to make the decision, and whether an alliance of citizens is willing to demand it.

Lyle, John T. (1994). Waste as a Resource. Regenerative Design for Sustainable Development.

Girardet, Herbert. (1999). The Metabolism of Cities. Creating Sustainable Cities.

http://www.covantaenergy.com/facilities/facility-by-location/indianapolis/about.aspx

3-Point Plan for Sustainable Eating II

My sustainable eating voyage continues, slowly, but surely. I have made significant progress with composting and cooking plant-based meals. The rain barrel effort will see more action once I catch up with my other studies. Composting is the more passive and eating is inevitable, therefore in the following weeks you will see more updates concerning those aspects of the project.

Composting

Smelly compost. Emptying and cleaning the smaller container in my studio apartment sink has taken a toll on my nasal cavity, but that is my only complaint. Actually, I have so few fruit flies in my apartment because I keep my food scraps in the smaller airtight container. Today was the first day that I transferred those food scraps to the larger compost bin. I wrote “Compost: Do Not Move” on the top of the container and tucked it away in an inconspicuous location on the side of my building. Luckily, the stench will remain outside. The food scraps were mixed in with some moist dead leaves that will, hopefully, make for a rich soil when things begin to decompose.

Rain Barrel

The search for the rain barrel supplies continues, though I have not been actively searching. Since I am trying to build one without spending more than $20.00, I have started a list of local restaurants, grocery stores, and even carwashes that might have a bin that they are willing to let go. It will take some calling around town to find a sympathetic donor, but I am optimistic. I will begin calling next week. In the meantime, I have been watching instructional videos online. There are many but I will probably borrow ideas from the best of the bunch. The video below, for instance, is sponsored by Lowes and provides helpful suggestions. I refuse to use PVC pipe materials because of the harmful effects from the chemicals in the material. Does anyone know of any alternatives that are relatively inexpensive? I may resort to traditional metal pipes and materials.

Cooking Plant-Based Meals

Last week I made these Portobello and Zucchini Tacos
.My girlfriend introduced me to them and I have since made them twice. Although my food will not always be 100 percent locally grown and will include some packaging, I will try my best to use unpackaged fruits and veggies from BloomingFoods and the Farmers Market. I will resist the temptation to indulge at the larger supermarkets such as Kroger. My search continues for delicious recipes. Any suggestions?

Locals Only: Big Red Eats Green

It has been two weeks since I made my way over to the Indiana University Art Museum to grab some local chow at the Big Red Eats Green (and Bikes) Festival. My weekend starts on Thursday so I was looking forward to kicking it off right. As I approached the art museum lawn from the Union, I saw the many tents and booths and my stomach began to growl. The time was 2:15pm and I had not eaten breakfast. After briefly chatting with some fellow SPEONS at the entrance, I managed to stroll through the fair, peeking in the restaurant booths. I couldn’t believe that all participating restaurants used local ingredients. I have my doubts that the entire dishes were composed of Indiana ingredients, but the point is that they incorporated local food into their dishes, supporting local growers, and contributing to food security.

I thought it might be a good idea to first check out a familiar restaurant. It seemed appropriate to check out the Upland Brewery tent since love the food, but rarely eat there. I was willing to spend around $6.00 so that limited me to about 2-3 items. The Caprese Sandwich seemed like an excellent choice since it was only $1 and included roasted tomato focaccia, basil, and mozzarella cheese. It was delicious, though I was a little bummed they didn’t bring any beer growlers to sample!

As I turned to leave the Upland Booth, a gentleman with a piece of yarn in his hand accosted me. He asked, “Have you gotten one of these?” as he gave me a blue bracelet that displayed the words “I Ate Local.” I did indeed eat local, and I was now looking for the next restaurant to taste. I wanted to go to a place that I had never been before, but noticed Feast was selling their signature tamales for only $3.00. I’m a man that refuses to pass up a bargain so I seized the moment with great joy.

After delving into the delightful staples of Bloomington, it was time to try something new. I turned to the booths near the entrance, and to my surprise, Restaurant Tallent had made an appearance. I have never been to Restaurant Tallent given its reputation for its expensive entrees. I chatted with a fellow SPEA student while the gentlemen behind the table prepared a BBQ squash sandwich. The sandwich was superb and I washed it down with some iced cold watermelon limeade. When I finished I place my plastic dish and silverware in the available recycling bins. It will be a great day when recycling and compost bins out number trashcans.

Although I wanted to try samples from all of the other restaurants, I had exhausted my budget. It was time to check out what else the festival had to offer. I talked with the owner of Traderspoint Creamery about its award-winning yogurts. I sampled some low-fat vanilla. Historically, I have never been the biggest yogurt enthusiast, but it was so good I will buy some at one of its participating locations. Both the Sprouts and IU Campus gardens looked like great opportunities to grow my own food in the spring. The festival also introduced me to the Dunn Meadow Café, which I had heard about but did not realize that it too used local ingredients. In fact, I have been there twice in the past two weeks because it is relatively inexpensive and provides lighter alternatives to traditional RPS food. Plus it’s a short walk from SPEA! Overall, I really enjoyed myself Big Red Eats Green (and Bikes) Festival.

Similar to the weekly farmers market , Big Red Eats Green and other outdoor events provide an inclusive environment that bring about a sense of community. The aspects of sustainable communities that emphasize place and a sense of belonging are so important. I would like to contribute more to that feeling of community in the future through volunteering and my career.

For all interested in more local businesses,Local First Indiana is an awesome nonprofit that emphasizes local commerce and activities. Check it out!

3-Point Plan for Sustainable Eating

I have decided to combine three projects that I have wanted to pursue into one: start a compost pile, build a rain barrel, and mainly cook plant-based meals. This 3-point plan was devised because all three of these interests relate to gardening. It is my plan to start a small, probably container garden in the spring. These three project components will prepare me for my spring garden, but also to establish more sustainable eating habits.

Compost Pile

I just bought two containers for my compost pile. One is a small airtight container and the other is a larger plastic bin (made of 99% recycled plastic!). I have attempted compost piles in the past but I have never managed to create any fertile soil. Incorporating composting into my personal project will give me the extra motivation to maintain a useful pile. To start, I plan to gather browns (carbon materials) such as dead leaves and fruit waste as well as greens (nitrogen materials) such as plant and food waste in the next couple weeks. I live in a small apartment complex, therefore for the time being I will need to keep my compost in the large bin outside. I am hoping to find a location to use my compost, hopefully in a friend’s side-yard or an easily accessible community garden. If time allows, I will experiment with worm composting. My goals are to learn how to maintain a productive carbon to nitrogen ratio, eliminate waste (and fruit flies in my apartment), and produce rich soil for my spring garden.

Rain Barrel

The second part of my personal project is to build a rain barrel for under $20. Similar to composting, building a rain barrel has been on my to-do list since I heard about them. My fear of water shortage in the future is quite real; thus anyway I can cut back on personal water usage and waste helps curb that paranoia. My goal is to build one under $20 because I want to show you readers that you too can build one with very little money. I do not plan on using the rain barrel in the spring because I am certain that my building’s management would prohibit me altering their gutter drainpipe. Also I am sure they would not appreciate a damp mosquito den near the building. The rain barrel is more for my personal use when I one day live in a more permanent location with a larger garden.

Cooking Plant-Based Meals

This part of the project is intended to help me practice cooking with vegetables and fruits, specifically those that I plan to grow in my spring garden. I will cook a plant-based meal at least once a week. In the spring, I would like to garden onions, spinach, tomatoes, asparagus, and various peppers (e.g., bell, jalapenos, chocolate). Though easier said than done, I will probably start with only a handful of those listed. Since my garden will not begin until second semester, cooking with my own vegetables is out of the question. In the meantime, I will take full advantage of produce at the Bloomington Farmer’s Market and Bloomingfoods. Considering that I have been a pescatarian for almost three years, it is time to learn how to become a better cook.

Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions. It will be a very busy, but productive semester.

Rezoning Our Communities: The Pursuit of Choice

Though the term is broad, I would like to one day pursue a career in community development or planning that aims to create an environment that capitalizes on community assets and brings neighbors together in a sustainable manner. Similar to what Roseland discusses in Toward Sustainable Communities, I too believe that the most effective and direct form of change happens at the local level. In light of that, I would like use my first assigned blog post to address a community policy subtopic that is currently at odds with sound sustainable development: Zoning Laws.

Regulation, one of Roseland’s four policy instruments in Chapter 3: Making Community Policy, is largely seen as a tool to protect third parties from negative externalities caused by private market process and transactions. Though this is an area that SPEAONS value highly, not all regulation is devised in the public’s best interest.

Current municipal zoning laws across the United States continue to impede sustainable community development. Most cities and suburbs still encourage the archaic Euclidean model that isolates zoning into three main categories—industrial, commercial, and residential. Although I understand the idea that no one wants to live next to a smokestack, it seems that mixed-residential and commercial use need to become more prominent in the thought of community development and planning for a sustainable future.

Traditional residential zoning in suburbia.

Jane Jacobs famously declared that “the destructive effects of automobiles are much less a cause than a symptom of our incompetence at city building” (Whealer and Beatley 34). Indeed, current zoning laws coupled with insufficient public transit options give community members the green light (pun intended) to drive all over to run errands and settle out in the sprawling margins of town. Behavioral change will likely result from structural change.

I have first hand experience at trying to alter the zoning law in Indianapolis. Over the summer, I worked as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design- Neighborhood Design (LEED-ND) intern at the Mapleton-Fall Creek Community Development Corporation (MFCDC) (http://www.mfcdc.org). My fellow intern and I were pursuing LEED-ND Stage 1 certification for a section of the Mapleton-Fall Creek neighborhood. Most of our responsibilities included documenting the project area’s compliance with prerequisites and credits.

The criteria for one credit included having a bus shelter in the project area. To do so, we decided to build a bus shelter for the neighborhood children on a MFCDC owned vacant lot located at the intersection of 31st and Park Avenue. Unfortunately, we could not simply hire an affordable design-build architect and call it a day. Because residential zoning laws in the area are so limited, we had to either apply for a variance or an enchroachment license to build in the greenspace of the public right-of-way.

Since our budget was exceptionally limited ($2,500) for the project, we decided to apply for an enchroachment license for $375. Purchasing a variance permit would have cost thousands of dollars in fees before taking building permits into consideration. Due to the enchroachment license purchase our budget became even more limited. The process was too costly and time consuming just to build a bus shelter on the organization’s private property. I cannot imagine the cost of varying from the zoning law for a substantially different project. It signaled to me that zoning laws could certainly benefit from some flexibility in purpose.

Zoning regulation directly addresses six of Roseland’s ten community objective topics: energy, climate, transportation, land-use, housing and community economic development (36). It seems like common sense that neighborhoods need mixed-use buildings and a diverse selection of nearby services. With the peak oil crisis and rising fuel prices, individuals are beginning to understand the necessity of institutions and shops that are in walking distance of their homes.

New urban village with mixed-use zoning laws

Zoning laws that encourage responsible land-use development and juxtaposes residential and commercial space also benefit from local economic development. This type of community development provides people of all income levels with different service options. If someone has access to a car to drive to Target or Wal-Mart then so be it; however, those that would prefer to walk to the corner store a block away should have that option. I lived a few doors down from the downtown Sahara Mart last year and I know for a fact that commercial businesses that are in walking distance of residential areas are incredibly popular. Zoning laws and codes that promote these alternative choices are easy on your wallet and the environment.

As you can see, zoning laws that isolate structures by purpose ultimately increase the human ecological footprint discussed by Wackernagel and Reese (1996). In “What Is An Ecological Footprint” the authors expose that “the ecosystems that actually support typical industrial regions lie invisibly far beyond their political or geographical boundaries” (295). Because our supportive ecosystems are so far away our irreversible carbon footprint continues to increase. Zoning laws that allow individuals to choose local goods and service providers without having to drive miles from store to store will greatly deplete a community’s ecological footprint. The idea is to locate residents closer to clusters of goods and service providers so that it makes more sense to walk or bike to them.

Rezoning our communities also lays the foundation for fighting public health concerns such as obesity and asthma. Someday sustainable communities will be synonymous with healthy communities. Policies such as Health By Design (http://www.healthbydesignonline.org) and Complete Streets (http://www.completestreets.org) are at the forefront of tackling the issues of community design and connectivity. Sustainable zoning laws are the perfect complement to such initiatives. In fact, the percentage of neighborhoods with both residential and commercial options within a community could be a possible urban sustainability benchmark. Surveying neighborhood residents of how often they use the local goods and service providers could be add some further empirical evidence of sustainability practices.

Dr. Richard Jackson discusses the importance of planning and zoning laws and their effects on community, public health and sustainable lifestyles in the PBS feature “Desigining Healthy Communities.” Here is a video of Dr. Jackson discussing the multifaceted issue that is zoning and community structure with SPEA’s own Tavis Smiley:

Watch Dr. Richard Jackson, UCLA School of Public Health on PBS. See more from Tavis Smiley.

If you are interested in watching the “Designing Healthy Communities” DVD series, you can suggest that the Monroe County Library purchases it for its collection here: (http://mcpl.info/fiction/suggestion-purchase)