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Zero Waste at the WSSD 2002 (Earth Summit)
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: On Paper, the Earth Summit in Rio
Doesn't Look Like It's Cleaning Up
Monday, June 15, 1992; Pg. 21
By: Charles Osgood
If you really want to know why the Earth's environment is in such
trouble that there has to be an Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro,
all you have to do is look at what's happening right there at the
conference center where the 12-day meeting is being held.
Trash cans there are overflowing with propaganda handouts, fliers
and pamphlets, paper cups, napkins and plates, plastic bottles,
spoons, forks and knives and aluminum cans. In fact, it's almost
impossible for us humans to do anything at all without adding to
the Earth's complicated ecological problems. Even holding an Earth
Summit to deal with ecological dangers adds somewhat to the depletion
of our valuable resources, the hole in the ozone layer, the greenhouse
effect and the pollution of the air and the water.
Most of the delegates to the Rio conference pull up to the front
door of the conference center in gas-guzzling limousines. You can
see the exhaust spewing carbon monoxide into the air. Not much car
pooling going on there, that's for sure.
As far as electric power is concerned, it's hard to get a handle
on the amount that's being used or what fuels are being burned to
produce it. But one conference official admitted that before the
summit got under way, they'd already used enough electric power
to light up the city of Tokyo for an hour.
Every day there at the Earth Summit, fax machines are rolling out
reams of messages. UN printers are churning out hundreds of thousands
of copies of documents in seven languages. A day's worth of saving
the planet involves 70,000 pages of press releases. Each day - of
these efforts to protect the rain forests - involves
¨ 150,000 sheets of memos and
¨ 300,000 pages of schedules.
There are 250 Xerox machines spitting out a million or so photocopies.
During the 12 days of the conference, it's estimated that 30 million
pieces of 8.5-by-11 inch paper will have been used. How many trees
is that, do you suppose?
It takes 220 garbage men to haul away the seven tons of Earth Summit
debris and refuse each day from the conference center.
CBS MORNING NEWS, Wednesday, June 10, 1992
Copyright 1992 Burrelle's Information Services CBS News Transcripts
Anchor: Charles Osgood
A thought this morning. You all know what the Earth Summit in Rio
de Janeiro is about. It's about saving the planet from being turned
into one big toxic waste dump. It's about the ecology, saving the
rain forests and protecting the ozone layer and finding ways to
cut down on all the air pollution and water pollution.
So what do they do there in Rio? Well, most of the delegates show
up at the conference center in gas-guzzling limos spewing carbon
monoxide into the air. Not much car pooling going on there. Lord
knows how much electricity they are consuming, but one official
there says they've already probably used enough power to light up
Tokyo for an hour.
Every day at the summit, fax machines are rolling out reams of
messages. UN printers are churning out hundreds of thousands of
copies of documents in seven languages, 70,000 pages of press releases,
150,000 sheets of memos, 300,000 pages or schedules every day. There
are 250 Xerox machines spitting out a million or so photocopies.
During the 12 days of the conference, an estimated 30 million pieces
of eight and a half by 11-inch paper will be used. How many trees
is that, do you suppose?
Trash cans there are overflowing, they say, with propaganda handouts,
fliers and pamphlets, paper cups, throwaway plates, aluminum cans,
bottles and plastic spoons and knives and forks. It takes 220 garbage
men to haul away the seven tons of Earth Summit refuse from the
convention center. Good thing we don't have these Earth Summits
very often. That would be really hard on the environment.
The Plain Dealer Article: "Stuck on 1992"
Copyright 1992 Plain Dealer Publishing Co.
Sunday, December 27, 1992, Pg. 1H
By: Brian E. Albrecht
Environmental illness: The Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
generated seven tons of garbage daily, most of it unrecyclable.
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