The green movement is a wonderful thing. I have been an environmentally conscious person since I was a kid. My first real taste of it was reading a small book about what was happening to the Earth because of our misuse. I was so moved by the book, my friend and I used our allowance money to make our own pamphlets and distribute them around the neighborhood. I’m not sure I made a difference in any of those lives, but I did change the lives of my parents. From that day on, they have recycled everything that they can.

I have always been particularly concerned with water, and as such, received a degree in Hydrology. I have been a water chemist, a research chemist (developing technologies to remove arsenic from drinking water in places such as Bangladesh), and now I am a researcher. Not the kind you would think though. I research environmental cleanups in America. The things I see astonish me… horrify me. Industry in past years did not concern themselves with the environment. Plants would often utilize large holes in the ground to dump not just solid wastes, but liquid wastes as well. Industry has historically been set up near sources of water, and it was for good reason initially. People believed that dumping into a water body would “wash” it away. They believed it was a safe choice. Obviously they were wrong. I’ve studies rivers so toxic, they flowed a different color each day depending on what was being dumped. I’ve seen landfills dug up where thousands of metal drums of toxic chemicals have been found damaged and leaking. I’ve seen sites where contamination is so bad it has adversely affected the health of the surrounding neighborhood (think Erin Brokovich). That movie is an amazing story, but it is so much more common than you would think. To say that we have learned from our mistakes would be to lie.

Many industries have simply moved away from America. Not just to cut costs of labor, but to avoid strict environmental regulation that increases the cost of their production. I remember a story in college about some companies that moved just across the border of Texas into Mexico so they could avoid such regulation. In the end, a small town in Texas felt the affects. There were stillbirths, and babies born with such horrific defects, they didn’t survive more than a few hours (born without brains). The waste coming from these plants ran through a drainage channel right through the center of a small village in Mexico. I can’t say for certain, but it’s likely that waste channel transported the waste into a pond or larger stream, which in turn delivered it to the groundwater.

Other companies just flat out disregard the environmental regulations. A friend of mine works as an air inspector in Kentucky. She talked to me about the frustration in going from plant to plant to inspect their emissions equipment. Basically, the industry considers the fines and penalty’s of having improper emissions to be a small price to pay when compared to buying expensive upgrades and operating business in an environmental way. The fines were affordable, so rather than do the right thing, they just take the quarterly fines. Her job felt meaningless to her, because no company would come into compliance when they could afford to pay to be non-compliant. And the state doesn’t want to increase the fine, for fear they’ll drive business away to another more forgiving state or worse yet, another country.

We all need to commit to living green in our own lives. Driving a hybrid- I’m sorry but a ginormous truck hybrid that only gets 20 mpg doesn’t count in my book- is a great start, and in the long run it’ll save you tons of money. Recycling, upgrading your house to eco-friendly lighting, and purchasing environmentally friendly products such as toilet paper and laundry soap are all great ways to make a difference in your life. Even still, we have a long road ahead of us if we truly want to see change. Industry is in the business of making money, and as we can see from our own lives, living green typically costs a little more. Unless it is financially advantageous for companies to start operating green, we will be fighting an uphill battle. The amount of wastes generated by production of goods as well as the pollution they emit into the air is of great consequence. We alone cannot reverse the effects of what is happening to our world. Industry must change with us. As individuals, we do not have the power to force a company to keep their plant in a country where they must pay to operate under environmental regulations. We do not have the ability to convince them that cutting into their profits to help the Earth is worth it to them. BUT… we have the power to buy and not to buy. I think that if numbers large enough committed to only buying from industries which were proven to be operating “green”, then suddenly it would matter to businesses. They can’t make money if we don’t buy, right? This is very much like trying to boycott Nike for moving their plants to a location where they could hire labor for pennies on the dollar. Not that the boycott was 100% successful, but we need to do the same thing to companies who refuse to operate in an environmentally friendly and conscious way. If nothing else, you owe to yourself to become aware of the companies that you buy from. There’s a good chance you can get an item for less money from a company who cuts corners, but if you’re committed to living green, than it is worth it to you to spend a few dollars more to buy from a company who is doing their part to help.

Here are some good resources to check out if you’re interested in learning more about industry’s role in our environmental problems.

For those of us in America:

• The Environmental Working Group has tons of great information about many different topics. Here’s one that is near and dear to my hear about MTBE. Learn how oil companies knew the dangers of MTBE, joked about it, lied about it, put it into our gasoline and what it has done to our groundwater.
• This is an EPA site that allows you to search for superfund sites in your state. A superfund site is a site where contamination is so bad, it receives special attention and funding. Do a search for you state (or even just your city). You might be surprised at how many there are. This is another EPA site that reports industries who utilize toxic chemicals in their operation. You can search by location, and even find out if they have any environmental violations.
• Maybe you’re not big industry, but if you own your own company, here are some tips on helping your company go green.
• Check out Co-op America. They “focus on economic strategies—economic action to solve social and environmental problems”. This site is also filled with good tips for your own home.
• Want to start shopping green? Check out the Eco Mall! You can shop by product or by company. This is a great way to start supporting the right companies, and to stop promoting industries that aren’t green.

For those of you not in America:

• find your country’s environmental regulatory agency. That’s the best place to start. Not only will you find information regarding hazardous waste problems where you live, but chances are there will be links to information on eco-friendly tips, businesses and organizations that you can help.

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