January 10, 2008
· Filed under consumer choices, pollution, recycling · Tagged recycling, spain, sustainable
No, not the ones coming out of the cosmetic surgeon’s office (there are a lot of oldies round here).
The plastics industry is very important here. Some of the world’s best polar fleece is made here, as well as paints and other plastic things. But, as we all know, plastic does not biodegrade. At best, it photodegrades, getting smaller and smaller but remaining plastic in it’s heart. The story of the North Pacific Gyre, with it’s continent of floating plastic is enough to make anyone think twice about chucking that water bottle. But what to do?
Well, in a nice model of sustainability, a number of plastics manufacturers are cashing in and also recycling their products. The association Anarpla is based in Valencia and represents some 70% of plastics recycling in the country. You’d have to be pretty informed on plastics to get much joy out of this site, but it’s nice to know it exists. I’m gonna see about finding some nice pile fabric…
January 10, 2008
· Filed under construction, politics, water · Tagged politics, spain, sustainable, water
A few days ago now – my where does the time go? – Franciso Camps, President of the Comunidad Valenciana and also head of the Partido Popular (right-wing) in this autonomous region gave his end-of-year speech. In it, he promised sustainable development for the region:
“… la sostenibilidad, la prosperidad y el futuro de la Comunitat”1
In the same speech, he goes on to state his support for the canalisation of the Rio Ebro from Catalunya south to Valencia. This project was first proposed by the then-governing PP in 2000 as a solution to Spain’s chronic water shortages. The Iberian peninsula is the driest part of Europe, (2) and the southern/Mediterranean regions are the driest of all.
It seems funny yet wholly appropriate that a politician should both vouch for his commitment to that lovely keyword “sustainability” whilst maintaining the status quo with regard to development. Wouldn’t the sustainable solution be to implement water-saving measures, recycle grey water and stop building golf courses in the desert for heaven’s sake?
