Can Sustainability Save America?

Can Sustainability Save America?

Can Sustainability Save America?

The US Government now spends 50 cents of every dollar earned in this country, making themby far the world's biggest single consumer

Yet for all the chatter from the government on boosting our green future and encouraging a new green economy of sorts, not much has been done to prioritize the purchase of sustainable products for public use.

One clear example of government waste and a lack of environmental accountability involves the purchase of plastic (composite, fiber glass, polymer) mats that will be placed on every street corner in the U.S. as a detectable warning for the disabled.

You cannot protect plastic against UV rays for a maximum 18 months, so it's only a matter of time (usually around 5 years) and weather before these products fall out of compliance.

The industry standard, Armortile, manufactured by Engineered Plastics, know that their product is a virtual bandaid for ADA compliance and have added replacement and removability in to their design.

If you consider that every street corner in America is required to have detectable warnings in compliance and currently the government pays for removal and replacement of plastic products that expire before the the expected 30 year life of a sidewalk. Honestly, is it realistic or simply a way for these companies to make more taxpayer money? Not to mention, from an environmental standpoint, these weak, eroding mats can't be recycled, meaning eventually they will end up in a landfill.

In the long run, it's the tax payer that ends up paying for this shortsightedness when the products fail to meet compliancy The cost will definitely add up; just consider that in one case, according to the Portland Mayor's blog, Portland has 4,804 miles of sidewalks, including 37,744 street corners. Every corner has 2 ramps and the material for each ramp even costs conservatively around $100, that equals $7,548,800. This doesn't take in to account the cost of labor or disposal of the bad mats after only 5 to 10 years of compliance.

Plastic detectable warning mats and the controversy that surrounds them is just one example of the shortsightedness and waste in the system, but it's hard to deny that if the U.S. Government would put our money where their mouth is and remain held responsible to these green promises, sustainable products would get cheaper and be more accessible for the average consumer.

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