Comments on: Seven Social Sins

By: Judy Mathys

Judy Mathys — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:01:47 +0000

Ted,
This is the “other”" Judy Mathys in Florida and this is all too weird. Is your mother’s name Judy Mathys? I’m on a google sight that sends me emails if my name or bookstore name pops up anywhere. There is a bookstore in India with my same name (Family Book Shop) so I get their mail a lot…and now anything with Judy Mathys in it.

Too weird. But love that Ghandi quote. I have it on a poster at the store.

By: Ted Mathys

Ted Mathys — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:16:50 +0000

Thanks much for this comment! You are right that change is slow in coming, but there have been some strides in recent years. The contributions of wastepickers are now acknowledged in a handful of municipal and national legislation. The challenge is to move this recognition into full fledged engagement.

In terms of the waste volume, the cold hard facts show that wastepickers actually segregate more (90%) of the waste they interact with than is required of private actors (20%); they recycle basically everything that is recyclable, which is great for the environment and also for the city; and they do this largely without official compensation. I think the problem is that the solutions to a growing waste problem are too often couched only in terms of technology. The wastepickers are green, and the real issue of volume is who can most effectively manage it. If we hold product manufacturers to higher standards of clean design (no toxics in their products), and provide wastepickers with proper space and support for their work, they are the best technology that exists for handling the growing waste problem.

Cheers,

Ted

By: judy mathys

judy mathys — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:05:02 +0000

Ted,

Kudos for the engaging text and video overview with highlights of children making it even more real. Seems like they are caught between that rock and hard place. They will lose if economic progress without mechanized waste management inundates them with rubbish, and they will lose ifchange steam rolls over their communities with no compensation to them. I support your efforts with Chintan to continue taking steps to trump both of those worst case scenarios.

Talking with current American residents on leave here from a decade and more of mission work in the outskirts of Delhi, I sense a potential resistance to change among residents..it could be a painstakingly slow process, they said. What will become of the wild hogs that eat the local piles of garbage in many outlying neighborhoods? Maybe they are too far out to be affected by this.

Will all or part of these videos be used in the proceedings to negotiate benefits, or will you make more videos specifically geared to impressing Chintan’s arguments on the powers concerned?

Jim and I like the opinions you offer in an adjective here and there.

Carry on.

Mom