The Life Box

A lot of people want to improve their environment. I just heard about the "Life Box" from "The Life Box Company" (link: http://www.lifeboxcompany.com/index.html). They are working on packing material that is impregnated with seeds. When you are done with it, you break it apart; scatter it anywhere, and – voila! – an instant garden. As of this writing, the Life Box is still under development. What a great idea!

[Note: In the interest of full-disclosure, the author is related to the inventor of the Life Box by marriage.]

I plan to buy and use this shipping material in my business. My business, Enovative Energy Solutions, is a Green-IT firm that is focused on exploring ways that computer technology can have a positive impact on the environment. We are soon launching a product line and mail-order business to provide resources to like-minded individuals. This Life-Box fits into that picture very well. If nothing else, it will alleviate the "eco-guilt" that I otherwise may feel from the packing material used in sending (or receiving) products by mail.

Some Thoughts on Refuse

If you think about environmental issues and packing material, then you have probably thought about other issues related to refuse. That term, of course, means anything that gets thrown away. And what kinds of refuse are there? It includes everything from landfill fodder to recyclables and, of course, compostable items. This is the reverse order of desirability, in case you hadn't noticed.

The "Life Box" is interesting because it represents a whole new category of refuse. While it is, in fact, compostable, it also has the benefit of being infused with seeds (and fungi mycelium, which helps the seeds get their start). What would be a good name for this new category? Here are some ideas:

• Bio-Generative
  
• Renewables (sounds like an air-freshener – oh wait, I think it is!)
  
• Eco-Friendly Packaging (really underestimates the effect this can have)
  
• Do you have an idea? Respond to my blog and share your ideas with me (and others)…
  

My comments on three well-known categories of refuse…

Best Kind of Refuse: Compostables

These are the best kind of refuse. In an ideal world, most – if not all – of what we dispose of would find its way back into the natural world as a compostable item. Kitchen scraps, yard waste, all of it seems to be the most "desirable" kind of stuff to throw away. In Seattle, where I live, we have a weekly pickup for compost.

This is picked up, processed, and sold locally as Cedar Grove Compost. It is available in five different "blends", which makes it sound much like coffee.

Second Best Kind of Refuse: Recyclables

Recyclables are second best, because – of course – they have a chance at a second life. They don't get returned to the Earth, but rather stay in the realm of human artifice. A whole set of companies has been started, in the past decade or so, that specializes in finding ways to reuse discarded bottles, recycled paper, and so forth.

Worst Kind of Refuse: Landfill Fodder

Then there is the landfill fodder. Landfills involve putting anything not recycled into a huge earthen pit that is lined with plastic. The liner prevents ground water contamination. The net result is that there is an awful lot of garbage that has been buried as inert, unrecyclable matter. I have heard stories of newspapers that have been dug up after forty years and the text is clearly readable.

I do not know what is going on in today's landfills. But it does make me wonder.