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When Peak Oil Arrives, At Least We’ll Still Have Donkeys |
9 Comments |
| By Michael d'Estries in Energy, Green Living | March 12, 2008 | ||
With rising gas prices all the rage, every aspect of society faces a pinch of some kind to cover costs. Just this month, my garbage collection rates went up. It’s simply one of those unfortunate realities that you shrug off and buck up. For one town in Sicily, however, costs associated with fuel and garbage pickup is not a problem. Since 1996, Castelbuono has banned diesel-spewing trucks in favor of daily donkey trash pickup. Not only has the transition improved the air quality, noise, and traffic of the town, but residents also separate their garbage for recycling more frequently. From the article,
“We are saving money,” Mario Cicero, the mayor, proudly told ABC News. “The service is just as efficient, and the children love them!” The idea of using the donkeys came to Cicero, 45, late last year. “Yes, the idea was mine. It’s patented!” he laughed. Always seeking new ways to be more ecological and beautify his town, Castelbuono’s environmentally conscious mayor has been at work for 10 years in various capacities to make this town of 10,000 residents a model of environmental respect. The town is listed among the top 11 in Italy for environmental quality by the Lega Ambiente, or Environmental League.
Each day is a different pickup in terms of waste — so compost might be on Tuesdays, while plastic bottles or paper products might be Wednesday. While this might be a bit cumbersome for those of us used to only thinking about putting out the trash once a week, residents in Castelbuono don’t seem to mind. Plus the costs are right — $1,600 for a donkey vs $40,000 for a garbage truck. What do you think? Too traditional or a good use of resources?
For more, check out the article here.
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Arminius said,
It’s a great idea, one that needs to be taken up by cities all over the world. One thing: the donkey could haul a lot more garbage if it was pulling it on a cart. Think about it. Can you carry more on your back or in a wheelbarrow?
Matt Mayer said,
I think this is a great idea too. God knows we have plenty of asses here in America!
Clifford J. Wirth said,
This is a great idea and we need to develop a farm infrastructure in many areas. The crash is coming faster and more serious than many realize. See the following report for a look at the world that awaits us: http://www.peakoilassociates.com/POAnalysis.html
Gideon said,
Great idea, plus you can feed the compost to the donkeys and collect their manure in a sling behind them as fertalizer (much faster process than waiting for compost rot out back).
eco-samurai said,
Wow, this is awesome!!! I love it. Donkeys totally fit this needs. I would like to share this article in my blog. Is that okay?
Climate Today » When Peak Oil Arrives, At Least We’ll Still Have Donkeys said,
[...] With rising gas prices all the rage, every aspect of society faces a pinch of some kind to cover costs. For one town in Sicily, however, costs associated with fuel and garbage pickup are not a problem. Since 1996, Castelbuono has banned diesel-spewing trucks in favor of daily donkey trash pickup. Not only has the transition improved the air quality, noise, and traffic of the town, but residents also separate their garbage for recycling more frequently. “We are saving money,” Mario Cicero, the mayor, proudly told ABC News. “The service is just as efficient, and the children love them!” The idea of using the donkeys came to Cicero, 45, late last year. “Yes, the idea was mine. It’s patented!” he laughed. Always seeking new ways to be more ecological and beautify his town, Castelbuono’s environmentally conscious mayor has been at work for 10 years to make this town of 10,000 residents a model of environmental respect. The town is listed among the top 11 in Italy for environmental quality by the Lega Ambiente, or Environmental League. Each day is a different pickup in terms of waste — so compost might be on Tuesdays, while plastic bottles or paper products might be Wednesday. While this might be a bit cumbersome for those of us used to only thinking about putting out the trash once a week, residents in Castelbuono don’t seem to mind. Plus the costs are right — $1,600 for a donkey vs $40,000 for a garbage truck. What do you think? Too traditional or a good use of resources? http://www.groovygreen.com/groove/?p=2776 [...]
Rory Wallis said,
We were recently invited to meet the Mayor Cicero as we have our own eco donkey project here in Spain.
At the moment our main eco donkey Pablo, makes regular trips down to the restaurants on the local beach to collect leftover food and bread. This “wasted” food is then brought back to our donkey sanctuary and is recycled by our rescued donkeys. Anything the donkeys won’t eat our pot-bellied pig will. The manure is collected by local farmers for use on their crops.
Let’s hope the idea catches on in more places.
You can read about our visit to Sicily and our ecodonkey project at http://www.nerjadonkeysanctuary.com
alexander seghers said,
http://www.stopco2.com do use and propose donkeys for their actions.
Really solutions are in front of our noses, cheap and FUN …..it is divine to hear stepping an easel or horse in the streets .it is ZEN ….and childern love it !!
Really who is smarter and who still has a heart ,….from all our leaders …..
?are they Human or…..has David Icke and his reptileconspiracy it right.
Anyway time will show us the answers ……..Greenery , trees and horses/donkeys or …..
armaggadon , reptiles and insects …………….
Greetings to the Mayors of New York , London , Paris , Tokyo …….
I A IA IA IA IA AIA ……………….
steve burg said,
Hahahah…freaking Wops and their stupid ideas. What real donkeys! LOL