AS we conclude our discussion on solid waste management issues confronting the Marianas, I canât help but be optimistic about how todayâs generation is vocal about our problems with garbage and making a move to address these concerns.
A recent video entitled âThe World is Ours,â produced for Miss Northern Marianas Earth Maria Terlajeâs campaign, encourages the youth to speak up and protect Mother Earth. Youth from across the Marianas shared their concerns about the islands they call home. Nine-year-old Zayden Seman described our environment as âstruggling because people are throwing trash.â Sixteen-year-old Isa Long of Tinian emphasized the need to spread awareness and take action to prevent further harm to our islands.
(MINA) â The Micronesia Islands Nature Alliance is excited to announce the return of the Green Gala on Sept. 10, 2021, an event to celebrate conservation of our islandsâ precious natural resources, and to recognize the efforts of members of the community, schools and businesses to advance these goals in the Marianas.Â
Nominations are now being accepted for these awards for individuals and organizations in the following categories:
EnvironmentalÂ
Champion Award
An individual who has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the environment and conservation of our natural resources.
EnvironmentalÂ
Heroes Award
A school, public or private, whose dedication to the environment is echoed through its students and their efforts to conserve our natural resources.
AS we continue our discussion about universal garbage collection or UGC, we should understand how the Marpi Landfill plays a role in this process. The Marpi Landfill is a 26-acre waste management facility with six cells of two and a half million cubic yards of airspace. A cell is where the trash is stored by compressing the garbage, while airspace pertains to the disposal capacity of the cell. The landfill began operating in 2003, and the disposal rate, or the amount of garbage dumped at the facility, was considerably low for the first two years.
However, a 2019 feasibility study from GHD and Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc. reported the alarmingly high consumption of airspace and disposal rate at the landfill in the last 10 years. They disclosed that 28% of the facilityâs airspace has been exhausted as of February 2019, and Cells 1 and 2âs lifespan was approximately six years, down to about four years by now. That would make it around 2025. A news report in 2018 ind