Biodiversity: Relationships between people and their environment

Crapshoot: The Gamble with Our Wastes

- Jeff McKay,
- 2003,
- 52 min 43 s

- 20,351 views
- 114 Like
- Share it

Synopsis
Education

A hazardous mix of waste is flushed into the sewer every day. The billions of litres of water - combined with unknown quantities of chemicals, solvents, heavy metals, human waste and food - where does it all go? And what does it do to us? Filmed in Italy, India, Sweden, the United States and Canada, this bold documentary questions our fundamental attitudes to waste. Does our need to dispose of waste take precedence over public safety? What are the alternatives?

Grade 10 - 12

Science / Environmental Science

Geography / Environmental Issues

Social Studies / Environmental Challenges

History and Citizenship Education / Neolithic Civilization to the Renaissance

Educational purpose:

In today’s society, does our need to dispose of waste take precedence over public safety? What are the alternatives? Do our current sewers compound our waste problems? Do we, as citizens, need to rethink our waste problem? What are some things that we can do, as citizens, to enact change? Comment on the film’s title.

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Comments

Crapshoot: The Gamble with Our Wastes

JohnN

“Our current, natural marine-based sewage treatment system in Victoria is quite satisfactory according to many scientists, engineers and public health officials. We do NOT need additional land-based sewage treatment that will create sewage sludge, as well as greenhouse gases. Obviously, the most important reason for choosing a sewage treatment system is the local receiving environment - and Victoria's marine environment has shown that it can handle our sewage effluent. For more information: aresst.ca rstv.ca victoriasewagetreatment.ca/ccost/ sites.google.com/site/sewageplantsvictoria/ ”

17 Jul 2010
Crapshoot: The Gamble with Our Wastes

Sammyg

“The film was very good at describing the problem, but solutions were weakly presented. Other than using a composting toilet, what are alternative means of dealing with our sludge? If we are to eliminate it, how, what are the consequences? It is easy to describe a problem, solutions are harder to come by.”

25 Apr 2010