"dawnskye" wrote:
> I agree it is not earth-friendly to use styrofoam, but a person with MCS
> can not tolerate chemicals so the inside of the house will be
> formaldehyde, plastic, etc. free. Very Earth friendly.
Here is a great chance to apply eco-ethics. "Dawn" (?), above, hints at
the ethical issue here, as I see it. There are ways around the ethical
question, ways of changing the parameters of the situation like: find an
appropriate, "earth-friendly" susbstitute for styrofoam or find a cure for
MCS. But, I'd like to stay with the ethical issue at first.
I see the ethical question as:
To what degree is it okay to harm the environment for our personal comfort?
I see this as really going to the heart of the problems were are facing.
And it is a good example because we are dealing with a pretty nasty
material and a person's health (not a solar powered milk frother). Let's
look at some of the factors involved. Feel free to correct me or add more;
the wider our view is the better our conclusion gets.
*Styrofoam is made from petrochemicals (?), a non-renewable
material that require large inputs of energy to obtain.
*It is made it a large factory, therefore requires large inputs of
energy of manufacture.
*It requires transportation, most likely trucks, to gather raw materials
and to move them around during and after manufacture, therefore
even more energy.
*Accepting its use reinforces large scale (global?) economies.
*"Dow Blue Styrofoam" sounds like it is made by Dow Chemical, so
using their product means supporting their company.
*The material will not decompose in any reasonable amount of time,
therefore a questionable material to add to the earth.
*It is not recyclable(?), though perhaps reuseable.
*It will save some energy in the heating of the building.
*It may help reduce the amount of molds and other things which
bother people with MCS or mold allergies.
Unless someone can help strengthen the case for styrofoam, I see these
factors as a slam dunk against it. I am assuming that you are not
comfortable with an ethical principle that says large environmental impact
is okay as long as it makes a person more comfortable. I am trying to keep
in mind the possible degree of "discomfort" invovled, so as not to belittle
it. But, we are talking about one person in this case, and a relatively
small percentage of the population when taken as a group. Will you
regulate the use of styrofoam so that only people with MCS can use it?
Would Dow continue to make it if that was the case? Are we sure that the
presence, manufacture, or transportation of such products is not actually
creating MCS? Isn't there a better alternative?
Stuart proposed the ethical principle of "flourishing of the greatest
number of species." Clearly the ability to reduce molds in the houses of
MCS is not critical to the survival of humans, or any other species.
Styrofoam products probably do more harm than good when looked at with this
perspective. Is anyone willing to propose an ethical priciple where
styrofoam is okay?
It seems like styrofoam should be ruled out as a possibility. So, assuming
that we'd like to reduce Stuart's suffering, a good idea I think, we must
look for alternatives. Why not build a raised subfloor? This eliminates
the need for styrofoam and may allow more benign materials. I don't want
to be hypocritical here; I used standard fiberglass insulation in my house,
even after looking for alternatives. Clearly our society does not support
this kind of thinking. It will take creativity to work with what we have
and to come up with alternatives.
We'd need to know more about where Stuart lives, what he will use the
"cabin" for, how much time and what seasons he will be using it, how he
plans to heat it if it will be heated, what materials and skills are
locally available, local codes, etc. If it is to be used as a part time
sanctuary, many of the most difficult problems may be easily avoided.
Shall we put our collective 40 minds to work to define an ethic and to
solve Stuart's problem? I think it would be a great exercise in living an
eco-path!
Eric:
