US House of Reps acts out its disdain for environmentally sound practices with switch *back* to . .

. . . . styrofoam coffee cups.

"Green the Capitol" was an initiative of Speaker Pelosi. It was widespread, it was effective, and it served to seed other such initiatives by creating a market for biobased disposable servicewares. The lowest hanging fruit was lighting. It has been entirely changed to CFLs and of late, LEDs are moving in.

Biobased disposable foodservice products replaced their petroleum based alternatives. Equipment exists on site to turn that material into a far smaller volume, with that volume ready for composting. Coupled with strict purchasing standards and an effective farm-to-fork program to favor locally sourced foodstuffs, the House's foodservice operations became, quite literally, a model for any employee, student, patient, and/or visitor dining operation.

Two *significant* side effects of this initiative were the creation of a market for the biobased disposables and the encouragement of a nascent commercially viable composting industry. Neither would be initially successful because of the costs involved.

Costs that do not impact the federal budget by one green cent. By law, foodservice in federal facilities must be financially self-sufficient. The operators make it - or not - on their own. The cost for these changes was borne by the customers. Overall, it costs a customer about 5¢ per meal, with meals costing upwards of $7.00.

But typical of repubicans (50% of the freshman repub congresspeople have stated as policy that they do not believe scientists regarding global warming) they decided that such things were too liberal to suit them and their mouth breathing supporters.

Boner's office ordered the House foodservice contractors to switch back to styrofoam.

That switch is now done.

All hail stupidity.






Styrofoam - based on oil.

Biobased - based on American crops and made in America.





Styrofoam - essentially permanent in the environment, where it degrades the environment.

Biobased - compostable and sustaining.






This is a mean spirited stunt to get back at the vilified Nancy Pelosi. This is pandering to the willfully ignorant who elected the teabaggers. This is a lie as to its cost saving intent.

This is what repubicans do.

For some reason the first word that comes to my mind is ....childish.