What we know about waste

What we know about waste…

1. It robs us of valuable time doing meaningful things.
2. It makes us sick, it makes plants, animals and humans sick. It is killing us all.
3. It voids our sustainability and steals resources and joy from future generations.
4. It is a symptom of inefficiency.
5. Eliminating it is all our responsibility.

Supply and Demand.  Today there are more than 7 billion people on planet Earth. Most of us were alive when that number was under 3 billion. With the population now doubling every other generation, the population is growing exponentially. Yet, Earth is not getting any larger. Demand is putting tremendous, unsustainable, pressure on our supply of natural resources. When demand gets too high, it impedes or eliminates nature’s ability to replenish itself.

Why our goal is to eliminate waste!

There is no shortage of energy. Central station energy architecture is only 31% efficient. In other words, 69% of all the coal, natural gas and oil we buy is wasted. Storms and disasters knock out the “toothpick” power lines resulting in loss of life, loss of income and push energy costs even higher. Air pollution from burning those fuels results in poor air quality, lung disease, cancers and high medical costs. Central station energy architecture is woefully inefficient and tremendously expensive. It also presents a great opportunity for improvement and change. 3FFICIENT is great at sustainable energy solutions. Our international awards prove it, but we are not satisfied with that. We seek to make energy clean, cheap and abundant for all!

Earth is 2/3 covered by water, yet we are running out. The world is facing a clean water shortage. Our groundwater, streams, rivers, lakes and oceans are so polluted that almost all aquatic life is poisoned. For example, you can’t buy a can of tuna today without traces of mercury. Perhaps burning coal or throwing those fluorescent bulbs in the trash wasn’t such a good idea after all?  Today’s water infrastructure diverts most of our potable water dozens or hundreds of miles from distant lakes and rivers through canals and aging underground pipes to our taps. Unfortunately, this leaves those local sources and their dependent wildlife and farmers parched. When most households use 50% of their water for lawn irrigation, coupled with 5% – 20% transportation and distribution losses, it’s clear we have tremendous opportunity for improvement!

We are overwhelmed with waste. Today, there are less than 1,900 landfills in the U.S., compared to 7,683 in 1986 – a 75% decline. As the population continues to grow and we continue to run out of space, the environmental and financial cost of transporting and managing all this waste will continue to accelerate. 3FFICIENT waste solutions routinely drive our customer’s costs down by 25% and make our communities more sustainable, but that’s not enough. Continued cost increases and regulatory necessities will drive new opportunities for savings. This drives our quest for better solutions.

Transportation is driving us crazy. Half the air pollution in the U.S. comes from transportation. It doesn’t help that the internal combustion engine is only about 20-25% efficient, meaning that 80% of all the oil we buy and fight so hard for is wasted. Wasting time in congestion and breathing the carcinogenic fumes from the tailpipe in front of us cant be very productive or healthy… At what point do we simply say, “enough already”? This is why we are driven to provide solutions to reduce the need for transportation and convert inherently inefficient technologies to cleaner, more efficient solutions.

Time is valuable. When we have inefficient processes, our valuable time is wasted. Enough said.

Money is hard to come by. We know that your capital is hard earned and should be used in the most efficient way possible. For business that means creating more of it by expanding or diversifying. For government and non-profits that means reducing risk and being as efficient as possible with taxpayer and donor dollars. That is why we strive to create solutions that free up your capital and when you do use your capital, give you great returns.