Plumbers Like Water... duh!

If sustainability is ever going to take off, it will  be crucial to get the trade unions suppportive.  Indeed, the idea of a a blue-green alliance between traditional blue collar workers and environmentalists has tremendous potential and is one of the motivations in the founding of the Apollo Alliance.  It could even be key in bringing the Presidency back to the Democrats.

But how to get them aligned?  In Philadelphia, the  plumbers union is blocking Liberty Property Trust's plan to install no-flush, water-saving urinals in the men's rooms at the Comcast Center. Without the toilets, the 57-story skyscraper would use extra 1.6 million gallons of water a year, and may have trouble obtaining U.S. Green Building Council certification and beating out Manhattan's Bank of America Tower as the nation's tallest green building.

According to the Phildalephia Inquirer (http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/14131612.htm),  "Those involved in the urinal debate say the plumbers object to the waterless devices because they require less labor to install than the traditional kind. The city's building code has no provision for waterless urinals. And because the plumbers are so opposed to the technology, Philadelphia officials are reluctant to introduce its use in the city. . . Ironically, the Philadelphia Water Department has been looking for ways to reduce the water flowing into the city's overburdened sewer system. After a heavy rain, the city must often release untreated sewage into the Delaware River. 'Waterless urinals would certainly be in line with our sustainable goals,' said Glenn Abrams, the department's urban watersheds planner."

So how do we get people to see beyond their narrow and short-term self-interest and have a more world-centric view of life?