Classroom guide: Landfills, state parks, and the balance between businesses and the environment
Link(s):
Description:
In this podcast episode, Mike Dunbar and Anna Brown discuss the role of state and local government in siting landfills. There’s a clash of private business rights, state powers, and local zoning laws. The episode also dives into the larger issue of waste management in New Hampshire.
Length:
Podcast includes 14 minutes about the proposal to ban landfills near state parks, 3 additional minutes of "fun facts" about New Hampshire's "year without a summer," caused by a volcanic eruption.
Key concepts/standards
- State and local government powers in the location of businesses
- SS:CV:12:1.1: Identify the structures and functions of government at various levels, e.g., county—role of the sheriff’s office, or nation—role of providing the defense of the country. (Themes: A: Conflict and Cooperation, B: Civic Ideals, Practices, and Engagement)
- Government’s role in conservation and environmental protection
- SS:CV:12:1.2: Examine how institutions and individuals make, apply, and enforce rules and laws, e.g., the Federal Communications Commission regulations on television broadcast standards or local public hearings on zoning regulations. (Themes: B: Civic Ideals, Practices, and Engagement, E: Cultural Development, Interaction, and Change)
- SS:GE:12:5.6: Evaluate the management and use of renewable, non-renewable, flow and potential resources, e.g., over fishing or recycling. (Themes: B: Civic Ideals, Practices, and Engagement, D: Material Wants and Needs)
- Current events: challenge of waste management in New Hampshire and a landfill proposal in Dalton
- SS:CV:8:3.2: Analyze environmental, economic, and technological developments and their impact on society. (Themes: C: People, Places and Environment, D: Material Wants and Needs, G: Science, Technology, and Society)
- SS:CV:12:4.2: Investigate how knowledgeable and engaged citizens have acted to preserve and extend their liberties, e.g., writing letters to the editor or participating in town meetings. (Themes: A: Conflict and Cooperation)
Discussion questions
- Why might communities want to ban landfills near state parks?
- What are some arguments in favor of allowing landfills near state parks?
- What are zoning laws? How do they play into the debate over where landfills may be located?
- Why might a town choose not to have zoning laws? Are zoning laws important, in your opinion? Why?
- Why would a state ship its garbage to out-of-state landfills? What are the pros and cons of doing this?
- How could a laws like this one impact other businesses, like dairy farms?
