Syncretizing Christianity with Confucianism Essay - 2

Syncretizing Christianity with Confucianism - Essay Example Confucius pointed out that heaven and the life after death were very complicated and were beyond human understanding, therefore, each and every individual should focus on doing the right thing while still alive. Brook (13) defines syncretism as the attempt of combining disparate and opposing beliefs together. Christianity is one of the oldest forms of religion with the highest number of believers in the world today. Madsen affirms that Christianity as a religion becomes the hardest to syncretize with Confucianism because Christianity is a religion which has its own doctrines that are all written down and followed by all Christians in the world today. Christians believe in the bible as the only source of the word of God. They believe that the divine God talks to them through the Bible (482). Combining the beliefs of Confucianism with those of Christianity will only serve to cause instability in the church since the base of the belief system will be shaken. Christians believe that there is life after death and therefore God will come back to the end of life on earth and bring justice to the people. Kato points out that according to Christianity good people will go to Heaven while those who were involved in evil deeds will be burnt eternally in hell (10). Syncretism imperils interfaith discourse by trying to detach Christianity from the doctrines and historical core. It will become very difficult in combining the two belief systems because it will be more complicated for Christians to drop their belief system where they strongly believe that God is omnipresent.The doctrines of Christianity does not tally with those of any other religion in the world today, therefore, combining the beliefs of both religions will only serve to bring wrangles and misunderstanding in the world today.

Typhoid Fever Signs, Symptoms and Treatments

Typhoid Fever Signs, Symptoms and Treatments Name of disease: Typhoid Fever 1. Aetiology: Typhoid fever, otherwise known as enteric fever, is a potentially fatal multisystemic illness caused primarily by Salmonella typhi. S typhi has been a major human pathogen for thousands of years, thriving in conditions of poor sanitation, crowding, and social chaos. It might have been responsible for the Great Plague of Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian War. The name S typhi is derived from the ancient Greek typhos, an ethereal smoke or cloud that was believed to cause disease and madness. In the advanced stages of typhoid fever, the patients level of consciousness is truly clouded. Although antibiotics have markedly reduced the frequency of typhoid fever in the developed world, it remains endemic in developing countries. This large genus of gram-negative bacilli within the family Enterobacteriaceae consists of two species: S. enterica, which contains six subspecies, and S. bongori. S. enterica subspecies I includes almost all the serotypes pathogenic for humans. According to the current Salmonella nomenclature system, the full taxonomic designation S. enterica subspecies enterica serotype typhimurium can be shortened to Salmonella serotype typhimurium or simply S. typhimurium. Salmonellae are gram-negative, non-spore-forming, facultatively-anaerobic bacilli that measure 2–3 by 0.4–0.6 Â µm. The initial identification of salmonellae in the clinical microbiology laboratory was based on growth characteristics. Salmonellae produce acid on glucose fermentation, reduce nitrates, and do not produce cytochrome oxidase. In addition, all salmonellae except S. gallinarum-pullorum are motile by means of peritrichous flagella, and all but S. typhi produce gas (H2S) on sugar fermentation. Notably, only 1% of clinical isolates ferment lactose, and a high level of suspicion must be maintained to detect these rare clinical lactose-fermenters. 2. Incidence: Typhoid fever occurs worldwide, primarily in developing nations whose sanitary conditions are poor. Typhoid fever is endemic in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Oceania, but 80% of cases come from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, or Vietnam. Within those countries, typhoid fever is most common in underdeveloped areas. Typhoid fever infects roughly 21.6 million people (incidence of 3.6 per 1,000 population) and kills an estimated 200,000 people every year. In the United States and other developed nations, most cases of typhoid fever arise in international travelers. 3. Pathogenesis : All Salmonella infections begin with ingestion of organisms, most commonly in contaminated food or water. The infectious dose is 103–106 colony-forming units. Conditions that decrease either stomach acidity or intestinal integrity increase susceptibility to Salmonella infection. Once S. typhi and S. paratyphi reach the small intestine, they penetrate the mucus layer of the gut and traverse the intestinal layer through phagocytic microfold (M) cells that reside within Peyer patches. After crossing the epithelial layer of the small intestine, S. typhi and S. paratyphi, which cause enteric (typhoid) fever, are phagocytosed by macrophages. These salmonellae survive the antimicrobial environment of the macrophage by sensing environmental signals that trigger alterations in regulatory systems of the phagocytosed bacteria. In addition, salmonellae encode a second type III secretion system that directly delivers bacterial proteins across the phagosome membrane into the macrophage cytoplasm. This secretion system functions to remodel the Salmonella-containing vacuole, promoting bacterial survival and replication. Once phagocytosed, typhoidal salmonellae disseminate throughout the body in macrophages via the lymphatics, and colonize reticuloendothelial tissues (liver, spleen, lymph nodes, and bone marrow). Patients have relatively few or no signs and symptoms during this initial incubation stage. Signs and symptoms, including fever and abdominal pain, probably result from secretion of cytokines by macrophages and epithelial cells in response to bacterial products that are recognized by innate immune receptors when a critical number of organisms have replicated. Over time, the development of hepatosplenomegaly is likely to be related to the recruitment of mononuclear cells and the development of a specific acquired cell-mediated immune response to S. typhi colonization. The recruitment of additional mononuclear cells and lymphocytes to Peyer patches during the several weeks after initial colonization/infection can result in marked enlargement and necrosis of the Peyer patches, which may be medi ated by bacterial products that promote cell death as well as the inflammatory response. 4. Clinical features : Typhoid fever begins 7-14 days after ingestion ofS typhi.The fever pattern is stepwise, characterized by a rising temperature over the course of each day that drops by the subsequent morning. The peaks and troughs rise progressively over time. Over the course of the first week of illness, the gastrointestinal manifestations of the disease develop. These include diffuse abdominal pain and tenderness and, in some cases, fierce colicky right upper quadrant pain and also constipation. The individual then develops a dry cough, dull frontal headache, delirium, and an increasingly stuporous malaise. At approximately the end of the first week of illness, the fever plateaus at 39-40Â °C. The patient develops rose spots, which are salmon-colored, blanching, truncal, maculopapules usually 1-4 cm wide and fewer than 5 in number; these generally resolve within 2-5 days. During the second week of illness, the signs and symptoms listed above progress. The abdomen becomes distended, and soft splenomegaly is common. Relative bradycardia and dicrotic pulse (double beat, the second beat weaker than the first) may develop. In the third week, the still febrile individual grows more toxic and anorexic with significant weight loss. The conjunctivae are infected, and the patient is tachypneic with a thready pulse and crackles over the lung bases. Abdominal distension is severe. Some patients experience foul, green-yellow, liquid diarrhea (pea soup diarrhea). The individual may descend into the typhoid state, which is characterized by apathy, confusion, and even psychosis. Necrotic Peyer patches may cause bowel perforation and peritonitis. This complication is often unheralded and may be masked by corticosteroids. At this point, overwhelming toxemia,myocarditis[C1], or intestinal hemorrhage may cause death. If the individual survives to the fourth week, the fever, mental state, and abdominal distension slowly improve over a few days. Intestinal and neurologic complications may still occur in surviving untreated individuals. Weight loss and debilitating weakness last months. Some survivors become asymptomaticS typhicarriers and have the potential to transmit the bacteria indefinitely. However, there are some atypical presentations of classical typhoid fever and the clinical course of a given individual with typhoid fever may deviate from the above description of classic disease. The timing of the symptoms and host response may vary based on geographic region, race factors, and the infecting bacterial strain. The stepladder fever pattern that was once the hallmark of typhoid fever now occurs in as few as 12% of cases. In most contemporary presentations of typhoid fever, the fever has a steady insidious onset[C2]. Young children, individuals with AIDS, and one third of immunocompetent adults who develop typhoid fever develop diarrhea rather than constipation[C3]. In addition, in some localities, typhoid fever is generally more apt to cause diarrhea than constipation. Atypical manifestations of typhoid fever include isolated severe headaches that may mimic meningitis, acute lobar pneumonia, isolated arthralgias, urinary symptoms, severe jaundice, or fever alone. 5. Complications: These include the following: Gastrointestinal bleeding (10–20%of patients), intestinal perforation (1–3% of patients).Others are neurologic manifestations which occur in 2–40% of patients, including: meningitis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, neuritis, and neuropsychiatric symptoms usually described as muttering delirium or coma vigil, with picking at bedclothes or imaginary objects. Rare complications include: Disseminated intravascular coagulation, haematophagocytic syndrome, pancreatitis, hepatic and splenic abscesses and granulomas, endocarditis, pericarditis, myocarditis, orchitis, hepatitis, glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome, severe pneumonia, arthritis, osteomyelitis, and parotitis. Fewer than 10% of patients develop mild relapse, usually within 2–3 weeks of fever resolution and in association with the same strain type and susceptibility profile.About 10% of untreated patients with typhoid fever excrete S. typhi in their feces for up to 3 months, and 1–4% develop chronic asymptomatic carriage, shedding S. typhi in either urine or stool for greater than one year. Chronic carriage is more common among women, infants, and persons who have biliary abnormalities or concurrent bladder infection with Schistosoma haematobium. 6. Examination and tests: The diagnosis of typhoid fever (enteric fever) is primarily clinical. However there are series of tests which could confirm the diagnosis . These tests are : Cultures: Blood, bone marrow, stool and urine specimens. Blood Cultures are widely considered 100% specific while culture of bone marrow aspirate is 90% sensitive until at least 5 days after commencement of antibiotics. The technique is extremely painful, which may outweigh its benefit. Blood, intestinal secretions (vomitus or duodenal aspirate), and stool culture results are positive for S typhi in approximately 85%-90% of patients with typhoid fever who present within the first week of onset. They decline to 20%-30% later in the disease course. In particular, stool culture may be positive for S typhi several days after ingestion of the bacteria secondary to inflammation of the intraluminal dendritic cells. Bone marrow aspiration and blood are cultured in a selective medium (eg, 10% aqueous oxgall) or a nutritious medium (eg, tryptic soy broth) and are incubated at 37Â °C for at least 7 days. Subcultures are made daily to one selective medium (eg, MacConkey agar) and one inhibitory medium (eg, Salmonella-Shigella agar). Identification of the organism with these conventional culture techniques usually takes 48-72 hours from acquisition. Molecular Method: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been used for the diagnosis of typhoid fever with varying success. Nested PCR, which involves two rounds of PCR using two primers with different sequences within the H1-d flagellin gene of S typhi, offers the best sensitivity and specificity. Combining assays of blood and urine, this technique has achieved a sensitivity of 82.7% and reported specificity of 100%. Serologic tests : These are assays that identify Salmonella antibodies or antigens, supporting the diagnosis of typhoid fever, but these results should be confirmed with cultures or DNA evidence. The Widal test was the mainstay of typhoid fever diagnosis for decades. It is used to measure agglutinating antibodies against H and O antigens of S typhi. Neither sensitive nor specific, the Widal test is no longer an acceptable clinical method. Indirect hemagglutination, indirect fluorescent Vi antibody, and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG antibodies to S typhi polysaccharide, as well as monoclonal antibodies against S typhi flagellin are promising, but the success rates of these assays vary greatly in the literature. Other non-specific laboratory studies Most patients with typhoid fever are moderately anemic, have an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), thrombocytopenia, and relative lymphopenia. Most also have a slightly elevated prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and decreased fibrinogen levels. Circulating fibrin degradation products commonly rise to levels seen in subclinical disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Liver transaminase and serum bilirubin values usually rise to twice the reference range. Mild hyponatremia and hypokalemia are common. A serum alanine amino transferase (ALT)–to–lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) ratio of more than 9:1 appears to be helpful in distinguishing typhoid from viral hepatitis. A ratio of greater than 9:1 supports a diagnosis of acute viral hepatitis, while ratio of less than 9:1 supports typhoid hepatitis Differential diagnosis: This includes include Malaria, Hepatitis, Bacterial enteritis, dengue fever, rickettsial infections, leptospirosis, amebic liver abscesses, and acute HIV infection. 7. Risk factors: a Gastric Factors : Antacids, histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2 blockers), proton pump inhibitors, gastrostomy, and achlorhydria decrease stomach acidity and facilitate S typhi infection. b. Genetic and host factors: Genetic polymorphisms. c. Environmental and behavioural risk factors that are independently associated with typhoid fever include: 1. Eating food from street vendors, Living in the same household with someone who has new case of typhoid fever, Washing the hands inadequately, Sharing food from the same plate, Drinking unpurified water, and Living in a household that does not have a toilet 8. Treatment: The proper treatment approach to typhoid fever depends on whether the illness is complicated or uncomplicated. Complicated typhoid fever is characterized by melena (3% of all hospitalized patients with typhoid fever), serious abdominal discomfort, intestinal perforation, marked neuropsychiatric symptoms, or other severe manifestations. Depending on the adequacy of diagnosis and treatment, complicated disease may develop in up to 10% of treated patients. Medical Care: If a patient presents with unexplained symptoms suggestive of typhoid fever (enteric fever), broad-spectrum empiric antibiotics should be started immediately. Treatment should not be delayed for confirmatory tests since prompt treatment drastically reduces the risk of complications and fatalities. Antibiotic therapy should be narrowed once more information concerning the definitive diagnosis is available. Recommended antibiotic therapies are Cefixime, Azithromycin and Ciprofloxacin per oral for uncomplicated cases, while Ceftriazone, Azstereonam, Cefotaxime and Imipenem could be administered intravenously for complicated cases . Patients with uncomplicated disease may be treated on an outpatient basis. They must be advised to use strict hand washing techniques and to avoid preparing food for others during the illness course. Hospitalized patients should be placed in contact isolation during the acute phase of the infection. Feces and urine must be disposed of safely. Surgical care: Surgery is usually indicated in cases of intestinal perforation. Most surgeons prefer simple closure of the perforation with drainage of the peritoneum. Small-bowel resection is indicated for patients with multiple perforations. If antibiotic treatment fails to eradicate the hepatobiliary carriage, the gallbladder should be resected. Cholecystectomy is not always successful in eradicating the carrier state because of persisting hepatic infection. 9. Home treatment of First Aid (where applicable): No home treatment for typhoid fever. 10. Prevention. This involves the following measures: Protect and chlorinatepublic water supplies. Provide safe water supplies and avoid possible back flow connections between sewers and water supplies. Dispose of human faecesin a sanitary manner and maintain fly-proof latrines. Use scrupulouscleanliness in food preparationand handling. Educate the public regarding theimportance of handwashing: this is important for food handlers and attendants involved in the care of patients and/or children. Immunization for typhoid fever is recommended for international travellers to endemic areas, especially if travel will involve exposure to unsafe food and water or close contact in rural areas and with indigenous populations 11. Local names in Nigeria: Akom in Igbo,; Zazabi chiwo nkpanyo in Hausa and iba jeefun jeefun in Yoruba.. 12. Endemic areas Typhoid fever usually occurs in developing nations whose sanitary conditions are poor. Typhoid fever is endemic in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Oceania, but 80% of cases come from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, or Vietnam. Within those countries, typhoid fever is most common in underdeveloped areas. 13. Disease images Rose spots on the chest of a patient with typhoid fever due to the bacteriumSalmonella Lizzie van Zylwas a child inmate in a British-run concentration camp in South Africa who died from typhoid fever during theBoer War(1899–1902) References http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/231135-overview#3 http://www.who.int/topics/typhoid_fever/en/ http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001332.htm http://www.infectionlandscapes.org/2011/11/typhoid-fever.html http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/typhoid_fever/ http://textbookofbacteriology.net/salmonella.htm Anthony S. Fauci et al, Harrisons’s Principles of Internal Medicine 17th edition 2008. Gerald L. Mandell et al, Mandell, Douglas and Bennett’s Principles and Practice of Infectious Disease 7th edition,2010. [C1]Shows link from Medscape. Article shows several similarities to Medscape article. [C2]Highlight [C3]Highlight

Am I Me Or Am I Someone Else? Essay -- Psychology, Personality

Who am I? What makes me who I am? My friends would probably say that it’s my genuine nature and compassion that make me who I am. They might also say that I find ways to create my identity without even trying and that I make my own path with my morals as a guide. I’d probably say it’s my dashing good looks, wit, and charm. My experiences, my parents, and my surroundings, have all contributed to establishing my identity. In Derek Parfit’s writings Reasons and Persons and â€Å"Personal Identity,† he discusses his ideas on what would matter most, personal identity or survival, and he claims that it is survival, rather than personal identity that matters. Where Parfit expresses this view, this is where I disagree. I believe that where survival is there must be personal identity. Both should go hand in hand and there is more to personal identity than psychological/bodily continuity. I believe to an extent that Parfit is right in claiming that survival i s what matters, overall it is better to be surviving than physically dead but if your personal identity is gone, doesn’t that make you dead as a person and a new person is in your place? In an article, Derek Parfit argues is that: â€Å"The real reason seems to me now this. Does personal identity just consist in bodily and psychological continuity, or is it a further fact, independent of the facts about these continuities? Our reactions to the ‘problem cases’ show, I believe, that we believe the latter. And we seem inclined to believe that this further fact is peculiarly deep and is all-or-nothing---we believe that in any describable case, it must hold completely or not at all. My main claim is the denial of this further fact† (Robinson). In Reasons and Persons, Parfit makes the claim that pe... ...ontinuous with me is what is important. For me to survive, in the way that matters to Parfit, means that it is enough for someone to inherit enough of my psychological attributes. If two or more people inherit my attributes, that is almost as good as ordinary survival. Although, I would argue that this idea of being the same person is what matters in survival/continued existence. When one is divided, they cease to be. Even though they have remnants of the past them, that doesn’t make it them. Works Cited Fumerton, Richard, and Diane Jeske. Introducing Philosophy Through Film: Key Texts, Discussion, and Film Selections [Paperback]. Print. Parfit, Derek. Personal Identity. The Philosophical Review, Vol. 80, No. 1 (Jan.,197) pp. 3-27. Robinson, John. Personal Identity and Survival. The Journal of Philosophy , Vol. 85, No. 6 (Jun., 1988), pp. 319-328

Barbara Bush’s address to Wellesley College Graduates in 1990

Barbara Bush’s address to Wellesley College graduates in 1990 has revealed significant inconsistencies in Bush’s ability to evaluate hostile audience. In the light of several critical remarks and the desire to address Wellesley audience on equal terms, Barbara Bush’s commencement address remains a bright example of one’s inability to perform a thorough rhetorical research before a speech is delivered to the target audience.This might sound snobby, but Barbara Bush’s commencement speech at Wellesley did not produce the desired effect: for the audience, the speech has turned into an instrument of ironic evaluation of Bush’s rhetoric capabilities. Mrs. Bush started her speech with a special referral to Robert Fulghum’s story about pastor and a small girl who wanted to be a mermaid. â€Å"Now this little girl knew what she was and she was not about to give up on either her identity, or the game† (Bush).Taking into account that Welle sley College is a purely female environment (female students only), Barbara Bush might have implied that women do have a chance to find their place under the sun; furthermore, women should be able to protect their position and views against all odds.In reality, Barbara Bush was trying to emphasize the importance of diversity in education: dwarfs, giants, wizards and mermaids were used as metaphors and probably referred to different ethnic groups. â€Å"Diversity, life anything worth having, requires effort† (Bush).Taking into account that 6% of Wellesley students are African Americans, and 26% are of Asian Pacific origin (Peterson’s Planner), Barbara Bush might have succeeded in embracing diversity issues in her speech, but she has evidently failed to make her speech humorous.It is very probable that in her speech Barbara Bush forgot that she was speaking to women graduates. Wellesley graduates had passed a long way to getting Bachelor’s degree in arts; they wer e looking forward to finding their social place under sun.For some unknown reasons, Bush has initially placed special emphasis on the importance of marriage and children for women, forgetting about their future professionalism and career growth. Although her referral to â€Å"children must come first† was very objective and correct, Bush seemed to speak about the importance of her own marriage, and not about those who were in front of her. Barbara Bush was trying to expand the boundaries of traditional female social vision: â€Å"for over fifty years it was said that the winner of Wellesley’s annual hoop race would be the first to get married.[†¦] So I want to offer a new legend: the winner of the hoop race will be the first to realize her dream† (Bush). That passage could potentially become a very good ending of Bush’s speech, but it has only created another rhetoric controversy: the linguistic parallel between the hoop race and the future professio nal life opportunities for Wellesley graduates contradicted the previous â€Å"marriage-driven† set of Bush’s thoughts.ConclusionPublic speeches are the instruments of evaluating one’s rhetoric abilities. Speeches are also the keys to one’s true identity. Barbara Bush’s commencement address to Wellesley graduate students is a bright example of how speeches should not be delivered. Various linguistic speech elements should be used appropriately to fit particular audience. Although Barbara Bush was trying her best to encourage Wellesley graduates, her speech has been a set of separate contradicting thoughts.As a result, Bush’s speech has turned into the means of evaluating her weak abilities to speak to hostile audience.Works CitedBush, B. P. â€Å"Commencement Address at Wellesley College†. 1990. American Rhetoric. 15 June 2008. http://www. americanrhetoric. com/speeches/barbarabushwellesleycommencement. htm.Peterson’s Planner. â€Å"Wellesley College: Overview. † 2008. Peterson’s Planner. 15 June 2008. http://www. petersons. com/ugchannel/code/InstVC. asp? inunid=9608&sponsor=1.

Building a New Supply Chain

The background of the case is that a company performs garbage pickup from construction sites. Often the construction site wants them to leave a bin there or sometimes they simply pile up the garbage and the company's employees load the material into the garbage truck. Typically a truck full of garbage at the depot costs $200 per truck to empty. The company charges $350 per load, so there is little profit especially when taking overhead into account (labor and the cost of the truck).The owner wonders how other companies seem to be making so much money. One day he owner finds a lot of old refrigerators and metal fencing at one of the pickup locations. He has heard that there are some companies that pick this up for free and resell the material to companies looking for scrap metal. Being entrepreneurial and worried about his business, he investigates. He finds that he is able to make an additional $200 per shipment of scrap metal, making his new profit $550 per load!He gets excited and starts to think about what other opportunities may be out there with similar reverse supply chains. Some additional problems that this company have are elated to what its profit really is for each of its transactions, what challenges this company would have to look at alternative materials and markets and what the current competition is for his company's type of business and lastly what approaches this company should take to ensure it was successful.Cause – The main cause behind many of these questions the company is asking itself and problems that it is currently having with profitability lay in the appearance that the company has not built itself a good business plan for any step of the company. A business plan helps outline what you need to start a business, but it also helps you prepare for your future and any issues along the way. Your business plan should clarify why you exist, who your customers are, what products or services you provide, how you plan to create and del iver your products or services, and where your business is going.It looks like the owner has started the company with only a small idea of what is possible within their industry scope and has not thought through all the steps that they should take on in order to be a marketable, profitable and long lasting company. Little thought has gone into who the customers are, what equipment is required, what process would be the most profitable and how to market themselves to the correct customer base. The whole business is based on a reverse logistics model and inserting themselves into this construction supply chain as the provider of reverse logistics systems to their construction customers.It is astounding to see that the owner has not fully considered how to best provide benefit to their clients and maximize their profitability through these services. To hear that the owner has heard that some companies† pick up materials for free and resell them clearly shows that the company has not identified the biggest opportunity for profitability in this type of business. Stating that their new profit could also be $550 per load is also strange in that there appears to be very little understanding of accounting related to determining profitability and cost of overheads.Based on the example provided, any revenues would have expenses of the cost of the truck (including initial purchase, fuel and any maintenance), the cost of the person driving the truck, the cost of the arson piling the garbage into the truck (if this service is required) and the cost paid at the depot for disposal. There can be further costs related to equipment or training required for their people to be on a construction site including Personnel Protective Equipment and any certifications required to handle waste.Many of these elements would be considered if the company took the time to consider what the actual business plan for the company is and whether this would lead to a profitable organization. Analysis – When looking at the market space that this company is attempting to play in, the following information shows that there indeed is a market for these services. Within the industry there is a name for the materials that are left over at a construction, renovation of demolition site. These items are called construction & demolition materials (C&D).The most common materials are concrete, wood, drywall, asphalt shingles, asphalt pavement, metal and cardboard. These materials typically make up 70 to 95 percent of the discarded material at a residential or commercial site. In the past these items were often discarded but are actually liable commodities that can be recycled into new products or used in many new ways. When perceived as waste, disposal of C&D materials is often viewed as simply part of the cost of doing business, and recycling and reusing these materials are sometimes overlooked as management options.Recycling can benefit a construction business's bottom lin e, it benefits the environment and a construction company's recycle policy can be a contributing factor to them being awarded a project. Concrete can be recycled into many markets that currently use crushed stone. Because concrete is commonly recycled, numerous concrete recycling facilities exist across the country. Asphalt pavement is heavily recycled currently and is commonly crushed and recycled back into asphalt, either in-place or at a hot-mix asphalt plant.Asphalt shingles can also be ground and recycled into hot-mix asphalt. Clean, untreated wood can be re-milled into lumber or chipped or ground and used to make engineered board, boiler fuel and mulch. Common metals found at a construction, demolition or renovation site include steel, aluminum, and copper. Construction sites frequently generate large amounts of cardboard waste when new appliances and materials are delivered to the site in cardboard boxes. Markets are well-established for metals and cardboard.Local metal scrap yards or recyclers that accept these materials are likely easily accessible. Gypsum in drywall can be removed and recycled into many markets that commonly use gypsum, including new drywall manufacture, cement manufacture and agriculture. All of these items should be materials the owner should investigate as to whether the local construction sites are enervating these materials and whether there are local resources available to buy and recycle these materials from construction companies or the pickup company.Another factor to review is whether recyclers accept mixed loads of materials, or if it is more profitable to separate the materials, which can be done onsite by placing the materials in separate boxes or piles. When developing a business plan, an important first step is to look for the local resources currently available. Contact local and provincial waste regulators and learn what is and is not permissible to recycle. Many rabbinical or local officials have lists of local recy clers and their locations that they can share with you.These local recyclers should be contacted to determine what they take and what these conditions of payment are. They may also be able to share guidance for best recycling practices in your area. It is also possible to research local waste haulers through this method to better determine the level of competition there is for the types of garbage pickup services that they provide. One key factor within the market space for recycling materials is the importance of these recycling orgasm to today's construction environment.There is increased interest in constructing green buildings and this has generated more interest in recycling C materials. Providing knowledge of how to recycle C materials can make a company a vital asset to a green building project. The most common method of green building certification in North America is through the Green Building Council. The Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LED) certif ication process requires that the building attain points for various green attributes, including energy savings, trials usage, indoor environmental quality and efficient water usage.Certification is granted during the construction phase. Points are given for reusing materials, using materials with recycled content and recycling the waste that is produced at the construction site. Different levels of certification can be attained depending on the number of points the building gains. Even if LED certification is not the goal of the building owner, committing to recycling a certain percentage of the materials generated at a Jobless can be a great marketing tool and can give a construction company an edge over its competition.Since green building certification grants points based on recycled amounts, implementing a tracking system will aid companies in attaining LED points for recycling. Some contractors have their waste haulers report the amount of material that is currently disposed a nd recycled from their construction sites. That way, contractors can evaluate how they can increase the amount of material that is recycled from each site.Another example of how a company can differentiate themselves in this space is by providing services that eliminate the need for transporting and disposing of materials by recycling onsite. For example, waste concrete can be ground and used as fill, and clean wood, drywall, and cardboard can be ground and used onsite as a soil amendment. New, smaller, portable grinders can be relatively inexpensive and safe to use at Jobless. Some of these machines can be hitched to pickup trucks, while others are attachments for excavators.Some challenges when looking at all of these options are related to having the appropriate equipment for providing the potential services demanded by the customer base. There can be significant overhead costs attached to these equipment purchases. Availability and cost of labor will also be a key factor in deci sions. If the appropriate research is not done up front, including discussions with the potential customer base, investments can be made in equipment and people that does not drive the revenue to cover the costs.Before Jumping into a specific market area or activity, the owner must ensure that the demand is there. Solution – The owner of this garbage pickup company needs to wake up and do his research with a goal to developing a complete business plan. Currently the owner is thinking of only kicking up garbage from construction sites and disposing them, which does indeed save the construction company these reverse logistics efforts, but clearly misses out on the big picture of what is possible in this service space.The customer base which is construction companies, are being driven very heavily toward recycling their materials for various reasons. They can reduce their hauling and disposal costs by keeping valuable C&D materials out of landfills. The substitution of recycled C&D materials in place of virgin materials in new products and processes results in substantial energy savings and greenhouse gas reduction. Recycling C&D materials equates to green building points.As green building becomes increasingly popular, proven knowledge about the benefits of green building-?and green building practices-?is likely to boost construction business, since many customers are now looking for this service. Using recycled materials in new structures and recycling C&D materials produced during construction can help you achieve the LED certification that construction company customers want. All of this leads to a very strong potential market for the services that a garbage pickup company can provide.The company can offer sorting of the products on the site, the company could offer onsite recycling, the company can ensure that they track the materials so that their customers can obtain the maximum lead points and market themselves as a green construction company. The p ickup company can also very finely determine what their charge should be to the construction company based on their knowledge of what the recycling company will pay for materials. This can allow them to maximize profit while remaining at an appropriate marketable cost to the construction companies.They could provide flexible, scalable services at the appropriate cost. The owner needs to talk to the customer base and find the niches that will allow them to compete. Work through the business plan, identify what they can afford to invest in, develop the relationships with customers and clients, market themselves appropriately and then work the plan. There is little question that reverse logistics is a growing concern in the construction industry when it comes to C&D materials. The market is there for garbage pickup companies who can show the greatest value.