WEBVTT 00:01.101 --> 00:02.035 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] When I think of sand, 00:02.035 --> 00:04.771 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% I think of beaches, riverbanks, 00:04.771 --> 00:06.706 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% maybe big old sand dunes. 00:06.706 --> 00:10.477 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% But it turns out we use sand for just about everything. 00:10.477 --> 00:12.045 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - I wish people understood 00:12.045 --> 00:16.816 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that sand is literally used in everything. 00:16.816 --> 00:21.888 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Toothpaste, paint, coastal restoration, your phone. 00:23.156 --> 00:25.058 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Sand is everywhere, whether you like it or not. 00:25.058 --> 00:26.826 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% And we're running out of it. 00:26.826 --> 00:28.461 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - Now, if you're like me, you're thinking, 00:28.461 --> 00:30.563 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% sand has a crisis? 00:30.563 --> 00:32.799 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% We have way too many other crises 00:32.799 --> 00:35.502 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% for sand to try to crowd in on the action. 00:35.502 --> 00:36.569 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% What is going on here? 00:40.006 --> 00:44.477 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% (bright music) 00:44.477 --> 00:46.880 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% To understand the importance of sand, 00:46.880 --> 00:49.716 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% we need to travel to the mouth of the Mississippi River, 00:49.716 --> 00:51.117 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% where the sand you expect along 00:51.117 --> 00:53.553 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% the coastline is disappearing. 00:53.553 --> 00:56.956 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - Coastal Louisiana is eroding 00:56.956 --> 01:00.493 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and disappearing more rapidly than it should. 01:00.493 --> 01:03.096 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] The wetlands along the Louisiana coastline 01:03.096 --> 01:06.399 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% are basically formed by sediment, sand, clay, 01:06.399 --> 01:09.102 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and silt that the Mississippi River carries along 01:09.102 --> 01:11.871 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and deposits when it reaches the open ocean. 01:11.871 --> 01:14.774 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And for thousands of years, the river was pretty good 01:14.774 --> 01:16.042 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% at moving this sediment, 01:17.143 --> 01:19.012 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% growing the delta a few square miles per year, 01:19.012 --> 01:22.048 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% until it was one of the largest in the world. 01:22.048 --> 01:25.118 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% But because we humans have tried to control the river 01:25.118 --> 01:26.853 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and keep our community safe, 01:26.853 --> 01:30.190 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% sediment buildup in the Delta has slowed dramatically, 01:30.190 --> 01:33.393 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% putting the coastline at risk from rising sea levels. 01:33.393 --> 01:38.064 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Since the 1930s, Louisiana has lost over 2,000 square miles 01:38.064 --> 01:38.932 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% of land. 01:40.133 --> 01:42.202 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% That's an area about the size of Delaware. 01:42.202 --> 01:43.303 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Richard] One of the main culprits 01:43.303 --> 01:45.004 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% is the flood protection system 01:45.004 --> 01:46.339 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% along the Mississippi River. 01:46.339 --> 01:48.608 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% What happened was as those levees were built, 01:48.608 --> 01:51.010 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% they basically cut off the source of sediment 01:51.010 --> 01:53.279 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that was nourishing our wetlands. 01:54.514 --> 01:55.882 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] This is Barry Richard. 01:55.882 --> 01:57.317 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% He's the construction manager 01:57.317 --> 02:00.220 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% for the largest marsh creation project in the state. 02:00.220 --> 02:02.755 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Richard] Used to be habitat for birds, 02:02.755 --> 02:04.858 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% fish, shrimp, crabs, 02:04.858 --> 02:08.027 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% things that you hunt or fish for that provide 02:08.027 --> 02:09.629 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% for all the communities. 02:09.629 --> 02:11.531 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] While there's no single solution 02:11.531 --> 02:12.932 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% to coastal erosion, 02:12.932 --> 02:15.668 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% experts like Barry are involved in a number of projects 02:15.668 --> 02:17.403 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% to help restore the coastline. 02:17.403 --> 02:20.140 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% One of the fastest is to literally rebuild 02:20.140 --> 02:21.808 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% the wetlands we've lost. 02:21.808 --> 02:24.177 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - Just behind those trees over there, 02:24.177 --> 02:28.114 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% that's the dredge or the machine that's sucking up the dirt. 02:28.114 --> 02:30.316 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% And it's sucking it up and it's 02:30.316 --> 02:31.818 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% coming straight from that dredge, 02:31.818 --> 02:33.686 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and it'll come out of a pipe that looks just like that. 02:33.686 --> 02:35.788 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% We've gone as long as 23 miles, 02:35.788 --> 02:38.858 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% and once it hits that open water, it starts to kind of stack 02:38.858 --> 02:41.794 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% on top of each other until you get marsh vegetation 02:41.794 --> 02:44.197 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% growing back on top of that land. 02:44.197 --> 02:47.000 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% It's not rocket science, we're just moving dirt. 02:47.000 --> 02:48.668 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% (Richard chuckles) 02:48.668 --> 02:49.903 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] Practices like these 02:49.903 --> 02:51.437 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% have allowed local communities 02:51.437 --> 02:54.374 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to recover some of the wetlands and, in turn, 02:54.374 --> 02:57.277 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% protect the wildlife and human communities that rely on it. 02:58.444 --> 03:01.381 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Unfortunately, it's not a perfect solution. 03:01.381 --> 03:04.250 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Dredging and other forms of sand extraction 03:04.250 --> 03:07.053 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% can actually damage the ecosystems they're ultimately trying 03:07.053 --> 03:09.822 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% to protect, and the land they create is eventually going 03:09.822 --> 03:11.291 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% to erode the same way, 03:11.291 --> 03:13.993 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% which means that to even have a chance of keeping up, 03:13.993 --> 03:15.628 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% we'll have to keep on dredging. 03:15.628 --> 03:19.332 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% To make things worse, because it takes sand thousands 03:19.332 --> 03:21.467 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% to millions of years to form, 03:21.467 --> 03:24.103 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% sand depletion is a zero-sum game, 03:24.103 --> 03:27.207 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% at least as far as human lifespan is concerned. 03:27.207 --> 03:29.342 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% So, when sand is taken away from one place 03:29.342 --> 03:32.045 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% to help restore another, we're eventually going to run out 03:32.045 --> 03:34.147 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% of sand at the source location. 03:34.147 --> 03:38.051 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% So, it's clear what we need is another source of sand. 03:38.051 --> 03:41.187 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% And one solution might be just upriver. 03:41.187 --> 03:44.090 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% (bright music) 03:44.090 --> 03:46.292 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Welcome to New Orleans. 03:46.292 --> 03:47.727 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% In this city, 03:47.727 --> 03:50.663 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% known for its unique history and exuberant culture, 03:50.663 --> 03:53.433 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% a small group believes they have the answer, 03:53.433 --> 03:55.235 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% or at least one of them. 03:55.235 --> 03:57.537 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - I recycle glass into sand 03:57.537 --> 03:59.772 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and use it for coastal restoration, 03:59.772 --> 04:02.308 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% disaster relief, new glass products and more. 04:02.308 --> 04:04.310 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] Fran Trautmann is the founder 04:04.310 --> 04:05.745 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% of Glass Half Full. 04:05.745 --> 04:08.481 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - In reality, 70% of all glass created 04:08.481 --> 04:10.650 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% in the United States goes to a landfill. 04:10.650 --> 04:13.720 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% So, the majority of our glass is going to waste right now, 04:13.720 --> 04:16.756 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and many places need an option to turn glass 04:16.756 --> 04:19.726 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% into something new that isn't just sending it to a landfill. 04:19.726 --> 04:22.929 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] Sadly, it's true, and it's been getting worse. 04:22.929 --> 04:25.431 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Starting around 2014, many small 04:25.431 --> 04:28.701 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and mid-sized cities couldn't afford the rising cost 04:28.701 --> 04:29.969 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% of glass processing, 04:31.237 --> 04:33.806 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% so they just cut-glass recycling programs altogether. 04:35.308 --> 04:38.444 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% (glass clattering) 04:38.444 --> 04:43.116 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% (light music) 04:43.116 --> 04:45.551 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - I've lived in South Louisiana my whole life. 04:45.551 --> 04:48.588 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% I've seen firsthand our lack of recycling 04:48.588 --> 04:52.525 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and also our coastal erosion crisis here in Louisiana. 04:52.525 --> 04:56.229 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And so, when I got to college and my co-founder said, hey, 04:56.229 --> 04:59.165 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% we should do something about glass recycling and we realized 04:59.165 --> 05:01.301 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% that we could turn glass back 05:01.301 --> 05:03.803 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% into sand and use that locally, 05:03.803 --> 05:05.838 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% everything just clicks. 05:05.838 --> 05:10.910 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% (bright music) 05:12.245 --> 05:15.014 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% So, this is our mountain of glass. 05:15.014 --> 05:17.517 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% It used to be probably triple this size, 05:17.517 --> 05:20.486 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% but now we are much more efficient with processing. 05:20.486 --> 05:22.588 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% This is our processing system. 05:22.588 --> 05:25.124 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% This is where the magic happens. 05:25.124 --> 05:27.160 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Sand and gravel will come out here, 05:27.160 --> 05:30.096 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% where it'll then travel up this conveyor belt 05:30.096 --> 05:32.332 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and then be sifted by sockets. 05:32.332 --> 05:35.401 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% This is our main sand product, so it's a coarse sand. 05:35.401 --> 05:38.204 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% This is what we use for coastal restoration. 05:38.204 --> 05:40.139 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] But how does recycled sand 05:40.139 --> 05:42.075 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% compare to the real thing? 05:42.075 --> 05:44.344 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - Hey, it's almost as tall as me. 05:44.344 --> 05:46.479 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] Julie Albert is an associate professor 05:46.479 --> 05:48.014 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% at Tulane University. 05:48.014 --> 05:50.116 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% She's studying the viability of glass 05:50.116 --> 05:52.618 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% as a solution to coastal erosion. 05:52.618 --> 05:54.354 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - So, these are bald cypress. 05:54.354 --> 05:58.725 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% They are growing in either 100% glass sand, 05:58.725 --> 06:00.660 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% sediment dredged from the Mississippi River, 06:00.660 --> 06:03.196 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% or a mixture of the two. 06:03.196 --> 06:05.231 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% It's important to remember that 06:05.231 --> 06:06.966 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% the glass that we're crushing 06:06.966 --> 06:10.403 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% into sand originally came from sand. 06:10.403 --> 06:13.773 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] Glass is mostly silica sand, after all. 06:13.773 --> 06:15.942 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% We've heated it up to really high temperatures 06:15.942 --> 06:19.112 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and cooled it down into shapes we want, like glass bottles. 06:19.112 --> 06:20.513 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - So then when you take that glass bottle, 06:20.513 --> 06:21.814 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and you crush it back into sand, 06:21.814 --> 06:23.516 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% now you've got something 06:23.516 --> 06:26.519 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that physically looks just like natural sand, 06:26.519 --> 06:29.389 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and chemically is pretty much the same 06:29.389 --> 06:31.124 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% as natural sand. 06:31.124 --> 06:33.426 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% It's a very positive finding that the plants are happy 06:33.426 --> 06:35.528 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% with the recycled glass sand. 06:35.528 --> 06:38.331 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% It means we can put the glass sand on the beach 06:38.331 --> 06:41.434 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and expect the vegetation to grow, take root, 06:41.434 --> 06:43.503 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% hold everything in place. 06:43.503 --> 06:45.772 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - Since its founding in 2020, 06:45.772 --> 06:47.540 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Glass Half Full has recycled 06:47.540 --> 06:50.476 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% roughly 5 million pounds of glass, 06:50.476 --> 06:53.079 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% about half of which ends up as usable sand. 06:53.079 --> 06:56.449 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And most of that goes to help restoration projects. 06:56.449 --> 06:59.185 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% But recycling glass into sand has benefits 06:59.185 --> 07:02.255 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that go way beyond just coastal restoration. 07:02.255 --> 07:04.690 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% That's because sand is way more important 07:04.690 --> 07:05.792 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% than you might think. 07:07.193 --> 07:09.996 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% It's the second most used natural resource on Earth, 07:09.996 --> 07:11.697 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% right after water. 07:11.697 --> 07:14.600 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - So, you see a desert and you say, 07:14.600 --> 07:17.503 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% there are so many deserts with too much sand. 07:17.503 --> 07:19.405 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% How can there be a sand shortage? 07:19.405 --> 07:23.443 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Desert sand is windblown, meaning that it's extremely fine 07:23.443 --> 07:26.679 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and rounded, and that is essentially useless. 07:26.679 --> 07:30.016 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% The really valuable sand is generally river sand, 07:30.016 --> 07:33.386 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% but can also be sand from quarries or even dredged 07:33.386 --> 07:34.320 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% from our oceans. 07:35.621 --> 07:37.723 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] This means that the sand crisis 07:37.723 --> 07:40.226 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% isn't just about less sand. 07:40.226 --> 07:41.794 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% It's also about how hard it is 07:41.794 --> 07:44.197 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% to get to the sand that remains. 07:44.197 --> 07:47.233 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - We're not gonna literally run out of sand anytime soon. 07:47.233 --> 07:49.368 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% It's not gonna be like the Mad Max scenario 07:49.368 --> 07:51.838 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% where you've got gangs of biker mutants fighting 07:51.838 --> 07:55.741 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% over the last little heaps and hillocks of sand. 07:55.741 --> 07:57.510 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% There's still a lot of sand out there. 07:57.510 --> 07:59.745 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% We're having to go further and further and do more, 07:59.745 --> 08:03.449 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and more damage to get at the stuff that's left. 08:03.449 --> 08:05.852 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] This is Vince Beiser, a journalist 08:05.852 --> 08:08.821 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% who literally wrote the book on the sand crisis. 08:08.821 --> 08:11.023 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - So, the number one thing we use sand for 08:11.023 --> 08:13.392 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% by far is concrete, 08:13.392 --> 08:16.395 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% but it's actually a very recent invention. 08:16.395 --> 08:20.800 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Concrete really only took off in the early 1900s. 08:20.800 --> 08:24.804 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And we went from a world in which we barely used concrete 08:24.804 --> 08:29.475 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% to a world where we use concrete for everything very fast. 08:29.475 --> 08:31.711 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] This may be why areas of the world 08:31.711 --> 08:34.313 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% where sand extraction impacts the environment the most 08:34.313 --> 08:36.883 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% are areas with soaring infrastructure demand, 08:36.883 --> 08:38.651 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% like India and China. 08:38.651 --> 08:41.687 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% But the impacts are more than just environmental. 08:41.687 --> 08:45.825 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - In some places, it's gotten so bad that organized crime 08:45.825 --> 08:47.860 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% has gotten into the game. 08:47.860 --> 08:51.631 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% There's a huge black market for sand, believe it or not. 08:51.631 --> 08:52.865 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - [Baratunde] That's right. 08:52.865 --> 08:55.768 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% When a valuable resource becomes really scarce, 08:55.768 --> 08:58.971 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% people resort to extreme measures to get it. 08:58.971 --> 08:59.906 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Don't believe me? 09:01.140 --> 09:02.341 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Look at what happened in 2008. 09:02.341 --> 09:05.912 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - An entire beach was stolen in Jamaica, 09:05.912 --> 09:07.647 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% which is just insane to think about. 09:07.647 --> 09:09.882 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% They went to bed one night, there was a beach, they woke up, 09:09.882 --> 09:14.954 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% no beach, because it was made of this beautiful white sand. 09:16.055 --> 09:17.823 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] They stole a whole beach. 09:17.823 --> 09:18.724 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% Seriously. 09:20.059 --> 09:22.728 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% The late Queen of England actually tried to get it back. 09:22.728 --> 09:24.830 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% If you live in the US and you haven't heard 09:24.830 --> 09:26.966 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% about these kind of events, 09:26.966 --> 09:28.467 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% there might be a reason for that. 09:28.467 --> 09:31.404 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% It's just not as dramatic here, at least not yet. 09:31.404 --> 09:34.173 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - I do not think that Americans are paying enough attention 09:34.173 --> 09:35.074 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% to this issue. 09:36.409 --> 09:38.244 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% I mean, I've been banging on this issue for six, 09:38.244 --> 09:39.812 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% or seven years by now. 09:39.812 --> 09:41.447 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% So, it's kind of amazing. 09:41.447 --> 09:45.518 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% It's like the great under-reported environmental issue 09:45.518 --> 09:46.752 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% of our time. 09:46.752 --> 09:48.421 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] It may not be as obvious 09:48.421 --> 09:51.557 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% as what's happening in places like China and Jamaica, 09:51.557 --> 09:54.327 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% but America's sand crisis is getting worse. 09:54.327 --> 09:56.329 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% One of the main issues that we really face here 09:56.329 --> 09:59.265 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% in the United States when it comes to sand is beaches. 09:59.265 --> 10:01.233 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% They're eroding very, very rapidly. 10:01.233 --> 10:05.137 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% To keep beaches nice and long and fat and sandy, 10:05.137 --> 10:08.374 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% we actually have to artificially maintain them. 10:08.374 --> 10:11.344 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% One of the ways that we do that is by scooping up sand 10:11.344 --> 10:14.246 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% or sucking up sand from the ocean bottom 10:14.246 --> 10:16.882 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and just shooting it up on the coast. 10:16.882 --> 10:19.051 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] So, it's not just Louisiana. 10:19.051 --> 10:22.788 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Beaches all over the US are having to be rebuilt, 10:22.788 --> 10:25.992 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and the sand for that, It has to come from somewhere. 10:25.992 --> 10:28.361 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - We've been taking so much sand that in a lot 10:28.361 --> 10:31.397 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% of places there is no more sand on the ocean floor. 10:31.397 --> 10:34.300 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Like in Miami, they can't do that anymore. 10:34.300 --> 10:37.637 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% They have literally used up all the sand they can access 10:37.637 --> 10:38.738 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% on the ocean floor. 10:40.106 --> 10:41.907 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% So instead, they have to bring it in by truck. 10:41.907 --> 10:44.377 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% You have to go a couple of hours inland 10:44.377 --> 10:47.780 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% to these enormous pits where they dig up sand out 10:47.780 --> 10:51.984 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% of the earth, pile it on trucks, haul it to the coast. 10:51.984 --> 10:53.586 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% We're spending billions of dollars 10:53.586 --> 10:56.188 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to artificially fatten up beaches 10:56.188 --> 10:59.058 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% from Florida to California. 10:59.058 --> 11:01.360 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] What can we do to solve it? 11:01.360 --> 11:05.231 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Locally, we can use innovations like recycled sand. 11:05.231 --> 11:06.932 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% This restores our coastlines 11:06.932 --> 11:09.935 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% while reducing our dependence on mining for sand. 11:09.935 --> 11:14.006 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - The global sand shortage is a huge issue. 11:14.006 --> 11:16.509 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% It can't be solved with just one solution, 11:16.509 --> 11:19.145 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% but I do believe when glass is otherwise ending up 11:19.145 --> 11:23.349 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% in a landfill, then using recycled glass sand is one part 11:23.349 --> 11:24.784 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% of that solution. 11:24.784 --> 11:26.552 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] But for now, what you can get 11:26.552 --> 11:30.156 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% from recycled glass is just a drop in the bucket. 11:30.156 --> 11:32.658 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - The dredge that is sitting out there in the lake right now 11:32.658 --> 11:37.496 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% can move about 40,000 cubic yards of dirt in one day. 11:37.496 --> 11:40.266 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% So, all of those dump trucks that you see on the highway, 11:40.266 --> 11:43.269 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% it would take 2,500 of those to do 11:43.269 --> 11:45.738 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% what this dredge can do in one day. 11:45.738 --> 11:48.374 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - I'm no mathematician, but to me, 11:48.374 --> 11:51.377 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that seems like a lot of glass bottles. 11:51.377 --> 11:54.346 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And that is just to match the sediment extracted 11:54.346 --> 11:56.348 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% by a single dredge. 11:56.348 --> 11:57.883 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% That gives you an idea 11:57.883 --> 12:01.654 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% of why recycling alone can't solve the global sand crisis. 12:01.654 --> 12:04.824 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - Recycling, sadly, is not the solution. 12:04.824 --> 12:06.258 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Recycling can help. 12:06.258 --> 12:08.494 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% It can reduce the amount of fresh sand 12:08.494 --> 12:11.464 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% that we have to dig up out of the planet or from riverbeds, 12:11.464 --> 12:13.866 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% but it can never fully replace sand. 12:15.101 --> 12:17.369 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] As human civilization continues to grow, 12:17.369 --> 12:19.271 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% our need for sand will grow too. 12:19.271 --> 12:21.874 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% But that doesn't necessarily mean that the way we exploit 12:21.874 --> 12:23.943 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% our environment needs to grow with it. 12:23.943 --> 12:26.545 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% We have to figure out ways to live our lives, 12:26.545 --> 12:29.915 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and to build our cities, which is where most people live, 12:29.915 --> 12:33.552 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% in ways that just consume less across the board. 12:33.552 --> 12:37.656 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Less sand, less concrete, less glass, less energy, 12:37.656 --> 12:38.724 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% less of everything. 12:39.992 --> 12:41.527 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% And that is very much doable. 12:41.527 --> 12:43.863 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - Maybe the first step is gaining a new appreciation 12:43.863 --> 12:46.031 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% for the things we take from the Earth, 12:46.031 --> 12:48.601 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% even something as small as a grain of sand. 12:50.202 --> 12:51.537 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% - Thanks for watching. 12:51.537 --> 12:53.506 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% For more tales from the great outdoors, 12:53.506 --> 12:55.941 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% check out season two of America Outdoors 12:55.941 --> 12:57.510 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% with Baratunde Thurston. 12:57.510 --> 12:59.512 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% You can find us in the PBS video app, 12:59.512 --> 13:01.347 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% or your local PBS station. 13:01.347 --> 13:04.250 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Click the link in the description below to find out more.