In many circumstances, the products we use in our efforts to be more sustainable have a bigger footprint than we think. Recent articles in the Washington Post and from the Worldwatch Institute show how the production of large amounts of polysilicon in China are dumping toxic wastes on the surrounding landscape--the homes of poor Chinese villagers. The byproducts from these industrial processes include silicon tetrachloride, which ruins the soil chemistry and releases poisonous fumes. The situation is ironically inconsistent with the end use of this valuable product, which is usually for photovoltaic solar panels, which turn solar energy into "green, renewable" electricity. This is actually only one example of the ways that efforts by the developed world to become sustainable only result in more environmental degradation and socio-economic disparities.

The situation in [one Chinese] village points to the environmental trade-offs the world is making as it races to head off a dwindling supply of fossil fuels. Forests are being cleared to grow biofuels like palm oil, but scientists argue that the disappearance of such huge swaths of forests is contributing to climate change. Hydropower dams are being constructed to replace coal-fired power plants, but they are submerging whole ecosystems under water. -washingtonpost.com

Producing polysilicon is extremely profitable due to high demand, and the Chinese manufacturers are increasing their profits by refusing to invest in recycling technology, which is available now. The manufacturers apparently have the law on their side. They maintain that their practices are in keeping with all Chinese environmental restrictions, and while formal complaints have been made to portions of the government responsible for environmental protection, no action has been taken.