Earlier this month, more than 15,000 negotiators met for two weeks in Copenhagen to hammer out the details of a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol. What they produced is known as the Copenhagen Accord, a non-binding agreement that falls well short of expected targets. http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/cop_15/application/pdf/cop15_cph_auv.pdf. What went wrong at Copenhagen, and what are the issues left unresolved for a future legally binding agreement?
The Economist magazine offers a good overview – from a business perspective – of what concerns were on the negotiating table. The magazine’s special report, published before the summit at Copenhagen and titled “Getting Warmer” (Dec. 5, 2009), is online at http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displayStory.cfm?story_id=14994872. Even according to The Economist, concerns raised by developing countries comprised a core set of issues. However, these issues were largely left unresolved in the Copenhagen Accord.
For a closer look at some unresolved issues raised by developing countries and allies, and to counterbalance the business perspective raised by The Economist, take a look at Jacqui Patterson’s blog, Climate Justice Initiative, https://climatejusticeinitiative.wordpress.com/. Jacqui Patterson, a friend and inspiration, is the Director of the Climate Gap Initiative at NAACP. At Copenhagen, she followed issues essential to all of us, and particularly urgent for those of us living in developing countries: high rates of cancer and other illnesses connected to climate pollution, increasing displacement caused by catastrophic events, climate change adaptation, etc. Her blog offers unique illustrative interviews, actions, protests, and insights that you won’t find anywhere else, all of which is missing from the pages of The Economist.
Do you have thoughts and links to instructive websites and articles that contribute to this discussion going forward? Please feel free to leave a note in the comments section. In the meantime, as we kick off the New Year, I will continue to focus on what we each can do with or without a legally binding agreement on climate change: how we can sustainably use energy and other resources at home.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Merry Christmas and a Sustainable New Year!
This week when I traveled to Washington, DC, for an interview, I visited my dad’s memorial headstone at Arlington National Cemetery. I also visited the graves of Edward, Robert and John Kennedy. This quote, etched in stone near the grave of Robert F. Kennedy, moved me to reflect on the grand significance of each of our contributions—big and small—to the beauty and sustainability of our world.
“It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
- Robert F. Kennedy, South Africa, 1966
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and here’s to a Sustainable and Happy New Year! May we, together, send forth ripples of hope, energy and daring.
“It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
- Robert F. Kennedy, South Africa, 1966
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and here’s to a Sustainable and Happy New Year! May we, together, send forth ripples of hope, energy and daring.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Saving on Lighting and Appliances
According to the US Energy Information Administration, our lighting and appliances account for 26% of our home energy bill. http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=us_energy_homes. By taking a closer look at the light bulbs and appliances we use and replacing them as necessary, we can achieve better water conservancy, less pollution, and save money.
With respect to lighting and appliances in the US, the key phrase to remember is Energy Star. Energy Star is a joint program of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Energy (DOE), agencies that teamed up to promote more energy efficient products and practices.
Starting with lighting, Energy Star recommends compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL). CFLs are long-lasting light bulbs that save about $30 over their lifetime and pays for itself in about 6 months. This is because CFLs use about 75% less energy and last about 10 times longer than an incandescent light bulb. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls. Incandescent light bulbs, which waste a lot of energy by emitting heat rather than light, should be dutifully replaced.
Still not convinced? According to Energy Star, “if every American home replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than $800,000 cars.” http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls (CFL Savings Facts and Figures).
As for appliances—including stoves, ovens, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, washers and dryers—the suggested rule is to replace any appliance that is (a) was manufactured before 2001, (b) not working efficiently anymore, or (c) cannot be repaired. http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2009/01/rules-of-thumb-on-when-to-replace-old-appliances.html.
When looking for a good replacement, check out Energy Star-certified models. Models that are certified by Energy Star use 10 to 50% less energy and water than federal standards require, and are generally 75% more efficient than models made 30 years ago. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=appliances.pr_appliances. The Energy Guide label (associated with Energy Star certification) on an appliance makes you an instantly smart shopper. It gives you key figures on how much energy the appliance uses, how it compares with other models, and approximate annual energy costs of using the appliance.
What to do with the appliance you replace? If it still works, consider giving it away on Craigslist or Freecycle. If it cannot be repaired or is too old, check to see if there is an appliance recycling program. Some recycling programs will even pick up your appliance curbside.
With respect to lighting and appliances in the US, the key phrase to remember is Energy Star. Energy Star is a joint program of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Energy (DOE), agencies that teamed up to promote more energy efficient products and practices.
Starting with lighting, Energy Star recommends compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL). CFLs are long-lasting light bulbs that save about $30 over their lifetime and pays for itself in about 6 months. This is because CFLs use about 75% less energy and last about 10 times longer than an incandescent light bulb. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls. Incandescent light bulbs, which waste a lot of energy by emitting heat rather than light, should be dutifully replaced.
Still not convinced? According to Energy Star, “if every American home replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than $800,000 cars.” http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls (CFL Savings Facts and Figures).
As for appliances—including stoves, ovens, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, washers and dryers—the suggested rule is to replace any appliance that is (a) was manufactured before 2001, (b) not working efficiently anymore, or (c) cannot be repaired. http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2009/01/rules-of-thumb-on-when-to-replace-old-appliances.html.
When looking for a good replacement, check out Energy Star-certified models. Models that are certified by Energy Star use 10 to 50% less energy and water than federal standards require, and are generally 75% more efficient than models made 30 years ago. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=appliances.pr_appliances. The Energy Guide label (associated with Energy Star certification) on an appliance makes you an instantly smart shopper. It gives you key figures on how much energy the appliance uses, how it compares with other models, and approximate annual energy costs of using the appliance.
What to do with the appliance you replace? If it still works, consider giving it away on Craigslist or Freecycle. If it cannot be repaired or is too old, check to see if there is an appliance recycling program. Some recycling programs will even pick up your appliance curbside.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
How We Use Energy
We use far more energy than necessary, given (1) the urgent need to mitigate global warming, (2) the current state of technology, and (3) the paradox that reducing our energy use can also help our pocketbooks.
The Department of Energy reports that the average American household spends approximately $1,900 per year on home utility bills. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/pdfs/energy_savers.pdf, p.1. This total cost is comprised of the following categories of expenses, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
41% Space heating ($779)
26% Lighting and appliances ($494)
20% Water heating ($380)
8% Air conditioning ($152)
5% Refrigeration ($95)
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=us_energy_homes.
What if you could take each of those dollar amounts and significantly reduce them? In the process, you can even claim that you are “greening” your home. There are a few websites with concrete ideas on how you can get started. (Please think twice before printing this information.)
The US Department of Energy’s “Energy Saver’s Booklet: Tips on Saving Energy and Money at Home” guides readers on how to create a whole house energy efficiency plan. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/pdfs/energy_savers.pdf. Follow the “Long-Term Savings Tips” to reduce your energy usage (and associated costs) by as much as 25%. My favorite sections in this booklet are the “Home Office” and “Driving and Car Maintenance” sections, giving you ideas on how to save big on less frequently targeted energy guzzlers.
If you plan to remodel a room or buy new furniture, you might also look into the Green Home Guide. http://greenhomeguide.com/. Check out the “Ask a Pro” section of the website that gives specialized tips on specific topics.
You might want to focus on energy savings at work. A good resource for that is Pacific Power’s Business Solutions Toolkit. To use the toolkit, register online at http://members.questline.com/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fdefault.aspx%3faccountID%3d438&accountID=438. Once you’ve registered, the toolkit gives you baseline energy data, carbon calculators, and common ways to save energy in your particular industry (including everything from apparel retailers to schools to warehouses). Pacific Power also has an “Ask an Expert” function for more specific information.
In the next few entries of Sustainable C, we’ll take a closer look at each of the major categories of energy use and see how we can “green” them at home while also saving a buck or two. As always, your suggestions, ideas, criticisms and personal anecdotes are welcome.
The Department of Energy reports that the average American household spends approximately $1,900 per year on home utility bills. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/pdfs/energy_savers.pdf, p.1. This total cost is comprised of the following categories of expenses, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
41% Space heating ($779)
26% Lighting and appliances ($494)
20% Water heating ($380)
8% Air conditioning ($152)
5% Refrigeration ($95)
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=us_energy_homes.
What if you could take each of those dollar amounts and significantly reduce them? In the process, you can even claim that you are “greening” your home. There are a few websites with concrete ideas on how you can get started. (Please think twice before printing this information.)
The US Department of Energy’s “Energy Saver’s Booklet: Tips on Saving Energy and Money at Home” guides readers on how to create a whole house energy efficiency plan. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/pdfs/energy_savers.pdf. Follow the “Long-Term Savings Tips” to reduce your energy usage (and associated costs) by as much as 25%. My favorite sections in this booklet are the “Home Office” and “Driving and Car Maintenance” sections, giving you ideas on how to save big on less frequently targeted energy guzzlers.
If you plan to remodel a room or buy new furniture, you might also look into the Green Home Guide. http://greenhomeguide.com/. Check out the “Ask a Pro” section of the website that gives specialized tips on specific topics.
You might want to focus on energy savings at work. A good resource for that is Pacific Power’s Business Solutions Toolkit. To use the toolkit, register online at http://members.questline.com/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fdefault.aspx%3faccountID%3d438&accountID=438. Once you’ve registered, the toolkit gives you baseline energy data, carbon calculators, and common ways to save energy in your particular industry (including everything from apparel retailers to schools to warehouses). Pacific Power also has an “Ask an Expert” function for more specific information.
In the next few entries of Sustainable C, we’ll take a closer look at each of the major categories of energy use and see how we can “green” them at home while also saving a buck or two. As always, your suggestions, ideas, criticisms and personal anecdotes are welcome.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Green Change Begins at Home
The Copenhagen Climate Summit is underway. In the spirit of John F. Kennedy, the motto ought to be, “Ask not what more your planet can do for you, but what you can do for it.” Climate negotiators alone will not solve this problem.
The numbers behind the science explain why. The most frequently used numbers include “before and after” comparisons of greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere, global temperature increases, and basic probability. Along these lines, the Economist magazine reports that “[a]tmospheric concentrations of CO2 equivalent (carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases) reached 430 parts per million [ppm] last year, compared with 280 ppm before the industrial revolution. At the current rate of increase they could more than treble by the end of the century, which would mean a 50% risk of a global temperature increase of 5ºC [9ºF]…Such a rise would probably lead to fast-melting ice sheets, rising sea levels, drought, disease and collapsing agriculture in poor countries, and mass migration.” http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displayStory.cfm?story_id=14994872
To stabilize the runaway effects of climate change, a movement is underway to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to 350 ppm by the year 2050. http://www.350.org/about/science. What does this mean in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions? “On the basis of the [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s)] figures…emissions need to drop by 25-40% below 1990 levels by 2020.” http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15017322
So far, neither the Kyoto Protocol nor the United States Congress has set sufficiently high goals to get us there. According to the Economist magazine, “[g]lobal carbon-dioxide emissions have risen by 20% since the [Kyoto Protocol] was signed in 1997…the plan has evidently not worked all that well.” http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15017322. In the US, the favored cap-and-trade legislation currently before the Senate, the Waxman-Markey bill, targets a mere 4% in cuts to greenhouse gas emissions in the short term. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-2454 Greenpeace, along with a few other bold environmental groups, wisely opposes the bill in its current form because, with a target of only 4%, it falls miserably short of the 25-40% range required to insure against catastrophic events. http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/press-center/releases2/greenpeace-says-waxman-markey
In plain English, this means that everyone must take initiative. For example, you can urge your US Senator to increase target cuts in the Waxman-Markey bill. At home and in the office, you can also set a range for cuts in your own carbon footprint. Start simple with 5% cuts through the New Year, increasing to 10% cuts by the end of 2010, and increasing again to 20% cuts by the end of 2011. Join me in achieving 50% cuts by 2020.
Do you need help or want company on your journey? Consider signing up for the next No Impact experiment, starting January 10. http://noimpactproject.org/experiment/ You might also consider leaving a comment on this blog, where we can initiate more specific discussions about personal goals, choices and challenges. To help get the conversation started, I will post two blog entries per week on facts and tips that help you and me consider ways to reduce our impact at home. Please, bring your own ideas and let me know how it’s going.
The numbers behind the science explain why. The most frequently used numbers include “before and after” comparisons of greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere, global temperature increases, and basic probability. Along these lines, the Economist magazine reports that “[a]tmospheric concentrations of CO2 equivalent (carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases) reached 430 parts per million [ppm] last year, compared with 280 ppm before the industrial revolution. At the current rate of increase they could more than treble by the end of the century, which would mean a 50% risk of a global temperature increase of 5ºC [9ºF]…Such a rise would probably lead to fast-melting ice sheets, rising sea levels, drought, disease and collapsing agriculture in poor countries, and mass migration.” http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displayStory.cfm?story_id=14994872
To stabilize the runaway effects of climate change, a movement is underway to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to 350 ppm by the year 2050. http://www.350.org/about/science. What does this mean in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions? “On the basis of the [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s)] figures…emissions need to drop by 25-40% below 1990 levels by 2020.” http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15017322
So far, neither the Kyoto Protocol nor the United States Congress has set sufficiently high goals to get us there. According to the Economist magazine, “[g]lobal carbon-dioxide emissions have risen by 20% since the [Kyoto Protocol] was signed in 1997…the plan has evidently not worked all that well.” http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15017322. In the US, the favored cap-and-trade legislation currently before the Senate, the Waxman-Markey bill, targets a mere 4% in cuts to greenhouse gas emissions in the short term. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-2454 Greenpeace, along with a few other bold environmental groups, wisely opposes the bill in its current form because, with a target of only 4%, it falls miserably short of the 25-40% range required to insure against catastrophic events. http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/press-center/releases2/greenpeace-says-waxman-markey
In plain English, this means that everyone must take initiative. For example, you can urge your US Senator to increase target cuts in the Waxman-Markey bill. At home and in the office, you can also set a range for cuts in your own carbon footprint. Start simple with 5% cuts through the New Year, increasing to 10% cuts by the end of 2010, and increasing again to 20% cuts by the end of 2011. Join me in achieving 50% cuts by 2020.
Do you need help or want company on your journey? Consider signing up for the next No Impact experiment, starting January 10. http://noimpactproject.org/experiment/ You might also consider leaving a comment on this blog, where we can initiate more specific discussions about personal goals, choices and challenges. To help get the conversation started, I will post two blog entries per week on facts and tips that help you and me consider ways to reduce our impact at home. Please, bring your own ideas and let me know how it’s going.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
O, Christmas Tree
According to the National Christmas Tree Association, an acre of Christmas trees produces the daily oxygen for 18 people. http://www.christmastree.org/Recycle_start.pdf, p. 4. Friends who celebrate Christmas, ‘tis the season to think environmentally about gift giving and the tree you buy.
Earlier on Sustainable C, I listed one website where folks can buy environmentally friendly gift wrap, www.ecoshikis.com. A great alternative is making your own reusable wrap.
When it comes to finding a tree, the most environmental option is buying a living replantable tree. If you don’t have the space to plant the tree after the holidays, consider donating it to Friends of Urban Forests, http://www.fuf.net/, or a like-minded organization near you. You could also "rent" a living tree through http://www.livingchristmastrees.org.
If you absolutely must buy a cut tree, look for organic growers who avoid the use of pesticides. Once the holiday season is over, you may also want to consider “treecycling.” To find a treecycling center near you, check Earth911, http://search.earth911.com/?what=Christmas+Trees%3F.
For ideas on Christmas tree alternatives, please see the discussion in the comments section below.
Earlier on Sustainable C, I listed one website where folks can buy environmentally friendly gift wrap, www.ecoshikis.com. A great alternative is making your own reusable wrap.
When it comes to finding a tree, the most environmental option is buying a living replantable tree. If you don’t have the space to plant the tree after the holidays, consider donating it to Friends of Urban Forests, http://www.fuf.net/, or a like-minded organization near you. You could also "rent" a living tree through http://www.livingchristmastrees.org.
If you absolutely must buy a cut tree, look for organic growers who avoid the use of pesticides. Once the holiday season is over, you may also want to consider “treecycling.” To find a treecycling center near you, check Earth911, http://search.earth911.com/?what=Christmas+Trees%3F.
For ideas on Christmas tree alternatives, please see the discussion in the comments section below.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Giving Back (Day 7)
The challenge on Day 7 of No Impact Week was to “pay it forward” by giving time or money to an organization that promotes sustainability. A United States-based website, www.volunteermatch.org, helps connect volunteers to activities in their vicinity.
The connection was an easy one for me. For weeks I had been cycling past “Friends of Trees” signs in my neighborhood. I searched online for the name of the organization to find out more, and learned that Friends of Trees hosts a volunteer tree planting in Portland almost every Saturday. See them online at http://www.friendsoftrees.org/.
Being new to town, I reasoned that volunteering for Friends of Trees might result in a few new Friends of Carmen. It worked. About 20 volunteers showed up on a rainy morning at a city park near Portland.
We drank hot chocolate, munched on doughnuts, and got muddy while planting native trees, shrubs and ferns.
Our effort contributed to what Friends of Trees (and of Carmen) call Green Space Initiatives, reclaimed natural spaces in the city. According to the organization’s fall 2009 newspaper, Tree Connections, these planting expansions produce a visible greening of the city that is visible from space.
Once the ball was in motion, it was hard to stop volunteering. Word came from my family that my niece and nephew’s school needed a volunteer at the school’s butterfly garden. On a gorgeous sunny day in Portland, I joined a team of parents and students who weeded, shoveled and raked. Our goal was to help revive a garden of native plants that attract butterflies, including salal, milkweed and strawberry bushes. Students regularly visit the garden to learn about the life cycle of butterflies and the plants that support them.
No Impact Week has momentum. For me the week has stretched into a sort of No Impact Existence, where I am lined up for more volunteer activities than I bargained for and I have a heightened awareness that seems to color just about everything I do. I’m happy to say it might just result in a few more butterflies, as well.
The connection was an easy one for me. For weeks I had been cycling past “Friends of Trees” signs in my neighborhood. I searched online for the name of the organization to find out more, and learned that Friends of Trees hosts a volunteer tree planting in Portland almost every Saturday. See them online at http://www.friendsoftrees.org/.
Being new to town, I reasoned that volunteering for Friends of Trees might result in a few new Friends of Carmen. It worked. About 20 volunteers showed up on a rainy morning at a city park near Portland.
We drank hot chocolate, munched on doughnuts, and got muddy while planting native trees, shrubs and ferns.
Our effort contributed to what Friends of Trees (and of Carmen) call Green Space Initiatives, reclaimed natural spaces in the city. According to the organization’s fall 2009 newspaper, Tree Connections, these planting expansions produce a visible greening of the city that is visible from space.
Once the ball was in motion, it was hard to stop volunteering. Word came from my family that my niece and nephew’s school needed a volunteer at the school’s butterfly garden. On a gorgeous sunny day in Portland, I joined a team of parents and students who weeded, shoveled and raked. Our goal was to help revive a garden of native plants that attract butterflies, including salal, milkweed and strawberry bushes. Students regularly visit the garden to learn about the life cycle of butterflies and the plants that support them.
No Impact Week has momentum. For me the week has stretched into a sort of No Impact Existence, where I am lined up for more volunteer activities than I bargained for and I have a heightened awareness that seems to color just about everything I do. I’m happy to say it might just result in a few more butterflies, as well.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Conserving Water (Day 6)
According to the No Impact Project, “The average American uses 1,189 gallons [4 518 liters] of water per day. By changing the way you brush your teeth, water your lawn, or wash your dishes, in addition to using efficient plumbing fixtures and appliances, you can reduce your water footprint by 25%.” No Impact Experiment Manual, http://noimpactproject.org/experiment/your-how-to-guide/, p. 13.
My challenge on Day Six of No Impact Week was to reduce the amount of water I use. A Peace Corps memory came to mind. In 1995, I lived in an extremely arid region of the Dominican Republic. Water was scarce, and the municipal government sometimes shut down the city water pump for as long as a week at a time. All of the townspeople were forced to be creative about how we used and stored water. Keeping that memory in mind on Day Six of my experiment, I wanted to see how far I could stretch my water conservancy.
The hippest change I made was using my housemates’ rain catchment system (also referred to as “rainwater harvesting”). The concept is the same as the catchment systems I saw in the Dominican Republic, but my housemates' system had a unique twist.
Their twist was that the system relies on two wine barrels from a local Oregon vineyard. One barrel is stationed under the gutters in the front of the house, and another is stationed in the back. The rain in the gutter is routed so that it drips right into each barrel, instead of into the city’s over-burdened drainage system.
Installing a rain catchment system is a fantastic idea for a number of reasons. It helps reduce stormwater runoff pollution that threatens salmon and other habitat. Some cities offer incentives to homeowners who install a rain catchment system. http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?c=ecbbd&a=bbehfa (describing Portland, Oregon's rainwater harvesting program). It also gives my housemates and me a source of water. This week I used water from the barrel to wash mud off my clothes and bike after rainy rides through town. Starting in the spring, my housemates will connect a hose to the barrel for watering the flowers and garden.
Do you want to catch the rain falling on your roof? Check out the Simple Steps website on installing roof gutters and rain barrels: http://bit.ly/3arrKR. The following website gives a good overview of a larger rain catchment system, similar to the one my neighbors used in the Dominican Republic. http://www.thefarm.org/charities/i4at/surv/raincat.htm
The second change I made was increasing my awareness. For example, when doing laundry, I resisted the urge to wash anything less than a full load in the washing machine. (Check out Simple Steps’ greenhouse gas calculator for washing machines: http://bit.ly/25pbGa.) Smaller loads I washed by hand. When brushing my teeth, rather than relying on the tap—which I tend to let run—I kept a cup of water next to the sink to rinse. When washing my hands or in the shower, I turned off the tap and soaped up while singing the now famous hand-washing song, “Happy birthday to me.” This song, when sung intelligibly, gives you just enough time to eradicate most germs.
A host of other great tips can be found in the No Impact Experiment Manual, available online at http://noimpactproject.org/experiment/your-how-to-guide/.
My challenge on Day Six of No Impact Week was to reduce the amount of water I use. A Peace Corps memory came to mind. In 1995, I lived in an extremely arid region of the Dominican Republic. Water was scarce, and the municipal government sometimes shut down the city water pump for as long as a week at a time. All of the townspeople were forced to be creative about how we used and stored water. Keeping that memory in mind on Day Six of my experiment, I wanted to see how far I could stretch my water conservancy.
The hippest change I made was using my housemates’ rain catchment system (also referred to as “rainwater harvesting”). The concept is the same as the catchment systems I saw in the Dominican Republic, but my housemates' system had a unique twist.
Their twist was that the system relies on two wine barrels from a local Oregon vineyard. One barrel is stationed under the gutters in the front of the house, and another is stationed in the back. The rain in the gutter is routed so that it drips right into each barrel, instead of into the city’s over-burdened drainage system.
Installing a rain catchment system is a fantastic idea for a number of reasons. It helps reduce stormwater runoff pollution that threatens salmon and other habitat. Some cities offer incentives to homeowners who install a rain catchment system. http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?c=ecbbd&a=bbehfa (describing Portland, Oregon's rainwater harvesting program). It also gives my housemates and me a source of water. This week I used water from the barrel to wash mud off my clothes and bike after rainy rides through town. Starting in the spring, my housemates will connect a hose to the barrel for watering the flowers and garden.
Do you want to catch the rain falling on your roof? Check out the Simple Steps website on installing roof gutters and rain barrels: http://bit.ly/3arrKR. The following website gives a good overview of a larger rain catchment system, similar to the one my neighbors used in the Dominican Republic. http://www.thefarm.org/charities/i4at/surv/raincat.htm
The second change I made was increasing my awareness. For example, when doing laundry, I resisted the urge to wash anything less than a full load in the washing machine. (Check out Simple Steps’ greenhouse gas calculator for washing machines: http://bit.ly/25pbGa.) Smaller loads I washed by hand. When brushing my teeth, rather than relying on the tap—which I tend to let run—I kept a cup of water next to the sink to rinse. When washing my hands or in the shower, I turned off the tap and soaped up while singing the now famous hand-washing song, “Happy birthday to me.” This song, when sung intelligibly, gives you just enough time to eradicate most germs.
A host of other great tips can be found in the No Impact Experiment Manual, available online at http://noimpactproject.org/experiment/your-how-to-guide/.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Sustainable C Recap and Tips: No Impact Week (Day 5 of 7)
No Impact Week (www.noimpactproject.org) has been a week of awareness, an awareness that in some ways can be rightly called “painful awareness.” An overview of the week and each day’s challenge is a useful starting point for sharing lessons learned.
Sunday – stop consuming new goods
Monday – stop making trash
Tuesday – travel by sustainable transportation
Wednesday – eat locally
Thursday – use less energy
On the course so far, I have hit three major hurdles: (1) it seems everything I eat is packaged in a plastic baggie (or two, or three) such that filling my stomach coincides with heaping more trash on landfills; (2) eating locally, I have been buying vegetables with names that sound like different skin conditions (ruling out olericulture* as a future career move) and that are as foreign to me in the kitchen as they were in the store; and (3) I only reluctantly let go of luxuries when it comes to electricity. But I have forged on! Here are some tips that have helped me tackle each personal challenge.
[*I know, I know. Olericulture…I had to look this word up. It means vegetable cultivation. It makes me feel better to use a big word to avoid the topic of my ignorance when it comes to the names of plants and, er, vegetables.]
Sustainable C’s Tips for Using Less Energy
- Hang dry your clothes on any combination of hangers, foldable racks and clothesline. At room temperature, it takes 24 hours or less for most clothes to dry, and it will help prolong the life of the fabric.
- In your house, turn down the heat a bit each week, and add a layer of clothes to adjust. Reptilian sun-lover that I am, I used to love to keep a room at 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 Celsius) or higher. But now I keep it at 60 (15 Celsius) and wear a few extra layers.
- When you leave the house, turn the temperature a little lower.
- When you tire of staying at home alone with all your layers, go to a café and enjoy the warmth of a crowd. Enjoying public spaces is a great way to reduce your home energy use and meet other people.
- Keep major guzzlers (computers, plasma tvs, etc) on a power strip and turn off the power strip when the guzzlers are not in use. For example, I keep my computer, speakers and lights on a power strip that I turn off when I leave the room.
Gratuitous photograph of Jo the Hen, local egg supplier
Sustainable C’s Tips for Eating Locally (and Reducing Trash)
- The West Coast of the United States is a veritable bread basket. As far as I can tell, it is possible to maintain a varied diet with more than 50% of locally grown food from April to November each year. (I can’t comment on the other months yet, because I haven’t been this conscientious about buying locally before).
- Shopping locally is easy. There are so many options, including Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms, farmers markets, farm stands, buying clubs and food cooperatives. For more information, see the Food Routes Network at http://www.foodroutes.org/doclib/faqs/faq13.htm.
- It’s a lot of fun to acquaint yourself with new veggies (even if they have names that sound like skin conditions), and the Internet will be as helpful as any expert olericulturist! In the Pacific Northwest, googling recipes for locally grown kale, beets, and lentils will help you find delicious recipes like “sautéed kale in a red wine vinegar,” “beet salad with goat cheese,” and “spicy lentil soup.”
- Buying your veggies with cloth produce bags and buying your grains and spices with bulk bins will help you cut down on trash. Note to gift givers—cloth produce bags and reusable bins are a great way to say “I care!”
If you are reading this and have a few conservancy tricks of your own, or if you are an olericulturist and want to help me shop, please let me know.
Sunday – stop consuming new goods
Monday – stop making trash
Tuesday – travel by sustainable transportation
Wednesday – eat locally
Thursday – use less energy
On the course so far, I have hit three major hurdles: (1) it seems everything I eat is packaged in a plastic baggie (or two, or three) such that filling my stomach coincides with heaping more trash on landfills; (2) eating locally, I have been buying vegetables with names that sound like different skin conditions (ruling out olericulture* as a future career move) and that are as foreign to me in the kitchen as they were in the store; and (3) I only reluctantly let go of luxuries when it comes to electricity. But I have forged on! Here are some tips that have helped me tackle each personal challenge.
[*I know, I know. Olericulture…I had to look this word up. It means vegetable cultivation. It makes me feel better to use a big word to avoid the topic of my ignorance when it comes to the names of plants and, er, vegetables.]
Sustainable C’s Tips for Using Less Energy
- Hang dry your clothes on any combination of hangers, foldable racks and clothesline. At room temperature, it takes 24 hours or less for most clothes to dry, and it will help prolong the life of the fabric.
- In your house, turn down the heat a bit each week, and add a layer of clothes to adjust. Reptilian sun-lover that I am, I used to love to keep a room at 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 Celsius) or higher. But now I keep it at 60 (15 Celsius) and wear a few extra layers.
- When you leave the house, turn the temperature a little lower.
- When you tire of staying at home alone with all your layers, go to a café and enjoy the warmth of a crowd. Enjoying public spaces is a great way to reduce your home energy use and meet other people.
- Keep major guzzlers (computers, plasma tvs, etc) on a power strip and turn off the power strip when the guzzlers are not in use. For example, I keep my computer, speakers and lights on a power strip that I turn off when I leave the room.
Gratuitous photograph of Jo the Hen, local egg supplier
Sustainable C’s Tips for Eating Locally (and Reducing Trash)
- The West Coast of the United States is a veritable bread basket. As far as I can tell, it is possible to maintain a varied diet with more than 50% of locally grown food from April to November each year. (I can’t comment on the other months yet, because I haven’t been this conscientious about buying locally before).
- Shopping locally is easy. There are so many options, including Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms, farmers markets, farm stands, buying clubs and food cooperatives. For more information, see the Food Routes Network at http://www.foodroutes.org/doclib/faqs/faq13.htm.
- It’s a lot of fun to acquaint yourself with new veggies (even if they have names that sound like skin conditions), and the Internet will be as helpful as any expert olericulturist! In the Pacific Northwest, googling recipes for locally grown kale, beets, and lentils will help you find delicious recipes like “sautéed kale in a red wine vinegar,” “beet salad with goat cheese,” and “spicy lentil soup.”
- Buying your veggies with cloth produce bags and buying your grains and spices with bulk bins will help you cut down on trash. Note to gift givers—cloth produce bags and reusable bins are a great way to say “I care!”
If you are reading this and have a few conservancy tricks of your own, or if you are an olericulturist and want to help me shop, please let me know.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Facts and Tips (from Simple Steps)
It’s Day Four of No Impact Week. Rather than sharing anecdotes on my new impact experiment, I am writing to share some inspiring facts and tips recycled directly from the Simple Steps website, http://www.simplesteps.org. These tips specifically address two of my biggest challenges in the first half of the week: buy local food and reduce trash.
Facts and tips on food
I am learning that the best local produce is grown and raised in the backyard, like the eggs laid by our very own hens, pictured here.
Fact: In North America, fruits and vegetables travel an average of 1,500 miles before reaching your dinner table.
Tip: Choose local produce, which cuts back on energy used in transportation and usually guarantees a fresher product.
Fact: If the average American replaced the beef and pork in their diet with poultry, he would save 1,555 pounds of heat-trapping pollutants from being emitted into the atmosphere each year.
Tip: Calculate your food footprint. (You can calculate your overall carbon footprint at The Nature Conservancy's website, http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/.)
Facts and tips on trash
Fact: Packaging makes up a third of all garbage tossed in the U.S.
Tip: Whenever possible, look for packaging made from recycled materials, and always check the plastic code to make sure the package is recyclable.
Fact: The average American uses 50 pounds of tissue paper per year.
Tip: Save trees by choosing products with the highest content of "post-consumer waste," or PCW.
Fact: Each year an estimated 14 billion pounds of trash are dumped into the world's oceans.
Tip: Visit oceanconservancy.org to get educated and get involved.
Fact: Roughly 40% of heavy metals, including lead, mercury and cadmium, in landfills comes from electronic equipment discards.
Tip: Look for electronic companies, like Dell, have take-back programs for used products.
Here are a couple of additional tips I received in an email from the No Impact Project. The website for the project is http://noimpactproject.org.
Paper phone books opt-out - http://bit.ly/2p5USA
Stop junk mail - http://bit.ly/4A9v5q
Facts and tips on food
I am learning that the best local produce is grown and raised in the backyard, like the eggs laid by our very own hens, pictured here.
Fact: In North America, fruits and vegetables travel an average of 1,500 miles before reaching your dinner table.
Tip: Choose local produce, which cuts back on energy used in transportation and usually guarantees a fresher product.
Fact: If the average American replaced the beef and pork in their diet with poultry, he would save 1,555 pounds of heat-trapping pollutants from being emitted into the atmosphere each year.
Tip: Calculate your food footprint. (You can calculate your overall carbon footprint at The Nature Conservancy's website, http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/.)
Facts and tips on trash
Fact: Packaging makes up a third of all garbage tossed in the U.S.
Tip: Whenever possible, look for packaging made from recycled materials, and always check the plastic code to make sure the package is recyclable.
Fact: The average American uses 50 pounds of tissue paper per year.
Tip: Save trees by choosing products with the highest content of "post-consumer waste," or PCW.
Fact: Each year an estimated 14 billion pounds of trash are dumped into the world's oceans.
Tip: Visit oceanconservancy.org to get educated and get involved.
Fact: Roughly 40% of heavy metals, including lead, mercury and cadmium, in landfills comes from electronic equipment discards.
Tip: Look for electronic companies, like Dell, have take-back programs for used products.
Here are a couple of additional tips I received in an email from the No Impact Project. The website for the project is http://noimpactproject.org.
Paper phone books opt-out - http://bit.ly/2p5USA
Stop junk mail - http://bit.ly/4A9v5q
Monday, November 16, 2009
Talking Trash
Being a consumer-mug carrying kind of gal, I really didn’t see the challenge in today, the "reduce trash" day…until I started counting the empty wrappers I leave behind in the wake of every meal.
Breakfast—simple corn flakes and milk—was served up in three different disposable packages. Of the cereal box, cereal bag, and milk carton, I would reuse or recycle most everything. But a better approach would be to avoid the extra packaging altogether by buying cereal in bulk with my own reusable plastic container.
Lunch—carrot and hummus starter, soup and salad—was shamefully worse. All in all, the meal came in a total of five plastic bags, two plastic containers and one glass jar, with a breakdown like this:
5 plastic bags, including:
1 bag of carrots
3 bags package the soup ingredients (noodles, spices, and oils)
1 bag of spinach
2 plastic containers, including:
1 round container of hummus
1 box of grape tomatoes
1 glass jar of olives
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Shameless Defense of the Family Name
Having tarnished my family name with these trashy confessions, I can offer one thing in my family’s defense. Friends, I offer...my sister. Every birthday and Christmas, my sister is the reason we don’t have more balled up gift paper strewn about the house. Check out her family-name-redeeming (and re-usable, environmental) gift-wrapping goods at www.ecoshikis.com
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
By dinnertime, I repented and ate leftover carrot soup (pureed veggies from the garden in a recycled Mason jar) and toast (…+1 plastic bag of bread).
Sigh. The lessons here are evident. I will use the rest of the week to see if I absorb them into practice.
Breakfast—simple corn flakes and milk—was served up in three different disposable packages. Of the cereal box, cereal bag, and milk carton, I would reuse or recycle most everything. But a better approach would be to avoid the extra packaging altogether by buying cereal in bulk with my own reusable plastic container.
Lunch—carrot and hummus starter, soup and salad—was shamefully worse. All in all, the meal came in a total of five plastic bags, two plastic containers and one glass jar, with a breakdown like this:
5 plastic bags, including:
1 bag of carrots
3 bags package the soup ingredients (noodles, spices, and oils)
1 bag of spinach
2 plastic containers, including:
1 round container of hummus
1 box of grape tomatoes
1 glass jar of olives
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Shameless Defense of the Family Name
Having tarnished my family name with these trashy confessions, I can offer one thing in my family’s defense. Friends, I offer...my sister. Every birthday and Christmas, my sister is the reason we don’t have more balled up gift paper strewn about the house. Check out her family-name-redeeming (and re-usable, environmental) gift-wrapping goods at www.ecoshikis.com
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
By dinnertime, I repented and ate leftover carrot soup (pureed veggies from the garden in a recycled Mason jar) and toast (…+1 plastic bag of bread).
Sigh. The lessons here are evident. I will use the rest of the week to see if I absorb them into practice.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Quieting the Tiger
Already on day one of No Impact Week, when the mantra of the day was “buy no new goods,” all I could think about were shopping malls, online promotions and retail therapy. But when I finally quieted that tiger shopper in me, I learned a couple of things I think are worth sharing.
First lesson learned: When trying to consume less, my first reaction is to think of all the things I can’t live without. My second reaction is to get creative.
The mental list I made when the day started included a number of items I thought I needed: blank CDs, new notebooks, and house slippers with motion stabilizers in the heels, to name a few. The house slippers with motion stabilizers made the list after a health-focused website suggested that I have “activity-appropriate” shoes for all occasions.
According to Annie Leonard, who wrote The Story of Stuff (movie and book to follow), “we see more advertisements in one day than…people 50 years ago saw during a lifetime.” http://www.storyofstuff.com/pdfs/annie_leonard_facts.pdf. The trick is to get past their bait and hook unscathed, and this requires imagination. For example, why buy new notebooks when I can use scrap paper from the recycling box I keep near my desk? And why buy new house slippers when I can double up on socks to create the same warm and cozy effect? After careful contemplation, I crossed these two things off my list.
Second lesson learned: Time spent away from consumption allows more time to enjoy what is.
Before I could do any shopping damage, my housemates saved me by suggesting we go for a hike outside of town. Our destination was a woodsy stream known as Eagle Creek. Every year about this time, thousands of Coho salmon, red as raspberries, journey back to their origins to lay eggs and die. In the Pacific Northwest, these fish’s journey is a right of passage and a hallmark of autumn’s end.
Here are some photographs from our day, which I found I could enjoy more, having succeeded in my first day of No Impact.
Four Coho salmon make their way upstream. We could sometimes see them thrash about, knocking into one another like erratic underwater bumper cars. Apparently, they fought to protect their eggs, already buried in the river’s pebbly bottom. Learn more about Coho salmon from NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources, http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/cohosalmon.htm.
An ancient Douglas fir reaches up into the fog. I wonder if it absorbs sips of water directly from the clouds.
There's a certain soothing mystique to a foggy hillside.
Mirna (my dog) and I take a trailside break.
First lesson learned: When trying to consume less, my first reaction is to think of all the things I can’t live without. My second reaction is to get creative.
The mental list I made when the day started included a number of items I thought I needed: blank CDs, new notebooks, and house slippers with motion stabilizers in the heels, to name a few. The house slippers with motion stabilizers made the list after a health-focused website suggested that I have “activity-appropriate” shoes for all occasions.
According to Annie Leonard, who wrote The Story of Stuff (movie and book to follow), “we see more advertisements in one day than…people 50 years ago saw during a lifetime.” http://www.storyofstuff.com/pdfs/annie_leonard_facts.pdf. The trick is to get past their bait and hook unscathed, and this requires imagination. For example, why buy new notebooks when I can use scrap paper from the recycling box I keep near my desk? And why buy new house slippers when I can double up on socks to create the same warm and cozy effect? After careful contemplation, I crossed these two things off my list.
Second lesson learned: Time spent away from consumption allows more time to enjoy what is.
Before I could do any shopping damage, my housemates saved me by suggesting we go for a hike outside of town. Our destination was a woodsy stream known as Eagle Creek. Every year about this time, thousands of Coho salmon, red as raspberries, journey back to their origins to lay eggs and die. In the Pacific Northwest, these fish’s journey is a right of passage and a hallmark of autumn’s end.
Here are some photographs from our day, which I found I could enjoy more, having succeeded in my first day of No Impact.
Four Coho salmon make their way upstream. We could sometimes see them thrash about, knocking into one another like erratic underwater bumper cars. Apparently, they fought to protect their eggs, already buried in the river’s pebbly bottom. Learn more about Coho salmon from NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources, http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/cohosalmon.htm.
An ancient Douglas fir reaches up into the fog. I wonder if it absorbs sips of water directly from the clouds.
There's a certain soothing mystique to a foggy hillside.
Mirna (my dog) and I take a trailside break.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Interview with No Impact Man
Gearing up for my one week with no impact, I wondered, what's it like to make no impact for a whole year...in New York City? Here's my answer, in part. Check out the interview with No Impact Man on The Colbert Report. (Kindly ignore Stephen Colbert's comment regarding burning tires.)
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/252016/october-08-2009/colin-beavan
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/252016/october-08-2009/colin-beavan
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
No Impact Week
Have you ever felt resistance course through your body when the topic of conversation turns to personal responsibility for climate change? I feel it. My shoulders wind all the way up to my ears in tension. The tension is driven in part by an imaginary conversation. The year is 2050—the year so frequently cited in climate reports as a milestone year by which we humans must have significantly changed our consumption habits—and I am sitting with my grown children. What will I tell them I did to help?
When I am in denial, my knee-jerk response is to rest on my laurels. After all, I bicycle most places and use only re-usable grocery bags. Isn’t that enough?
For me, the honest answer is I can do more.
But where to begin? A recent story on NPR gave me a constructive starting point. The story featured Colin Beaven, also known as the “No Impact Man.” http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112447407. A New Yorker, Colin eliminated all of his carbon dependencies for a year, together with his wife and daughter. Based on his experiment, he launched the “No Impact Project,” a web-driven project that challenges folks just like me to reduce emissions and waste while gaining health and time.
Ordinarily, I might be scared off from taking such a “change your habits” challenge. But this one is different. It is laid out in a neat “No Impact Week” with specific suggested steps. Over the course of the week, I’ll take a new step each day. By the end of the week, I will consume no new goods, stop making trash, switch to non-carbon transport, buy only local food, use less energy and waste less water. Taking a day at a time, this is an inviting way for me to ease into making a few changes for the better.
If your curiosity is piqued, here’s what you can do. First, you can, of course, test the experiment yourself by signing up at www.noimpactproject.org. Feel free to submit comments on Sustainable C about how it’s going. If that’s too much too soon, just follow along each day as I report through Sustainable C my reflections, particular challenges, and tips that make own habits easier to change.
Personal responsibility for the climate is a touchy topic because it involves so many of our creature comforts. I see no reason why we can’t experiment with how we interpret the idea of “comfort” to change patterns for the better. That’s the experiment that will give a jump start to Sustainable C. I hope you’ll join me.
When I am in denial, my knee-jerk response is to rest on my laurels. After all, I bicycle most places and use only re-usable grocery bags. Isn’t that enough?
For me, the honest answer is I can do more.
But where to begin? A recent story on NPR gave me a constructive starting point. The story featured Colin Beaven, also known as the “No Impact Man.” http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112447407. A New Yorker, Colin eliminated all of his carbon dependencies for a year, together with his wife and daughter. Based on his experiment, he launched the “No Impact Project,” a web-driven project that challenges folks just like me to reduce emissions and waste while gaining health and time.
Ordinarily, I might be scared off from taking such a “change your habits” challenge. But this one is different. It is laid out in a neat “No Impact Week” with specific suggested steps. Over the course of the week, I’ll take a new step each day. By the end of the week, I will consume no new goods, stop making trash, switch to non-carbon transport, buy only local food, use less energy and waste less water. Taking a day at a time, this is an inviting way for me to ease into making a few changes for the better.
If your curiosity is piqued, here’s what you can do. First, you can, of course, test the experiment yourself by signing up at www.noimpactproject.org. Feel free to submit comments on Sustainable C about how it’s going. If that’s too much too soon, just follow along each day as I report through Sustainable C my reflections, particular challenges, and tips that make own habits easier to change.
Personal responsibility for the climate is a touchy topic because it involves so many of our creature comforts. I see no reason why we can’t experiment with how we interpret the idea of “comfort” to change patterns for the better. That’s the experiment that will give a jump start to Sustainable C. I hope you’ll join me.
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