A Final Wrap-Up

Well, I am proud to say that after taking the Sustainability course, I have been able to reduce my ecological footprint from 4.1 planet Earths down to 3.3 plantet Earths. What helped me in this decrease in consumption is the type of foods I have been eating. Less meat and more fruits and vegtables. I still drive, due to work, but I have tried to minimize the amount of distances I drive. I live right around the corner from the grocery store and I have found myself walking more. Another important aspect to reducing my footprint is the amount of energy that my house has used. We have been able to reduce our energy bills and regulate the use of laundry and the use of appliances. I have found that I unplug all of my appliances when they are not in use, and rarely leave my computer on during the day and night when it is not in use. I am proud of this adjustment and reduction!!

London Olympics 2012 - Golden Chance to Go Green

In an article I stumbled across regarding the London 2012 Olympic, they are using this world-wide event as an opportunity to inspire change towards a low-carbon econoomy. As a glimpse of what the stadiums are being made out of:

"The stadium is the lightest Olympic stadium, using a quarter of the concrete used for the Beijing games, and features a lighting system suspended from a compression wheel made fromre-purposed gas pipes left over from a different construction project.McCarthy singled out the velodrome as an especially good example of sustainable design, with its ultra-lightweight roof and natural lighting and ventilation."

The overall goal of the project was to embed the original sustainability practices and ideas to the actual sites of the host country.

To read more on the article, visit:http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/02/london-olympics-2012-green-chance-danger

Shopping Bags Go Green

I found this article this morning and found it sort of relevant to what I experienced yesterday at the grocery store. Once again, I failed to bring my reusable shopping bags, as they were left in the car. I was at The Market in Fairhaven and I went through the checkout stand with some items for dinner. The lady behind the counter asked if I wanted paper or plastic bags. I sort of stumbled for an answer. I feel like I was caught between a rock and a hard place. I could choose paper, but lets me honest, that was one more part of a tree taht was killed. Then I though about plastic and was hesitant to say plastic. The checkout lady must have noticed my frustration that was displayed across my face in this small period of time. She said that the plastic bags are becoming recyclable and it was displayed on the bag. I did not feel as bad now, for choosing plastic bagging. I suppose my best option would have been none however I had too many ingrediants for only having two hand and just a wallet. Of all times to not bring a friend or a huge purse, I decided to go with the plastic bag. In the following article, it talks about grocery store's attepmpt to make the shopping bags more recyclable.

Read the article at: http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=12017

This may be a small step towards making the change, however any step is better than no sep at all!

Green Jobs!!

To my surprise, I found an article this morning regarding people on the hunt for "Green Jobs." As some people might chuckle at the thought of this, there has been an astounding demand for these positions across the US.

I found in the article, that last October Forbes projected the ten top hottest green job markets:

• New York City, though feeling the market collapse, is also projected to be a place to head for green jobs. Generating 25,000 green jobs in 2006, the city may generate 200,000 more by 2038 in engineering, architecture and design.
• Washington, DC makes it to the top of the green jobs list with the federal government aiming to lower energy costs for the more than half-million buildings it oversees, according to Forbes.
• Houston houses two of the nation’s most polluted economies and is a master of making profit off of energy. Houston’s experience building large energy projects has proven successful beyond oil, creating a serious wind economy in the city.
• California houses three strong green economies: the state attracts tons of green venture capitalists, green innovators, eco-conscious mayors and green Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Los Angeles tops out other California green economies with a serious water shortage to confront.
• Boston houses leading universities that will bring the city into the green economy. Harvard, MIT and other institutions are at the forefront of renewable energy academia.
• Chicago is home to the Chicago Climate Exchange, America’s first carbon trading exchange. [Board of Directors]
• Philadelphia is getting green, converting old warehouses to wind turbine factories and pushing energy efficiency on state legislature.
• San Francisco is home to a serious number of venture capitalists and Mayor Gavin Newsom, pushing green jobs at every opportunity.
• San Diego made it in the Forbes’ top ten thanks to its solar power. Sunny conditions mixed with booming renewable energy markets are the perfect ingredients for the generation of green jobs.
• Pittsburgh is regenerating its collapsed industrial economy with a committed investment in green jobs.

I found these cities quite intriging and was unaware of the opportunities out there for people to join this awesome movement and support the "green" economy. Every little bit counts and we will being to take what we can get!

Read more at: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://therealbarackobama.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/1-1-1-a41.jpg&imgrefurl=http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/2009/03/03/its-not-easy-being-green-biden%25E2%2580%2599s-middle-class-and-working-families-task-force/&usg=__nJmp3B-pBWZk96TrVksmz5gkzNE=&h=1000&w=750&sz=157&hl=en&start=29&sig2=CQWNWOusYHLihOZFHxtSUQ&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=Dc2cUctdbjo1-M:&tbnh=149&tbnw=112&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgreenbiz.com%26start%3D21%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26ndsp%3D21%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=uzwFTN2-C82F-Ab83cTBDg

Think Beyond Recycling and Saving Energy

This picture caught my eye as I was browing the web this morning. This essentially sums out the amount of over consumption taking place not only in the United States, but also across the world. It is imparitive for the people to being thinking about over consumption and how harmful it may be the the planet. The question arises, where will all of these products go? I think our answer could begin with educating people. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Maybe more pictures such as these could generate hype across businesses, college campuses, schools, or even on community busses. The most important aspect I have found in my short time in taking a Sustainability class is to educate. Many people feel they need to change their daily schedules and their lives, but in all reality it can be as simple as turning off your lights or unplugging appliances when they are not in use.

To read more of where this picture came from, visit:http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://youropenbook.agitprop.co.uk/images/growing/sustainability_1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://youropenbook.agitprop.co.uk/growing.php%3Fp%3D2&usg=__oU2qJcfAawCGX_vXfWB6BM3NVwc=&h=426&w=660&sz=154&hl=en&start=10&sig2=PkJhbAuFkNJL6nh_Z-St6w&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=qolZVmkX1MFPCM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=138&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsustainability%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=bDkFTP6SD43b-QbMhoC3Dg

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Greener Skies Initiative

I thought this was sort of ironic and inspiring at the same time. Just last week I had to fly back to Spokane, WA for a three day training at work. I flew out of Bellingham, WA and I had an hour layover in Seattle, WA. Parked next to me, fueling up was a green plane, literally. I am sure my face lit up, as I had no idea that Alaska was a proud activists in providing a green act. This made me curious, so while in the airport during the layover I Googled Alaska Airlines. To my surprise on their website they have the Greener Skies Initiative.

In it, they list their approach:To further reduce aircraft emissions and noise exposure in the Puget Sound region, we recently formed a "Greener Skies" partnership with The Boeing Company and the Port of Seattle. Together we are working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to implement new flight procedures at Sea-Tac Airport that will allow airlines like Alaska and Horizon to use more efficient — and environmentally friendly — flight paths. It’s just one more way we’re working to bring "Greener Skies" to the region.

I am thankful for the Sustainability class to open my eyes and become more aware of what other companies are doing to make an attempt to save our planet.

To read more: Visit www.alaskaair.com

BP's Moment of Truth

After the oil spill off the coast of The Gulf of Mexico, this has spread to be 3 times the amount of the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989."More trouble lies ahead for BP as it may face the specter of EPA fines of $1,100 per gallon or up to $4,300 if gross negligence was found to cause the spill. The total costs for BP could exceed by some estimates over $25 billion, far eclipsing the $3.8 billion costs for the Exxon Valdez spill.

How BP handles these costs will be a true measure of the company. BP has come under fire for its early handling of the financial settlements from individuals. Alabama's Attorney General Troy King on Sunday said he told BP to stop encouraging settlement agreements among coastal residents that he said stripped people of their right to sue in exchange for a $5,000 settlement."

Read more: http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2010/05/28/bps-moment-truth?page=0%2C1#ixzz0pZFk17Ad

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2010/05/28/bps-moment-truth

My Ecological Footprint Update

Well, as the weeks have progressed, I have decided I need to throw out one of my goals. That goal that I am having a problem doing with is remembering to use the recyclable bags when I go to the grocery store. We have three bags at the house but are left on the pantry doorknob when I walk out of the house to go get groceries. I feel that if I can reduce the amount of plastic bags that I use at the grocery store and carry more in the plastic bags then that will be a step to using less plastic bags. We then reuse the plastic bags at the house multiple times and stock them in a drawer rather than throwing them all away, which would be bad for the environment. I thought it was a good goal to use at the beginning of the year and I attempted it by having reusable bags, however the goal went down the drain when I kept forgetting to walk into the store with the bags.

Kodak Reveals New Evnironmental Logo

Kodak has released its new logo that will be attached to all of its new products to signify the envornmental benefits of the various products. The logo is a yellow and green leaf with the slogan being "Kodak Cares". Along with the launch of the logo, Kodak has also launched an environmental website to promote corporate sustainability and the various initiatives to support the environment.

Along with implementing the new logo, Kodak PrinterEnviro Services has qualified to carry the leaf as they are enforcing recycling and providing reusable options for the customers to control their ecological footprint.

At first I was a little skeptical about this however, since they are providing options for customers to control their footprint is going to be beneficial. I do not think just implementing a logo is doing enough, however actually seeing results is what matters to taking initiaitves to becoming more sustainable.

To view the entire article visit: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/05/18/kodak-unveils-new-environmental-logo-sustainability-website/

Ford Drives Green with Sustainability Printing

Ford has currently been making an effort to reduce their use of paper by 6,000 tons in the past year! Now that is a lot of paper - it is equivalent to a loaded freight train with two locomotives and 100 cars. With their practice to reduce the amount of paper there have been a few initiaties that have benefitied from this transformation:

• More than 12,000 trees are preserved


• 5.2 million gallons of waste water flow is now saved.


• 600,000 pounds of solif waste is not generated


• More than 1.1 million pounds of greenhouses gases prevented


• More than 8.6 billion BTUs of energy is not consumed

Now, those number are astounishing to me! Implementing the new paper trategy required changing peoples perceptions regarding the use of printers, however there has been full support among Ford managers as well as their suppliers to help create a better world, by reducing the use of paper.

Beginning this year Ford, Lincoln and Mercury owners manuals will be printed in the US on paper containing at least 10 percent recycled fiber and certificed by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). They are estimating that 2.2 million owners manuals wil be printed this way! I think that this is a fantastic step to becoming more sustainable. It all starts with small changes and slowly but surely they will help reduce the environmental impacts around the world. Every attepmt counts!

To review the full article:http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/story-135508.html

P&G launches Supplier Sustainability Scorecard

Proctor & Gamble has gotten onboard with assessing their suppliers environmental footprint through the use of a scorecard. They will be evaluating and measuring energy use, water use, wast disposal and greenhouse gas emmissions on a year-to-year basis, states the article released on May 12, 2010.

The scorecard will be available to the public and open for use to any organization to evaluate the envionmental performance of the key suppliers. P&G are in hopes that they can encourage environmental improvement across a span of 75,000 businesses and $42 billion in spending.

The company says that in 2010 it is going to be transitioing from its current internal system of auditing to use thrid-party auditors and will subscribe to SEDEX database where the results can be shared.

Personally, I think that it is great for large companies to attempt to get on board with regulating their efforts to reduce environmental impacts. The only problem I have with this is whether or not the suppliers will actually follow through with their scorecards. Companies can talk the talk, but can they walk the walk is a major aspect of implementing the scorecards.

To read the full article visit:
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/05/12/pg-launches-supplier-sustainability-scorecard/

Re-evaluation

Well I think it is about that time now that I re-evaluate my attempts to reduce my ecological footprint. I have been doing pretty well in the areas of unplugging appliances, and minimizing the amount of electrical equipments that all of my roommates and I use. The most difficult goal I am still having trouble meeting is reducing the number of laundry loads per week. I have however attempted to do wash in cold water. It is pretty interesting, because now these are becoming more of a habit, rather than having to make little "sticky notes" as a reminder.

Through all of this, I think I have another goal to reduce my footprint. It is one that sort of ties in with the reduction of using electrical appliances, but I noticed that almost all of my roommates, including myself sleeps with a mini fan on at night. Some use it to drown out potential noise and some use it to make their rooms cooler. I think I might try to talk to them to see if now that the weather is nice, if we can open windows at night instead of having 5 mini fans running 7 - 8 hours on average, 7 days a week. It might be difficult, but what I have learned in taking this sustainability class is that people need to be educated first and from there, making changes really is not that difficult. I think I am going to try to give my input to my roommates and hopefully help make a difference.

Another goal I think that would be easily achievable is to switch to green energy on my Puget Sound Energy bill. I think that adding $10 more dollars to our monthly bill would not be too bad, considering dividing that by 5 would not be too difficult for us college girls.

So overall, so far so good. I think I am on the road to sustainability, and I just need to take my goals one at a time and make it become a daily habit rather than being forced to do something I have never done before.

TIGI Catwalk Curls Rock Amplifier

For some of you that know me, I have naturally curly hair. If the hair has no product in it, well then it looks like I have come out of the 80's. Now, don't get me wrong, I like the 80's era, however the frizzy hair is not really in "style" anymore. In class, we were to pick a product that we use frequently and go to the Environmental Working Group online and check the toxicity of our particular product. I chose the TIGI Catwalk Curls Rock Amplifier, because I tend to use this product more often than not. I was a little worried about this product being high in toxicity because of the smell and the texture of it. Well, come to find out, it ranks a 5 out of 10 which means that it is moderately hazardous. This was much better than what I was originally afraid of.

There were two ingredients that were the most toxic which was the fragrance and the Methylchloroisothianzolinone. Some researchers say that this ingredient causes cancer, and some say that they have no evidence that it does in fact cause cancer. This ingredient/chemical can burn skin when it is in its pure form, and since it is not in pure form and there is minimal amounts of it in the product, I am not too worried about it burning my skin.

I am going to continue to use the product, because it gives me the results I want. It has been very hard to find a product that actually works and will continue to give me results. I think that if it were higher on the hazardous scale, I would chose a different product that is safer. Until then, I am going to continue to use this product, however I will continue to use it in very small amounts.

Here you can find the results from the EWG website: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/product/128682/TIGI_Catwalk_Curls_Rock_Amplifier/

Ecological Footprint Reduction Update

Well so far in my attempt to reduce my ecological footprint, I have done pretty well, however I still have definite room for improvement. I have been turning off all the lights and turning off power strips at night as well as unplugging things in my room when they are not in use. I have also unplugged all of the appliances in the kitchen when we are not using any of the appliances. The laundry issue has been a work in progress. Living with 4 others girls, it has been hard to minimize the amount of loads we have been doing, however I have switched to washing my clothes on cold rather than on hot. I think we still need to come up with a number of loads per week to do rather than each person doing small loads every week. Another area I also have not been doing very well on is using the reusable grocery bags. I think I need to just leave them in my car rather than on the kitchen table, because clearly that is doing me no good. I also have yet to purchase fruits and vegtables from the local farmer down the street, so hopefully soon I will walk down there and buy them! I am going to make more of an effort these next couple weeks to really focus on completing my tasks and continue to reduce my footprint!

Puma Unveils New Sustainable Bag Design

http://www.design-training.com/news/20100414/546/puma-unveils-new-sustainable-bag-design.html

In the above article, Puma has made an effort to adopt more eco-friendly practices by launching a new line of packaging that can be used to reduce the company's carbon footprint. They are coming out with a bag that can be used for both a shoebox and a carrying case. This will reduce the amount of waste as well as the C02 emissions that goes into making the cardboard shoeboxes. Over the course of the next 5 years, the retailer hopes to reduce their amount of waste and their carbon footprint by at least 25 percent.

Trader Joe's Sells Sustainable Fish

http://www.dailynexus.com/article.php?a=20543

In the above article, by the end of 2012, Trader Joe's will now give what the customers believe in and want, which is sustainable fish. They have been working to ensure that all frozen, fresh, and canned fish sold in stores will be from a sustainable source. Many supervisors say they are very excited to be selling and making the transition into the more sustainable environment.

Carly's Ecological Footprint

If everyone were to live like me, it would take 4.1 planet earths to provide enough resources! In a sense, I am very astonished with the amount of resources I consume, however I think about my daily life schedule and I rely on a lot of these categories to get me through my day. I do think I could become much more conscious of the amount I consume.

I rank relatively high in the goods and services categories, due to my job which requires working on a computer an average of 25 hours a week; driving to the places I need to be in a timely manner; let alone flying to my favorite destinations for vacations. I am aware of how much energy I use in a single day (due to living with four other girls and our energy bills tend to be on the higher end), although not until my planet earth count kept rising during the quiz, did I realize that maybe I should perhaps try to find a way to cut down on my energy intake. You would think that after having a couple fuses blown in our house that maybe us girls would cut back on the hair dryers, straighteners, curling irons, computers, lamps, the continuous laundry machine running. Therefore I would like to make a commitment to myself to take a minimum of at least three actions to reduce my carbon intake.

I commit myself to:

1. Turn off my laptop at night and during the day while at school, and to unplug my work computer at nights and on the weekends.

2. Bag my own groceries at the store with a reusable bag, rather than use plastic bags

3. Try to cut back on the amount of laundry, in hopes that my roommates will as well. Maybe talk to them and figure out a schedule to minimize the on-going running machines.

4. Now that it is spring, I would like to buy more fruits and veggies from local markets rather than those that have been shipped in over 200 miles away.

5. Unplug appliances in the kitchen when they are not in use. (i.e., the toaster, microwave, coffeepot)