After 3 months, I have successfully reduced my carbon footprint!

3 months... I better have reduced my carbon footprint!

 This is a picture of my carbon footprint at the end of the Fall 2013 quarter:

Just in case it appears slightly blurry, the second image says "3.1" planet Earths to provide enough resources if everyone lived like I do. This decreased by 0.8! Ideally, there would only be a picture of one planet Earth - or maybe even less than a planet! Hopefully I will get there someday. Like we have talked about in class, this may be due to the fact that my geographic location is the United States and on average, Americans have a higher footprint when it comes to the "Services" category. It is interesting to me that the percentage of services I use increased in comparison to the other categories. I drive more because it's cold and wet outside more often than in summer. Energy usage, although it is still my highest category, reduced. This excites me because I tried very hard to be conscious of every little way that I was using energy and tried to adapt my ways to reduce this usage.

As far as the other goals go:

The idea that I had to save the extra receipts that are printed to recycle them instead of throwing them away proved to be challenging. The waitress apron and booklet that I have is only so big. I was talking to a co-worker one day about what I was trying to do and she suggested that instead of just holding on to them to recycle, I should use the back of old receipts to take future orders on. She was already doing this on a daily basis. I was shocked that I hadn't thought of this before or hadn't seen her practicing this. I immediately started collecting as many receipts as possible and turning them to the backside. Not only does this save the paper from being thrown in the garbage can, but it reduces the amount of paper I end up purchasing for the exact same purpose!
**I will continue this practice for as long as I work in a restaurant and continue to find ways to reduce paper use/restaurant waste.**

Participating in the Mug Challenge has gone pretty well for me. The mug is easy to use on campus because the system set in place is very easy to use and takes care of the cleaning dishes aspect - who could argue with that?!
**I could improve on this goal by purchasing a travel mug to take with me when I plan on purchasing coffee off-campus. It might be a difficult habit to form, but I already make sure that my BPA-free water bottle goes everywhere I go, why not a coffee mug too?**

Before taking this class, I tried to be aware of my impact on the environment. After taking this class, I will not only be aware, but I plan to actively seek out measures that I can take to reduce my carbon footprint. It's important for the environment, it's important for future generations, and it's certainly important to me.

Can you picture the home of Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit? Keep reading...

Try living in a house with a limestone ceiling, a rock backdrop for your bathroom, or an entire cliff's edge for your roof.





According to this article by The Daily Green newspaper, these "Cave Homes" exist!

I first learned about these from a friend who had traveled through Texas. From his description alone, these homes sounded incredible: natural insulation from the soil, reduced amount of materials being used to create these homes? What could be better?

I did some research to see how reliable this information was and to see if the "Cave Homes" really were sustainable and credible.

In China, many of these homes were created in a pilot program that took place in the Yaodong cave area of the Loess Plateau in the early 2000's. The following characteristics were included in these homes for environmental sustainability:

• Use of local topography to provide the housing structure
• Locally sourced and recycled building materials
• Use of solar spaces to reduce the need for internal heating
• Houses are cut into hill terraces on land that is hard to farm or is infertile - maintains available agricultural land.

While LEED-certified and livable buildings are the ideal standard for all building infrastructure, these homes go one step farther in terms of amount of materials used (whether they are sustainable or not). 

This website from World Habitat Awards can provide more information about these homes. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think. Would you live in a home built into the landscape?

Honesty is the best policy

"Honest By" collection - Hugo Boss










I'm not big into fashion, I'm sure anyone who knows me or even takes a look at me can see that. I follow trends and I like certain styles over others, but I definitely don't know what the latest, most trendy fashion statements are. This being said, all clothes - grungy, comfortable, professional, trendy, etc. - must go through the same process of creation. Everyone should know the story behind where the clothes came from. There have been so many situations and still are today, where factory workers are treated horribly, have terrible working condition, earn very little pay, and still have to perform their jobs day in and day out.

The following article describes how Hugo Boss, a very fashion-focused brand, created an entire collection called "Honest By" that has clothes that show the origin of the materials, their price, who made the product and how much money is made by each person along the supply chain.

Honest By: a fashion label built on total transparency

This is the direction every brand, clothing related or not, needs to take. The world needs to be informed about the products we are consuming and the services we are using. I often wonder if it is easier for an already well-established, successful brand to change their brand name and image rather than a new brand trying to enter the market. This was debated in my Marketing 380 class with Sandra Mottner fairly often. It is difficult to try and carve a place for a new brand in the market place where there are already plenty of well-trusted and effective products and services. All I can say is that Hugo Boss has the right idea as far as clothing companies are concerned and whether the company is well-established or brand new, each company should follow this lead.

One step up from LEED certification: The Living Building

Is anyone out there familiar with Seattle?













Well... Seattle is the 22nd largest city in the United States and therefore is an extremely populated and urban place to live. Through the Sustainable Marketing class at Western, I have learned what it means for a building to be L.E.E.D. Certified.

According to the rating systems for a building to be L.E.E.D. certified, these are the main credit categories:

• Sustainable sites credits encourage strategies that minimize the impact on ecosystems and water resources.
• Water efficiency credits promote smarter use of water, inside and out, to reduce potable water consumption.
• Energy & atmosphere credits promote better building energy performance through innovative strategies.
• Materials & resources credits encourage using sustainable building materials and reducing waste.
• Indoor environmental quality credits promote better indoor air quality and access to daylight and views.

L.E.E.D. certification of buildings has led to significant decreases in energy conservation and water consumption, it has improved indoor air quality, allowed individuals and businesses to save money and make better building material choices, AND has driven innovation. In a nut shell, it is an awesome move in the right direction. 

Rob Pena has taken this certification one step farther and has created what is being referred to as "The Greenest Building on Earth." He has created a building in Seattle, WA (The Bullitt Center) that has the ambitious aspect to achieve the goals of the "Living Building Challenge." 

https://vimeo.com/57077446

Living Building is another certification level that buildings can achieve. It requires that a structure be self-sufficient for energy and water for at least 12 continuous months and that it meets rigorous standards for green materials and the quality of its indoor environment. It requires a project or building to meet 20 specific imperatives within 7 performance areas.

For the Bullitt Center, meeting the imperatives will include the following:

• Site: The location will support a pedestrian-, bicycle-, and transit-friendly lifestyle.

• Water: Rainwater will be collected on the roof, stored in an underground cistern and used throughout the building.

• Energy: A solar array will generate as much electricity as the building uses.

• Health: The building will promote health for its occupants, with inviting stairways, operable windows and features to promote walking and resource sharing.

• Materials: The building will not contain any “Red List” hazardous materials, including PVC, cadmium, lead, mercury and hormone-mimicking substances, all of which are commonly found in building components.

• Equity: Unlike many office buildings, large operable windows will offer fresh air and daylight to all the people who work in the Bullitt Center. The goals of Seattle’s Community High Road Agreement will guide selection of the construction team.

• Beauty: Stunning architecture, an innovative photovoltaic array, a green roof and other native plantings, large structural timbers and a revitalized neighboring pocket park will help beautify the surrounding streetscape.

IKEA's sustainability

Sustainability used to be a "nice-to-do." Now it is a must-do.

Steve Howard: Let's go all-in on selling sustainability

Steve Howard begins his talk with three numbers:

3 - 3 billion people joining the middle class by the end of 2013. There are already 2 billion people in the middle class, so there will be 5 million people in the middle class at the start of 2014.

6 - 6 Degrees Centigrade. This is the number we are heading towards in terms of global warming. The dramatic changes in weather that we have been seeing have been due to only 1 Degree of Centigrade.

12 - The number of cities that had 1 million or more people in the beginning of the last century. Now, there are more than 500 cities with more than 1 million people in them.

What can business do? A business like IKEA?

The first few products in the market that were pushed as sustainable products were laundry detergents that left clothes more grey than when they entered the wash, lights that took five minutes to warm up and then left the people in the room looking "sickly," and really, really rough toilet paper. This was not a great start.

Howard discusses how it is easier for businesses to make policy changes 100% as opposed to 90% or 50% because it is more clear what needs to happen. He says that if you make a policy where something will be 90% more sustainable, people will find a reason to be in the 10%. IKEA is going 100% renewable, having installed 300,000 solar panels and have 14 wind farms in 6 countries. By 2020, they want to be producing more energy than they are consuming.

IKEA is also focusing efforts on preventing child labor throughout the supply chain. They have 80 auditors who do consistent check-ups on this and has partnered with UNICEF. In addition to this, IKEA is focusing on equality for women in the workplace.

Howard addresses sustainability more in depth than the two aforementioned social issues, but states that a business needs to be well-rounded in its focuses and be completely transparent with its transactions.

Businesses should always measure. If you don't measure, you don't care because you don't know.

His final words: "If we get [sustainability] right, we can make it affordable for the many, not a luxury for the few."

Now that I have (mostly) conquered my goals... why not add another?

I was trying to think of a new goal that I would be able to make progress on this quarter. I already try to be conscious and aware of my environmental impact on a daily basis. I have thus far been able to reduce the amount of electricity I use by switching to a power strip in my bedroom and going around my house and turning off all the unnecessary lights that are left on. I walk to school every day and try to ride my bike or take the bus to work at least once a week as opposed to driving every time I work. I think my biggest issue with this goal is timing. There are only so many hours in a day and I take advantage of every single one - I NEED to be better about making extra time to ride my bike or wait for a bus. 

I thought of a new goal that I am going to try really hard to follow for a week, just to see how it goes. I work in a restaurant - an industry that is notorious for the amount of food waste, electricity use, incorrect paper disposal, and many other issues that go hand-in-hand with the fast-paced environment of trying to please managers and customers while enjoying your job. (I really do enjoy my job, regardless of what my tone suggests... sometimes ;)). 

There is a lot of room for improvement in the restaurant business in regards to being more sustainable. One that I am going to try and tackle is the way that my paper receipts are disposed of. For every table, if everyone is paying together, I have to print 2-4 receipts depending on if they pay with cash or credit card. If everyone at the table is paying separately, this number increases even more. The only receipt I need to keep as a server is the one that says "merchant copy" at the bottom. The customers have the option of taking the "customer copy" and any other receipts they wish to take (either the original declaring the total or the zero-balance), but most customers leave the rest on the table. For the next week, I am going to try and take all of the receipts that I find on the table that I don't need and instead of throwing them in the garbage in the back, which is the typical routine, I am going to keep them in my apron until I can find somewhere to recycle them. This will be extremely difficult when I get a bunch of tables and am busy focusing on other things, but that's why I think it will be an important goal to try and achieve. I want to see how the first week goes and then decide how to proceed from there. 

I already tried asking my manager if we could place little bins near the computer print-out stations and he said that it provides sanitation issues. I think he is feeding me a load of bologna and don't buy that. It would be a small and simple change to make but in the long run would greatly increase the amount of paper that is recycled as opposed to thrown in the garbage. 

In addition to this new goal, I am going to purchase a re-usable coffee mug at the VU in order to participate in the new mug project. I am, unfortunately, extremely addicted to coffee and really just love the taste of it in the morning. I also have a meal plan on campus and with this plan come dining dollars that I do not hesitate to use every morning on my usual stop at The Coffee Lady or the VU. That's right... I said EVERY MORNING. Ridiculous, I know. Hopefully enough people have been participating in the pilot run of the mug project and we will see its continuation in future quarters. My goal is to have purchased my re-usable mug by the end of the week but hopefully you will see me with it in class tomorrow! 

Further look into "Collaborative Consumption"

Collaborative Consumption is awesome, there is no doubt about it. It saves people money, it increases the value of products and services if they can be utilized by more people, it preserves resources that might be otherwise wasted, it reduces waste, etc. I was so excited about collaborative consumption after class yesterday that I immediately went online to find as many sharing websites as I could. When I got home, I told all of my friends about them and have already made plans for the future about using/doing as many of these ideas as possible! Just as with all business, people need to go about participating in collaborative consumption in an open and honest manner in order for it to be successful. I was curious if there were any "bad sides" of this idealistic concept, so I did some research and this is what I found:

Sharing is Caring:

Resources if you are interested:
10 Websites for Collaborative Consumption


From The Economist:
"All eyes on the sharing economy"

Collaborative Consumption:
"People are looking to buy services discretely when they need them, instead of owning an asset," (Jeff Miller, boss of Wheelz, a peer-to-peer car rental service in California).

Problems with collaborative consumption:

• Insurance questions
• Legal liability questions
• Services not meeting industry-specific regulations
• Tenants who sublet properties in violation of terms of leases.
• Tax collectors wonder if all income being declared from sharing.

*In mid-2011, a host found her apartment trashed and her valuables stolen. This prompted sharing companies to provide forms of insurance.

*Peer-to-peer car-rental services provide insurance as part of the deal which covers drivers during the rental. There is a question of if this car-owner's insurer is liable in the case of an accident.

*Apartment-sharing services have disobeyed zoning regulations.

*Many American cities ban rentals of less than 30 days in properties that have not been licensed and inspected.

*Airbnb and other similar sites are not exempt from the 15% hotel tax.

Despite all of this, "the fact that regulators, tax collectors and big companies are now sniffing around a model that has been embraced by millions of people is a measure of its value and growth potential."

Newsworthy: "World is NOT on track" to meet climate goals!

The 4-for-2 C Scenario:

1. Increase energy efficiency
2. Limit emissions from coal-fired power plants
3. Reduce leakage of methane from oil and gas production
4. Cut subsidies for fossil fuels

These four energy policies were selected by the International Energy Agency (IEA) that would reduce emissions significantly and "keep climate goals alive without harming economic growth."

There is a new record high for the amount of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions - 31.6 gigatonnes!! Due to the energy-related green house gas emissions, "projected temperature rise is approaching threshold where the consequences would be truly dire."

It has come to a point in time where the only viable option is to take action. It might be expensive, and it might be a step-by-step, slow process, but small steps towards this goal could make all the difference.

These four policies are a start. One problem that I see is that they are very broad. Not only should these be governmental policies but they should be policies put in place for the general public as well. There are many ways that individuals can increase energy efficiency - Puget Sound Energy provides a "go green" service, as we learned in class. Individuals need to take the small steps like replacing their light bulbs with LED, not leaving the TV or Radio on during dinner because they enjoy the "background noise," using recycled energy to power their homes and having any extra energy return to "the grid." These are only a few of many examples. 

Instead of limiting emissions from coal-fired power plants, we should get rid of coal-fired power plants altogether. I realize that this is an extremely unrealistic possibility and that limiting the emissions is the first step in the process. If this is the new policy, then the coal train should definitely be prohibited from coming through Bellingham, shouldn't it?

Sources:

Statement from Washington D.C. (from October 8, 2013)

4 Energy Policies: (from June 10, 2013)

Re-evaluation of my carbon footprint.

It has now been two weeks since I set the three goals to reduce my carbon footprint. I thought that they were pretty reasonable to strive for, but I had some difficulties.

As far as the first goal goes, I did not ride my bike to work last week at all because the weather was terrible. I work in a restaurant and it is pretty unprofessional to show up to work drenched from head to toe. The fact that I discovered a flat tire played a small role as well. I would have ridden the bus except that the restaurant where I work closes after midnight, which is around the time when I get off work, and the buses stop running well before this time. I rode my bike to work today in the beautiful, but freezing cold weather!

Another option I found: Continue riding my bike but adjust to the weather conditions!

I was only somewhat successful with this goal but I am going to keep this one as it is. I usually work at least one shift during the week that I am able to ride the bus to work for. I just need to have a stronger backbone and make sure I follow through with this goal. It's important.

For the second goal "unplug all of the electronic devices in my room if they are not in use," I only had partial success with as well. I have always been really good at turning off lights when I leave the room, but I sometimes leave my iHome plugged in even if I am not charging my iPod. These past two weeks, I tried to stay very aware of all of the electricity use in my house. I went around and turned off the lights in rooms where nobody was and stayed very conscious of the amount of time I spent in the shower. My number one focus for the goal was to turn off my computer and unplug it when I leave the house. I really do not like doing this because the battery for my computer is about to die so whenever I need to "Power on" my computer, it takes (what seems like) forever. To change this goal to be more influential on my life and the planet, I am going to purchase a power strip. I truly believe that if I just plug everything into the power strip and flip the off switch every morning before I leave the house, I will not think about my computer individually, that it will be okay to leave that plugged in if all my other electronics are shut off. Everything will be connected and I will have no choice but to turn them all off! I plan to purchase a power strip by the end of the weekend (10/14).

My power strip probably won't be THIS cool... but it will still do the trick! :)

The third goal of "sticking as close to the vegan diet as possible" needs to be more concrete and measurable, or changed altogether. I am altering this goal to be that I will eat strictly vegan four days out of the week. Of the three other days, I will still not eat meat or dairy. In addition to this, when I need to buy groceries, I will go to either The Co-op, The Market, or the farmer's market. I will bring along the re-usable bags that I have and will either carpool or take the bus.



I think adjusting these three goals in the ways that I have will be difficult but doable. They are reasonable changes to make and I need to stick to them.

KQED Climate Watch Survey

PAY ATTENTION:

If you would like to quiz yourself and find out what KQED (a public media group that serves Northern California - it is similar to NPR), thinks your attitude towards global climate change is, then use the following address to go to their website: uw.kqed.org/climatesurvey/

TAKE ACTION!
Based on my answers to the quiz, the results I received were that I am alarmed about global climate change and I need to take action. They can be found here:

http://uw.kqed.org/climatesurvey/index-kqed.php

In the Original Six Americas Study, over half of the respondents were at least cautious in regard to global climate change.

18% alarmed
33% concerned
19% cautious
12% disengaged
11% doubtful
7% dismissive

These numbers are outrageous. They should be skewed a lot more towards "Alarmed." This is where marketing can have a significant impact - maybe the reason people are not so alarmed is because they don't really know how they are affecting the planet.

**Side note**
I went to visit one of my best friends from High School in Dayton, Tennessee in the beginning of September. For those of you who are familiar with TN, just like any state or territory, there are parts that are very urban and parts that are very rural, and parts that are in between. Dayton, TN falls on the "more rural" spectrum. One night, we were driving to Chattanooga to have a fun karaoke singing night at a place called Sing it or Wing it. (I am hoping I don't get my door banged down by cops after admitting this, but we were drinking beers in the car on the drive down.) It is me, my friend from high school, and three of her other friends. When they finished their beers, they just rolled down the window and threw them out, laughing once they heard the shattering of glass on the freeway. I couldn't believe what I was seeing... but I just sat there in my flabbergasted state and let them continue. My friend turned to me and said, "Wow, this must be killing you," and responded assuring her that it was yet I still continued to sit there in my defeated silence.

Quite recently, I have been feeling that I am at a pivotal moment in my life where I have strong ideas about what I want to pursue and things I want to accomplish. Helping to make the planet more sustainable and helping people be more knowledgeable about their actions is VERY high on my list. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE AND PEOPLE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO IT.

Ecological Footprint (beginning of quarter)

After taking the Eco Footprint quiz... I discovered that if everyone lived like I do, we would need 3-9 planet Earths to sustain everyone.

I have set 3 goals for myself in trying to reduce my carbon footprint:

1. Ride my bike or take the bus to work over driving to work at least once more per week.
2. Unplug all of the electronic devices in my room if they are not in use (especially my computer).
3. I already eat as closely to a vegan diet as possible but have given in a few times to eating fish and select desserts. I have found that I eat many "snack" vegan products instead of spending time to cook and prepare real vegan meals for myself. My third goal is to stick to the vegan diet and to try a more "raw" approach - not quite so many vegan snack foods!


I think the goals I have set for myself for this quarter will be very attainable; although I can already think of challenges I may be faced with. If the weather is poor one day, it will make me want to stray from riding my bike or waiting at a bus stop. If I am stressed with school work or feel like I don't have enough time to ride my bike or the bus, I will want to drive to work.

I think planning my days accordingly will allow me to meet these goals. If I plan enough time to get ready for class in the morning, I won't be rushing out the door and forget to unplug my computer or my iHome. I will also have enough time to prepare fresh snacks instead of just grabbing a bag of whole wheat crackers or potato chips for a snack.

Wish me luck! Let's see how I do.