Green Businesses Walk the Talk

We recently had our annual environmental forum for faculty and staff of the university. This year, our focus was on green purchasing decisions. Consistent with previous years, we tried to make the event as sustainable as possible. We offered organic coffee, local food by local caterers, and biodegradable utensils (with composting bins available for disposal, of course!) Our biggest accomplishment of sustainability for the day was that we were able to broadcast live to satellite campuses so that those who wished to attend did not have to travel. We had two keynote speakers from Rutgers University: Kevin Lyons, chief procurement officer, and Magda Comeau, green purchasing manager. They gave an interesting and lively talk about how Rutgers became involved in green purchasing. They introduced us to their program, how it got started, and what successes and barriers they’ve had along the way. They gave us a detailed explanation of what their standards are and went through the process of how they choose their products.

Prior to the forum, the world of purchasing was unknown to me. I learned a lot from all of the speakers at the forum, most especially the keynotes. I was amazed at how specific and detailed their process is for choosing a product. It is a big accomplishment that they have gotten companies to live up to their ‘green’ promises.  They’ve been able to make a business prove they actually evaluate the environmental impact of their products or actions and are not just taking part in green washing. Rutgers is one of many setting an example of how a university can be a green leader in a community. Their successes were very encouraging to me and I hope that those from purchasing of our university learned something new to integrate into our already green processes so we can continue to grow as a sustainable community.

Green Technologies: More Education Required

It’s great to see that environmental awareness and ‘green’ technologies continue to grow. In just a few years I’ve seen in an increase in the use and availability of reusable shopping bags, biodegradable plastics, energy efficient products, reusable water bottles and coffee mugs, to name a few. But, with the emergence of new products and technologies, some confusion exists. Products and services are being advertised to the public as a way for them to “go green”, but they are not informed of the whole truth. Some information isn’t disclosed about these products and this information is beneficial to get the environmental benefit out of the product or service; specifically with biodegradable plastics/products and recycling.

Biodegradable products and plastics are becoming very popular. Take-out containers, disposable flatware, and coffee cups are a few examples of the many biodegradable products becoming available at businesses and events. These products are usually made from corn starch and will break down with exposure to sunlight, air, water, and microorganisms. Since these products need the elements to break down, it is unlikely they will ever degrade if they are thrown into the landfill. Landfills are anaerobic, so bioplastics are no better than regular plastics once they arrive in the landfill. These products should actually be composted so they can react with the necessary elements to properly degrade. Since this information is not well known, events or businesses that choose this green option usually don’t provide compost bins for customers, thus adding these products to the landfill forever.

Recycling is another tricky technology. Even those that aren’t into the green movement can still manage to recycle since it has been made easy and convenient. But, one should take the time to familiarize themselves with what items are actually recyclable and which are not. Each recycling center has its own guidelines as to what products it accepts, but many of the acceptance policies for plastic are the same across the board. The ‘chasing arrows’ on the bottom of containers have become misleading. They do not indicate if a product is recyclable, the number in the arrows represents what the product is made from. For example, plastics #1 and #2 are widely accepted as long as they don’t have any added material or dyes. Plastics #3, #5, and #7 are almost never accepted due to their content. Also, any plastic caps on a bottle or jug cannot be recycled. They are made from different materials than the bottle and will cause contamination in the recycling process.

Doing a quick Google search can prove to be beneficial when trying to live green. One can learn a lot of information about all these new green products and technologies to become better educated on how to save the planet, properly.

The Science Guy shares his story

Last month on campus we had our student environmental forum. As an intern of those who host these forums twice a year (one for the faculty and one for students), I was able to participate in the planning process.  We had Bill Nye (the science guy) as our keynote speaker and featured demonstrations from environmentally conscience groups across campus.  Prior to the event the student planners were able to have dinner and chat with Bill Nye. This would prove to be an experience I would never forget.

Throughout dinner, Nye was interested in hearing what our majors and extracurricular activities were, what career path we were heading for and why/how we got interested in environmental issues. Nye told us how he felt about some current issues and how he has been able to live his life greener. His efforts and thoughts were encouraging.  It showed that it is not just the ‘average Joe’ trying to conserve electricity to save himself money. But, it is a movement and a consensus from people everywhere that there is a problem and action needs to be taken.

He had many great tips for us students and he had a refreshing perspective on many issues. As the keynote speaker to over 4,000 students at the university, he shared those tips and perspectives and I hope each member of the audience took something away with them that they can use in their own life.

The wind blowing in my hair….is it a green choice?

As Memorial Day began, so did the first over-eighty-degree, sunny, humid day of my summer. As I was driving home from the Memorial Day festivities (in my car that had sat in the sun for hours) a debate began in my head on which was more fuel efficient: having the windows down or having the air-conditioning on? This question has plagued me since I began driving and with gas approaching $4 a gallon, I wanted a final answer!

            When I got home, I read through many articles and finally came up with an answer (sort-of): it depends. The method of cooling that is best for the environment and your car’s fuel efficiency depends on the speed you are traveling at. For stop-and-go city/town traffic, it is more fuel efficient to drive with the windows down. But, as speed increases to around 45-55 mph fuel efficiency is maximized by having the air-conditioning on. This is due to the large amount of wind drag that occurs from having windows open at high speeds.

            So, I guess the real answer is to use your own judgment. Most websites tossed around a 10-20% gain of fuel efficiency when drivers made the correct cooling choice based on their speed. Good luck, and I wish you all happy, safe and cool summer driving!

Understanding the Urgency

I am extremely interested in wind power, so when the opportunity arose to attend a local community’s forum to oppose a proposed wind farm, I didn’t have to think twice. I have attended similar events before and I  prefer to be a ‘fly on the wall’. I write lots of notes and jot down things I would like to research further based on  accusations. Prior to attending this forum, I heard news coverage of why the wind farm was being turned down, and the outdated opinions of the area shocked me. But, I didn’t realize how serious the problem was until I attended.

The first speakers were two men who lived near a recently installed wind farm in the area. They talked of horrific jet-engine and braking-train sounds that the turbines made when the wind blew hard. They also discussed the significant deforestation required to install all the turbines. They encouraged the community to do its homework and not to rush in to the wind farm, as their community had. “Do your homework and find out if it’s the right thing to do…and keep in mind that you don’t have to do it today.” That statement began a theme for the night. 

As the speakers went on, the depth of this problem seemed to deepen. A conservation biologist showed many graphs and statistics of how unhelpful wind power was in reducing our use of fossil fuels. As he was showing a bar chart of the billions of tons of green house gas emissions predicted for 2020, he pointed to a small green portion at the top of bar. This represented the reduction of emission that wind power is projected to contribute in 2020. From where I was sitting, I could clearly see that, relative to the scale of the graph, this green amount was about 1-2 billion pounds of green house gas reduction.  Only an hour into the three hour forum, I thought I was going to have to leave. I could not believe that he was claiming a 1-2 billion pound reduction was insignificant. While only a small portion of the emissions, any reduction is a good reduction, in my opinion. He also failed to pair wind power with other renewable technologies such as solar, biomass or hydro. Small impact when separated, but in combination could potentially greatly reduce emissions.

As the meeting went on, again residents of the community were encouraged to “wait” (someone suggested up to 5 years!)and that “now was not the time”.  I couldn’t understand how the community could not see that NOW is the time. The technology is here and its proved to be beneficial in more ways than one. Our emissions need to be reduced and wasteful habits must be changed. I don’t feel the urgency is understood in situations like this. I don’t have the answers, but there has to be away to motivate people to action on these issues.

I believe conservation is the most important issue. If we didn’t need the electricity, we wouldn’t have to disturb the land to put up the turbine to produce it. But, again, this issue was almost untouched. In the extra hour the forum went on, only a handful of citizens were left to hear the fifth speaker. She was the ONLY speaker who talked of conservation being important. Again, shocking.

Renewable/Alternative energy is needed. Conservation is needed. And the time is now.

Increase the Green

It seems that recently, ‘green’ or environment awareness has exploded! At the mall or in catalogs t-shirts with phrases such as ‘Love me.. I recycle’, ‘Green your footprint’ or ‘Green is the new Black’ are becoming common.  Many grocery stores offer re-usable bags and a friend of mine who works at a grocery store commented that most customers in her line bring their own bag. More ‘Whole grain’ or ‘organic’ food labels are popping up on the shelves. Even Clorox has come out with ‘Green Works’ , a line of environmentally friendly cleaning products.

Another increase I have noticed is the appreciation for Environment majors. As college students go, I’m a rare case. I’ve known what I wanted to do since junior year of high school and I’ve stuck with it. But, back in high school when I would explain what my dream future career was, most would look at me strange as to wonder why I would ever want to major in THAT. Flash-Forward to the current and my environment based major doesn’t seem so strange anymore. Now I mostly receive excitement or questions when I explain to people what my major is and what I hope to have a career in.

Although the awareness I see is commonly commercial, it is refreshing to see people my age wearing T-shirts that express the same beliefs I have. Also, to finally hear encouragement from those who are beginning to realize the environment is important is also great. The awareness is growing, lets hope it keeps spreading.

On Vs. Off Campus Student Living

Inspired by the work I do at my internship (promoting energy conservation in the residence halls) I have compiled a list comparing how you can save not only on campus but if you live off campus:

On campus students DO actually pay for their wastefulness (25% of housing bill goes to energy costs).  But there are plenty of ways to save. On top of all the suggestions on the Take Charge website (www.takecharge.psu.edu) I have a few suggestions of my own:

• At the dining halls…..Try to eat in the dining area rather than taking your food back in a plastic bag or Styrofoam container. This will reduce your trash.
• Laundry…..Students have to pay for laundry in the dorms ($1 wash, $0.75 dry). So be sure to do full loads only, this will reduce water waste AND less loads can save you money! Also, try to do your wash in cold water; it saves a ton of energy.
• Report drafty windows to your RA, asap!

Since there is already a large website page dedicated to saving on campus, I’ll focus on off campus savings, since most apartment renters see their wastefulness first hand each month in their bills. Here are some suggestions that can save a lot of money (the environment too!)

• Most Realtors require tenants to pay electric/heat bill.
• Cooking for yourself…..Buy reusable grocery bags (normally only a few dollars). This can reduce the buildup of plastic bags in the landfills and some stores even give you a discount if you bring your own bag. If you do have plastic bags around your apartment, take them to a local store to have them recycled. If you bring a lunch to campus, use reusable lunch totes and sandwich wraps (check out: www.reusablebags.com for stylish suggestions)
• Dishes…..If you do dishes by hand, shut the water off while drying a dish or when soaping up, saving small amounts of water at a time can really add up. If you’re lucky enough to have a dishwasher, be sure to do only full loads, like laundry.
• Laundry…..if you have to go to the Laundromat, just like on campus, you have to pay per load. It’s a little more expensive so again, full loads will save you. Some Laundromats offer a reduced price if you wash ‘cold only’. If you DO have a washer/dryer in your apartment, full loads will save on bills and cold water will save hot water for other things!
• Lighting…..light bulbs are always the responsibility of the tenant. Change out incandescent for fluorescent. They’re pricier, but if you split a pack of 4 for $7 between roommates it’s not so bad. Plus they can save on electric bills.
• Keep your realtor informed…..It’s their responsibility to maintain the property, so if there are leaky faucets or drafts report them ASAP. You can save them or yourself money and reduce huge wastes. Also, if they don’t use low-flow shower ($5 at Wal-Mart) and faucet heads suggest they do, or change them out yourself (be sure to keep the old and put them back when you move out!!)

Money and energy saving lifestyle changes can be pretty small. Hope this list can help some of you money strapped or environmentally conscience college students out there!

Power Point; The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

All the advances in technology have made schooling and education much more interactive and convenient; easy and speedy e-mail contacts, online classes, lectures etc. The most popular use of technology I have seen is professors that write up their lectures on power point and require students to print them out each class.

I bought notebooks for each class this semester, only to soon realize that most of my professors would rather write the notes for me in power point. Now, power point IS a great assistant to presentations, especially in front of a large group.  But, requiring students to print out the exact lectures prior to class not only reduces the chance of keeping their attention, it allows the professor to get through the lecture and material at lightning speed. But, of most concern is the waste of paper that amounts from most students being required to do this. It is said that the average American uses more than 700 pounds of paper in a year (an EPA statisic). With about 40,000 students at Penn State, most who need to print lectures daily and assuming this large usage falls under the average 700 lbs/year, this would amount in 28,000,000 pounds of paper at the Penn State campus per year!

 I’m not suggesting power point be eliminated from the classroom (I don’t know how I’d learn anything in my 500 student physics class without it!) But, I’m sure this waste could be reduced. Allow students to take their own notes and then access the power points later online to add where necessary. Another alternative could be a simple one page outline and let students add in their own notes. This would require only one page of printing as opposed to the usual 5-6 pages for a presentation.

 Next semester I’m going to wait to buy notebooks until I learn whether I actually have to take notes or not. Until then, I’m glad plenty of recycling options are available; it makes this whole situation a little easier to digest.

Finals affect on conserving

Finals week comes not just once…but twice a year. Its a time when students run on little to no sleep, little to no nutritious foods, and a lot of caffeine. I know that I am no exception. With this semester’s finals week about half over, I have already found myself lacking in life skills due to the irregularity of my studying habits. So what does this have to do with energy conservation? I’ll tell you.

In all honesty, conserving energy is mostly about paying attention to little details of your actions, deciding if they are wasteful or not and if they are, working on changing those habits. But with lack of sleep, my attention span is very short, reducing the attention I can dedicate to my actions and I know I am not alone. I started thinking about the affect of finals week and how it may increase the amount of energy wasted on campus and here are a few examples:

-Lack of sleep, loss of attention. Last night while I was brushing my teeth I became preoccupied with straightening up my bathroom not realizing that I had left the water running, which is an obvious do-not of a conserver like me. But if multiple students do the same thing I did, it could result in hundreds of gallons of wasted water!

-All Nighters. The dedicated student who pulls an all nighter uses a lot of electricity. Most likely needing a computer to do work, a room light and desk light on. With all the students who pull all nighters on this campus, that’s a lot of extra energy use.

-24 Hour everything. The library is open 24 hours. Computer labs are open 24 hours. Starbucks is open 24 hours. The buses run later. All these things are obviously great resources to students but they are huge extra energy uses.

I’m not suggesting a change of behavior from students or the university. Resources being open, staying up late and doing whatever you need to do to get the grade are totally necessary during finals week. But when I started to think about it, it was surprising how much extra we all use in just this one week.

Defrosters could be your enemy.

I jumped in my car this morning to run to the store to pick up some some things before I had to catch the bus. Since it was cold out, and as an almost habit, I turned on my front and rear defrosters as soon as I started my car. This action did not cross my mind again until a few hours later…

It would have normally not crossed my mind at all but, this morning in my 9:05 class we had a speaker presenting on sustainability. He gave us an overview of many things we could do to reduce our carbon footprint and save ourselves money. One of the money saving subjects was on improving our gas mileage. He suggested such things as being sure our tire pressure is good and not letting your car run to ‘warm up’ for more than 1 minute. These things I had known, but a surprising suggestion he had for us was NOT to turn on the defrosters as soon as you start the car since it will pull away energy from the engine and decrease gas mileage. It is better to wait until the car gets a little warmer, then turn it on (the air will be warmer anyway!)

I chose to write about this piece of advice because I felt it was surprising and probably a fact not commonly known. So, here is a simple and easy way to improve gas mileage and save yourself some money!