Home and Office Gardens, and a little compost too! May 9, 2008

Is your thumb in need of some greening? Get in touch with your inner green by designing a small and simple garden for your home or office. Consider growing a few herbs and vegetables in that small plot in the yard or on the roof-top of your office building. Such a project can benefit involved individuals, function to build communities and connect all to their dependence on the environment through food.

A garden produces food, but the act of planting and maintaining a garden has green advantages besides local, homegrown veggies. The garden in your home or office can be a community-building activity that encourages environmental awareness. It is relaxing hobby as well as an educational tool. Your family or staff can work individually or collectively on the garden, which itself can convey a connection between ourselves and the environment. Also note that gardens can positively contribute to the LEED certification of a building (make sure they meet LEED requirements for greenroofs though!).

To begin your garden:

1. Determine location: This will most likely depend on what space you have available and what type of plants you’d like to grow. Don’t worry if only a partially shaded spot is available because many plants thrive in those conditions. To determine what plants will do best in what conditions, whether you have a place in mind or have a plant in mind first, simply look at the facts provided on seed packets or tags.

2. Check your soil: Measure the pH of the soil and determine the type of soil you are working with such as sandy, rocky or clay. Match these soil conditions with the plant specifics on tags or seed packets. Soils can be improved with organic matter like compost.

3. Prepare the plot by either smothering or removing the pre-existing grasses and weeds. Consider constructing a raised-bed if you are designing a garden on a roof-top or another place where ground space is not available.

4. Plant: The plants can be started from seed in small pots indoors and then transplanted or grown strictly outside depending on the local climate of your area. Water your plants thoroughly when first planted.

5. General maintenance: Water (about 1 inch a week unless it rains), weed, remove old blossoms and ripe fruit promptly, and undertake general maintenance on a regular basis.

While you’re at it, homemade compost would go quite nicely with a newly planted garden. Compost can add nutrients in the form of organic matter that improve soil quality. Make the food cycle in your home or office full-circle by producing food and then turning your food waste into nutritious compost for your garden. No, it doesn’t have to be smelly. Just keep a tupperware container in your kitchen in which you and your family or staff can throw food scraps. Food items that are best included in compost are uncooked foods and non-meat items. When full, simply empty the compost into a larger heap or enclosed bin. If the compost is warm (between 90-140 degrees F) and moist (40-60% moisture content) then food waste is being degraded efficiently. The decomposition process requires oxygen so turn or mix the pile on a regular basis. When decomposed, apply the compost to your garden. For more info, check out these sites: howtocompost and The Compost Guide.

Good luck with your garden and enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Make Your Food Purchase a Little Greener (go on a low-carbon diet) April 24, 2008

I think that we can all agree that food is a pretty big part of our lives. Because food plays such a large role in our existence, it’s not hard to imagine that the production and transport of our food is a big contributor to our overall carbon footprint. Being a conscious shopper and consumer of food is a great way to lessen your impact on the globe. Here are a few things to consider the next time you are in the grocery store or eating out.

1. Transportation - Transporting the food that we eat is one of the biggest contributors to the food’s carbon cost. When thinking about the carbon cost of a food, it is important to take into account not only the distance that a food has traveled, but also how that food traveled. That is to say, it most likely takes far less fuel to ship French wine by sea to the east coast of the US than it does to ship the same amount of wine from California by land.

2. Ingredients - A product that uses many different ingredients will most likely be far more costly than a food that uses fewer ingredients. This is because in addition to the fuel it takes to gather and transport all of the ingredients to a central production site, it takes even more energy to put the ingredients together into the final product.

3. Energy - Consider the environmental cost of the food. For example, beef is a more costly source of protein than beans for several reasons. First of all, the beef accrues the carbon cost of the feed that it eats, while the beans get their energy from the best know renewable energy source, the sun. Secondly, beef has the negative environmental impact of its methane production, while beans have the positive impact of photosynthesis. Third, the production of beef has many more steps and by products than does the production of beans. Finally, the run-off from feedlots is far more harmful than any by-product of bean growth (so, if you eat less beef, you will also be helping the planet).

4. Size of operation – Generally speaking, food that is produced by smaller operations will have a smaller carbon cost than food that is produced in larger businesses. We will use the example of vegetable growth to illustrate this point. Larger operations will most likely use more large machinery in the growing and harvest process than will smaller operations and this means that larger operations will use more fuel. Larger operations are also more likely to use larger and more general applications of things like fertilizer and insecticides than will smaller operations. It is also important to think about the size of the provider. Large grocery store chains usually send all of their products to a central distribution site where it is stored and then redistributed to regional branches. Smaller groceries most likely do not have redistribution centers and this cuts out a leg of transportation, which ultimately saves fuel. In addition to added fuel costs, keeping produce cool and fresh while in storage uses energy and chemicals.

While it is true that no one factor is a good benchmark for judging a food’s greenness, using what information you know about a product, you can make informed choices that will help to decrease your carbon footprint. Generally speaking, food that travels a shorter distance, uses fewer total ingredients in its production, and is produced and/or provided by a small organization will be a good choice. If you want to get a rough idea of your food’s carbon footprint, check out this UK calculator. There are also plenty of ecological footprint calculators out there if you would like to determine your overall footprint.

An entirely different concept for business conferences April 18, 2008

There are so many business conferences being held every day around the world. They are a great way for people to network, share ideas, and educate themselves about the latest and greatest going on in their fields of interest. Generally attendees come away from the conferences feeling like they have met some amazing new people, learned valuable information that they can use to help their company or organization, and with lasting memories in tow. But what about the ecological impact of the conference?

I remember attending a conference about a year and a half ago and an announcement was made that one of the featured speakers and renowned professionals in the field was not going to be attending the conference because he stated that a conference on sustainability shouldn’t involve hundreds of people flying and driving in from all over the world to sit around and talk about sustainability. He was making a statement that he thought it was wrong to impose such a negative impact on our environment just to attend a conference. While one half of me found this somewhat admirable, the other half of me thought that it was a bit sad that we can’t find a way where people can come together to share ideas and thoughts and learn from one another without destroyed our natural world. There’s got to be such a thing as an ecologically correct conference, right????

If only a business conference could be like one of my favorite toys, the Buddha Board, we could all feel better about our participation in conferences. The Buddha Board is an artistic drawing board that uses water as its medium. Once you use the brush to create your artwork, it stays for just a few seconds before it fades away and you are left with a blank board once more. It is created under the principle that we should appreciate things while they last and then when they are gone, be OK with them being only temporary.

Now forget the way we think about typical business conferences today, and imagine a conference that is unlike any other conference you have been to before. Imagine that while you are at the conference you have the most meaningful and incredible experience of your life, but when it is over there is no trace of the conference other than the non-physical elements such as ideas, relationships, and memories. There was no waste, there was no pollution, there was no social inequity, and there was no negative impact to the environment. Of course it might be quite difficult to put together a conference such as this with the current restraints of our lifestyles, technologies, and social structures. But lets just assume it could be done and see where it takes us.

What if everyone coming to the conference had to walk or use some other form of human powered form of transportation to get to the conference? I would imagine that everyone who came to the conference would then have some pretty interesting stories to tell about their travels and would have a much better appreciation and sense of place about where they came from, where they arrived, and what was in between. We so often miss out on the details of the places we zoom by while we are in our cars or on airplanes.

What if the conference were held on a farm or other venue where the food being served was grown on site? This would eliminate the need for transporting the food from miles away, would help the conference attendees appreciate and connect more profoundly with their source of food, and would allow any leftovers to be kept for later meals.

What if the conference were held outdoors to eliminate the need for all that artificial lighting, heating, and cooling? We just eliminated all the energy impacts associated with a conference event. We are longer using fossil fuels to provide us with electricity, all we need is the sun to provide all our needs. Not to mention that the conference participants would continually feel the presence of the natural environment instead of being cooped up indoors all day.

What if part of the conference involved a restorative nature project where attendees created a positive net impact on the environment? This goes beyond just thinking of conferences as trying to have zero net impact on the environment. Why not go one step further and leave the area the conference was held in a better state? This would also give conference participants a hands on connection to the biology, and ecology of our planet.

How does all that sound? Would anybody be interested in this type of conference? I’m guessing yes!

Saving the World One Meal at a Time April 9, 2008

As spring approaches and the ground thaws, people around the country are starting to dust off the grills, put out the patio furniture, and some of us are starting to think about what delicious things will soon fill our summer gardens. For those of us that are not planning on having a produce aisle in a sunny section of the yard, the next best thing is the farmers’ market. Farmers markets are great for several reasons. First of all, the food found in the local market is often as fresh as it is going to get and fresh always tastes better. Secondly, supporting the local farmers’ market is always a good idea because it helps to support the local economy (only about 4 out of every 10 dollars spent at a chain store remains in the local community, versus 7 out of 10 for local businesses).

In addition to tasting great and being good for the community, farmers’ markets are good for the environment. Chances are that the food found at your local farmers’ market did not travel any great distances, which helps to keep carbon emissions down and your carbon footprint small (admittedly, there is still debate over the efficiencies of all local production, but efficiencies have been found to exist in many cases, though there may be exceptions). In addition, because producers in farmers markets are generally small operations, they are less likely to use large scale applications of fertilizer, insecticide and other chemicals, which is always an environmental plus. Not to mention that one of the great things about local farmers’ markets is that you get to eat what likes to grow in your area. This is a good thing because it means that a smaller amount of fertilizer and extra energy input was required to make the plant grow, which keeps the overall environmental cost of the plant low.

Now that we can all agree that farmers markets are great, we can all sit back this coming spring and summer and enjoy our locally grown dinners or lunches while saving our wallets and helping the world. There are farmers markets all over the country. Check out one near you. Happy eating!

1.

Planning a memorable, yet nature sensitive business conference March 31, 2008

Here are some things to think about when planning a conference or larger meeting:

 

 

 

Signs and Banners

Most conferences use large banners or signs to advertise for their event. These signs and banners have traditionally been made out of PVC, but there are starting to be more options for alternative material signs and banners. PVC has been found to be toxic because of its off gassing properties, and its production causes considerable amounts of pollution. Some examples of non PVC banners and signs are Eco-Flexx 100% Recycled Billboards, and Green Banners.

 

Travel

Travel effects from people coming from all over the world to attend business conferences are another great concern when it comes to the environmental impact of conferences. Assuming that most people are flying or driving to the conference, they are using fossil fuels to get them there, and this causes large amount of carbon emissions which contribute to global warming. Conferences with concern about this issue have started to offer carbon offsets to conference participants which balance out the carbon emissions from conference transportation by undergoing some other activity such as planting trees that will sequester carbon in the air.

 

Food & Drink

When somebody goes to conferences that keep participants there for most if not all of the day, the conference is generally assumed to provide food and drinks for participants. This creates another environmental problem because it is difficult to estimate the exact amount of food and drinks that will be required. Generally a large conference will end up with its fair share of wasted food and drinks by the end of the conference. One solution for this would be to arrange ahead of time to donate the leftover food and drinks to a food kitchen or some other organization that could use the items. Another is to compost the leftovers. Also, try not to use bottled water, disposable plates, cups, napkins, and utensils because this will all add up to big piles of trash that will be sent to the landfill. If you have to use disposable items, consider using ones that are biodegradable or recyclable.

 

Handouts

An important strategy for a Greener Conference is to minimize the amount of materials that are distributed at the conference. Every conference I have been to had so many paper handouts, pamphlets, schedules, brochures and packets that are distributed; you end up needing an extra bag just to tote them all around. Try to make as much of this material electronic instead of printing out all the materials. If you have to print things out, make sure that you are printing double sided, and are using paper that has recycled content, or is third party certified for being sustainable.

The leading authority on Green Meetings is the Green Meeting Industry Council. They provide some great resources on their website for planning a Green Meeting. The Convention Industry Council released a report on Green Conferences that can be found here.

An interesting article from CNet News.com takes a look at what some of the largest conferences in the country related to Green and Sustainable industries did to reduce their environmental impacts. Other great resources for tips, suggestions, statistics, and other information include: BlueGreen Meetings, Meet Green, the Sustainable Business Network, and The Conference People.

Start a Grassroots Green Movement at Work March 26, 2008

With economic uncertainty looming high for many companies, as an employee you may find your senior leadership unwilling to provide funding for eco-initiatives. While high-priced eco projects like carbon offsetting may be out of reach, there are several great ways to start a grassroots movement in your workplace to make some eco-inroads.

1. Start a Green Leaders Group at your Company

A grass-roots movement needs a solid base of supporters to get off the ground. Begin by publicizing a meeting for people interested in developing eco-initiatives for your workplace. At the meeting, brainstorm some ideas for small tasks you can tackle as a group. Assigning leaders from different departments is a great way to ensure that the eco-buzz permeates the entire company. If there is a central web portal for your company, consider posting a ‘press release’ to let people know that this group has formed, and let everyone know who the green leaders are.

2. Organize a Mug Drive to Decrease Styrofoam/Paper Cup Usage

We all have mugs at home, but many people will just simply forget to bring in a mug to work. One great initiative to get your eco-campaign started is to organize a mug drive. Ask people to donate a dollar to purchase a mug, or see if any vendors that your company works with would be willing to donate mugs (check with your HR department — many health care providers would be good bets for donating to this cause.) When the mugs arrive, consider putting signs up around the water cooler asking people to consider using a reusable mug instead of a disposable cup.

3. Work with your IT Department to Set Printers to 2-Sided Default Printing

With the switch of a button, your IT department most likely has the ability to set all printers in your company to 2-sided default printing. Not only will this small change help save your company money, but will help save paper too.

4. Create Better Signs for Recycling Bins; Create a 2-Sided Paper Bin Next to All Printing Stations

Make sure that paper recycling bins are properly marked. Consider taking an empty cardboard box and labeling it “2-sided paper” and place it next to each printer station. Encouraging people to use 2-sided scrap paper will be great for your paper saving initiatives!

5. Consider Purchasing “These Come from Trees” Stickers

This website sells stickers that say “Remember: These Come from Trees.” These stickers are great to put on paper towel dispensers in the bathroom or kitchen, by printers, or anywhere where you see paper waste occurring. You can access the sticker website by clicking here.

Overall, these are just several ideas to jump start a grass-roots eco initiative in your company. Starting a Green Leaders group or Green Team will help you tap into other like-minded people within your company, and other ideas are bound to come up! Good luck!

Rent a product, help the environment March 17, 2008

Chances are, if you’ve heard of the term ’service economy’, you have heard it used in the context of services (versus products) being provided to the general public. The term is also used in the business context to refer to the services that are offered with a product. The entire package is more of a ‘business solution’ approach than just a product. For example, a business may rent or lease a copier or carpet rather than buy it. The vendor will then install and service this product over the life of the lease.

By purchasing these services rather than the objects themselves, the business is not responsible for the care or disposal of the rented items. As a result, the vendor has a vested interest in the maintenance of its product, and is more likely to install, service and dispose of the product by the most efficient means possible. The vendor is also more likely to create a more durable and upgradable product in the first place, since this will lower replacement costs. This, in turn, results in reduced demand for energy and raw materials, since less products need to be manfactured, thereby decreasing the negative impact on the environment.

Thus, one of the steps business owners can take to make their business more environmentally-friendly is to rent rather than purchase a material good. In the business place, items such as carpeting and copiers are perfect examples of the potential for a service-based economy. One company that has been at the forefront for many year is Interface. Others that have joined, in the copier and computer sectors, include IBM and Xerox. You can also check with local companies that may lease or rent a wider range of electronics, such as Natco in the DC area.

Regardless of who you use, make sure to ask how they dispose of the product (they should have a take-back program), and if leasing electronics, request that they be Energy Star certified.

Colleges Leading the Way to a Greener Future! March 10, 2008

It appears that college greens are going green. A new trend of environmentally-friendly college campuses is sweeping the nation. Instigated by students, the movement calls for colleges and universities to practice the principles their students learn and advocate. The push reflects the growing sustainability movement and a world-wide call for action to combat climate change. But, most of all, college greening is a manifestation of student demands for attention towards environmental issues such as water conservation, waste reduction, organic foods and clean energy.

As large institutions with considerable buying power, college campuses have begun the greening process by altering purchasing habits. After all, college campuses consume a wide range of goods and services as well as a great deal of energy. Some schools have focused their efforts on the purchase of alternative energies such as wind power. Harvard University, for example, is the ninth-largest university purchaser of green power in the country, according to the EPA. Other colleges, like Middlebury College in Vermont, have plans to adopt alternative technologies such as the use of bio-mass as an energy source. Students and college facilities’ staff have engineered a method to promote energy conservation through dorm wars or dorm energy competitions with bragging rights for the dormitory that saves the most energy. Another initiative on college campuses is composting in the dining halls. By taking an environmentally-conscious approach to their operations, institutions of higher education can serve as examples of sustainable living for private and public entities on all scales.

Although the college greening movement is moving in the sustainable direction, some may argue that it’s just getting started. And yet, additional initiatives by students indicate that the trend is built to last. As well as energy conservation and composting, college students are encouraging their institutions to support environmental studies departments and integrate environmental education into the general curriculum. New leaders and followers of the environmental movement will be born out of these changes. A sustainable future is on the way, coming soon to a college campus near you!

Put Sunglasses on Your Windows: Get Solar Shades March 5, 2008

Tired of the sun in your eyes at work but still want to have some natural light? You (or your office manager) can reduce the exchange of heat and the effects of glare in the office by simply installing solar shades or some form of window treatment. Sun or solar shades are an easy addition to the windows in your workplace and increase comfort and productivity with the added bonus of saving energy and, with that, money. If you aren’t convinced, here is a more complete list of the benefits:

• Reduce glare

• Filter harmful UV rays

• Reduce fading of interior furnishings

• Provide daytime privacy while preserving visibility

• Reflect solar radiation to maintain cool indoor temperatures

• Retain heat to maintain warm indoor temperatures

Many shades now available are made of flexible films like mylar or various fabrics that can be set on rollers or motorized. Further, numerous varieties of solar shades exist including those that may be installed internally as window treatments or externally as awnings. Learn more and browse solar shades with the following websites:

• Sun-Shade Systems

• North Solar Screen

• Vale Shade

• The Shade Store

Creative and sustainable biking February 26, 2008

I have been an avid bike rider for years now, and I have used my bike to commute to work for the last several years. Last week I got several flat tires and realized that it was time for me to invest in some new tires that would be flat resistant. In trying to determine my options for what product to buy as well as what to do with my old tires, I couldn’t help thinking that this shouldn’t be any different than any other purchase I make or how I dispose of typical items.

Biking is considered a sustainable transportation option, but I wanted to know if there was a way to make the bicycle industry more sustainable as well. Typically bike frames and major components are made of metal and rubber, both of which aren’t sustainable materials because they incorporate non renewable natural resources and are very energy intensive to mold into bicycle parts.

I was pleased to find that there are other people out there that are thinking of this same issue, and one company that is leading the way is Calfee Design out of Europe. They produce bike frames out of bamboo, that’s right bamboo! They are each hand crafted and offer hemp joints as an alternative to the traditional carbon fiber. The first bamboo bikes were built in the 1890’s but the technology has advanced so much that the newer bamboo bikes have even won awards for best road bike and are used by some professional triathletes. Calfee Design has teamed up with Columbia University to create the Bamboo Bike Project which aims to create sustainable transportation for people in Africa. Carry Freedom is another company that is using bamboo for bicycle products, and has a website that shows you how to build your own bamboo bicycle trailer.

As for maintenance of bicycles, most greases, lubricants, and cleaners that are used are not very environmentally friendly. If we can come up with eco-friendly cleaners for our house, why not for our bikes? Well sure enough, there are several companies that offer alternative greases, lubricants, and cleaners that are derived from natural materials. Two such companies are Soy Clean, which offers a soy-based multipurpose lubricant, and Pedros, which offers a biodegradeable degreaser made form citrus extracts.

As anybody who frequently rides a bike knows, you tend to pile up a large quantity of bike parts and accessories that are no longer usable. So what should we do with all of our old bike tubes, tires, helmets, non compatible parts, old models, etc? Although it is still difficult to find a place to recycle many of these bike parts, the options continue to grow every day. Some of the unique and creative uses that people are finding for old bike parts now include:

- using bike tubes to make bags, belts, and wallets.

- using gears to make wall clocks, and tea light holders

- using chains to make bottle openers and picture frames (Resource Revival)

- using wheels, frames, and seats to make furniture (Frida Ottemo Kallstrom, Andrew Gregg, Bike Furniture Design) as well as pot racks

The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute has good information and resources if you are wondering what your options are for recycling your old bicycle helmets. Repurposing items we buy is a great way to be more sustainable, so why not find some Maybe other uses for our bicycles than just for transportation purposes. Well, someone has even come up with a bicycle powered washing machine. Now that’s what I would call getting the most out of your bicycle.

Of course there are also many programs in the country for recycling bicycles that either take unwanted bikes and give them to others who want bicycles, or disassemble the bikes and reuse the parts to create new bikes. When purchasing a bicycle, consider buying a used bike instead of a new one. I myself bought a used bike and was able to get a cheaper price, a good quality bike, and a good feeling about keeping an older bike out of the landfill.

Happy biking!