May 12th, 2009
Recycling Our Way to a More Sustainable Future
Stumble it!
Written by Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco, courtesy of CleanTechnica.com
San Francisco is a city that knows how to recycle. We work hard to give new life to our paper, bottles, cans and other waste.
New statistics released today show we are keeping 72 percent of all discards from going to the landfill – up from 70 percent the year before.
That’s a big leap for one year. The most significant gains came from the recycling of material from building sites – due in large part to our 2006 mandatory Construction and Demolition Debris Recovery Ordinance.
By requiring builders to recycle debris from construction projects, we were able to divert tens of thousands of new tons of material away from the landfill. This ordinance is unique in that it doesn’t require deposits or bonds, making it small business-friendly and limiting the amount of bureaucracy needed to implement the program.
When it comes to our recycling programs, we’re always in the development phase. In order to meet our ambitious goal of 75 percent recycling by 2010 and zero waste by 2020, we are constantly looking for additional materials to recycle, and for emerging markets to make use of our recyclables.
A few years back we developed—along with the company Recology, our partner in recycling — an innovative program to collect food scraps and turn them into organic soil. Local farms and vineyards now use this soil to grow crops, which are then sold back to consumers in San Francisco. We close the loop locally.
We’ve also recently started recycling almost all types of plastic. We take everything except plastic bags and Styrofoam. Most of it gets made into plastic molding and bender board.
A seventy-two percent diversion rate from the landfill is something to be proud of, and I congratulate every San Francisco resident, business, and visitor who helped us along the way. But we can’t rest on our laurels, not when there are so many valuable resources still going to the dump.
We recently conducted a waste stream analysis and discovered that about two thirds of the stuff people throw away—half a million tons each year—could have been recycled or turned to compost. If were able to capture everything, we would have a recycling rate of 90 percent.
That’s why I’ve introduced an ordinance that will make it mandatory for everyone —homeowners, businesses, or renters — to use our recycling and composting programs. If we can get food scrap collection service into large apartment buildings that currently don’t have it, we’re going to see another great year for recycling.
On a final note, the flip side to how much you recycle is how little you send to the landfill. Our disposal tonnage is the lowest it’s been in over 30 years. Our recycling programs can and have been implemented in cities around the world. For more info on our recycling programs please visit - http://www.sfenvironment.org/.
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May 5th, 2009
Make It a Green Mother’s Day!
Mother’s Day is this Sunday–why not celebrate your mom in eco-style? Spring has sprung and there is no better way to fete your fabulous mama than with some thoughtful green treats.
First off, how about buying NOTHING for your mom and instead spending some special time together? You don’t need to consume anything to give a special gift. Take her on a nature hike– or to an arboretum or a museum. Or you could pack a picnic and take a bike ride. Or if your mom is a culture-vulture like mine, you can take her to a play.
Or how about a spa visit? What woman doesn’t love that? None that I know! Spa Index offers a list of eco-friendly and socially responsible spas. Many offer overnight accommodations or you can enjoy a simple afternoon of pampering. Spaaahh! And if you can’t afford a spa treatment, how about getting some nice scented oil and giving your mom a massage at home? You can follow it up with some lovely herbal tea. Eco and economical!
Flowers are a common Mother’s Day gift– but cut flowers only last a week or less, and end up in the trash. How about replacing flowers with a potted plant like an orchid or bamboo? These will continue to give your mom joy and a green boost throughout the year. Check out the amazing array of plants available from Monrovia.
If you had something more practical in mind, a set of our favorite reusable shopping bags from Olive Smart Bags may be just the thing for your green mom. Everyone needs more than one reusable bag when they go to the store, but who wants to carry six bulky totes? The Olive Smart Sack is small enough to fit in the cup holder of your car - never to be forgotten. In the Sack, are 6 colorful reusable bags each holding 20% more than a plastic bag.
Or if you want to pamper your mom with some lovely products, how about a glorious gift basket from Lula Organics? Lula Organics’ baskets contain products that were carefully selected because of their promise to strive for a healthier, more sustainable planet. Ingredients are natural and organic, paraben free, laureth sulphate free and free of synthetic scents and colors. Their baskets are all recyclable or reusable containers and they use biodegradable cellophane and cornstarch peanuts. What’s not to love?
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April 21st, 2009
A Green Home Contest for the Midwest
Springtime is the perfect time to go green, so Low Impact Living is very happy to announce a new green home contest for the Midwest. If you live within 300 miles of the Windy City and you live in a green home or want to make your current home greener, you’re eligible to compete. Low Impact Living and the Hotel InterContinental Chicago challenge you to make your home as green as you can!
We’re going to reward the greenest home and homeowners with a luxurious 3-night stay at the LEED-certified, greenest hotel in the Second City, the Hotel InterContinental. In addition, the winner will be treated to an eco-friendly stay in Chicago which includes tasty local cheeses and bio-dynamic wine at the adjoining ENO restaurant, a $50 gift certificate to the green clothing boutique Pivot and a gift from Chicago’s greenest boutique, Green Heart. More on the hotel and the prizes in a minute!
Low Impact Living will identify the single family home (and its proud owners) that has the lowest Low Impact Living Index (calculated using our Environmental Impact Calculator), and we’re going to share with you what that family has done to get there. Don’t worry if you haven’t done big projects like installing solar panels or a wind turbine - as the calculator shows, many of the best green home projects are simple and inexpensive. We’ll show you how to identify projects to make your home more eco-friendly. The contest will close on June 15, 2009. So you have time to make green changes!
What you have to do to enter
1. Visit our Household Environmental Impact Calculator and calculate your base LILI (Low Impact Living Index). It will only take five-ten minutes to use the calculator and create an account.
2. Once you’ve entered all of your base inputs, move on to the “select projects” page of the calculator. Make sure you only check projects that you’ve finished (or will finish by June 15th) before you log out.
3. Make sure that you log out or save your profile before leaving — if you just move on to another web site without logging out, your inputs could be lost.
4. If you’ve already created an account through our calculator, then you need to return and, log in again. We’ve added some new features recently, and they won’t work unless you refresh your account.
5. We realize the calculator isn’t all-encompassing yet, so there may be projects that you’ve done that don’t show up. If this is true, send us an email at contest@lowimpactliving.com describing what you’ve done. Low Impact Living staffers will review your efforts and award up to a 5% additional deduction for compelling projects.
How we’ll select the winner
The contest closes on June 15, 2009, and we will announce the winner on July 1. This will give us time to check with the finalists to make sure that they’ve completed all of their checked projects. (Past entrants to our green home contests are not eligible.)
If you are a finalist (in our top 10 lowest LILI scores), we may ask you to verify that your projects are actually completed, via photos or receipts / invoices for work performed. We’ll also ask for your address (not to be published!) so that we can verify entered information about your home. If you’re a winner, then you have to be willing to let us share your projects and process with everyone via our blog, and to provide us with the photos and project descriptions necessary to do that. You’ll become a green star overnight!
What you could win!
The greenest homeowner will receive three nights at the luxe Hotel InterContinental in Chicago (valid until May 2010). Chicago’s only Green Seal certified and Energy Star rated hotel, the InterContinental is partially housed in a historic tower built in 1929 and overhauled in 2009 with state-of-the-art, energy-saving appliances and fixtures (talk about recycling!) Located on the city’s Magnificent Mile, the hotel is within walking distance of Lake Michigan, stores, the Loop, and the Art Institute. The hotel’s historic, junior Olympic size pool is recognized as one of the best indoor pools in the U.S. and is included in Chicago’s major architectural tours.
The InterContinental is continuously improving its environmental performance through the development and sharing of best practices, training and recognition of excellence. In addition to utilizing innovative technology to conserve energy as well as reducing and recycling the waste it produces, the property is also committed to promoting effective environmental management to its key vendors and contractors. In addition, the hotel is mindful of purchasing local products and eco-friendly products to reduce carbon emissions.
ENO, the InterContinental’s chic wine, cheese and chocolate lounge, boasts organic and biodynamic wines and local cheeses and chocolates. The winner will experience the unique and artisan offerings of this Second City favorite, merely a few steps from your room.
The winner will also receive a $50 gift card from Pivot Boutique, which opened in September 2007 and is Chicago’s first boutique devoted to eco-fashion. The store’s designers use organic or sustainable materials and processes to create chic clothing, accessories and gifts.
Finally, the prize-winner will also receive a specially-selected gift from Green Heart Shop, Chicago’s only non-profit, eco friendly, fair trade store.
So, good luck, and get to greening, you Heartlanders!
Popularity: 8% [?]
April 6th, 2009
Cities Leading the Way to Sustainability
Until recently, the federal government wasn’t what we would consider a friend of the environment. Fortunately, some cities have spent the last few years (or decades!) looking forward, and have worked hard to implement sustainable practices and policies.
All of the cities discussed below have wide-reaching programs for improving their impact on the environment, including transportation, energy use, and water conservation. Here’s what a few of the forward-thinking cities in this great country of ours have been up to.
Portland, Oregon
Long known as a mecca for green – both the leafy kind and the environmental kind – Portland reins supreme over many a list of America’s greenest cities Why? Because they do it all. As the first city in the country to adopt a plan to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions, Portland managed to reduce their emissions to 17% below 1990 levels by 2007 (when adjusted for population growth). With results like that, it’s hard to argue the City’s green cred.
But that achievement only fueled Portland’s fire to make further reductions. The City has set a goal for receiving 100% of the power used in municipal operations and facilities from renewable sources, and has retrofitted traffic signals with energy-sipping LEDs, saving 3% of emissions and $265,000 per year.
Portland also uses unique methods for implementing sustainable practices, including getting their citizens involved. For example, to eliminate the use of pesticides in parks, the City enlists volunteers to help staff with weeding. They have also implemented integrated pest management methods. After a successful three-year trial program at three parks, two additional parks have been added to the program. These simple changes, partnered with a little hard work, provide Portland’s citizens with tons of pesticide-free green space.
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is working hard to green their city – their Climate Action Plan has set a goal for reducing carbon emissions to 25% below 1990 levels by 2020. Ambitious, considering the plan was just released last year.
To address the issue of energy use, the City is investing heavily in cogeneration, a method for creating electricity that also makes use of the heat generated in the process. Heat is a byproduct of electricity production that is usually just vented into the atmosphere. Cogeneration uses the heat from burning fuel to heat water, producing steam that in turn runs a turbine, producing additional electricity. Any additional heat can be used to heat the building housing the cogeneration system. This method is expected to supply 1.5 billion kilowatts of energy, enough for 25% of the increase in use in Chicago during 2000 – 2010.
In addition to addressing energy use, Chicago has launched many other initiatives, including a Green Office Challenge to motivate offices to reduce their eco-impact, and establishing drop off locations for expired or unused prescriptions. Oddly, many people flush their prescriptions, adversely affecting our water supply and wildlife
Boston, Massachusetts
Like Chicago, the City of Boston has specific goals for reducing its carbon footprint, and is tackling energy use as a means to meet those goals. Plans are in the works for a methane-fed power source, based on the grass clippings of Boston residents. The City has also announced its new Boston Buying Initiative, a program that will combine the energy purchasing power of small businesses. The initiative will not only reduce costs for small businesses struggling to make ends meet in this difficult economy, but will provide access to tools and resources to cut energy use, saving even more money and reducing their impact on the environment. Other initiatives focus on improving buildings and structures, transportation, and land and water use.
Austin, Texas
The City of Austin, known mostly for its music scene and as the home of the University of Texas, also sports a reputation as the most progressive of Texas cities. In regards to the environment, Austin sets the standards for the state – an important role, considering three of the country’s largest cities are in Texas (Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas).
If you’re at all familiar with Austin, then you likely know about Barton Springs Pool – an oasis of natural beauty and abundance that only adds to Austin’s uniqueness. Under threat from commercial development, efforts to protect not just the springs but all of Austin’s water supply are seen in many aspects of Austin’s plans for sustainability. For example, the Green Building Program includes many water-related requirements, including protecting native plants, minimizing water used for landscaping, and educating contractors on water conservation.
Other programs include “Dillo Dirt,” (Texan translation: ‘dillo is short for armadillo) a compost made from residents’ landscaping trimmings and sewage sludge. A Heat Island Containment Policy provides incentives and requirements for reflective roofs and shade tree plantings, thus reducing the City’s heat island effect (Austin certainly doesn’t need to be any hotter in the summer!)
San Francisco
Though California as a whole enjoys a reputation of leadership when it comes to environmental progress, many early steps are first taken in San Francisco. For example, San Fran was the first city to ban single-use plastic bags, a move that many other cities are following.
Perhaps surprisingly, San Francisco has also jumped into solar energy production with both feet. Turns out, solar panels work just fine in the fog…who knew? After a successful installation at Moscone Convention Center generated enough electricity to fully power it during events, the City started installations at many different municipal facilities. Residents, too, are joining the bandwagon. Check out this cool solar map to see all of the installations! San Francisco also focuses on broader issues like environmental justice (clean food, water, and air for all!), zero waste, and toxics reduction.
We’re thankful for the local leadership that has paved the way towards sustainable cities. With a new president and a new focus on greening our country, expect to see even more initiatives coming soon to your city!
Popularity: 3% [?]
February 20th, 2009
Build Your Own Free Tiny House with Shipping Pallets
Written by Brian Liloia, courtesy of Green Building Elements.com
Last week I talked about how to live simply and decrease your carbon footprint living in a tiny house. Even better than buying a tiny house is making your own, and Michael Janzen is blazing a trail with his free tiny pallet house. Not only is his house made out of recycled shipping pallets, it isn’t costing him anything to build. And lucky for us, he’s sharing his plans so you too can build your own tiny free house.
You can save money, sharpen your DIY skills, and further decrease your environmental impact by following Janzen’s example of building a free pallet house.
Keep pallets out of landfills
Here are some disturbing statistics about shipping pallets:
- Approximately 40% of all hardwood harvested in the U.S. is for making shipping pallets
- About two-thirds of pallets are used only once before being thrown out
- 1/4 of all wood in landfills is from used pallets
You can help prevent deforestation and keep pallets out of landfills by finding creative alternative uses for them, like building a house. Pallets can be found everywhere. Once you start looking for them, you’ll see them scattered all over your town or city.
Contact a local warehouse, supermarket, or any business that receives large shipments, and get permission to pick up their used pallets. Most companies are happy to give their pallets away.
Plans for a free pallet house
Janzen has made plans for building a free pallet house available on his website. These plans are a guide for building what he calls a disaster preparedness and emergency shelter. Janzen says:
As hurricane Gustav plowed across Cuba headed for the gulf coast of the United States memories of Katrina and the potential displacement of thousands got me thinking. I wanted to do something to help. It occurred to me that someone else might find what I now about building with shipping pallets useful in the coming weeks and months.
With some creativity, you may find that shipping pallets can be reappropriated in other ways to build your own free tiny house. For example, I have a friend that has disassembled shipping pallets and used the wood to build roof trusses for his straw bale building.
Ultimately, you can help prevent deforestation and keep pallets out of landfills by using them to build creative housing.
Think tiny and free!
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