Sign-up Now and “Share” to Shift Our Disposable Cup Habit and Create Community-wide Change

A post by Karin de Weille

Here in Seattle, we’ve taken the lead in recycling. Now we need to push the envelope by shifting to reuse. In the U.S., we use about half a million disposable hot-beverage paper cups every 15 minutes. And that number has increased by a third in a mere four years.

See this picture with the Statue of Liberty? It’s an image produced by the Seattle photographer Chris Jordan (from his Ted talk). The frame is filled with columns of stacked paper cups. See the little notch on the bottom left? That’s two tiny people looking up—at the cups America uses in a single day.

Our addiction to convenience is getting out of control. Recycling is better than landfill but does that mean we get to be wasteful, extruding a veritable torrent of disposable, single-use items, plowing through the resources burned up for the sake of a product used once and then tossed? Let’s take a closer look…

Manufacturing paper cups is extremely resource-intensive, using tons of wood, water and energy. Then there’s the plastic and palettes we use for transport, the trucks (and the cost of manufacturing these), the miles of road they travel, the fuel they burn, the greenhouse gases suffusing our atmosphere...

For about ten minutes, the cup holds my hot drink. Then I throw it away. It makes me want to say, Never mind, I’ll bring my own. Really, please don’t bother.

But that’s not the end of it. Let’s add in the cost of composting and recycling: the trucks that hit the road to pick up all this waste, the cost of manufacturing them, the fuel they burn, the road they wear down, the cost of the facilities that must do all the composting and recycling, etc. And what about the cost of loading it all on ships and moving it halfway across the world to China, where most of Seattle’s recycled material ends up? Add to that the fact that paper recycling is really downcycling, your cup will eventually end up in a landfill no matter what.

All for the sake of a cup you use for ten minutes and then toss. Yes, recycling is good—when there is no alternative. But does it give us permission to create waste? That’s backwards! We still need to conserve all we can, by using the store’s mugs or bringing our own.

Let’s lead the way here in Seattle, as we did on recycling. No reason to stop now and be satisfied with the status quo. The next step in the evolution of consciousness is reuse. And it’s nothing new. It’s a natural practice that has only recently been derailed. People have always hung onto stuff, including our parents and grandparents. Throwing stuff out thoughtlessly is a new phenomenon, manufactured by the entrepreneurs of the 50s who realized that disposability consciousness was a cash cow and set about brainwashing us. Let’s take charge of our own minds and behavior now.

We’ll take three weeks, starting with Green Fest on May 21. Visit www.NewWorldHabits.org for details and sign up now. Signing on is critical since only then can our individual habit change inspire others, creating a community-wide shift. And so is sharing. Let’s make this grow together. Within weeks, a collective shift in habits can take place—let’s keep moving forward into the future, at a pace we can be proud of.

What you can do to use less oil

This is post 2 of a 5 part series. Previously:

Deepwater Horizon should surprise nobody

In yesterday's post, I wrote about the inevitability of a disaster like what we're seeing unfold in the Gulf of Mexico right now, given our economy's deep reliance on fossil fuels. This information is only useful if we can do something about it, and today's post will address the first level of that: actions we can all take to reduce our individual contribution to the problem. It's very simple in principle—we have to directly use less oil, and reduce our consumption of things manufactured and delivered in reliance on oil—but it's worth going through a few examples.

The most obvious thing is to drive less. Driving not only consumes oil by burning it as gasoline, it also consumes significant amounts indirectly, which is why driving less is a far more comprehensive solution than getting a more fuel-efficient or electric or biofuelled vehicle. There's an astonishing amount of energy embedded in a car because manufacturing one involves mining large quantities of various metals, melting them down, producing plastic components (generally made from natural gas and with other huge environmental costs), shipping the components around for final assembly and then getting the car to you. Then there's the immense amount of oil used to make tarmac for roads and consumed in their maintenance (powering the road-building equipment itself runs on), and many other environmental costs imposed by them, such as stormwater pollution. Cars also create their own demand, because the more of a city is given over to roads and parking, the greater the distances between people and destinations, and the harder it becomes to get around without a car. That, however, is a hint of the great limitation of telling people to drive less: for many people it's not so much a free choice as one forced by the combination of places where they can afford to live and are able to work.

In light of that, the next recommendation is to use more human power and less machine power throughout our daily lives. Switching from a car to a bicycle is a significant environmental win, but many smaller things are easier to do and more universally accessible. Try growing your own food--even just a pot of herbs in a window--cooking yourself dinner, mending your own clothes, and so on. Completely opting out of manufactured goods takes a large investment of time and many skills, but making the first changes that start to add up only requires a little resourcefulness. Above all, start small and don't be intimidated by not being able to change everything tomorrow. Most people who do this find it empowering to know they can make a few more things themselves, even if they don't have time to do it routinely.

For the things you can't make yourself, whether through lack of time or lack of the specific skills, it remains necessary to buy manufactured things but is almost always possible to consume less. "Green consumerism"— the luxury of choosing items manufactured in a somewhat more environmentally friendly way — is out of many people's reach, but it's also hugely overrated. Buying more stuff still means consuming more resources, and the details are, well, details. Many more thing can be reused than most people do, and as old-fashioned and unflashy as this is, mending clothing instead of replacing it is one of the most powerful ways you can reduce your use of stuff and therefore of the oil that in some more or less direct way is an input to the manufacture and delivery of almost everything. And when you do buy new things, carefully consider whether there's a longer-lasting or more reusable version available. They often cost more up front, but that cost is very often made up for by the longer useful life they will have.

There are many more way to reduce individual impacts, but this is a starting point. Of course, it's impossible to completely opt out of the oil economy without running for the hills and abandoning most of contemporary civilisation, but the next two posts in this series will address ways in which we can magnify the effects of our individual choices, and the final post will argue for why we must keep trying even though the task at hand often looks overwhelming.

This is post 2 of a 5 part series. Coming up:

Only better policies can really save us

Why individual action still matters

Escaping despair

Earth Day 4/22/2010

On the fortieth anniversary of Earth Day it is important to take a step back and see from where we've come.

Earth Days is a documentary about the history and origin of Earth Day and the environmental movement in general. It was produced by PBS and shown on KCTS as part of their American Experience history program. It is a must watch if your own view of Earth Day is a little rusty, or worse naive.

The foundation of a holiday that many of us take for granted now was not an easy ride. The founders were rife with criticism, attacks and vilification that sounds strangely like some of the more outrageous rhetoric we hear today from climate change deniers and vested interests who still see adjusting to the reality of climate change as a detriment to their economic growth, which we know is not the case in the slightest.

The film talks about the steps they took in order to start a holiday that has seen replication across the planet and the film uses primary sources, interviews with participants and publicly released advertisements or deterrents to make a seamless film that informs and surprises.

Also check out The Story of Stuff below.

DIY Zone at Green Festival

This year, the organizers of the Seattle Green Festival are looking for people who can demonstrate DIY skills, especially in repairing and repurposing goods. This is a great opportunity for anyone who has such a skill to share it with a large audience, so we're republishing their announcement:

On behalf of Global Exchange and Green America, we invite you to be a part of the 2010 Seattle Green Festival. Green Festival® is the largest sustainability event in the world and continues to grow year after year. Attendees come to these forward-thinking events to enjoy world-renowned speakers and innovative workshops, to buy green products and services, and to discover new ways to enrich their lives and restore the planet.

The Third Seattle Green Festival opens at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, June 5th and 6th, 2019. The Green Festival showcases area businesses, community organizations and city departments who are working together to make Puget Sound a healthier place to live. Previous Seattle Green Festivals have drawn over thirty thousand people – and attendance grows every year. Your participation is what makes this event shine, providing useful information and inspiring ideas for our neighbors.

This year, the Seattle Green Festival will feature a DIY Zone, an area where attendees will be able to see hands-on demonstrations of a broad range of skills, each of which can show them how to have fun while becoming more self-sufficient and learning to live more sustainably. We are asking DIY Zone presenters to develop 40-minute hands-on demonstrations of practical skills that Festival attendees will find compelling and relevant to personal and household sustainability. There is especially strong interest in demonstrations that show people how to conserve, repair and re-purpose goods.

The DIY Zone is intended as an interactive space - there will be no stage, but work tables and chairs will be available, as well as a 120-volt electrical connection. Presenters will be responsible for bringing their own demonstration materials, and for properly removing them afterward. There will be a Resources section of the DIY Zone where you will be able to post promotional materials or instructional handouts for the duration of the Green Festival – giving your organization increased visibility without the cost of a booth rental.

If you are interested in scheduling a presentation for the DIY Zone, please contact me as soon as possible – the schedule is filling up quickly.

If you are interested, please contact Ken Cousins from the Seattle Green Festival Host Committee - ken.cousins at gmail.

Water and Industry

The following is an excerpt from an article found on sustainablelifemedia.com. All rights remain with the author. To see the entire article follow the link below.

Water and Reputational Value

Water and Reputational Value

3Share

Water is relatively inexpensive and for most companies an insignificant line item on a profit and loss statement. In view of this, why are companies increasingly focused on developing water strategies and implementing programs to reduce water use and where does the real value of water reside? By Will Sarni

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There is a great discrepancy between the price of water and the value of water.

The real value of water lies in a company’s ability to ensure that water risk does not disrupt business, damage reputational value and limit a company’s license to operate. Conversely, for those companies that manage water related risk well they can reduce the potential for business disruption; increase reputational value and their license to operate.

Computer Recycling Organization

Computer Reuse – it’s the new and improved way to recycle.

By Charles Brennick

You received a new computer for Christmas and now you want to recycle your old one. But there is a better way to get rid of your computer than recycling it, reuse it. Fortunately, InterConnection, the state’s largest non-profit computer refurbisher, specializes in computer reuse.

Computer reuse involves erasing data from the hard drive of a computer and testing and replacing components to make it functional. Recycling, on the other hand, involves shredding the computer into parts to extract raw materials such as copper, plastic and steel.

Computer reuse provides opportunity to someone in need. Computers refurbished at InterConnection’s reuse center in Seattle are donated to unemployed and low-income individuals. Anyone who completes their computer hardware training program receives valuable job skills and a free computer. Every week up to twenty people start the program and this year 910 participated.

Most computers refurbished by InterConnection are sent to schools and non profit organizations in developing countries where access to technology is extremely limited. InterConnection has partnered with development organizations like Peace Corps and World Vision to distribute their computers to organizations in countries that include Cameroon, Uganda, El Salvador and Chile. To date, they have shipped over 20,000 computers to people in need of technology around the world.

Many local businesses like Nintendo and Alaska Airlines have chosen to reuse their surplus computers through InterConnection. Businesses, like individual donors, are extremely concerned about the data on their hard drives. InterConnection wipes all hard drives for free and for a nominal fee they will either provide certified data destruction or use their onsite hard drive destruction device they affectionately call ‘The Crushinator”.

InterConnection accepts all computers and monitors, working or not, for free. If they can’t reuse the computer they will properly recycle it at their facility in Seattle.

Anyone can drop off computer equipment at their center in Seattle and businesses can schedule free pick-up if they have at least three computers. InterConnection even offers a way for people who live outside of Washington to donate. They will pay shipping costs for anyone who wants to donate a laptop.

For more information about reusing or recycling your surplus computers please call InterConnection at (206) 633-1517 or visit their website at www.interconnection.org. The center is located at 2222 N. Pacific St., Seattle, WA, 98103. Hours of operation are 10-6 Monday–Friday and 10-5 on Saturday.