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Yesterday I attended the the Greater Washington Board of Trade’s annual conference. What made this year’s event different, however, was its focus on positioning the DC region as a leader in sustainability in the United States. Top officials from government, business, non-profits and associations met to discuss how we can make this happen. At the end of the day, attendees chose their goals. The top ranked: a regional target for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Others were to create incentives for businesses to become sustainable and to create an awareness campaign to educate the public.
As one of the first speakers in the morning, Gov. Timothy Kaine (D-VA) really seemed understand the urgency of Virginia’s environmental issues — quite a change for this state in which individual property rights almost always trump all other consideration. He spoke about point source versus non-point source pollution and carbon emissions like an expert. He outlined the state’s plans for sustainability. And while they won’t blow anyone away, they are concrete: 1) greater independence in our energy use, both through conservation, renewable sources, and in-state sources; 2) consumer education about conservation and reduced consumption; 3) reduction of greenhouse gases; and 4) research — he cited several example of initiatives with state colleges are looking at renewable fuel sources, including algae as a feedstock.
DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, however, spoke in broad terms about the region’s transportation issues and the Anacostia River and Chesapeake Bay without committing to anything. Granted he has many other issues to deal with, notably decaying city schools, high unemployment in a city where jobs are growing, yawning disparity between the wealthy and poor, and disintegrating support services. But he clearly had decoupled all of these issues from the city’s environmental challenges, which, long-term could be a mistake. One thing Fenty did not mention were initiatives like DC Greenworks, a non-profit in DC that not only designs and installs green roofs, but trains and employs under-served adults in the city. They also work with organizations like Covenant House, which helps disadvantaged DC young adults. Public and environmental problems solved together. We need a lot more like these examples.
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley was unable to attend at the last minute.
Well I need to hit my deadlines, so I’ll follow up on this post with more details later.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
The amount of junk mail I receive each day drives me nuts. All I can think of is how many trees were cut down each and every day just to send me crap that goes straight into the trash — wait, I didn’t mean trash, I meant recycle bin. Because what many people don’t realize is that the vast majority of your mail can go right into the recycle bin along with your newspapers and other papers. That is, if your city recycles those materials.
Often people are worried about putting their mail out with the recyclables, but it’s really no different than your mail sitting in your mail box all day until you pick it up! I would not, however, recommend putting any credit card offers in the bin. But instead of recycling, why not just stop the mail from being printed and sent to you in the first place? Here are some tips for making that happen:
- To stop receiving those credit card offers, simply opt-out. You can opt-out for five years or forever. But each adult in your household will have to do the same.
- To stop receiving catalogs, email optout@abacus-us.com, which provides many of the mailing lists to catalog companies. You may have to call the 800 number for catalogs that you have requested or from which you have purchased products. (Try that one with Pottery Barn. I’m still waiting for those to stop coming. They print on FSC paper now, but somehow that still doesn’t seem to make it OK.)
- To reduce general junk mail, register with the Direct Marketing Association. Be warned, they will charge you $1 (a bargain!). But read through the information, because DMA states that although “the typical consumer sees a great reduction in the unsolicited mail he or she receives not all commercial mail will stop.”
- Do not send in warranty cards. They really just want your address, and warranties are in effect from moment of purchase anyway as long as you have a receipt. But if you must, be sure to write “no mailing list” on the card. Do the same on any rebate cards.
- Always look for the tiny type on any forms that you send in to companies that discuss “privacy policies,” and opt out of any mailing lists or sharing of your name.
- Call your credit card company. Your credit card company probably sells your name the most often. Ask them to stop selling your name.
These are a few simple steps you can take now. If you’re interested in further reading, I’m sure there’s a wealth of information available online. Unfortunately virtually none of these options are available to businesses or to individuals at work. You may have to undergo the painstaking task of calling those businesses independently. But in either case, make sure to recycle that which you do not need.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
Just a quick note to let you know that I (finally!) added an actual list of resources to the “Resources” page on my website. I’m hopeful that now that I finally have some links up there, it won’t seem so daunting to keep updated. So while this list is by no means comprehensive, nor even the best green list out there, hopefully you’ll find something of value. Please do let me know if you find any bad links, useless resources, or additional links that you think I should include. I find more information on this stuff daily, but I’m sure I’m not finding it all.
So please feel free to drop me a line about websites you have come across — tools, green blogs, valuable information, and more.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
A recent report says the majority of consumers are ready to end their addiction to fossil fuels and instead rely on renewable energy. But how easy is it for a consumer to actually purchase greenpower? Based on my own experience (I’m in Northern Virginia), the answer is: Not very!
Consumers and small- to mid-size businesses basically have two options when purchasing greenpower: 1) If they are in a state where utilities have been restructured and there is choice, then consumers can purchase directly from their utility or a competing supplier; 2) If their state does not offer power choice, then they can purchase renewable energy certificates, which essentially represent the attributes of green power separated from the power itself. (Note: Big organizations, such as large businesses, governments, schools, and municipalities have additional options due to their size and energy consumption, and often can purchase direct.)
Make sense? Maybe not.
If you’re still confused (and it is confusing), the U.S. Department of Energy provides a concise tutorial for consumers interested in buying greenpower. Another good source of information is Green-e program. US EPA’s Guide to Purchasing Green Power is also an excellent resource.
So back to my story. I had to search for quite a while on the website of my utility, Dominion Electric Power, to finally find the greenpower option, which is offered through their Energy Choice program. I ended up in a tangled web of information, none of which actually walked me through the process to start purchasing greenpower. Very frustrating. And calling didn’t help at all. In fact, the woman who answered the phone didn’t seem to know what renewable, or greenpower was, nonetheless, whether or not Dominion customers could purchase it.
I gave up and went directly to Pepco’s website, because according to the map, they offer renewable energy to customers in my state. But that only brought me to Pepco’s shopping cart to make my purchase — no explanation, no details about the ominous sounding “early termination fee,” and good luck trying to reach someone to ask questions.
The price listed was 11 cents/kwh. This compares with the current rate of about 6 cents I am paying for power now. But then I have to add the transmission fee that Dominion will continue to charge me of 3 cents. Which means it will cost me about 14 cents/kwh to switch suppliers — or about 75% more than I am paying now.
The moral to the story: It is not easy for the consumer to purchase greenpower.
But please don’t let this discourage you. Perhaps your experience will be more enjoyable. At the very least, take a few of the simpler steps: consult the map of state choices to identify what options are available to you and consult your local electric utility’s website to learn more about the power options they are offering.
I’d love to hear about your experiences purchasing greenpower and any tips or lessons learned you may have as you navigated the electric utility maze.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
This weekend my family and I attended the Solar Decathalon in Washington, D.C., in which teams from 20 colleges the world over are competing to design, build, and operate a livable, energy-efficient completely solar-powered house. In this, the third installment of the bi-annual event, attendees are invited to tour the small, sustainable homes temporarily built right on the National Mall. They’re really quite amazing, and beautiful in their uniqueness quite apart from their green-ness (take a look at the photos!). I couldn’t help but think to myself (and echoed by my husband) — “I could live in this house” — at least a few times because the small spaces were that well designed.
But what I found most amazing, were the crowds! We had attended this event just a few short years ago, and were able to wander unimpeded into house after house. Spending a leisurely amount of time in each home, learning about the bamboo flooring, solar panels, water saving devices, and passive heating and cooling features. Not so this year. Each home boasted a line 25-30 people deep that could take as long as a half-hour to navigate starting at the opening bell. I felt like I was at an amusement park! Except instead of a high-energy ride, I was entering a low-energy house.
Complaints about the crowds aside, I have to wonder if this newfound interest on the part of attendees was due to better publicity or a growing interest among consumers in all aspects of green building and living. I am, obviously, hoping for the latter. Because I am a firm believer in the idea that each of us, as individuals, need to take responsibility for our own contributions to global warming. However small, the changes we make as individuals, when added together, can have a big impact.
“If you decide to save the earth, it will be saved. Each person can be as powerful as the most powerful person who ever lived — and that is you, if you love this planet.” – as worded far more eloquently by Helen Caldicott, who has devoted her life to educating people about how we can reduce our environmental impact.
Sponsored by the Department of Energy, the event also features workshops for consumers to learn more about how to make their own homes more efficient. The Decathalon runs through Friday, Oct. 20. If you are in the area, and have not yet attended, I encourage you to do so. But be prepared to stand in line.
Last weekend featured yet another green event in DC — the annual Green Festival hosted by Global Exchange and Co-op America. The event will be duplicated in San Francisco Nov. 9-11. More consumer oriented and including many green products, the event also featured both education and inspirational speakers on sustainability in our homes and our lives.
And at the end of this month, I will be attending the D.C. metro area Board of Trade’s 2007 Potomac Conference, which will focus on green as a competitive advantage. According to the website: “In an historic joint appearance, VA Gov. Tim Kaine, MD Gov. Martin O’Malley and DC Mayor Adrian Fenty will each discuss their vision for a “green” region, and how our community can work together to address environmental challenges and take advantage of green business opportunities.”
I’ll be covering this event for GreenBiz.com and Environmental Leader, two excellent sources of sustainability news in the business community.
Now I know I always complain that the relatively conservative DC area is a bit behind the curve on sustainability — particularly in the area of business and government. But I have to admit, that this rash of events may be an indication of a far bigger change. Certainly there are many individuals who have always been committed to improving the environment in this area, and I don’t want to leave them out. And many, many environmental organizations are based here (often due to the close proximity to federal offices for funding and lobbying). But we need the commitment from local, regional, and federal governments and businesses before we’re going to see real change.
Perhaps this groundswell of interest from consumers and regional events is the first indication of our very own regional tipping point?
P.S. I was featured on a blog about women entrepreneurs as part of Blog Action Day, in which bloggers “around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind – the environment.”
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
Is it me, or is the variety and complexity of paper choices getting a bit confusing? There’s certified (by various bodies), recycled content (various types), bleached vs. chlorine free, and more. There’s just so much to take into account when making a purchase. It’s nearly as overwhelming as trying to choose cereal in the supermarket. (Do we really need an entire aisle devoted to a single breakfast food? But that’s for another blog.).
I wonder if so many options can make it difficult for consumers to make a decision, because we certainly don’t want to discourage anyone from making a sustainable choice. Especially when you consider that — even with recycling — more than 30% of our municipal landfill waste in the U.S. is composed of paper. In addition, papermaking remains the third largest industrial use of fossil fuels, and the number one industrial use of water per pound of product.
Just think about it. From the moment you get up in the morning until the moment you go to bed, paper touches your life. From tissues to toilet paper, to cereal boxes, to mail and packaging, to our printers and desktops, to the book you leave on your nightstand. We live in a world of paper. So much for the paperless society.
To help sort through the clutter, I’ve included below a quick primer on paper options. Basically there are three things you need to take into account when considering your paper: 1) pulp; 2) process; and 3) certification.
Pulp. Unfortunately most of the pulp used in the manufacture of paper still comes from unsustainably harvested trees, making it important to choose paper made from recycled content. Post-consumer recycled content is best because it does not rely on virgin trees. Post-industrial recycled content (often labeled “recycled content”) is excess material from manufacturing that has been used to make new paper. Though not as good as post-consumer content, it is still better than non-recycled paper.
Process. Another important criteria in choosing paper is whether or not it was processed using chlorine. There are three chlorine-conscious paper options. Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) is usually made from non-recycled pulp that contains minimal chlorine. Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) is virgin pulp that contains no chlorine. Processed Chlorine Free (PCF) paper is made from recycled pulp, which may contain chlorine remnants, but is not produced with additional chlorine.
Certification. In the United States, there are currently three bodies that certify paper as being harvested from sustainable sources: The Forest Stewardship Council is considered by many to be the most rigorous and most protective. The Sustainable Forest Initiative, originally created by members of the American Forest & Paper Association, a paper industry association, also provides certification. Finally there’s the lesser-known American Tree Farm System. There is a certain amount of controversy surrounding which system is best. Meridian Institute completed a Comparative Analysis of FSC and SFI, the two best known systems in the United States. as did the International Standards Organization. Just to make it a bit more confusing, certified paper may or may not have recycled content. So check for that as well.
Bottom line is that any of these choices is still better than paper sourced from virgin and unsustainably managed forests. You can learn more than you ever thought you wanted to know about paper and certification from Yale’s Program on Forest Certification. And I know I’ve already mentioned this before, but the report on the state of the paper industry from the Environmental Paper Network is definitely worth a read.
Happy (electronic) reading!
P.S. I never considered that my propensity (read: thriftiness) for buying used and borrowing books was a sustainable choice. But maybe I was wrong…
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
Just in the last few days, I’ve seen several new tools, resources, and reports made available on the Internet that are helping to make it so much easier for all types of businesses to go green. The first is a web seminar I attended that featured Joel Makower, editor of GreenBiz, and Yalmaz Siddiqui, Environmental Strategy Advisor, Office Depot. The one-hour seminar was compelling because it provided practical, simple efforts that anyone could take starting today. Environmental sustainability can sometimes get too complicated too quickly, which can turn people off.
Also EPA’s Energy Star program launched their updated version of their Portfolio Manager that now allows various businesses improve their energy use and track their carbon emissions at the same time. The online tool allows businesses to set up an account and measure and track their performance. According to the site: “The tool allows you to streamline your portfolio’s energy and water data, and track key consumption, performance, and cost information portfolio-wide.” In addition to business offices, other sectors covered include supermarkets, retail stores, schools, and more.
Also available is a new report on the state of the pulp and paper industry. The report, The State of the Paper Industry, produced by the Environmental Paper Network, makes the case that U.S. paper use is a significant cause of global warming — all the way from the beginning when the tree is cut down and a source of carbon sequestration is lost, through production, use, and landfilling when the methane is produced as the paper disintegrates. (According to the report, methane has 23 times the heat-trapping power of carbon dioxide.) The report is also a resource for understanding how your paper buying habits can influence this industry. For example, demanding chlorine-free paper from you supplier could lead to safer manufacturing processes using less chemicals.
The more of these user friendly resources we have, the easier it will be for businesses to go green. There is now a wealth of information on-line, and more coming daily.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
