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Though written a bit tongue-in-cheek, I found this article that ran in the Washington Post last week, made a compelling argument that becoming green begins with reduced consumption. One of the points made in the article regarded our propensity to continually replace that which is no longer the newest or the best: “The culture of obsolescence has become so deeply ingrained that it’s practically reflexive.”
I was reminded of another Post column I had read recently — unrelated to the environmental movement. In the article, Jeanne Marie Laskas, was wearing boots with a broken shoelace when a student in her class said, “Looks like it’s time for some new boots.”
“I looked down. There was nothing wrong with the boot itself. ‘It’s a shoelace,’ I said, and made a remark about buying a pair of new laces,” Laskas wrote.
Quickly we come to the argument about whether or not a 10,000 square foot home that is LEED certified is actually “green.” Apparently some people in Washington state have a strong opinion about this. While I would never condone such an extreme act, I do question the validity of the claim.
I suppose that what I’m trying to say, is that while I’m encouraged by the changes I am seeing in the movement to being more environmentally aware as a society, until we’re able to connect that awareness to our actual consumption, we still have a ways to go.
As environmentalist Paul Hawken said in the Post article: “Really going green … ‘means having less. It does mean less. Everyone is saying, ‘You don’t have to change your lifestyle.’ Well, yes, actually, you do.“
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
In addition to the post about DC’s sustainability conference I wrote for this blog, I also wrote a couple of stories for online green news sources that I wanted to share:
1) DC Region Leaders Gather at Summit to Shape Sustainability Efforts
2) DC Region Grows Green Business Opportunities
3) Green Building Standards Drafted For Use in Local Building Codes
4) Compete on Green Or Fall Behind
There might be a couple more to come. I’ll update this list when they are available.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
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…
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…
Has everyone seen the new online video “game” that allows the average U.S. citizen to estimate their personal environmental impact? It’s called Consumer Consequences and it shows users how many “earths” it would take to sustain all 6.6 billion humans… if everyone lived like you. I played and it was a bit of a wake up call. I try my best (or so I thought) every day to incorporate environmental sustainability into my life. But I still have many of the common American habits that are just so hard to shake — like my long commutes on the road, alone in the DC Metro area. That really did me in as far as my overall score. And, of course, just today we learn that DC now has the second worst traffic in the nation, losing out only to Los Angeles.
Environmental sustainability does get complicated when some issues are out of your control. What I just don’t understand is why this region (and others like it), don’t consider alternate work schedules and telecommuting as viable, potentially low-cost, high-impact solutions to traffic woes. Yes, public transportation is a great thing; and more of it is always appreciated. But you’re still creating pollution, although far less than the individuals in their cars. And HOV is a smart option. But just think of the potential impact if just 10% of the people driving every day during rush hour were simply taken off the road. With all this technology at our fingertips, why in the world do we still require employees be on-site five days a week during “normal business hours”?
What is going to be the wake up call here? When traffic is so bad, that it literally does not move or when the smog is so bad that you can’t see wear you are going? Something has got to give.
