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What is the Price of OUR Stuff?

Ever wonder about the complete picture of consumption in our uber-consumer society and how it ties in with our global environment? Well I was recently turned onto the website for The Story of Stuff, which features a fantastic and informative story (with animation!) about our stuff-driven economy.The presentation is long, but if you’ve patience with it and ride it out, even the most informed of us can learn something new or at least feel inspired to pass the word along. There are also chapters to skip around if you’ve one particular section of the “stuff” driven storyline.The site offers solutions as well as the story of stuff, so it doesn’t leave you feeling helpless and hopeless against the system. Key message here? Social responsibility: consume less, consume more responsibly, spread the word, and take action against the exploitation of the earth and its people!

Party Pooper

Biking to work on the morning of July 5^th I noticed scattered remnants of brightly colored paper. In some places boxes were piled and charred remains of something were close by. Fireworks. There was litter from exploded fireworks everywhere. The night before, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, it sounded like a warzone…not unfitting for this present moment! And it was not easy to catch some rest through that noise which raged into the night.

In Chinatown in NYC one year I attended a day of the Chinese New Year celebration and it began to rain. The water that snaked along the edges of the streets to the gutters was a kaleidoscope of color from the confetti filled explosive sticks you can buy at any small Chinese store. The confetti, once exploded (really impressive site), littered the street.

So then I thought, things that blow up for our entertainment, are they super damaging one or two or three days in a year? I looked up news reports and found that indeed, fireworks are bad for the environment. But the articles I found suggested rather than the actual visual litter or noise levels being a problem, fireworks caused other concerns for the environment: they increase ambient temperatures (where ignited), deposit perchlorate in water resources (perchlorate, yes the carcinogen, but, not to worry, the amount reduces back to background levels within 3 to 12 weeks), and compound air pollution levels (there were actual warnings for people with allergies and respiratory problems about going outside during the firework display period).

No kidding. Even fireworks, such beautiful and awe-inspiring displays, have a negative environmental impact. Good to keep in mind on our next firework-filled holiday…

Here are some news reports from around the country:

water

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/03/science/03obse1.html?ref=science

air

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_6310145

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/jul/06/guess-what-fireworks-pollute/

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=local&id=5447560

http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070704/NEWS01/707040332

heat

http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_6296507

Bioremediation, well, kind of…

I am sure some of you have heard of kudzu…at least those of you interested in invasive species. This vine is all over the American South and grows at an unbelievably rapid 1 foot/day. That means you could probably sit back, have a cold one, and watch this stuff grow, for real. The problem is that this vine, an invasive from Asia that arrived in Philadelphia in the 1800s and was then used by federal programs to combat erosion or kept and planted as an ornamental plant (it has nice purple flowers), out-competes our local flora and literally takes over the land and anything, including houses, on it. Farmers and government officials and anyone else that cares about plants, have been trying to figure out effective ways to combat this stuff…and of course, all of the familiar old tactics, like chemicals or equipment, have been considered and used.

But one city in Tennessee, Chattanooga (yes, it is the choo-choo), has come up with an innovative method to combat the plant. They are employing goats. Yes goats. According to an article in the NY Times, many people find this amusing. Goats eat everything, as most of us well know, and are pretty awesome at consuming this vine before it has a chance to consume the landscape. They can get onto steep slopes where equipment cannot be used and are relatively low-maintenance. The program has, thus far, been successful, and is environmentally friendly.

Affordable housing development recently completed with solar power offset.

I hope we see more stories such as this one in the news! A housing company in California (of course!), Satellite Housing, has just completed a 17 unit development for affordable housing that includes solar panels. The solar installation will offset Carbon emissions the equivalent of planting 20 acres of trees or removing 9 average cars from the road, according to the Borrego Solar Systems, Inc. website. It will also offset the amount of money spent on electricity (4200 kWh/month).

There is economic, social, and environmental incentive to alternative energy sources. In one step this company has made steps toward saving money, saving the planet, and saving the residents’ pocketbooks. The ownership group of the development can also take advantage of tax credits.

Just a thought

Recently I found myself engaged in several discussions about taking care of our environment as a matter of personal integrity, choice, and responsibility. One such conversation happened with a stranger in a training course I was attending.

The man works for the EPA. He looked to be in his early 30s. He jumped into a conversation I was having with someone else about hybrid vehicles. He said that he owned one and said the name of it, one I had not heard of. He said, “Yeah I traded my Prius in for something bigger because we’re thinking about kids.” Having them, that is. So when I asked, this guy explained that he’d purchased a hybrid SUV.

Hybrid SUV, yeah, I think it was the one that Kermit the Frog was plugging during the SuperBowl in 2006.

Now, maybe I am a bit uptight about gas guzzlers, but his statement that the thing gets about 32 miles to the gallon didn’t wow me. In fact, I was shocked that someone informed, someone that works at the EPA, would buy an SUV, regardless of its hybrid status. He was incensed. “Look, we did a lot of comparison shopping; fuel efficiency, leg room…”, but here my brain just froze. I was incredulous. Are you telling me this guy is arguing that he feels validated buying an SUV because of LEGROOM?

He then started trailing off about how he used to be an environmental activist…he was one of the first hybrid buyers…but so many people at EPA are just bureaucrats and what is the point…and his whole house is outfitted with compact fluorescents…

I kept my cool and stated in the most compassionate way I could muster that I believe it is important that each and everyone of us does our part. I know that we can all justify what we do with the whole balancing out argument: I wear fur, but don’t eat meat, I walk to work so I can fly all over the world 15 times a year…I can have 5 kids because they are all so amazing…it is very difficult to have a net zero impact, but we can make an effort in our consumption rates to act responsibly. It is the easiest step we can make. And the sacrifice? Well, is it really a sacrifice?

At the conclusion of the training class our EPA man went around the room collecting our plastic bottles in a bag, saving them from the trash. When he got to me he looked me in the eye, and, with a bit of cynicism, said, “I am taking my personal initiative here.” I was quite happy. Though he probably thinks I am a jerk, I hope my words helped jerk him back to center (or maybe alittle to the left).

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