My journey with indoor composting began when I read and fell in LOVE with Cradle to Cradle by McDonough & Braungart. I offer up as one of my core personal beliefs that Cradle to Cradle should be #1 on a list of required reading for the whole human race.*
In brief, McDonough & Braungart theorize that the earth functioned without environmental problems for eons because before the arrival of modern man there was no such thing as waste. The whole planet was a biological system in which one organism’s waste, such as the fallen petals of a cherry tree, became food for other organisms. (The petals degrade naturally and return the nutrients to the soil.) When modern man came on the scene, “waste” was created. Waste includes both natural things disposed of in such a way that the nutrients do not properly re-enter the system (ex. paper waste or food going to landfills), as well as items that are artificial and cannot ever re-enter the biological system (ex. plastics or items made with toxic heavy metals). If humanity could re-evaluate their use of resources so that our own “waste” can be returned to the biological system, or become fuel for other processes, then many of our major environmental problems could be solved.
McDonough and Braungart have a green design firm and try their absolute best to practice what they preach. In the firm’s summer 2007 newsletter, they informed the world that their studio in Charlottesville was adopting indoor vermiculture, or composting using worms. They keep their composter in a closet, where one pound of worms consume about ½ pound of food scraps and office paper daily! As the worm colony matures, more worms will be born, and their ability to consume waste will increase. Answering what I would consider the most important question, they say there is no smell associated with the composter, and other than making sure the worms get fed with our “trash” these helpful pets do not require any attention. The food and paper scraps are turned into rich, nutrient-laden soil which can be brought home by the employees for gardening. Let me just say: I think this is the most AWESOME, EASY, and UNIQUE way to green an office I have ever heard of! One of my new personal goals is to spread the word about indoor composting, and to get as many places as I can to adopt this practice.
I began first by recommending indoor composting (vermiculture) to a small business opening up in Connecticut. They were not impressed. In theory, they thought it was a good idea, but did not want to spend the time ordering bins and worms, especially because they expected to move to a new space in a few months. And of course there was the weird factor. I am still hopeful that they will adopt in-office composting once they are settled in their new space, and plan to follow up with them after the move.
A few weeks later composting came up in conversation at my office (an environmental non-profit that shall remain nameless). I was so excited! I thought this was the perfect opportunity! And yet … ENVIRONMENTAL OUTRAGE! Despite the fact that indoor composting has been around for over 15 years, and that I recommended an affordable unit for indoor composting without worms, I was told that indoor composting would “attract vermin.” Used correctly, the proper indoor or outdoor composting unit will not! Disposing of food in a sealed, airtight box is definitely less susceptible to vermin than throwing it out in our communal office kitchen, where it will sit in an open trash can until someone deigns to take out the trash! I cannot put into words the frustration that this has caused me! Here, working for an organization whose mission is to protect the environment, in an office that is trying to be “greener,” indoor composting has been vetoed by someone who knows nothing about it! (And apparently did not even read the proposal, which discussed all these issues!) Of course, this is just one example a larger problem. Our society is ignorant and/or uncomfortable when it comes to the creative and extremely effective ways scientists and everyday people have devised to decrease the impact we all have on the planet.
I will not yield in my quest to get the word out about the possibilities for and advantages of indoor composting, in both offices and houses. If you would like to learn how to begin, please check out the following websites:
http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/vermicompost107.shtml;
http://www.composters.com/; http://www.thewormfarm.net/; http://www.wormwoman.com/
*William Kennedy from the New York Times said, "One Hundred Years of Solitude is the first piece of literature since the Book of Genesis that should be required reading for the entire human race.” While both Genesis and Solitude are significant, I stand by my belief that everyone on the planet should read Cradle to Cradle first and foremost, and possibly Bill McKibben’s Maybe One second.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Solutions: Plastic bag tax
Typically when we are thinking about the appropriate role of government we talk about the "fist to the face rule"...your freedoms only extend until you start infringing on someone else's freedom. This argument was at the center of smoking ban debates around the country in recent years. Sure, you have the right to pollute your own body, but when someone else is being hurt the government should have the ability to regulate that. This logic also carries over, in my view, to plastic bags. Unfortunately plastic bags are FAR too prevalent. While there have been some small advancements like a few cents off of your groceries for bringing your own bag, and recently larger advances like laws that ban non bio-degradable bags like in San Francisco, plastic bags are not only acceptable but encouraged in many stores. We need to change that. Why?
* Most importantly, because plastic is basically made from oil!!!!(check out the process at that link). As you might already know, the burning of oil releases CO2, which is a greenhouse gas. It is calculated that the production of 5 plastic bags creates 1 kg of CO2, or 2.2lb!
---Under San Francisco's plan to ban plastic bags, they have calculated that by cutting 100 million plastic bags a year the city will save 1.5 million litres of oil, and eliminate 4.2 million kilograms of carbon dioxide!
Plastic is one of the leading contributors to global warming, which is a threat to all of us. Climate change will lead to famine, war, and massive refugee crises. Even the Pentagon says that Climate Change is more of a security threat than terrorism!!! We can't just wait and hope that people will start taking responsibility themselves. If you believe the government has a responsibility to protect it's people from terrorism, government also has a responsibility to regulate this threat.
The Irish have put a 33 cent tax on plastic bags that has reduced usage by 94 %. We can do this!
STOP USING PLASTIC!!! But more importantly...push your local government (like the DC City Council) to ban plastic bags in your city or town!
* Most importantly, because plastic is basically made from oil!!!!(check out the process at that link). As you might already know, the burning of oil releases CO2, which is a greenhouse gas. It is calculated that the production of 5 plastic bags creates 1 kg of CO2, or 2.2lb!
---Under San Francisco's plan to ban plastic bags, they have calculated that by cutting 100 million plastic bags a year the city will save 1.5 million litres of oil, and eliminate 4.2 million kilograms of carbon dioxide!
And do you know how many plastic bags are produced in the world every year?
4 to 5 trillion.
Plastic is one of the leading contributors to global warming, which is a threat to all of us. Climate change will lead to famine, war, and massive refugee crises. Even the Pentagon says that Climate Change is more of a security threat than terrorism!!! We can't just wait and hope that people will start taking responsibility themselves. If you believe the government has a responsibility to protect it's people from terrorism, government also has a responsibility to regulate this threat.
The Irish have put a 33 cent tax on plastic bags that has reduced usage by 94 %. We can do this!
STOP USING PLASTIC!!! But more importantly...push your local government (like the DC City Council) to ban plastic bags in your city or town!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
American University destroying bikes!
via Katya
This Saturday I was playing basketball near the tennis courts with some fellow AU alums, and on my way back to my car-- in the space between the back of Bender and the track, near that parking lot for the service vehicles--
I noticed this:
Bikes! Just lying there! In a pile next to the dumpster labeled "SCRAP METAL"! WTF!
Our best guess was that this is what Public Safety, in it's boundless wisdom, does with the bikes parked illegally throughout campus. If not, they are probably ( or also) bikes that were left behind by students who moved off campus/ graduated. Aside from the obvious indignation at the waste of perfectly useful bikes per se, this is TERRIBLE environmentally! Bikes take a lot of energy to break down. They do make good scrap metal BUT it's preferable that the bikes be put back into circulation because its a double-environmental benefit if people choose to bike instead of drive...SO we shouldn't throw them out until they're completely unsalvageable. These bikes are completely salvageable.
I propose two things for those of you who still attend AU:
1. lobby Public Safety (or whoever is throwing the bikes out) to do something more constructive with them, like maybe donate them somewhere or auction them back to students?
2. Get yourselves a free bike! It was wide open for the taking on Saturday, as you can see, although that might just be because that's the day the trash is collected. PEOPLE WHO PARKED THEIR BIKES ILLEGALLY: Reclaim them! PEOPLE WHOSE BIKES HAVE BEEN STOLEN: Get your free replacement! BIKE THIEVES: Steal 'em from the dump instead of being a jerk and stealing from a fellow poor student!
This Saturday I was playing basketball near the tennis courts with some fellow AU alums, and on my way back to my car-- in the space between the back of Bender and the track, near that parking lot for the service vehicles--
I noticed this:
Bikes! Just lying there! In a pile next to the dumpster labeled "SCRAP METAL"! WTF!
Our best guess was that this is what Public Safety, in it's boundless wisdom, does with the bikes parked illegally throughout campus. If not, they are probably ( or also) bikes that were left behind by students who moved off campus/ graduated. Aside from the obvious indignation at the waste of perfectly useful bikes per se, this is TERRIBLE environmentally! Bikes take a lot of energy to break down. They do make good scrap metal BUT it's preferable that the bikes be put back into circulation because its a double-environmental benefit if people choose to bike instead of drive...SO we shouldn't throw them out until they're completely unsalvageable. These bikes are completely salvageable.
I propose two things for those of you who still attend AU:
1. lobby Public Safety (or whoever is throwing the bikes out) to do something more constructive with them, like maybe donate them somewhere or auction them back to students?
2. Get yourselves a free bike! It was wide open for the taking on Saturday, as you can see, although that might just be because that's the day the trash is collected. PEOPLE WHO PARKED THEIR BIKES ILLEGALLY: Reclaim them! PEOPLE WHOSE BIKES HAVE BEEN STOLEN: Get your free replacement! BIKE THIEVES: Steal 'em from the dump instead of being a jerk and stealing from a fellow poor student!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Let's Save Our Planet!
So the Planet is in Peril. But a great crisis also presents a great opportunity. Being environmentally conscious is SO easy. For one day I ask you to do this. Everything you do....EVERYTHING during the course of the day, ask yourself if there is any way that that action could have an impact on the environment. If so...how? And then ask yourself how it could be fixed. We must all make individual sacrifices, but this crisis is serious and the danger becomes more apparent every single day. The scientific consensus is that global warming is happening, humans are to blame, and only we have the power to turn it around. Scientists also agree we have a very short time span to make radical changes.
So make individual sacrifices:
1. Buy the CFL energy-saver light bulbs. Save yourself LOTS of money in the long run AND save the environment.
2. Drive less. Walk more. Take Public Transportation. If you have to drive, car pool.
3. NEVER, and I mean NEVER get plastic bags at a grocery store. Plastic bags are awful for the environment and even if you recycle them it still emits way too much carbon to recycle plastic. They are already outlawed or virtually outlawed in two major US cities. BRING YOUR OWN BAGS! And if your forget, worst case scenario...ask for paper...they are much easier to recycle.
4. Recycle at home, at work, and get others to do the same.
5. Turn down your thermostat. 70 degrees is plenty warm enough, at the most.
There are a ton more.
Ultimately people can make a difference, but COMPANIES do the lion share of polluting. So we must take action. Big companies changing small policies can make a HUGE difference for the environment. What I have been noticing (since I started paying more attention) is how many companies have outrageous environmental policies and are incredibly wasteful. Every time I think of an outrage, I will post it here, and suggest action. I hope you will take action. I also hope you will post your own outrages. Write about what you saw, the problem, and propose a solution. Email it to scottforamerica@gmail.com, and I will put it on the blog. Good Journey!
So make individual sacrifices:
1. Buy the CFL energy-saver light bulbs. Save yourself LOTS of money in the long run AND save the environment.
2. Drive less. Walk more. Take Public Transportation. If you have to drive, car pool.
3. NEVER, and I mean NEVER get plastic bags at a grocery store. Plastic bags are awful for the environment and even if you recycle them it still emits way too much carbon to recycle plastic. They are already outlawed or virtually outlawed in two major US cities. BRING YOUR OWN BAGS! And if your forget, worst case scenario...ask for paper...they are much easier to recycle.
4. Recycle at home, at work, and get others to do the same.
5. Turn down your thermostat. 70 degrees is plenty warm enough, at the most.
There are a ton more.
Ultimately people can make a difference, but COMPANIES do the lion share of polluting. So we must take action. Big companies changing small policies can make a HUGE difference for the environment. What I have been noticing (since I started paying more attention) is how many companies have outrageous environmental policies and are incredibly wasteful. Every time I think of an outrage, I will post it here, and suggest action. I hope you will take action. I also hope you will post your own outrages. Write about what you saw, the problem, and propose a solution. Email it to scottforamerica@gmail.com, and I will put it on the blog. Good Journey!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)