Electric Vehicles: A True Viable Choice Today

Back in 2013 when I set a Guinness World Record with the Ride the Future Tour, we were all pioneers. At that time, few people even considered an electric car or motorcycle or scooter or bicycle to be a consideration in their next purchase. That’s NOT true today.

In fact, with Tesla leading the way, most automotive manufacturers have or will have either hybrid options or all-electric models in their production line-up in the near future. They’re coming! And consumers are responding positively. Why? Because in the past 9 years there have been significant advances in the 3 most important elements for electric transportation to be viable: 1) more electric charger access, 2) enhanced battery capabilities and vehicle mileage range per charge, and 3) faster charging times. Add in the positive experiences of electric vehicle owners and you find that a large portion of today’s society is open to trying an electric car as one of their transportation options.

But it’s not just consumers, businesses are also responding. Utility companies often provide incentives for vehicle purchase and insight into electric vehicle ownership. Here’s an example for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) which provides hydroelectric power throughout many states in the south central portion of the U.S.: All About Electric Vehicles - TVA EnergyRight There’s a tremendous amount of information available today which wasn’t known or available just 9 years ago!

And it’s not just electric cars and trucks. Most motorcycle manufacturers now offer electric versions of models in their lineup. Same for electric scooters. And electric bicycles are simply exploding in the marketplace. Not only is their value in reducing the stress on climbing hills and long distances, but they are also FUN to ride!

I’m proud to have been an early pioneer in electric transportation….and it’s great to watch it grow!

TVA Website Page for Electric Vehicles

Paper-Wait ; Re-thinking Paper Recycling

As we all get asked to do our part and recycle our waste products, we naturally assume that we are contributing to reduced use of natural resources , lower energy consumption and a cleaner environment. Right? Well, a new study by London’s UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources and Yale University published in Nature Sustainability found that saving energy and improving the environment will only happen if the recycling is done using renewable energy powered sources.

Paper accounted for 1.3% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2012 with about a third of these emissions coming from the disposal of paper in landfills. Researchers believe that in coming years, use of paper will likely rise due to the move away from plastics and the subsequent increased demand for paper packaging.

The study found that the there is no energy reduction with paper recycling currently due to recycling reliance on fossil fuels and electricity from coal-powered grids for its energy source. And while making new paper from trees requires more energy than paper recycling, the energy for this process is generated from low-carbon by-products (called black liquor) of the wood pulping process.

Researchers in the study modeled various scenarios for increased recycling of wastepaper by 2050 and the impact it would have on greenhouse emissions. Their findings: if all wastepaper was recycled, emissions would increase by 10% primarily due to the reliance on fossil fuels for recycling vs making new paper. However, Researchers also found that emissions would be reduced by 96% if paper production and disposal were carried out using renewable energy sources (rather than fossil fuels) AND landfill disposal processes were radically overhauled to capture escaping methane gas and re-using it as an energy source.

Conclusions: We need paper recycling to meet the global emissions goals set by the Paris Agreement. However, what are now learning is that we have to be smarter about paper recycling in order to truly save our natural resources AND reduce emissions. We can do that if we build an infrastructure of renewable energy sources around the recycling process and overhaul our landfill disposal processes…otherwise, paper recycling becomes more of a ‘paper weight’ than a community contribution to saving the planet.

Paper Recycling: Are we making a difference?

Customizing Sustainability

In my book, I try to simplify what sustainability is…including providing my own definition. That’s because sustainability is a very broad topic….and includes everything from recycling our waste, to reducing energy usage, to more efficient fuel sources, to even big topics like reducing carbon emissions.

But I also advocate that every individual determine their own approach to contributing to sustainability efforts..i.e. customizing it to you. That might be starting to recycle part of your trash, changing your light bulbs to LEDs, buying an electric car or battery-source hedge trimmer, or using your own re-usable grocery bags instead of the plastic ones available at the checkout counter. Small steps perhaps…but they all add up! And I hope all of you will make that a priority in your life. The Earth needs it.

On a much larger scale, however, a customized approach might be an appropriate way to also deal with the issue of carbon emissions and global warming. Countries and industries are currently scrambling to find ways to offset global warming, but each has different circumstances in terms of their energy sources, dependence on fossil fuels for their economy, and ability to transition to renewable energies. A recent study by a college in England analyzed these circumstances and explored how carbon emissions could be dealt with by 3 different European countries with 3 different ecological and economical situations. (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200812115300.htm)

The basic premise for this customization approach is that for some countries, elimination (or significantly reducing) carbon emissions might be appropriate as they already have or could have viable renewable energy sources (like solar, wind, hydro, etc) in place to directly offset fossil fuel reductions. This would ideally be not only more ecologically feasible but also economically advantageous. However, for other countries, eliminating fossil fuel energy sourcing may not be as feasible, so the approach here may be to install carbon-trapping or re-capturing processes at the fossil fuel power plants. This would provide continued jobs for those employed in fossil fuel industries and a more gradual transition to renewable energies. For other countries, the approach might be a mix of both transition to renewables and carbon re-capturing.

This “customizing” by country makes a lot of sense to me. It moves past the political arguments of how fast a country transitions to renewable energies and allows every country to focus on 1 goal: to keep global warming to less than the 2 degrees projected and thereby maintaining our way of life on Earth as we know it…. i.e. living above ground! More college studies on this approach are planned, but time is running short and we need to begin implementing plans vs studying them for carbon emissions.

Start your customizing for sustainability TODAY !

Ladies: Can We Have Your Old Underwear?

Yes women of the world, there is someone who wants your old undies. Why? Because they want you to join a new-wave of eco-friendly women—those who hold the future of our planet as a priority in their life. That company, is Knickey.

Knickey is the vision of Cayla O’Connell Davis, a veteran of the fashion industry and her company is founded on sustainability principles: from the organic materials used to make her line of undergarments to the recycling of used ones collected from customers.

With regard to materials used in her Knickey line, Cayla touts that her products are only made with organic cotton which she sources from India, a huge center for organic cotton in the textile industry. According to Cayla, most all underwear is made of synthetic fibers which are not healthy for women or the environment. Cayla claims her garments breath better in the important vaginal area, are more comfortable to wear, and are free of toxins, carcinogens and other harmful chemicals found in her competitors’ products.

Priced at $13 each, (bundling options can get the price down), Cayla knows the clothing industry is very competitive. However, she sees few competitors who have similar quality organic products and which also offer the clear hygenic and environmental benefits.

For example, Davis’ commitment to sustainability goes one step further. Knickey encourages women to clean out their underwear drawer and send them the old which can then be repurposed for products like insulation, mattress filling, rug pads, or some other industrial use. The mission: keep the old synthetic fiber undergarments and associated toxins out of landfills where they can find their way into local drinking water or require environment clean up down the road.

So if you’re ready to make a commitment to become an eco-friendly woman, why not start where it counts the most…..i.e. underneath it all.

https://knickey.com/pages/recycle

Does Sustainability Also Need A Mask From The Coronavirus?

The impact of the Coronavirus on global economies has been devastating; and of course the number of people affected and tragic number of deaths almost surreal. It is an event that we all hope will happen only once in our lifetime.

As China is now starting to show us, however, there will come a time when we will want to move on with our lives. A time to re-group and learn. A time to once again look forward to the future. The question from a sustainability standpoint is….what will that future look like.

There is no doubt that the slowdown of transportation (air, vehicle, bus, subway etc) and factory output (emissions and energy usage) have actually had a POSITIVE impact on our air quality. China reportedly saw a 25% reduction in emissions as restrictions took effect to control the virus; in the U.S. it might be more than that; in fact, the U.S. has already seen air quality improvement in major city areas of NYC and LA.

However, the real question that will rise to the forefront soon is HOW are the major countries of the world going to re-start their economies? With the disastrous economic impacts the virus has had, it’s very conceivable that these countries will try to stimulate economic growth and the easiest way to do that is likely though the expanded use of fossil fuels. In short, everyone will be putting safety first now…as they should be. But whether sustainability will maintain a front row position with global economy plans moving forward will likely vary by country and could put even the Paris Climate Accord at risk.

One key indicator will come as all nations prepare for a global summit in Glasgow in November. Prior to that meeting, countries are supposed to announce their commitment for emission goal levels to meet the Paris Accord. To make bold commitments, however, requires political funding and world leaders are likely to want to use this funding to jump start their economies after the coronavirus. Whether they dedicate part of this funding to green initiatives is the big question mark. China in particular is key to watch as they have the 2nd largest economy and are the largest carbon emitter.

The Paris Agreement called for all nations to keep the global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius by the year 2100 and ideally 1.5 degrees or less. Unfortunately, the window to do this is closing rapidly; global temperature has already rise 1 degree Celsius. The Coronavirus impact will only add pressure to an already pressure-sensitive topic— mask or no mask.

What impact with the Coronavirus have on Sustainability & Emissions efforts? Potentially a big one.

Turning White Green: the Case for Cotton & the Clothing Industry

Why should EVERYONE have an interest in Sustainability? Well, aside from the obvious impacts of global warming (like the current conflagration in Australia), the fact is that everything we do or touch has an impact on the Earth. Even the clothes we wear have an impact. ‘How you might ask’? Well, here’s how:

• Cotton is the most commonly used fabric for clothing in the world; it’s grown in over 100 countries and accounts for 2.5% of the Earth’s cultivated land.

• Cotton, however, is a very thirsty crop; according to the World Wildlife Federation it takes nearly 5300 gallons of water to produce about 2 pounds of cotton—enough to make 1 t-shirt.

• Further, it’s estimated that the textile manufacturing as a whole accounts for 20% of industrial water pollution and the fashion industry is responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions (from sustainability metrics company Quantis)

• Other notable negatives associated with cotton growth include:

  • 16% of the world’s insecticides are used for raising cotton despite only 2.5% of cultivated land being used to grow it.

  • 3 of the most hazardous insecticides to human health (WHO) are in the top 10 used for cotton production

  • Nitrogen-based fertilizers used for cotton can cause algae blooms or “oxygen-free dead zones” and harm freshwater habitats (the Organic Trade Association).

  • the combination of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers causes severe soil depletion and erosion (World Wildlife Federation)

So what can be done to reduce the carbon footprint we leave and perhaps HELP our planet? There’s a couple of ways actually; one involving transforming the industry to “regeneration” and the other involves you.

Green America has developed a Soil Carbon Index, the world’s first agricultural standard for soil health, which it claims can leverage the power of farmers, food companies, scientists, consumers and other stakeholders to demand change in the industry. It hopes to reverse environmental damage and reduce threats to communities by advocating ditching of mechanization, pesticides and chemical fertilizers for no-till methods, animal integration and composting on an industry-wide scale thereby protecting farmers and reducing pollution.

Discussions with farmers and apparel companies about these concepts is leading to “regeneration” progress. Two recent success stories include 1) The North Face which unveiled a Cali Wool Collection in September 2018 which showcases clothing and accessories produced by California farms using regenerative methods; and 2) Wrangler’s announcement in 2019 of a new denim jeans line that uses 30% recycled cotton and a 99% elimination of water used in their dyeing process. Both are encouraging signs for the industry.

The other way to personally have a sustainability impact, is for YOU to support companies having “green” practices in place. Below is a scorecard of such practices for several leading retailers which was put together by Green America. Look it over and decide who should get your $ the next time you buy clothes. Don’t think that your dollars don’t count…they do! And you can also write to apparel retailers/manufacturers and ask them to support the Soil Carbon Index.

Cotton may be as white as any natural fiber out there….but turning it green is important to the Earth’s and thus our future. You can help. Remember: “Sustainability Starts With YOU”…..

Connecting the Dots for Renewable Energy Growth

One of the challenges for significantly expanding the use of renewable energies is the fact that our current power infrastructure is massive and involves a relatively small number of power companies nationally. Thus, most all residential and manufacturing entities are tied to the local grids of these power companies and limited in their ability to change their carbon emissions impact (or footprint).

A new company called Clearloop, however, aims to change all that. The company, introduced by former Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen,, plans to provide short-term agreements for companies to increase their sustainability efforts by essentially offsetting the company’s carbon emissions level via funding of solar panels for areas with the worst “dirty” electric power grids. This could be done on a product by product or service by service basis to determine the total current C-emissions level. After the company purchases a corresponding level of solar panels, Customers who purchase the company’s products would also find a symbol on the product that will actually track back to the exact solar panel grids that are purchased through the agreement.

The advantage to this approach is that now smaller companies, not the power companies, can contribute to sustainability growth without getting into the details of energy management themselves; i.e. they are relying on Clearloop’s expertise to simplify if for them. It’s a novel new approach and one that can seemingly expedite renewable energy growth.

On the other end, Mr. Bredesen also has a connection. He launched a solar panel company called Silicon Ranch in 2011 which just inked a $217 deal with Shell Oil last year to be their U.S. solar platform. So there should be ample solar panel availability for the Clearloop agreements.

Clearloop will focus their solar panel installations in areas most dependent on coal-fire powered electricity which includes states such as West Virginia, Kentucky, Wyoming and the Dakotas. Bredesen believes that making an impact on carbon emissions has to been on a large scale and thus believes Clearloop can be a major player in the transformation to renewable energies.

It’s not everything that will be needed, but Clearloop is creating a buzz on new ways to ‘connect the dots’ for renewable energy growth.

Clearloop aims to put solar panels in dirty grid states through agreements with corporations.

HOLY COW! NON-MEAT SANDWICHES AT BURGER KING??

Have you noticed the new advertisements by Burger King for their Impossible Whopper? And it’s not made from beef…it’s made from 100% plants! Yes, that’s right! BK has flipped their patty and gone “green”. But why??  What is the world coming to?

Well it’s true. And the reason might actually surprise you. You see, there’s a lot of people in the world that are trying to find solutions to reducing carbon emissions and addressing global warming.. And it turns out that one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions….after automobiles…is actually beef and dairy cattle. Their emissions dwarf all other types of animal emissions and represent about 10%-12% of ALL U.S. emissions.  For reference, that’s about half of all emissions for all of the vehicles on the roads in the U.S.!!  So if you’re trying to reduce carbon emissions, you MUST focus on one of the leading sources….

Why are cattle such high pollution makers?  It’s because when they eat, they constantly burp as well and their burps produce methane (CH4). Methane is a bigger issue than carbon dioxide (CO2) as every molecule of methane is equivalent to 23 molecules of CO2 and nearly all methane in the air comes from cattle or petroleum by-products. Exacerbating the problem is the fact that meat consumption growth is outpacing the huge global population growth on the planet, so the trend for greenhouse gas production is growing as well.

Enter veggie burgers….bigger and better than the old ones. Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat are two of the companies that are now selling plant-based burgers on a wide scale. Are their burgers any good? Well, apparently they are as recent taste testers have not been able to tell the difference between real beef burgers and the new plant-based burgers!

But is it worth it? What do we gain? Well, eating chicken vs beef burgers alone would reduce your personal greenhouse gas emissions by 10x ! And if everyone gave up meet and cheese for one day a week, it’s estimated that would be equivalent to taking 7.6 million cars off the road per year!  Now that’s an impact.

So the next time you are in the mood for a burger, don’t be afraid to try an Impossible Whopper at Burger King; you might not notice the difference. And if you don’t, it won’t be long before society moves from “Where’s the Beef?" to a “Rant for Plant” in its burger culinary taste. 

Is the Green New Deal the First Step to Communism??

There’s tremendous press coverage in the news these days about the Green New Deal. Some articles show support that it’s a needed path for U.S. future economic growth. Other articles denounce the Green New Deal as ‘fantasyland’ and the path to a communistic state. So, are we destined to leave a democratic society for a communistic one? Well, I’ll give you the short answer; it’s "No”.

So why all the drama? Why the huge arguments from politicians and businessmen? Again, I’ll give you the short answer: it’s about money. But to understand why it’s about money, let’s start with the key elements of the Green New Deal. From their own website, the Green New Deal calls for:

• “a WWII-scale national mobilization to halt climate change, the greatest threat to humanity in our history. Create 20 million jobs by transitioning to 100% clean renewable energy by 2030, and investing in public transit, sustainable (regenerative) agriculture, conservation and restoration of critical infrastructure, including ecosystems”

• Ensure that any worker displaced by the shift away from fossil fuels will receive full income and benefits as they transition to alternative work.

• Enact energy democracy based on public, community and worker ownership of our energy system. Treat energy as a human right.

• Redirect research funds from fossil fuels into renewable energy and conservation. Build a nationwide smart electricity grid that can pool and store power from a diversity of renewable sources, giving the nation clean, democratically-controlled, energy

• End destructive energy extraction and associated infrastructure: fracking, tar sands, offshore drilling, oil trains, mountaintop removal, natural gas pipelines, and uranium mines. Halt any investment in fossil fuel infrastructure, including natural gas, and phase out all fossil fuel power plants. Phase out nuclear power and end nuclear subsidies. Enact a greenhouse gas fee/tax to charge polluters for the damage they have created

The centerpiece of the Green New Deal is a transition to 100% clean energy by 2030.

However, some politicians like Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others, see the Green Deal as a chance to overhaul a lot of other “ailments” in our current democratic system—things like health care, unemployment, wealth distribution, corporate governance, money in politics and more. These “ailments” are having a huge impact on the middle class in America….which is the foundation of our democratic society success. So they are piling other policy ideas like taxing the super wealthy, universal health care for all, etc. on top of the Green New Deal base.

So where does the Communism comments come from? They come from a lot of wealthy individuals and corporations that stand to lose if the Green Deal and these ‘attachment’ policies are implemented…..big oil companies, big medical and pharmacy companies, insurance companies ,, political consultants, etc. They see it as a threat to their success and livelihood and thus use the media to scare society with extreme comments like Communism being what the Green New Deal is about. It’s not. But it IS about big change whether you agree with it or not.

Tips for Recycling

I came across an article by Waste Management of Southern California that offered their customers tips for improving recycling effectiveness. California has long been a leader in U.S. recycling efforts and is far ahead of most all other states. In fact, the state has a mandate to achieve 75% of all products being diverted away from landfills and into recycling. Having lived there, I know… and experienced the cost of deposits on bottles or aluminum canned products and the separate containers for various types of recycled items such as glass, plastic, paper etc. In fact, I was quite shocked when I moved to Tennessee to find that there was no recycling at all in the town I relocated to—though they have since introduced a limited recycling program.

So why are recycling programs not a ‘way of life’ for Americans everywhere? Well, two reasons: money and awareness/commitment. The money aspect falls primarily on the waste collection companies. most of these companies had landfills that they carried away trash to be compacted and buried. Said differently, local governmental intervention has usually been the only reason for their involvement in recycling. Couple this with an ongoing cyclical rise and fall in demand/price for recycled products like cardboard, plastic and aluminum, and the profitability of recycling programs has often been marginal at best. And when companies can’t show a profit for an initiative, they tend to eliminate them or reduce resources spent on them…thus less training, less staff and overall less effective programs.

The second part involves consumer awareness and commitment. Many people simply turn a blind eye to the environmental impacts of pollution….while they simultaneously enjoy the benefits of what the environment provides them in terms of food, water and products made from the earth’s raw materials. However, the trend is changing, particularly among the younger generation. They are more aware of sustainability concepts and want to contribute to environmental cleanup efforts like recycling. Yet even among these ‘environmental adopters’ there is a lost efficiency in the form of commitment and awareness. Many are simply not aware of the proper way to process products to be recycled; this is in part due to the low level of resources dedicated by the waste management companies for staff and customer training. Soiled paper, for example can ruin an entire bag of recycled products and result in the bag going to a landfill instead of to recycling facilities.

So continual training and reminders is NECESSARY to ensure efficient and effective recycling programs.

Here are the 3 key recommendations for home owner associations and businesses who want to ensure effective recycling programs (from Waste Management of Southern California):

1. Assign & Empower: Identify an on-site recycling champion who will take ownership of recycling efforts and help motivate others.

2. Learn & Set Up: Review the acceptable items as well as the do’s and don’ts of recycling with your champion to ensure sustainable practices are met. Place recycling containers in common areas, such as meeting and break rooms as well as recreation rooms and outdoor areas.  Visit www.rorr.com to download helpful recycling tools specific for business and apartment complexes to share with your employees or tenants.

Do:

Recycle empty plastic bottles, cans, paper and cardboard, keep food and liquids out of recycling and always place recyclables loose inside containers. Remember to always breakdown cardboard boxes to make room for all your recyclables.

Don’t:

Place plastic wrap, hoses, rope, bulky items, scrap metal or hazardous materials such as batteries in your recycling.

3. Engage & Sustain: Hold frequent meetings to promote your program as well as award those employees or tenants who have continuously done their part to stay compliant by recycling the right way. 

Will you be a leader in recycling efforts??

#recycle #sustainability #makerecyclingwork #pollutioncleanup #nomorelandfills

Sustainability starts with YOUth Contest !

To stimulate Student learning and involvement, I will be giving away 500 FREE books to high school and college student classes or groups !

Teachers, you can use the book as outside reading to stimulate conversations about topics such as:

• risk-taking, planning & adventures

• teamwork and goal-setting

• global warming & carbon emissions

• recycling (and pollution dangers)

• electric cars and industry transformation

• living “Green”

• renewable energies

With over 600 color photos, it’s an ideal book for young adults to enjoy reading and generate discussion about topics critical to today’s world.

There is no obligation but you must register by sending an e-mail to the author outlining what you would like to accomplish by using the book. For more details, click here.

2019 Summer Forecast: More Carbon and More Heat !

I don’t know about you, but it sure seems to me like summer arrived early last year and stayed late. Spring and Fall seemed to come and go quickly. But will this year be different? Will this be a year that the heat subsides to more reasonable levels…with few tornadoes and hurricanes? Well,,, if you believe the world’s scientists, it’s not likely.

In a report released last month by the Global Carbon Project, an international collaboration of academics, governments and industry that tracks greenhouse gas emissions, world carbon dioxide emissions rose an estimated 2.7% from 2017 to 2018. It’s the largest increase in CO2 emissions in 7 years after several years of little growth and puts the targets set at the 2015 Paris Climate Accord nearly out of reach. Further discouraging scientists, they estimate 37.1 tons of carbon dioxide will be spewed into the air globally in 2019, up from 36.2 tons in 2018.

Why are we seeing such increases in CO2? Well, for one, the Amazon rain forest decreased in size another 3100 square miles in 2018. And while renewable energy use is increasing rapidly, it cannot overcome the continual rise in oil and gas energy use. The U.S. is not the largest contributor, but it is part of the big 4; namely China, the U.S., India and Europe. And as you can see in the attached chart, though China and India showed the largest increases in carbon emissions, the U.S. was still up 2.5% when it was hoped that it would show a decrease in emissions. The increases were due to hot summers and cold winters for the U.S., while economic stimulus in China pushed an increase in coal-powered manufacturing.

So what does this mean for our weather in 2019? More trapped heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. In fact, we’re at CO2 levels not seen in the atmosphere since the Pliocene era some 3 million years ago and accelerating rapidly to levels never seen before. So expect another El Nino event this year which means drier and warmer weather in the tropics and a weakening of the amount of CO2 that the rain forests can suck up.

In other words…. another hot year with weather patterns we’re not used to.

#carbonemission #globalwarming #sustainability #oilandgas #rainforests #elnino #weather

Bagging a Good Idea

I’ve started on my New Year’s resolution. Yes, after getting mad at myself for contributing to pollution, I’ve turned the corner and I’m now taking my reusable bag into stores with me to bring out my purchases of groceries or hardware or office supplies or whatever it is. No more plastic bags for me!

So why is reducing plastic bag usage so important? Here are a few example reasons:

• Plastics don’t biodegrade. And if they find themselves in the ocean, they photo-degrade into little pieces of themselves. In fact, it’s estimated that plastic sized particles outnumber plankton 6 to 1 in our oceans! It’s mistaken as food by marine animals and some of them die.

• Plastic bags are single biggest contributor by far in a growing global crisis in our oceans. Plastic bags get wrapped around boat propellers, sucked into marine engines, etc

• Plastic waste can be found everywhere: in landfills, in the streets, and in our oceans. Less than 10% of all plastic is recycled.

• Plastic bags, which are made of polyethylene, use about 8% of our valuable oil resources.

• The U.S. alone uses more than 100 billion plastic bags each year – that’s more than 300 bags per person!

By taking in my reusable bag to the store, I’m doing my part to try to reduce pollution, kill fewer marine animals, reduce the number of bags produced, and reducing the amount of petroleum used to make more plastic bags (which coincidentally also contributes to our air quality problem). It’s a healthier environment for all of us.

So how do we convince others to do the same thing? Education of course. Which brings me to today’s story.

Recently, seven local Nashville high schools kicked off a plastic bag recycling contest. Over the holiday break, students collected plastic bags and turned them in to a central location this week. The goal was to see which high school turned in the most plastic bags; the winning school will receive a park bench made from…get this…recycled plastic bags! The students will find out which school collected the most on Earth Day, April 22, 2019. You can read more about it and watch the video here:

ttps://www.newschannel5.com/news/mnps-students-participate-in-recycling-competition

What a GREAT way to educate young people on sustainability topics of recycling, air and water pollution etc.!!

Kudos to the all of the principals at these 7 elementary schools! Well done.

#sustainability #recycling #kickinggas #plasticbags #education #elementaryschools

A New Year Brings New Resolutions. Let's Turn the Corner in 2019 !

I went out to the grocery store late last evening and I came home pissed:

• Not because I couldn’t find the grocery item I needed.

• Not because there were no helpful checkout clerks or stockpersons.

• Not because my coupons had expired

• And not because I thought the prices were too high for what I bought.

I came home pissed because I wasn’t focused on something I feel is important.

For you see, once again for the umpteenth time, I had gone to pick up a few groceries and didn’t take in my reusable shopping bags sitting in the back of my SUV. So once again, I ended up taking home not only my groceries, but 3 plastic bags that I subsequently threw away and thus added to the mounting problem of plastic that goes to either a landfill or worse—like an ocean dump. It’s my fault…and I can do better.

So one of my New Year resolutions for 2019 is to be more focused on my recycling and waste efforts. I CAN remember to take in my reusable shopping bags…and I WILL. It’s a small thing, but if everyone did small things like this we wouldn’t have landfills at capacity, global cleanup crews headed to the middle of the Pacific ocean to collect trash, and low recycling levels in the U.S. Simply put, we’re like the little kid who was never taught to pick up his toys after he played with them….and our room is getting “trashed”.

There are a number of ways we can contribute to reducing waste and pollution. Recycling is one but there are others that are easy to do if we simply FOCUS on them. I found this article from 2016 by the NRDC (Natural Resource Defense Council) that offers up some good ideas. I hope you’ll take the time to look them over.

So what are your resolutions for 2019? Do they include any “green” initiatives? If not, I encourage you to add one more. With your help, we can make 2019 the year our global room starts looking a little less cluttered and a little more cleaner. I hope you’ll join me in this effort.

I thank you….. Our marine and wildlife thank you………... And Mother Earth thanks you.

#icandobetter #plasticpollution #reusableshoppingbags #sustainability #newyearresolutions

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/10-ways-reduce-plastic-pollution

My New Year Resolution for 2019

Black-Balled on Black Friday?

An important published report (the National Climate Assessment) was released last Friday and today denounced by White House Press Secretary Sanders when questioned as being ‘not based on facts’ and ‘not data driven’.

Really?

Without providing ANY facts of their own to counter the research findings, the White House wants us to believe that THE major product of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, a government interagency which coordinates a team of expert scientists and receives input from 13 different Federal Agencies, is then summarized in the mandatory National Climate Assessment Report, and then “extensively reviewed by the public, the National Academy of Sciences and policymakers who make decisions on actions needed to address global warming concerns, is not based on data or facts?

To believe that scientists don’t use facts or data to develop their conclusions is like walking blindfolded across 40 acres of dairy land and believing you won’t step in bull crap. And that seems like what we have here.

Aside from the lack of data put forth for an opposing point of view to the Assessment findings, it also appears highly convenient to release the report on the busiest shopping day of the year. Why? To try to bury bad news…that’s why. It runs counter to the Administration’s environmental policies….so bury bad news when people are distracted. Well, it didn’t happen that way. People DO CARE about the environment and all the major news agencies carried the report findings.

What we the major report findings? Here’s a recap….and it’s not good at all:

• Communities — Climate change creates new risks and exacerbates existing vulnerabilities in communities across the United States, presenting growing challenges to human health and safety, quality of life, and the rate of economic growth.

• Economy — Without substantial global mitigation & adaptation efforts climate change is expected to cause growing losses to American infrastructure and property and impede the rate of economic growth over this century.

• Interconnected Impacts — Climate change affects the social systems we rely on individually and our connections to one another; these systems are increasingly vulnerable to cascading impacts which threaten essential services

• Actions To Reduce Risks — Communities, governments, and businesses are working to reduce risks from and costs associated with climate change through actions designed to lower greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation strategies. While mitigation efforts have expanded substantially in the last four years, they do not yet approach the scale considered necessary to avoid substantial damages to the economy, environment, and human health over the coming decades.

• Water — The quality and quantity of water available for use by people and ecosystems across the country face risks and costs to agriculture, energy production, industry, recreation, and the environment.

• Health — Extreme weather and climate-related events, air quality, and the transmission of disease through insects and pests, food, and water increasingly threaten the health and well-being of the American people, particularly populations that are already vulnerable.

• Indigenous Peoples — Climate change increasingly threatens Indigenous communities’ livelihoods, economies, health, and cultural identities by disrupting interconnected social, physical, and ecological systems.

• Ecosystems — Ecosystems and the benefits they provide to society are being altered by climate change. Without substantial reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions, transformative impacts will occur; some coral reef and sea ice ecosystems are already experiencing such changes.

• Agriculture — Rising temperatures, extreme heat, drought, wildfire on rangelands, and heavy downpours are expected to increasingly disrupt agricultural productivity in the United States. Expected increases in challenges to livestock health, declines in crop yields and quality, threatening rural livelihoods, sustainable food security, and price stability.

• Infrastructure — Our Nation’s aging and deteriorating infrastructure is further stressed by increases in heavy precipitation events, coastal flooding, heat, wildfires, and other extreme events; the infrastructure will continue to degrade in performance over the rest of the century, with the potential for cascading impacts that threaten our economy, national security, essential services, and health and well-being.

• Oceans & Coasts — Coastal communities and the ecosystems that support them are increasingly threatened. without significant reductions in greenhouse gases, many coastal regions will be transformed by the end of the century, Many communities are expected to suffer financial impacts as chronic high-tide flooding leads to higher costs and lower property values.

• Tourism & Recreation — Outdoor recreation, tourist economies, and quality of life are reliant on benefits provided by our natural environment that will be degraded by the impacts of climate change in many ways.

Climate Change Is and Will Cost Americans Billions

The summary to the NCA states the “earth’s climate is now changing faster than at any point in the history of modern civilization, primarily as a result of human activities.” Much of the latest NCA report concerns itself with the harm a warming planet will do to the US economy. It says it could reduce US economic output by as much as 10%, which would amount to around $500 billion a year in losses. The report echoes the findings of the IPCC 6 climate assessment released in October, which warns a “business as usual” approach to carbon emission could see the average global temperatures rocket upward by as much as 9 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of this century. If this were to happen, some scientist have gone on record to say that the impact would be indescribable, turning the world upside down in terms of its climate—and that there would be nothing like it in the history of civilization.’

So the U.S. in the course of 2 short years…has gone from scientific study and global agreement to ‘I know better’…and “Let’s bury bad news of Black Friday and hope nobody notices’.. What’s next? Eliminating subsidies for electric car sales? Oh, wait! Trump just threatened to do that against GM…… <sigh>

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/white-house-federal-climate-change-report-not-based-on-facts/ar-BBQaiNl?ocid=spartanntp

Trump & EPA Are Saving The Coal Industry, Right? Well, Not Really and Here's Why

When Donald Trump campaign for President in the 2016 election, he made great promises to coal miners that he would bring coal back in a big way. His promises enabled him to defeat Hilary Clinton in the key coal producing states of West Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. So has he delivered on his promises? The answer is that he’s likely slowed the decline but probably cannot stop it.

Since Trump’s election, there was a short-term increase in coal mining jobs, roughly 2000 at its peak; however, by the end of 2017, that number was down to about 900….and falling. The increase was due to EPA removals of government subsidies for fracking of methane gas used for power in lieu of coal. However, this increase has been offset with continued decline in power plant usage of coal due to increasing use of renewable energies like wind and solar sources. In fact, coal production was up slightly in 2017 by 6% to 774 million tons, but consumption was slightly below 2017 levels at 717 million tons. More concerning, domestic coal consumption is almost all in the power sector and coal’s % of the power sector was 30%—the lowest ever on record. Said differently, the power sector is growing while coal’s % of it is declining.

A recently published article in Scientific American outlined some of the dynamics behind the scenes for the coal industry. In short, the economics suggest that the cost to operate coal power plants is now higher than the cost of operating solar or wind power facilities. Further, renewable energies are actually less expensive for power generation than both gas and coal powered energy plants in many parts of the U.S.:

On-Shore Wind Farm Power Plant Costs: $29-$56 per Mega Watt Hour

Solar Power Plant Costs: $36-$44 per Mega Watt Hour

Coal Power Plant Costs: $60-$143 per Mega Watt Hour

Natural Gas Power Plant Costs: $41- $74 per Mega Watt Hour

In addition, wind and solar costs continue to decline, some 7% and 13% respectively in 2017. Moreover, solar and wind are expected to grow to be 2/3 of all new power plant builds by 2040. So, obviously the trends do not bode well for the coal industry’s future.

Diversification will still be important with the expected increase in power usage for the U.S. in the future, but it’s hard to believe that coal will make a comeback, unlike the promises made by the Trump Administration.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/renewable-energy-is-surging-but-not-fast-enough-to-stop-warming/

Scientists Sound Urgent Alarm On the Environment--But Will We Listen?

According to the State of New York, Exxon and big oil knew the damage that CO2 emissions from oil and gas burning was having on the atmosphere back in the 1970’s; in fact the State just filed suit against Exxon for an alleged lack of disclosure of the potential financial impact to investors. Exxon denies a cover up.

Over the last 5 decades scientists have been warning anyone that would listen that the environment’s ozone layer was being depleted by CO2 emissions BUT if actions were taken to reduce reliance on fossil fuels for energy the world could prevent a disastrous global warming impact. That just changed.

In a landmark scientific report issues by the United Nations this month, scientists warn that a large amount of carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere may need to be removed to avoid further global warming impacts. And right now, the technology to undertake such a challenge, doesn’t exist.

So, the clock is ticking….. Tick Tock, Tick Tock. Nations have avoided taking action for so long that an unprecedented shift to renewable energies like solar, wind and water may not be enough to avoid damage to our ecosystem on the Earth’s surface. While a panel of the America’s leading scientists from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine urged the federal government to begin exploring technologies that could remove vast quantities of carbon emissions from the atmosphere to slow climate change, the Trump Administration is expanding oil drilling rights in dramatic fashion.

Scientists have changed their message; it’s a louder warning. But are we listening?

#globalwarming #scientists #kickinggas #exxonknew #sustainability #renewableenergy

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/24/climate/global-warming-carbon-removal.html

Recycling Recycling: A Needed CleanUp

The other day I offered to set my neighbor’s trash out for collection while he left on vacation. In the course of that conversation, we got into a debate about whether empty wine bottles went into recycling bags or trash bags for our city collection. I believed that glass went into the blue bags for recycling along with paper, cardboard, plastic, etc.; my neighbor believed that all glass had to go into trash bags that went to the landfill. We were confused… so we looked it up on the city’s online government site.

It turns out, we were both wrong….in different ways. My neighbor was right about the wine bottles and glass not being eligible for the blue recycling bags the city collects. However, neither of us were aware that plastic bags and, interestingly, plastic pill bottles cannot be placed in the recycling bags either—who’d have thunk??

This situation just illustrates one of the biggest problems with recycling programs today: educating the public. In my situation, both my neighbor and I discussed the fact there really needed to be better identification and ongoing reminders to residents about “how” to recycle. I am a big advocate of recycling but was not aware that bottles, plastic bags, and plastic pill bottles couldn’t be included in the blue bag; i.e. I was doing it wrong. And ‘contaminated’ bags are often discarded and cannot be processed. What is needed in my case, I believe, is regular reminders of what ‘Can’ be included in recycle bags and what ‘Cannot’ be included and goes into the provided trash bin. In addition, a color photo label could be posted on the trash bin with similar information. Both of these could reduce contamination and increase the efficiency of the recycling process. I should point out, however, that the city’s online link for city services DOES have a very good video of how to do recycling properly—thus it should be referenced in communications the city has with its residents.

So the question that arises from all this is: ‘why aren’t recycling programs more effective' and profitable?' And why are some cities SCALING BACK recycling programs? A recent New York Times article may shed some light on these reasons. The article cites that despite decades of awareness, less that 1/3 of all municipal waste is recycled—far less than in Europe and other large global countries. More importantly, it contains an interview with the executive director of Recycle Across America, (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/15/opinion/fixes-recycling-labeling-landfills.html) a non-profit company focused on improving recycling. Their studies/efforts have shown that recycling CAN be improved and become a habit just like drivers using safety belts and drivers not driving when drunk. However, according to the director, this hasn’t happened on a nationwide level because there are “thousands of confusing recycling instructions on bins throughout the country, which makes people skeptical and apathetic about recycling, and projects the message that recycling is unimportant.” The director goes on to say that the reason public education and standardization hasn’t happened is due to the fact that recycling businesses are owned by the same companies that own the landfills and that landfill services are more profitable.

Recycling CAN be profitable for companies involved and CAN be an effective way to reduce our carbon footprint. If we want to be serious about it, we need to:

1- provide a standardization of how recyclables are collected & processed

2- ensure quality education materials and labeling are provided to residents and businesses along with ongoing reminders of ‘how’ to separate trash from recyclables

3- ensure the trash collecting and recycling companies are profitable through efficiency analyses as well as governmental contracts for pricing of these collected materials.

In summary, it’s important to remember that our trees, gas, natural gas and other raw materials are all finite—i.e. limited. With a dramatic growth in global population and a corresponding acceleration of increased energy use, recycling is necessary and we need to ‘clean it up!’

#recycling #sustainability #kickinggas #landfills #trash #cleanup

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/15/opinion/fixes-recycling-labeling-landfills.html

Can The 'ROOT OF All EVIL' Be The Roots for Sustainability Growth?

Money. Often called the 'root of all evil' for its temptation that causes people to do things others condemn. Could it also become fertilizer for an accelerated learning and adoption of sustainability activities for the world? Well, yes, possibly so.

While there have been a few funds on the stock market that invest in 'green' products and services, a recent move by Norway's sovereign wealth fund stands out. The fund, worth $1 trillion, is the world's largest and invests money generated by Norway's oil and gas production in global funds including investments in over 9,000 companies and 72 countries.

With a focus on long-term goals, the fund announced it will require companies in which it invests to follow stricter guidelines on global sustainability and improved efforts to combat plastic pollution of the world's oceans. In fact, the fund sees their long-term goals as aligning well with the United Nation goals for achieving sustainable economic, social and environmental development by the year 2030. 

If you want to get CEO, Board of Directors, and other Executive attention, this is the way to do it; i.e. take away potential investors and capital which subsequently drops a company stock price and ultimately reduces the executives' stock holdings value. When it hits your wallet directly, you take notice.

A lot of companies have been playing lip service to sustainability. It's a broad goal for most companies with few true actions behind them. But...it looks good on paper and in the Annual Reports since you have a corporate plan for sustainability.

It's about time, someone put their money where sustainability is....and I applaud Norway for sticking their neck out on this issue. This is the same country that leads the world in per capita electric vehicle owners.  Indeed, the little country of Norway is showing the world how to be better global citizens and cleaning up after themselves. Touche' Norway !

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/norways-1-trillion-fund-beef-scrutiny-sustainability-ocean-073521211--sector.html

Note: Photo courtesy of Buildnative.com

Making Your Poo Work For You !

Composting, by definition, is the process of recycling various organic materials (usually considered waste products) to produce a soil conditioner known as compost. Rich in nutrients, this compost is then used to fertilize gardens, landscaping, horticulture, agriculture and organic farm products. Compost is also helpful as a soil conditioner, a natural pesticide, erosion control, and other uses such as wetland construction or land reclamation. Farmers have used composting processes for years by combining farm animal manure with straw or sawdust to condition soil used for crop growing. 

The process of composting includes making a collection of wet organic matter such as leaves, grass, food scraps, etc and waiting for the materials to break down into humus after a few month period. Shredding the materials with the addition of water and aeration accelerates the decomposition process. Earthworms and fungi can further breakdown the nitrogen-rich materials and produce heat, ammonium and carbon dioxide. 

Composting requires 3 basic ingredients:

Browns- materials such as dead leaves, branches and twigs. (carbon sources)

Greens- grass clippings, fruit scraps, vegetable wastes, and coffee grounds (nitrogen sources)

Water- in the right proportion to the Browns and Greens (moisture to break down the materials)

Proper composting utilizes equal amounts of Browns and Greens with alternating layers and sizes of each mixed with the water. Aeration is often done through rotation of the materials. Commercial composting bins allow residential composters to mechanically facilitate the process. 

With the growing interest in sustainability, composting is taking on new forms, including toilets for recycling of human waste and the reduction of water used for public sewage. Properly set-up compost toilets have a very low ecological footprint. Replacing a flush toilet with a composting one can save more than 6,600 gallons per year for each person who uses the bathroom! Composting toilets operate much like home garden composting systems; they accelerate decomposition and evolve into a manageable, odorless waste material similar to commercial fertilizer found in a home and garden store. 

Compost toilets can be used at home, for camping, boating and other locations where sanitary toilets may not be easily found. The attached article ( https://homeworthylist.com/best-composting-toilet-reviews/  ) provides a review of some of the top compost toilet products available along with guidelines on how the process works. 

If you're ready to fully embrace sustainability and want to reduce your carbon footprint for future Earth inhabitants, then "Make Your Poo Work For You" by investing in a composting toilet !