Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The catch phrase “the three R’s” refers to the common expression: reduce, reuse, recycle.  Together, the three R’s work together to lower the amount of natural resources used, energy, money, and landfill space needed, lowering the environmental impacts.  Many things can be done to contribute to the goal of “the three R’s.”  I have written about a few ways in which you can make a difference in your own life.

So many products at the store are over-packaged, most with materials that are difficult to recycle.  A good way to avoid this excess packaging, is to buy in bulk whenever possible.  Avoid paper and plastic products such as paper plates, plastic silverware, cups, and paper towels.  Instead, use real dishes and use cloth towels for cleaning.  Another good way to eliminate your paper waste is to use reusable mugs when you get coffee of other drinks, especially water.  Buy a reusable water bottle in order to refrain from buying the bottled water.

When going to the store, bring reusable bags or use cloth bags.  Donate or sell your old clothes or toys, rather than getting rid of them in the trash.  This will benefit you as well as the environment!  Try to make us of reusable products, rather than using plastic bags or paper cups.  Another great thing to reuse is water.  You can collect water in buckets when it rains, and reuse it later when it is dry and you need water.  Also, instead of pouring extra water down your drain, use can use it to water a                                                      plant in your house or yard.

Recycle whenever possible!  As I stated in my last post, 75% of household waste is recyclable.  Little effort is required and the benefits are great.  Try to be aware while at the store and choose to buy products that have either been made from recycled material or are easily recycled.  In addition to recycling, composting is another great way to reduce andreuse.  If you have the option of buying a compostable or biodegradable product then do it.  These products go back into the earth naturally and enrich the soils.  This is a great way to decrease your carbon footprint and your overall environmental impact!

Try unplugging appliances you are not using, especially cell phone chargers, and turn off your computer at night.  On days when it is cold, close your blinds, and on days when it is hot, open your blinds.  If you have the choice, choose to buy energy star appliances as they have the ability to save you a lot of energy and money!

A few small changes can really go a far way in making a difference to reduce our waste going to landfills, reduce energy, and our save our natural resources.  The three R’s also help to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.  I encourage every household to attempt to reduce, reuse, and recycle as much as possible.  I believe that everyone can make a difference…will you?

Don’t Be Trashy, Recycle!!!

Since I was in elementary school, I have always been interested in learning about the environment.  One thing I feel strongly about is recycling.  I would always tell other students at my high school to recycle rather than throw a recyclable in the trash.  My passion for this is what made me so interested in Lemonjello’s zero-waste campaign.  I have never really looked at the statistics of recycling; I have always assumed the best.

Recycling reduces the need for landfills; it reduces pollution, energy, and reduces the amount greenhouse gases released into our atmosphere.  There are many people who sayit does not make a difference whether they recycle or not.  Here are some recycling fun facts to prove them wrong:  If everyone were to recycle their morning newspaper, we could save 41,000 trees each day and prevent 6 million tons of paper waste from being added to a landfill.  Recycled glass releases 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than required to make new glass.  One recycled pop can uses 96% less energy, produces 95% less air pollution, and 97% less water pollution.

Recycling really does make a difference.  75% of home waste could be recycled.  It does not take much time to separate recyclables from trash.  At my parents house they have trash bins and recycle bins.  There is no reason why recyclables should be thrown out in the trash.  Take a second before you toss something in the trash, and you too could make a difference for the good!

Composting

Compost is defined as decomposed organic material. Composting has a variety of purposes and uses.  Choosing to compost is one way in which you can reduce the amount of waste being added to our ever-growing landfills.  You can also lower your impact by doing so, as composting has proven to be beneficial to the environment.  A few examples of where compost can be used are in gardens or on farms to enrich the soil and promote crop growth, to cover landfills as a reclamation effort, or on soil areas with contamination or erosion problems.

The option of composting exists almost everywhere.  It can be done outdoors or indoors, preferably outdoors. Composting is beneficial to both the environment and gardens.  Composting helps to clean and enrich the soil, prevents pollution, and lessens the need for fertilizers, pesticides, and water.Here is a list of things I found on the EPA’s website that you can compost: animal manure, cardboard rolls, clean paper, coffee grounds and filters, cotton rags, dryer and vacuum cleaner lint, eggshells, fireplace ashes, fruits and vegetables, grass clippings, hair and fur, hay and straw, houseplants, leaves, nut shells, sawdust, shredded newspaper, tea bags, wood chips, wool rags, and yard trimmings.

The process of composting could take somewhere between two months and two years.  It is a fairly simple procedure that can be done in your own backyard.  It is best to choose a shady area to place your compost pile.  You should add about the same amount of browns (things like dead leaves, branches, and twigs) as greens (things like grass clippings, vegetable and fruit scraps, and coffee grounds).  You will also need water, as it is necessary for the materials to stay moist in order to help the organic matter breakdown.  To help the process move along, you can mix up the pile about every week.  Once it looks like dark, rich soil, then it is ready!

Yard trimmings and food waste makes up approximately 26% of waste produced by the average household!  Both of these can be used as composting materials.  Just think of how much waste you could stop from being sent to a landfill and instead reused it in order to better our environment.

Zero-Waste Campaign

A main reason why I chose Lemonjello’s to be my inspiration was because of their zero-waste initiative.  I got in touch with Matthew Scott, the business owner, to ask him a few questions.  He was very willing to share and gave me a lot of good information.  When Matthew Scott was a kid, he was inspired when Holland began its curbside recycling program throughout the city.  He is passionate about reusing, recycling, and composting, so he wanted to incorporate these at Lemonjello’s.  Unfortunately, the only commercial recycling program Holland offered to businesses was for cardboard only.  After taking bags of recyclables home with him and proving is strong commitment, Matthew Scott was able to convince Chef Container to pick up bags from Lemonjello’s.

In addition to recycling, Matthew Scott began buying compostable products.  Lemonjello’s now composts all of their coffee grounds and food waste with an organic farm in the area.  Matthew Scott still felt like more could be done, so he looked into more options.  His efforts led to the following (this is the list he sent me—I copied from his email):

1.  Food & grounds compost: local organic farm

2.  Basic recycling (cans, glass, plastics 1-6, cardboard, paper): a pilot program that we’re testing for downtown to hopefully implement for everyone soon.

3. Plastic bags, other metal: the Holland city rescue mission’s recycling center.

4. Returnable soda bottles: our soda vendor.

5. Plastics #7 and other compostable paper, etc. products: arrowaste’s pilot program for commercial composting.

Matthew Scott estimates that Lemonjello’s is currently 95% waste free.  They went from putting five or six bags of trash out a day to only one per day.  I found a quote from the WMEAC blog that read: “Since it opened eight years ago, Lemonjellos has been one of Holland’s most progressive small businesses on the environmental front, making all decisions with long term sustainability in mind” (http://thewmeacblog.org/2011/02/17/sustainable-business-review-lemonjellos/).  It took some time and effort, but Lemonjello’s has accomplished something truly amazing.  Lemonjello’s makes an important impact on its customers.  They have already seen an increase in the use of travel mugs and customers choosing to get baked goods on plates, rather than in a bag.  I definitely think that Lemonjello’s is setting a good example to the other businesses in the area.  Matthew Scott reminds them that what he is doing is not any harder.  He explains that it requires a little bit of sorting, but in the end they are just putting more things in the recycling and compost containers, and less in the garbage.  I believe the pilot programs have made other businesses more aware and have encouraged them to continue in this trend.  He says recycling by the other business have increased, due to the free, pilot programs in use.  I hope these programs will be continued in the city!  If so, they may create impacts on the surrounding cities as well!

Carbon Footprints

A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases a person, or in this case, a household adds to the atmosphere.   This amount is generally calculated using kg of carbon as the unit of measurement.  The first household produces 2928 lbs. of carbon dioxide per month.  Of the total emissions, 6% was produced from home energy while an overwhelming 94% was produced from transportation.  The second household produces approximately 3892 lbs per month.  Home energy counts for 42% of their total emissions and 58% results from transportation.

Both households were classified as being average in the U.S.  A large difference between the two households is where the majority of their carbon emissions are from.  The first household had a much greater carbon footprint in regards to travel, but the second household had a higher percentage of carbon released from their home energy.  It seems that both households could try and make a few changes in order to reduce their impact. The first house can find ways to reduce their impact by carpooling, taking the bus, or riding their bikes.  The second house can work on making sure they turn lights off when not in a room, unplug electric cords when not being used, or by turning the temperature up or down a few degrees.  With a few small sacrifices, both homes have the ability to reduce their impact on the environment.

Why choose organic??

Lemonjello’s sells a variety of snacks and baked goods, all of which have been made or produced organically.  Organic farming is beneficial to the health of humans and to the environment.  Farmers often use chemicals such as pesticides or fertilizers to grow their crops.  The use of harmful chemicals not only affects the area in which they are directly applied, but the surrounding areas as well.  Rain carries these chemicals into nearby rivers and lakes, creating problems with water contamination.  Organic farming does not use chemicals, reducing the amount of both local and regional groundwater pollution (Energy Bulletin).

Writing this post reminded me of the movie Food, Inc.  This movie gives a lot of shocking information on America’s agriculture and farming practices that are otherwise kept from the general public.  After witnessing this movie, I began to take more time in the store and actually take a longer look at what I was buying.  I also visited the Natural Health Center where they sell organic products (and students get a 10% discount!).  It is important for people to be aware of where they are getting their food and know how that food was grown or produced.

Organic farming reduces the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air, it requires less energy, and it helps the soil.  I read an article by the Rodale Institute in which they stated “organically managed soils can store (sequester) more than 1,000 pounds of carbon per acre, while non-organic systems can cause carbon loss” (Rodale Institute).  I found this to be very interesting, especially since global climate change has been the main topic discussed in two of my classes lately.  Organic farming can produce the same yield of corn and soybeans as conventional farming, however it uses 30% less energy, less water, and of course no pesticides.  Finally, organic farming practices help the soil because it allows the soil to retain more water and these practices also reduces the amount of soil erosion (Energy Bulletin).

Organic farmers are directly affecting the human population  and the environment in a positive way.   We can also make  a difference by being more conscious of the things we are  buying and choosing organic products!

My sources:

http://www.nrdc.org/health/farming/forg101.asp

http://www.thechicecologist.com/2010/03/is-organic-food-really-better-for-the-environment/

http://www.energybulletin.net/node/7426

“eaarth” by Bill McKibben

Bill McKibben repeatedly referred to the phrase “old earth” throughout the first chapter of his book entitled eaarth.  He discusses the ways in which we have forever change our planet and bluntly exclaims there is no going back.  Bill McKibben came up with the name “eaarth,” as our current need to find a way to live on the earth we are left with.  The times are over when we thought we could use, use, use; now is the time when we must find new ways to live on our planet.

Our continuous desire for economic growth has been met by the burning of fossil fuels, greatly increasing the amount of Carbon present in the Earth’s atmosphere.  An increase in thunderstorms, lightning, stronger hurricanes, melting icecaps, rising sea levels, drought, and famine are all effects of global warming.   In fact, a small 1˚ Farenheit increase, causes a 6% increase in lightning (Mckibben in eaarth).  The concern for future generations has shifted to the present, as we are already experiencing these effects in moderate proportions.  Bill McKibben urges that something needs to be done, not to reverse the effects, which he says is an impossible task, but something to help control and prevent global warming from worsening.  I found his first two chapters full of shocking facts, giving it a somewhat depressing tone.  It brought about an urgency in me to strive and be someone who works towards lessening our effects on the environment.

Steven Bertman, a Western Professor, came and spoke in our class last week about carbon footprints and energy.  He explained the United States receives 85% of it’s energy from fossil fuels, 8% from nuclear energy, and a mere 7% from renewable sources.  How can a developed country like the United States continue to have such an overwhelming amount of our energy needs be met through fossil fuels?  We have the information and technology to make alternative energy happen, however making the change seems to be difficult.  One of Steven Bertman’s persuasions for alternative energy was the number of new jobs it has the potential to create.  It seems that in the current economic times in which we are living, creating new, green energy companies would be encouraged by the government, as a way to create more jobs.

Unfortunately, most of society still believes global warming is not something that really concerns them.  I hope that those who do understand the bind we currently find ourselves in, will be successful in protecting further harm from being done to our earth.

Equal Exchange

Lemonjello’s participates in fair-trade, selling equal exchange coffee and snacks.  I was interested in learning more about what equal exchange is all about, so I did some research online.  I found that Equal Exchange supports small farmers who work hard to grow their crops organically and sustainably (Over 90% of their coffees are certified organic).  Equal exchange buys organic chocolate, cocoa, tea, coffee, bananas, cranberries, almonds, and sugar directly from numerous farmers around the globe.  This fair trade process eliminates the middleman, providing a more just and stable trading system with the farmers.  The following website provides a lot of great information and facts about fair trade and equal exchange. If you want to find out more information here is the site: http://www.equalexchange.coop/our-co-op.

Equal Exchange promotes a sustainable environment by working with farmer co-ops in such a way that encourages and aids them towards using methods such as: terracing, composting, water conservation, and crop diversification.  These methods protect the soil from erosion, increase the health and growth of crops, and make for “a safer working environment for farmers” (Equal Exchange, Organic Farming).  This is just one way Equal Exchange makes a difference.  They are making good choices to help our environment as well as supporting the small farm communities.  I will add more as I continue in my research.  I have contacted Lemonjello’s and am waiting to hear back from them!

I found my information from: http://www.equalexchange.coop/.

“Curitiba”

I chose to read chapter two from Bill McKibben’s book: Hope, Human and Wild. In this chapter, Bill McKibben described the city of Curitiba, located in Brazil.  I found it very interesting to learn about this truly unique city.  Curitiba was designed in such a way that forbids cars to drive through the center.  Instead, the city has an efficient busing transportation system, which allows people to quickly and cheaply ride into and out of the city.  A bus typically has another bus attached behind it, to allow for more passengers to ride at once.  In order to decrease the amount of time it took to load everyone onto the bus, the city put “tube stations” at the bus stops.  They save a lot of time because the people buy their ticket in the tube station instead of as they are getting on the bus.  This way, the people can all load the bus at the same time, making the process much quicker.

I was reminded of Vienna, Austria while reading about Curitiba’s efficient transportation and amazing parks.  Last summer, I took a class in Vienna and learned how to get around using public transportation.  They had great transportation throughout the city and the surrounding districts, making it very easy for me to get around.  Another thought I had on transportation has to do with biking.  Vienna had bike lanes throughout the city, so people could travel around in an easy way.  I would love to see cities in the U.S. become more biker friendly.  It is a great way to get around, especially when the weather is nice!  Also, Vienna has the highest percentage of green space of any other city in Europe, so I can get an idea of how much the numerous parks in Curitiba add to its character.

While reading this chapter, I got the feeling that the city worked hard to take care of all of it’s citizens.  A few examples include: the “toy factory”, Childhood and Adolescence Integration Program, trading trash for food program, and the classroom buses, all allude to a true sense of community in Curitiba.  I especially like the program in which they allow people to bring their trash and trade it for food.  This solution has multiple benefits.  It eliminates the trash problem by rewarding people in the area to collect and dispose of their trash.  This program also provides food for the poor who may otherwise not be able to afford any.  Lastly, they are supporting the small farmers who are living in the countryside.

Curitiba sounds like an amazing city, one I would love to visit some day!

My Inspiration for this Project

Lemonjello’s is a coffee shop in Holland, MI.  They serve equal exchange coffee and all organic food and snacks.  They also try and be a zero-waste coffee shop.  I think all of these are great, which is the reason for my choosing them to be my inspiration for this project. I am looking forward to learning how all three of these play a role in helping the environment.

If you want to learn more about Lemonjello’s you can check out their website!  http://lemonjellos.com/