Step #11 - Bring your own mug

How many paper cups do you use on a regular day? If you are a coffee or tea drinker, which most of us are, you might use anywhere from 2 – 5 paper cups a day. That means on average more than a thousand paper cups a year per person. That’s not counting cups used to drink just water or all the additional waste you take with you on top of the cup, like the carton protector, the plastic lid and a little stick to stir the drink. Here is my personal consumption: On average I usually have 3 teas a day, plus 2 – 3 glasses of water. So that means that on average I could use more than 1,500 cups a year… that’s a lot!, especially knowing that I have something like 9 mugs and 7 reusable water bottles at home.

Thinking about this issue a few weeks ago I went from something like this:

From www.instablogsimages.com

To something like this

From rlv.zcache.co.uk

In North America alone, every year 50 million trees are cut to produce paper cups. When you think about this unreasonable number, think about how much time you use that cup, probably 5, 10 or maybe 15 minutes and then, to the trash. And this is not the only problem as always. Usually (meaning all the time) paper cups get branded, spending millions of dollars in printing chemicals that will end up in the garbage (or in contaminated water resources). Also to prevent sogginess paper cups are covered with plastics, which in presence of hot liquids may melt and end up being part of your drink. Then of course you have transportation, production waste, water poisoning and all the environmental problems you now know. And all of this is just to have a brand new branded paper cup every time, is it really worth it?

I found this very interesting table in appropedia.org on how a paper cup impacts the environment. Multiply by 1000 or more if you use 3-4 cups a day….

Environmental impact of a paper cup - Estimated carbon footprint, loss of natural habitat potential, loss of plant and animal life potential and/or extinction potential from making, packaging, shipping and/or using these products or services.
-----------
+ Except for CO2 emissions, estimates are based on Habitat,_Life,_Extinction_Formulas_v2 via ecofx.org. + Estimates do not include the possible long-term ecological effects of climate change and persistent toxins.
Formulas use "human appropriated net primary production (HANPP)" to "CO2 emissions" correlation.
-----------

1 kg(kilogram) = 2.2 lb(pounds) 1 m2(square meter) = 10.8 ft2(square feet)
1 km(kilometers) = .62 mi(miles) 1 liter = .26 gallons

Paper Coffee Cup with sleeve - 16 ounce

Some of the materials used to make this paper coffee cup (16 ounce) with sleeve.	trees, water, ink, plastic, multiple fuels
CO2 released to make and ship this paper coffee cup (16 ounce) with sleeve.	0.11 kg 0.25 lb
Loss of natural habitat potential to make and ship this paper coffee cup (16 ounce) with sleeve.	0.09 m2 0.93 ft2
Loss of plant and animal life potential (in natural habitat) to make and ship this paper coffee cup (16 ounce) with sleeve	0.27 kg 0.6 lb
How many paper coffee cups (16 ounce) with sleeves it would takes to trigger 1 potential specie extinction	1.7 billion

Reusable Coffee Mug

---

As compared to a paper coffee cup, once a reusable coffee mug has been used 50 to 100 times it has almost no carbon footprint. (A small carbon footprint results from rinsing the reusable coffee cup -- especially in hot water.)

Some of the materials that may be used to make a reusable coffee mug.	steel, water, ink, plastic, multiple fuels
CO2 released to use a re-usable coffee mug.	0 kg 0 lb
Loss of natural habitat potential to use a re-usable coffee mug.	0 m2 0 ft2
Loss of plant and animal life potential (in natural habitat) to use a re-usable coffee mug.	0 kg 0 lb
How many times re-usable coffee mugs may be used around the world before they would trigger 1 potential specie extinction.	not/app

http://www.alternet.org/environment/84187/

http://www.appropedia.org/Paper_cup
http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html#_edn1

Step #10 - Saving the planet, one napkin at a time

This weekend I had the opportunity to enjoy a long weekend with my family. Yesterday, we went to a place where they make these fabulous sandwiches. Since it has very limited seating we sat down next to the napkin dispenser. I was just amazed and kind of disappointed at the same time, by the number of napkins people pull from these dispensers. 4, 5 even 10 napkins (I am also guilty as I used to do the same). There was this lady who grabbed 7 napkins, 5 of them she used to hold her carton cup with soup. And the issue is that people usually gets these 5, 6 or 10 napkins and end up using them a fraction of all of them at the same time or using 1 or 2 and throwing the rest to the garbage. Then I saw what was printed on the napkin and it sounded like a joke.

picture from my phone

Anyway, I just kept thinking about the napkins and then I remembered that every time I wash my hands in a public place, they also have these paper towels, and we (I include myself) pull 3, 4 or more of these towels, use a fraction of them and throw them away. Think about the last time (not early morning) when you saw an empty restroom garbage basket. As far as I remember they are all overflowing of paper towels, partially used. What a waste!!

There are many problems with paper towels and napkins.

• According to the EPA, the U.S. generated more than 3 million tons of tissues and paper towels to the municipal waste stream in 2006, none of which is recyclable.
• They not only produce a lot of garbage, but they are also made out of trees. And while recycled paper has many applications nowadays, it has not gained widespread acceptance as a base material for napkins.
• Paper pulp is not naturally white. Napkin paper becomes pure and white because it is treated with bleach, which contains chlorine. The EPA states that chlorine can affect the reproductive and respiratory systems and in combination with other substances it could be carcinogenic and can also cause reproductive, developmental and immune-system damage
• Paper industry is also the 3 largest industrial source of global warming gases.

Here are some things you can do:

• At home always use fabric napkins and towels.
• At a public place grab the least amount of napkins or paper towels you think you might need. Usually 1 napkin per person works.
• In restrooms go to the hand dryer when there is one
• Buy recycled napkins and towels (if you definitely need to use paper) and avoid folded napkins as it is easy to use many of them.

According to care2.com here are the options we have as it pertains to towels and napkins:

• Worst: Virgin fiber, chlorine bleached
• Better: 100% recycled, chlorine free – look for post consumer recycled whenever possible
• Even better: Organic cotton cloth. Use cold water to wash them. Even better if you line dry.
• Best: Recycled cotton cloth. Find used napkins and dishtowels at thrift stores, garage sales or flea markets..

Sources

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/greenestpaper-towels-and-napkins.html?page=3

http://www.ehow.com/about_6615392_paper-napkins-bad-environment_.html#ixzz1wIzzmrhA
http://verdavivo.wordpress.com/2008/11/26/paper-towels-and-napkins-versus-cloth/

Step #9 - change yourself, stop waiting for others

Here is a scary, shocking statistic I took from the No Impact Man book:
“of all raw material taken from the earth to make consumer products, only 1.5% of it actually ends up in our hands. Meanwhile 98.5% of what we stuck out of the ground, the rivers and the forests ends up being trucked straight to the landfill or the incinerator without it ever even being used by us… this means that of the water and air the manufacturing sector pollutes, of the forests it cuts down, of the natural habitats it destroys, of the greenhouse gases it creates….98.5% results in nothing but industrial waste, producer trash that consumers never even see”

I wanted to thank my friend Alexandria Drohobyczer for telling me about No Impact Man. After watching the documentary and reading the book (highly recommended) I came to the conclusion that change is within us.

I am a simple guy, and I always like to explain things simple. Einstein once said “If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough”. This doesn’t mean that I understand well enough the entire environmental/food/water/moral crisis, but I think I have a good grasp at it. So here is my attempt to explain why one of the answers to the crisis is within us and why waiting for others to change is not a good idea.

Companies create products. The more consumers they have the more money they make. (Arguably) the more money they make the more taxes (generated by these products) the governments receive and the more influence they have on those governments. When a material like plastic comes to the market and everyone is amazed by it, it gets more and more adepts. When a product like bottled water capitalizes on that consumer behavior and combines it with a human need (like the need of water), then the product is a hit and everyone buy it (or find the right excuse of why they ABSOLUTELY NEED to buy it). So companies make money, government makes money and consumers get what they [apparently] need and everyone is happy (or at least it seems like). When consumers decide they don’t want that product anymore (for whatever reason) companies (usually big corporations) push a ton of marketing, offers, to get consumers to buy again (or buy more).

Now bear with me. When someone throws garbage on your front yard what happens? When you break someone else’s house’s window what happens? Usually the owner (you, your neighbor, the house’s owner, etc) complains, exerts his/her rights and charges you or makes you fix whatever you damaged. Now you know where I am going.

from aworldfullofcrap.blogspot.com

If you throw garbage within a forest, cut a tree, poison a river, pollute the air, etc., who is going to complain, who is going to make you pay for the damage you have done or make you fix it?. There is no punishment, there is no incentive to take care of the planet, just because no one (or very few people) would stand for the planet. I am sure many people care about the planet, but I am also sure that many people are waiting for someone else to take action (including myself). We are waiting for companies to go green and take care of the planet. We are waiting for governments to create laws, enforce measures that take care of the planet. We are waiting for others to change their consumption habits, but not us…the others. Guess what. There is no incentive for companies because they are making money. There is no incentive for governments because they are also making money and are influenced by those big corporations. So who is left?: US….you and me, the consumers.

We are the only ones with the power of reducing our consumption habits and force those big corporations to start reducing their production. Why are there big automakers still making gas based cars? Because we consume them. Why are there big companies putting water in plastic bottles? Because we consume them. Think about it!. If you start reducing (or stop) your consumption of bottled water, gas based cars, package over package over package over packaged products, those businesses become unprofitable. Yes, those companies are going to push a lot of marketing to you, buy 1 get 1 free offers, 50% discounts, this-water-is-the-best-that-can-happen-in-your-life, you-are-nobody-without-this-car type of ads, etc. However at some point if we keep reducing the consumption those big corporations will just need to find the way to make money some other way but damaging the planet.

My tip for today: Start your own change, start your own impact to the world, start reducing your print, start consuming sustainably. We are the only ones that can change the course of the planet. The future of the planet is in our hands, don't wait for others.

Step #8 - Buy local, eat fresh

The average American foodstuff travels an estimated 1,500 miles before being consumed, ON AVERAGE…
Years ago, food was produced and consumed locally meaning it needed to travel very short distances from the place where it was grown (or processed) to the final destination. However things have changed, A LOT! According to an article from the NY Times, cod caught off Norway is shipped to China to be turned into filets, and then shipped back to Norway for sale (aprox 4,300 miles each way). Argentine lemons fill supermarket shelves on the Citrus Coast of Spain (aprox. 6,600 miles), as local lemons rot on the ground. Half of Europe’s peas are grown and packaged in Kenya (aprox. 4,000 miles).
Furthermore, when I was a kid if something was imported from another country was because it either didn’t exist locally, or its quality was extremely higher and better than anything produced locally. However back in 1998 Britain imported 61,000 tonnes of poultry meat from the Netherlands, and also exported 33.100 tonnes of poultry meat to the Netherlands. Also, Britain exports approximately 400,000 tonnes of milk each year, but imports a similar amount from abroad (and that was 14 years ago, I am sure there are a lot more similar cases today)

picture from buylocalbuyfreshchathamkent.com

I don’t know about you but for the average person like me this makes no sense. We are basically putting stuff in trucks, airplanes, trains, etc. sending it over somewhere hundreds (or thousands) of miles away and then getting the same stuff from those places. What’s the point? I am sure that defenders would say “to activate and grow the economy” (at the expense of the environment….of course). As always money is the reason: merchandise trade accounts for 20% of the global GDP. Also think about all the food waste you can generate from all that transportation.

What can we do?

• Buy local. Not only for food but for everything possible. The closest the source is to you, the less fuel is needed to transport those goods. Buying local also supports local economy, employment and in the case of food, it will be fresher for sure!
• If you want to go extremely local, plant a garden and grow your own fresh produce!
• Also you can reduce your total impact by avoiding purchasing processed foods and by buying food with minimal packaging.
• Cut back on meat. It’s the least fuel-efficient food we have. Large quantities of energy are required to cultivate, harvest, and ship animal feed, house, transport and slaughter animals, process and package their meat, and refrigerate it until it’s cooked.

What are you doing to save the planet today?

Sources:

http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/energy/
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/business/worldbusiness/26food.html?ex=1367035200&en=4f8e1274f7a993b7&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
http://www.religioustolerance.org/tomek33.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1211-02.htm

Step #7 - Understand the basics – learn the latest news

Yesterday the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) released its latest report which is considered the most important diagnose of the planet’s health. My take on the report is not optimistic. Different from previous reports I had seen, this one tells we’ll need 2 planets by end of 2030 and 3 planets by 2050.

Picture taken from http://oneearthsolutions.net/

In simple terms the “we need 2 planets” means that everything we consume in 1 year, needs 2 years to regenerate. The other way we’ve heard about this is that we are “stealing from the future”. To understand this term imagine you are going to a desert island for a period of time and you think you need 1 glass of water a day to survive. However because you waste, misuse or had more water, you start using 2 glasses a day. So when you are midway into your journey you have almost consumed all the water you took with you, and there is nothing for the future. That’s stealing from the future.

As I have read in many places now, enviromental crisis is not a prediction, it's actually happening. According to the WWF report, biodiversity dropped by about 30% worldwide over the past 40 years, from which the big hit is on tropical species that declined by 60%. The report also says: "We are using 50 percent more resources than the earth can support. Today we are living as if we had 1 1/2 planets, if we continue like this, by 2050 we will need three planets. Our pattern of consumption is unsustainable."On average, the WWF said, high-income countries have an ecological footprint that is five times that of low-income ones.

Get it? The way we consume is unsustainable, period.

What are you doing to save the planet today?
Sources:

http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/living_planet_report/  

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/story/2012/05/15/world-wildlife-fund-report-canada.html
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/05/15/WWF-report-By-2050-we-will-need-3-planets/UPI-85601337117734/?spt=hs&or=sn

Step #6 - Go Paperless

Photo from conservationreport.com

Usually when we think about paper we usually think about the white, letter or legal size, 50grams, bond paper piece. Also whenever we think about the environmental effects of using paper, most of us think about deforestation. However there is much more than that. Newspapers, cereal boxes, tissues, mail, napkins, bottle labels, shopping bags, boxes, etc, are some of the main uses of paper. And of course there are many other effects on the environment.

• Half the world's forests have already been cleared or burned, and 80% of what's left has been seriously degraded.  (Remember that forests store 50% of the world's terrestrial carbon. Which means they are incredibly important "carbon sinks" that hold onto pollution that would otherwise lead to global warming.
• Air pollution - Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) sulfur dioxide (SO2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are all emitted during paper manufacturing. Nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide are major contributors of acid rain, whereas CO2 is a greenhouse gas responsible for climate change.
• The paper industry is the 4th largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions among United States manufacturing industries, and contributes 9% of the manufacturing sector's carbon emissions.
• Cutting 10% of the United States office paper use would be equivalent of taking 280,000 cars off the road.
• Paper waste accounts for up to 40% of total waste in the United States, which adds up to 71.6 million tons of waste per year in the United States alone.
• Landfills account for one third of human-related methane emissions (and methane is 23-times more potent a greenhouse gas than is carbon dioxide).
• Compared to using virgin wood, paper made with 100% recycled content uses 44% less energy, produces 38% less greenhouse gas emissions, 50% less wastewater, 49% less solid waste and 100% less wood.
• Printing and writing papers use the least amount of recycled content -- just 6%. Tissues use the most, at 45%, and newsprint is not far behind, at 32%.

What can you do? Here are easy, simple steps to help the planet

• Recycle, recycle, recycle. Paper is one of those things you can keep recycling, take advantage of that.
• Print smartly – use both sides of the page, use narrow margins
• Use less paper towels and napkins. Go back in time and start using cloth towels and napkins
• Go online – try to go paperless with your bank accounts, utilities bills, etc. Also when paying, pay online. You are saving all the envelopes, balance sheets, checks, stamps and money.
• Always look for the “use with recycled materials” label on whatever you buy. Then you can make sure you are not sacrificing a tree every time you buy something in a box.
• When grocery shopping, bring your own reusable bag, instead of taking store bags (paper or plastic)
• If you don’t need a receipt, don’t ask for it and say no when offered. They are small, but think about all the transactions you do over time, and it definitely adds to a good amount of paper

What are you doing to save the planet?

Sources:

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/7447#ixzz1uQJjdEOr

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_issues_with_paper
http://ezinearticles.com/?Paper-Towels---Effect-on-the-Environment&id=4612910 

Step #5 - Eat right - waste less

Is that simple: eat right, and throw less away. That will make you healthy, save you money and help save the planet.

Image taken from savingcentsably.com

According to Next Generation Food (NGF) it is estimated that food wasted by the US and Europe could feed the world three times over. Food waste contributes to excess consumption of freshwater and fossil fuels which, along with methane and CO2 emissions from decomposing food, impacts global climate change. Every ton of food waste prevented has the potential to save 4.2 tons of CO2 equivalent. If we all stop wasting food that could have been eaten, the CO2 impact would be the equivalent of taking one in four cars off the road.

Food waste doesn’t only mean we are throwing away food. Eating more than we need could also be a form of food waste.

Here are some statistics on food waste:

• Americans waste 96 BILLION pounds of food every year (some argue that this is old data and underestimated).
• If only 25% of 96 billion pounds of food were recovered, we could feed 20 million people
• The study funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - The Progressive Increase of Food Waste in America and Its Environmental Impact, found that 40% of all the food produced in the US is thrown out.
• We produce twice as much food as needed per person
• Landfills account for the largest human related source of methane, which is a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
• Food disposal costs the US about 1 billion dollars.
• An average household of four throws away $590/year in food.
• In the US, food waste has increased by 50 percent since 1974
• Food waste accounts for more than a quarter of freshwater consumption and 300 million barrels of annually.
• Food is the third largest waste stream after paper and yard waste

After all this data here are some tips to reduce our food waste:

• Fridges and cupboards tend to hide a lot of food - Check them weekly and bring foods that will expire soon to the front.
• While buying in bulk can save you money, it can cost you more if you purchase items in large quantities with a short use-by date. Only bulk purchase items you know will be consumed before the food spoils.
• Don't shop from memory. This results in buying too much of one thing and not enough of another - and waste sometimes occurs.
• Supermarkets are designed with one thing in mind - to get you buying more than what you originally came in for. Stick to the list.
• Improper storage generates massive amounts of food waste. Make sure you don’t leave packets open, store in the right containers or even freeze food so you can reduce waste.
• Control you portion. No doubt there's particular meals you prepare that seem to generate more waste than others. That's fine if the leftovers con be consumed before going bad. If not, then you really need to look at portion control by reducing the amount you cook .
• Overeating is waste. If you eat more than your body needs, you'll either gain weight or have to burn it off somehow; perhaps through non-productive exercise which is like idling your car engine.

Sources:

http://www.guygoesgreen.com/eye-opening-statistics-on-food-waste/
http://www.nextgenerationfood.com/news/looking-at-food-waste/
http://www.greenlivingtips.com/blogs/491/Food-waste-statistics.html
http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/268/1/Cutting-food-waste.html
http://www.savingcentsably.com/?tag=food-waste