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

Step #4 - Rationalize your plastic consumption

The average time for a plastic bottle to biodegrade fully is approximately 450 years. There are many different kinds of plastic in the world, which will all take different amounts of times to biodegrade. However I think we all agree that it takes a long time for plastic to biodegrade. The main reason of why plastics are almost non-biodegradeable is because the polymers (chains of molecules that make up plastics) are too long and the bonds between the molecules are very strong to be broken down. Although today there are some “better” plastics, they are becoming most of the pollution we are putting into our planet, especially in the oceans, where the plastics break down and it’s eaten by fish (which by the way we might eat afterwards through our food chain)

Photo taken from coastalcare.org

According to coastalcare.org 260 million tons per year is our estimated plastic consumption. Our voracious appetite for plastics, coupled with a culture of discarding products that we have chosen for their inherent longevity, is a combination of lethal nature for our environment.

The ultimate symbol of our throwaway lifestyle is the plastic bag: 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags is the number consumed annually, which is about a million a minute (A MILLION PLASTIC BAGS A MINUTE!!!).

What can we do to reduce our plastic consumption?

• Do you drink bottled water? Think twice. Drink more from the tap. Make sure your home tap water is drinkable. If you are concerned about the germs, boil it. If you are concerned about dirt, filter it. Water bottles are one of the main plastic users and also one of the main plastic garbage producers. Corporations are taking over town aquifersand selling it back to the people for $2 (or more) per bottle. Shipping one bottle of water costs about 1/3 bottle of fuel. It is best to filter or distill your own water and use metal or glass containers.
• Use reusable plastic containers (or even glass or regular plates) to store your food and avoid disposable plastic wrap or bags.
• Use Cloth Grocery Bags instead of plastic bags. If that’s impossible (and make sure it’s really impossible for you) then use as few bags as possible.
• Avoid plastic lids and straws when you buy drinks at fast food restaurants (or any restaurant for that matter). Let’s face it: you are not going to spill (unless you are putting your drink in the car and driving), so why put a lid on the drink?
• Recycle. Many of the plastics are recyclable, but today only 20% of them are actually recycled by users. The other 80% ends up on garbage land fills. Make sure you put all recyclable plastics on the recycle bin.
• Refer to my previous post on reduce garbage. That has more tips on how to reduce plastic consumption.

Sources:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_will_it_take_for_a_plastic_bottle_to_biodegrade

http://www.blurtit.com/q120742.html
http://coastalcare.org/2009/11/plastic-pollution/
http://thegoodhuman.com/2008/10/21/ten-ways-to-reduce-plastic-consumption/

Step #3 - Reduce your garbage print

We all produce garbage, and we probably will until we find the perfect balance of utilizing everything over and over. That’s probably not going to happen in the near future. However in the meantime, we should be conscious, and try to reduce our garbage print. 

Most of the garbage found in the Patch is in form
of debris, however big pieces can also be found.
Photo from NationalGeographic.com

As a human race we have polluted almost everything that can be polluted and a big part of our pollution is in the form of garbage: rivers, oceans, mountains, etc. The best (or worst you might say) example of the garbage print is the well-known Great Pacific Garbage Patch. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, the Pacific Garbage Patch is a huge loose, free floating dump that “lives” in the Pacific Ocean. The Patch is characterized by high concentrations of pelagic plastics, chemical sludge, and other debris that have been trapped by the currents of the North Pacific Gyre. Its size is mainly determined by the degree of concentration of debris in the water. However, the current measurements go everywhere from the size of Texas (700,000 Km2) to more than twice the size of the US continental land (+15 million Km2). In any case, whatever the agreement is on the size, you can be sure it’s huge! And this is just one of the “known” garbage disasters.

So what can we do today to reduce our garbage print and reduce our already generous contribution to the planet’s pollution? Here are some suggestions to reduce your garbage, which could save you time and money at the same time:

• When shopping look for minimum packaging. Choose aluminum, tin, or paper as they’re easily recycled.
• Don't take a bag unless you absolutely need one.
• Watch your plastic bags. Get your own bag and bring it with you to the grocery store.
• Avoid disposables. This only translates into more money for companies and more waste in our landfills. Always use items that last.
• Avoid buying foods in single serving packages.
• Buy in bulk. The more you can buy in one package, the less packaging you’ll waste.
• Reuse when you can. When possible, put old packaging and goods to use.
• Borrow or rent—don’t buy. If you only need a big ladder once a year or so—borrow it from a neighbor.
• Keep things in good repair. Many people throw out old things because of a fixable problem, or simply because they aren’t wanted anymore. Instead of throwing repair or give away.
• Compost. When you do yard work, don’t put your old leaves, grass clippings, and branches in a plastic bag. Instead, create a compost heap and decompose old yard waste. Your compost heap can become a healthy soil for your garden.
• Recycle. Recycling has never been more important than it is today. Your cardboard, paper, glass, and aluminum can all be recycled.
• Get off junk mailing lists. Many of us get lots of junk mail every day—and we automatically throw it away.

Sources:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/09/photogalleries/pacific-garbage-patch-pictures/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch
http://www.professorshouse.com/Your-Home/Environment/Recycling/Articles/How-to-Reduce-Your-Household-Garbage/

Step #2 - Commute efficiently

Every year we are adding more than 55 million gasoline based cars to the world. About 25% of today’s greenhouse gases are produced by cars and trucks. Addressing a more efficient commute might be one of the most impactful ways to change the course of the world’s environmental crisis.

I’ve found many facts on how cars have polluted (and are polluting) the planet, so I have picked a few of the most shocking ones for this post:

• The world uses nearly 800 million gallons of gasoline every day  
• Idling in traffic uses over 16 million gallons of gasoline per day
• In a 3500 lb car with a 150 lb driver, about 96% of the gas is used to move only the car
• Today there are +750 million cars in the world
• Car washes make our cars shine, but put pollutants into streams, waterways, and eventually drinking water.                                                                                               
• Air Particulate Matter pollution kills an average of 40,000 per year in the U.S. and up to some 200,000 in Europe.
• 1996 EPA report: cars, trucks, and buses produce over 3,000 cases of cancer.
• Car exhaust has also been linked to asthma, bronchitis, and other health hazards.
• If you think bad air affects only other people, think again. New information shows that air pollution from traffic increases the chance of heart attack for everybody breathing that air. The results are in the Journal Lancet.
• Intensive Car and truck pollution is shown to increase the risk of premature birth by 30%. The Univ. of Ca. Reports from traffic related air quality data in In Los Angeles.

Here are some advices on how to commute more efficiently:

 

• Drive as little as you can – or don’t drive. Work from home, ride a bike, walk. Live close to work. Try not driving once a week. This will save you time (no traffic or commute) and money
• Get a more efficient car – if you can’t afford it, make your car as efficient as it could be (tune it up, check tires, synchronize)
• Carpool – if you need to drive a lot, find someone else that can make your ride more efficient
• Ride public transportation – there are buses and trains going around anyway, why not riding them and saving some gas (and money)
• Drive a hybrid – hybrids are getting very efficient. Some have up to 50 MPG
• Drive an electric car – ideally, this would be the best bet for no emissions, no gas. More now that sustainable energy plants are being broadly developed

What are you doing to save the planet today?

According to fueleconomy.gov here are the least fuel efficient cars:

Vehicle Description /Fuel Economy Combined MPG
Chevrolet Colorado / 16 MPG
GMC Canyon/ 16 MPG
Nissan Frontier / 16 MPG
Suzuki Equator / 16 MPG
Ford F150 Pickup/ 13 MPG
Chevrolet Suburban 2500 / 12 MPG
GMC Yukon XL 2500 / 12 MPG
Toyota Sienna AWD/ 19 MPG
Chevrolet Express 3500 / 11† MPG
GMC Savana 3500 / 11† MPG
Ford E350 Wagon/ 11 MPG

Sources:

http://www.evsroll.com/Car_pollution_facts.html

http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/best-worst.shtml
http://www.worldometers.info/cars/

Save the planet one step at a time - Step #1 - Take care of the water

What are you doing TODAY to save our planet?

Al Gore says: " We are the generation about which a 1000 years from now [artists] will celebrate by saying they were the ones that founded within themselves to solve this crisis and lay the basis for a bright and optimistic human future".
I would add: if we don't do anything today, we can also be remember as the generation that [almost]dissapeared because we were so stubborn that never took action, having all the technology, ideas and the opportunity we needed!

Today I am starting a journey to make my contribution to save the planet by coming up with 50 steps to save the planet. Right now I can think of 15 maybe 20, so I would need help from the people that reads this blog to come up with the remaining ones.

Step #1 - take care of the water
You might say preserve, use wisely, conserve, save, etc. the water. The idea is that if we don't take care of our water resources we are going to face a huge water crisis, so we might want to start using it wisely. According to ehow.com (which also references data from the American Water Association) the average consumption of water per person is 70 gallons a day. Here are the main sources of water consumption and I added some advices for how we can save water (and money).

• Toilets make up the largest percentage of water consumed per person per day. At an average of 18.5 gallons, water used by toilets makes up approximately 26.7 percent of daily water use, according to the association.-
• ADVICE - when you use water that doesn't get to dirty (washing fruits/veggies, showering, etc) try to reuse that water for toilets.
• Clothes washers come in second at 15 gallons per day. They make up 21.7 percent of daily water usage.
• ADVICE - wash clothes when they need to be washed. If you use a sweater for 10 minutes, don't put in on the laundry. Always use full capacity of the washing machines. And try to use the most energy/water efficient appliances
• Taking showers is the third greatest source of water consumption. At 11.6 gallons per day, showering make up 16.8 percent of daily water consumption. On the other hand, baths take only 1.2 gallons, making up 1.7 percent.
• ADVICE - reduce your shower time by 20 seconds, 45 seconds, 1 minute or what ever you can reduce. It's going to save you water, time and MONEY!
• Faucets and leaks make up the last two large areas of water consumption at 10.9 and 9.5 gallons, respectively.
• ADVICE - check your faucets, make sure there are no leaks. it's literally money down the drain!

Make a comment - what are you doing to save the planet? share your thoughts and your ideas with others.

  

Sources of information in this post:
www.ted.com
http://www.ehow.com/facts_7208108_average-water-consumption-per-person.html