Done with Daylight Saving?

Here we go again. On Sunday, November 6 at 2 AM the United States returns to Standard Time. So naturally, one of the topics open for Eco-debate this week is; how green is Daylight Saving Time? In early November we “fall back” and then in March we “spring forward.” A catchy way of remembering which way to reset the clocks one hour. On Sunday, we actually gain an hour, so there is less likelihood of us waking up in the still-dark morning. Of course, on the flip side, we lose an hour of daylight in the evening. So, conceivably in the months that we have Daylight Saving Time, we can save energy, potentially a lot of energy. The first large-scale study was done in the 1970′s during the oil crisis, which found that it saved at least 1% of energy. More recently, another report published in 2008 by the U.S. Department of Energy concluded 4 weeks extra of daylight savings time could conserve 1.3 trillion watt-hours per day, enough to power 100,000 homes for a year.

One of the best definitions for what Daylight Saving Time I have found comes from the folks at timeanddate.com: ”Daylight Saving Time (or summertime as it is called in many countries) is a way of getting more light out of the day by advancing clocks by one hour during the summer. During Daylight Saving Time, the sun appears to rise one hour later in the morning, when people are usually asleep anyway, and sets one hour later in the evening, seeming to stretch the day longer.”

The whole idea began in 1784 when Benjamin Franklin thought up the idea of daylight saving to conserve candles, and get people out into the daylight. The U.S. did not begin using Daylight Saving Time until World War I as a way to preserve resources for the war effort. And now, it is a way of life for many, if not most, people in the world. Some states, such as California, argue that the amount of energy saved is miniscule. On one side of the debate is the fact that there are so many air conditioners using energy, especially in the daylight hours. On the flip side, there is research to support that in the first week of Daylight Saving alone, there is a 10% reduction of TV watching.

The Scientific American poses this thought: “If time shifting turns out to be an energy waster, should the sun set on daylight saving? Certainly that would please farmers, who have long opposed it for how it disrupts their schedules. The chances, though, appear nil. “I’m skeptical we could change daylight saving time on a national level, because we’ve become accustomed to it,” Kotchen says, adding that “we might want to consider it for other costs or benefits it could have.” Retailers, especially those involved with sports and recreation, have historically argued hardest for extending daylight time. Representatives of the golf industry, for instance, told Congress in 1986 that an extra month of daylight saving was worth up to $400 million annually in extra sales and fees.”

Some countries and states have changed their tune, and are giving up on Daylight Saving Time. Notice that throughout this post I have used the word Saving and not Savings, as it is more commonly known. The correct version is, in fact, just Saving. Russia has given up using any system of altering the time for better or worse. As we keep a watch on DST, it will be interesting to see what develops.

Weigh in – Daylight Saving Time…love it or hate it?

Aviation Fuel is Getting Greener

Exciting news on the quest to reduce our carbon footprints – last week Richard Branson, of Virgin Atlantic, made a bold environmental promise that, along with LanzaTech, they would be introducing a new low-carbon aviation fuel on Virgin Atlantic planes within two to three years. Even better, the team is developing a creative, sustainable and promising solution to our reliance on fossil fuels. Basically, their technology uses waste gases from industrial steel production which is captured, fermented and chemically converted using Swedish Biofuels technology for use as a jet fuel. This reduces carbon emissions in two ways; it recycles waste gases which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, and the planes will not be using traditional aviation fuel.

As Sir Richard said in his press conference, “Today I am in London to announce one of the most exciting developments of our lifetime and a major breakthrough in the war on carbon. Virgin Atlantic, with our partners LanzaTech, is developing a world-first low-carbon aviation fuel that will halve its carbon footprint.

This could turn aviation from a dirty industry to one of the cleanest. Industrial processes produce vast amounts of waste energy – we are going to capture this and (he says modestly) very cleverly turn it into jet fuel. In a nutshell, we are entering the recycling business. We will be recycling waste products, taking much of the s**t from up the chimney stacks and turning it into aviation fuel.”

Exciting news indeed, even though this is not the first time anyone has used an alternative to fossil fuels. Of course, we all know about biodiesel fuel, which is a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources, like fats and oils, found in soybeans, for example. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with little or no modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics. The production of biodiesel fuel has more than tripled in the last 6 years, and the US Military is in the process of converting to its use.

Other “green” fuels are being developed, and some look very promising. Scotland is committed to using seaweed and algae as cleaner alternatives than fossil fuels.

In the meantime, Virgin Atlantic will be dazzling us with their first “demo” flight with the new fuel in a year or two. Looks like we are headed in a good, green direction!

Why Are You Wearing a Plastic Water Bottle on Your Head?

‘Fess up – has this ever happened to you? You are out and about, and get thirsty, reallly thirsty. Oh no! You have forgotten your reusable bottle of water, or find yourself in a place where they aren’t allowed, such as an airport. So, in spite of your best intentions, you succumb and buy that plastic water bottle. But, it’s OK, most of the time you are doing good, right? Wrong!

plastic bottle garbage

According to Nubius Organics, “Bottled water creates tons of trash. Each year, more than 26 billion bottles are thrown away (less than 15% are recycled) and 16.5 billion gallons of water are wasted to provide Americans with “convenient” access to water. The plastic from these bottles doesn’t biodegrade – it now a permanent part of our landfills. In 2005, 2 million tons of plastic water bottles ended up clogging landfills instead of getting recycled. While we’re at it, here are some fun facts from DIY Fashion about disposable plastic water bottles:

The number of millions of plastic water bottles consumed by Americans every hour? 1000.
The number of years it takes for a plastic bottle to start decomposing? 7.4.
The number of cubic yards in a landfill space 1 ton of plastic takes up? 17.
The number of millions of barrels of crude oil needed to supply a year’s worth of water bottles? 12.
The number of months 1 million cars can run with 17 million barrels of crude oil? 6.
The number of hours a 1 plastic bottle can power a 60-watt light bulb? 120.

But, what if you could turn your bottles into wearable art? I have seen suits of armor, wedding dresses, briefcases, and hats. Let your creativity flow. Recycled PET bottles have already been used to make fabrics for such diverse items as polar fleece and Chico Bags (you know, shopping bags that are trendy, practical and come in pretty colors.) So, let’s broaden our ideas, OK? We can make a hat or a skirt or even a coin purse, like the one from Dollar Store Crafts pictured:

Hey – If you drank the water, why not let your imagination run wild and make an original creation? You just might surprise yourself…

Lay Off the Bottle!

One of the easiest ways to go green is to use a water bottle that is reusable. I will get to the environmental reasons in a minute, but here is a fun fact from David Bach (of Finish Rich fame)- a person could save $500 in a year by breaking the bottle-a-day habit which consists of buying one bottle of water daily. If we drink the recommended daily amount of water, it would cost us between $2,500 and $10,000 yearly. As compared to $1 for tap water.

There have been many tests that prove tap water is as safe or safer than bottled water. Basically, all water in the United States is safe to drink (if you are out of the country, please use caution.) Bottled water is actually not as strictly regulated as tap, and many unhealthy contaminants such as bacteria and toxic chemicals have been found in bottled water. One example of great water is if you live in San Francisco, where the tap water comes from Yosemite National Park and is so pure the EPA does not require it to be filtered.

Another fun fact: if only one in twenty Americans stopped buying water in disposable bottles, we would save 30 million pounds of plastic waste in a year. It costs fossil fuels to make plastic, transport the bottles, and run the manufacturing plants. Plus, taking so much water from the aquafilter, wells, and local communities can damage the local economies and the environment.

So, what to do when you make the switch to reusable bottles and tap water? There are so many great bottles on the market now. My all time fave is by Klean Kanteen. There are many sizes and colors to choose from, and a sport model option. They also make an amazing insulated one. Another bottle that looks promising is by Life Factory; BPA-free reusable beverage bottles are clear soda lime glass wrapped in a modern silicone sleeve.

You can choose to get a filter for your faucet, and in fact, many people are beginning to use filters right at the tap in their homes. Two popular brands are Brita and Pur. Of course, there will be an initial outlay of cash, but the cost will quickly be made up. Or, you could just move to San Francisco…

Saving the Family Farms

One of the many things I love about May is that local produce stands and farmer’s markets are springing up everywhere, in addition to the larger venues that operate year-round. There is not much better than to enjoy flavorful, locally grown organic tomatoes or corn or strawberries or whatever delicacy happens to be in season locally. If course, you can always put in your own backyard garden, or if you’re not into growing your food yourself, you can find out more about farmer’s markets and farms in your area: Local Harvest

There is a sign at my local whole foods co-op that simply says it all: “Local farms = local food. No local farms = no local food.” Pretty simple, right? So why is local food so important in our efforts toward sustainability? If you consider that food travels an average of 1.500 to 2,500 miles from farm to table, that’s a whole lot of fossil fuels and toxic chemicals used for everything from gas, pesticides, processing, cool storage, packaging to trucks, airplanes, etc. to transport that food. So, it’s not hard to see the importance of the local family farm.

In fact, there is a new movement in my area (and maybe there is one in your area, too) called ONE FARM AT A TIME which allows community members to participate by contributing to help one family farm, and then the next and so on.

To really see the importance and the impact of supporting these farms and the farmers as well, I urge you to watch this powerful 3 minute trailer for a documentary made in Northern California: THE LAST CROP and then ask yourself, “What can I do to help?”

Do you Know your Carbon Footprint?

You may not be surprised that many of us don’t know what our carbon footprint number is, or even what a carbon footprint is. So, first let me explain just what a carbon footprint actually is (courtesy of Wikipedia):

Click here to Calculate your Carbon Footprint

“A carbon footprint is “the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.” Greenhouse gases can be emitted through transport, land clearance, and the production and consumption of food, fuels, manufactured goods, materials, wood, roads, buildings, and services. For simplicity of reporting, it is often expressed in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide, or its equivalent of other GHGs, emitted.

Once the size of a carbon footprint is known, a strategy can be devised to reduce it. Scholars suggest the most effective way to decrease a carbon footprint is to either decrease the amount of energy needed for production or to decrease the dependence on carbon emitting fuels. ”

To put it in practical terms, think of knowing your current carbon footprint number as similar to the first day of your diet when you step on the scale and see the amount you weigh. And, how you are motivated to reduce that number. It is the jumping off point – the place to measure how far you have come from.

There are many ways we can reduce our carbon footprints. Sometimes, we can rely on alternative projects, like solar or wind power, reforestation, etc. which is known as Carbon Offsetting. So, we compensate for an emission that is made somewhere else.

Here are a few examples from my prior posts:

Hairspray Heaven - Aveda offsets the use of their aerosol hairsprays

Let’s Put on a Greener Show - the trucks that take the sets, costumes, etc. for more and more National Tours are now Touring Green

Which Came First – The Book or the Tree? - Eco-libris will plant a tree for every book you read. (this one personally helps me feel less guilty about buying books)

So…what’s YOUR number? How can you reduce it?

Signed, Sealed, Delivered…

I love the holidays, and I am somewhat ashamed to admit a not-so-very-green secret – I enjoy receiving holiday cards from near and far, and packages that magically arrive in the mail. Even MORE, I enjoy sending a few cards to people I don’t see very often. And sending gifts, especially handmade ones? Priceless!! I don’t even mind the hustle-bustle of the long lines at the post office or Fed-Ex. This year, I have been on a quest to do this in a more eco-responsible way.

My first decision was that if I have blank cards in my holiday stash from years past, then these are OK to send to a few folks, with the thought that I am reducing my clutter by using them up. For well-wishing on a larger scale, I am thinking of using one of the online cards available, or making up my own message to be sent electronically. A couple of good sources are; nice - Jacquie Lawson, or naughty – Hipster Cards.

But how about those packages I want to send? Here are a few thoughts:

Reuse boxes and other shipping materials. It is greenest to reuse a box made of virgin trees rather than to buy a new box made from recycled content. Energy was already used to manufacture that old box or bubble wrap, so you are not using any more. The resources used or pollution caused by its creation can’t be taken back. The best thing you can do at this point is extend the product’s useful life. Plus, you’re saving money!
Use recycled tissue, newspaper, and for smaller gifts, plain popped popcorn works like a charm (the person receiving your package and either compost it or feed it to the birds.) You can also take old gift wrap and run it thorough the shredder for fun padding.
Need to buy a box? Look for ones that that are made from recycled fibers or from fibers sourced from managed forests.
Try to avoid buying plastic packaging. Bubble wrap and other plastic packaging are made with petroleum – instead use biodegradable packing peanuts, which easily dissolve when exposed to water and leave no chemical residue, can be reused or even composted.
Traditional shipping “peanuts” are made of polystyrene, a petroleum-derived material that is not biodegradable. The good news? Clean, unwanted polystyrene peanuts are accepted at 1,500 packaging stores around the U.S. Call the Plastic Loosefill Council’s Peanut Hotline at 1-800-828-2214 for the names of local businesses that accept them. (UPS is one of them.)
Send your packages early enough so that you can use ground rather than air; ground shipping is more efficient than air freight (and usually cheaper too). Imagine my surprise today when I was given the option and knew that I was early enough to easily send by ground and have everything arrive on time!
Chose a shipping company that operates in an environmentally responsible way. FedEx operates a fleet of 93 hybrid trucks in 12 cities, while UPS has purchased 50 hybrid-electric trucks. And, even the US Post Office is becoming greener, and offering more eco-friendly options, including a full line of boxes and mailers that are certified Cradle to Cradle sustainable.

And, of course I’m also thinking of sending a few E-gift cards from favorite online or local stores. And it (almost) goes with out saying, I am comitting to reuse and recycle the shipping materials that I receive in the mail this holiday season.

And then, I will have a whole year to find bubble mailer alternatives that are safe, green and waterproof. Any thoughts?

Healing from the “big spill”

For the past three months or so, we have all been painfully aware of the gulf oil spill. The magnitude of the injury the earth has suffered is incomprehensible, unimaginable and unthinkable. It seems like the whole world is going through a painful grieving process. I know that I have felt pretty helpless at times, and I imagine many others have as well. What is there for us to do?

Some people want us to boycott BP for putting us in this mess. I would hope we can see the bigger picture. BP only owns about 100 gas stations out of 100,000 BP stations worldwide. so a boycott would hurt the small independent BP gas station owners the most. And, playing Devil’s advocate for just a minute, BP just might need all the money it can earn to help pay for this mess, right? What if, instead of a BP boycott, we could take another, more positive approach?

A few ideas (some are really simple, some you may already be doing) to get us started::

Drive less, carpool, group errands and make every trip in your car count
Use public transportation more
Walk more
Donate to a charity that is helping with the relief efforts
Roll up your sleeves and volunteer to help
Focus on the solutions instead of complaining about the problems
Educate yourself – what products contain oil made from fossil fuel?
Use less of those products
Ask yourself – “what can I do to help?”
Send positive thoughts to BP to create a permanent solution
look for things to be grateful for

OK, I know the last one is a bit of a stretch, but recently, Environmental Leader Insights reported that the commercial green building industry is really growing, and is expected to see an increase of more that $100 billion in the US in the next five years. The main reason for this growth? You guessed it – the oil spill! There is opportunity all around us if we just look for it.

It’s time for us to begin the healing process – we’re all in this together.

One woman's search to find greening in the world today …

Category Archives: fossil fuel