HANDBOOK
On
CONSERVATION
For
RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES
Passing to the Next Generation the Custody of Planet Earth
www.grayisgreen.org
http://grayisgreen.blogspot.com/
Conservators Association
© September 2007
Under the terms of the copyright license, permission is given for reproduction of selections from this Handbook, provided that clear attribution to the source, www.grayisgreen.org , is also published.
Published first in www.grayisgreen.org by the Green Council at Whitney Center, 200 Leeder, Hill Drive, Hamden, CT 06517, Robert E. Lane, Editor. September 15, 2007
Credits:
Bonnie Turner, web designer and webmaster
Howard Lawrence, photography and editing
Rosalie Lawrence, editing
Arthur Galston, Martin Mador, Ann Walko, editing
Alison Fox, Disposal of Waste chart
Permissions for cover photograph: R. Wetzler, Nathaniel deLeon
Cover picture: Passing to the Next Generation the Custody of Planet Earth.
Richard Wetzler, resident of Whitney Center, shows a book on conservation to Nathanial deLeon, a Hamden High School senior participating in a cross-generation program at Whitney Center. The background is the Conservation Exhibit in Whitney Center featuring a panel on recycling courtesy of the Connecticut Department of Environment Protection.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PLEDGE TO PLANET EARTH.. 4
Introduction. 5
Conservation Education. 6
Energy Saving. 9
Buying Green. 12
Waste Management and Recycling. 15
Transportion and Reduction of CO2 Emissions. 18
Building Green. 20
Gardens, Lawns, and Housekeeping. 23
Health and Conservation. 26
Appendix I 30
From Chapter One: Mission
Take advantage of the fact that green transcends most ideological boundaries;
it is neither Left nor Right but rather inhabits a “3-S” dimension all its own:
sanity, sustainability, and survival.
PLEDGE TO PLANET EARTH
Drafted at Whitney Center, January 7, 2007
To the best of my ability, in the limited years that remain, I pledge to protect from harm this Earth that bears me, to cherish the variety of species keeping me company on my short journey, to honor those laws of nature making this fragile planet habitable, and to conserve for the future the resources whose abundance, now waning, has made my life possible.
This HANDBOOK is for both residents of retirement communities and management officers responsible for conservation in these communities. By duty and by conscience, management and residents share a common obligation to make retirement communities green stations in this wasteful land.
The suggestions in this HANDBOOK are based mostly on the rich resources of the Internet. The group that compiled the suggestions is composed of residents at Whitney Center, a retirement home in Hamden, Connecticut. The first draft was circulated for comment among residents and management of Whitney Center over the summer of 2007 and, as then revised, published in September of that year on the group’s website, www.grayisgreen.org. According to the terms of the copyright, any or all of the content of the HANDBOOK may be copied for reproduction in electronic or printed form provided that the original source, www.grayisgreen.org, is clearly cited.
There can be no “final version” for a HANDBOOK on conservation: new evidence on global warming and pollution, new technology for detecting and combating these diseases of the earth, new recruits to the green cause and new policies all make yesterday’s formulations obsolete. Please help us keep this HANDBOOK up-to-date: send your ideas and reports on your conservation experiences to us at the following email address: greencouncil@whitneycenter.com.
Organizational Perspective. A wise member of the Whitney Center management team writes: “The organization’s approach to conservation ought to be intentional [part of its conscious mission] so that effort can be accounted for within the budgeting process…. Resident-management collaboration at this level is critical to the success of any effort. We suggest cooperative development of a strategic “Plan of Conservation” specifying short-term goals within a multi-budget year implementation. This approach legitimizes the effort, sets reasonable expectations, and holds all stakeholders accountable.”
Chapter One
1. Mission
Informed, even aroused, residents are more willing than others to make sacrifices, organize, and help others learn about conservation. Liberated from the dailyness of life – the shopping, cooking, child-care – they are free, sometimes for the first time, to see the planet in perspective. Green committees in retirement homes are joining green movements everywhere: businesses, universities, religious organizations, municipalities, and many informal groups. (See http://www.playagreaterpart.org/.) Take advantage of the fact that green transcends most ideological boundaries; it is neither Left nor Right but rather inhabits a “3-S” dimension all its own: sanity, sustainability, and survival.
2. Speakers
Local Sierra Clubs, Audubon Societies, etc. can send speakers. Increasingly, local universities offer courses on environmental biology and environmental ethics. In the American West, the Stanford Center for Conservation Biology and the Tucson Center for Biological Diversity are such sources; on the East Coast, there is the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the Pace Environmental Law Program, among many others. And partly because seniors in retirement homes have political clout, municipal and state environmental authorities are willing to speak on retirement campuses. . Experience shows that the mayor of even a modest sized city will likely be willing to speak.
3. Exhibits
Nature is graphic, lending itself to pictorial display – think of the power of the pictures of the polar bears struggling to rest on their diminished ice floes. But even the mundane processes of recycling can be dramatized with pictorial panels. Museums sometimes lend their tableaux: the Yale Peabody Museum provided a walk-around panel on the restoration of the Quinnipiac marsh for two retirement communities in the New Haven area. Residents can create bulletin boards on topics in the news and, together with libraries, can provide stimulating collections of books.
When shared with neighbors, such exhibits help to spread the word and begin to fulfill the image of each retirement community as a vital Green Station in a chain across the nation.
4. Films:
An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore’s famous documentary, has been shown to millions of people around the globe. It is a moving and generally accurate portrayal of the facts about and implications of global warming. (Do not hesitate to admit that a few of Gore’s inconvenient truths are exaggerations – apparent when compared to the International Scientific Panel Report that followed Gore’s film by a few months. But the overall picture and call to arms are factually correct and morally right.)
Kilowatt Ours, “in which you follow filmmaker Jeff Barrie from the coal mines in West Virginia to the solar panel fields of Florida as he discovers solutions to America's energy related problems.” (From Lee Cruz lcruz@cfgnh.org)
Black Gold “tells the story of Tadesse Meskela, an Ethiopian farmer who travels the world educating coffee retailers and consumers about how Fair Trade helps coffee farmers get a fair price for their crops and strengthen their local communities…. for advice on how to set up a screening for your community, feel free to contact our organizers.” http://lists.coopamerica.org/t/1233077/348504/306589/0/
Arctic Tale. "Arctic Tale" follows the story of Seela -- a walrus calf -- and Nanu -- a polar bear cub -- on their journey from birth to parenthood. In addition to the day-to-day challenges they face, global warming has caused the sea ice they call their home to decline by 30% over the past half a century…. Queen Latifah beautifully narrates the story, which [Al Gore’s] daughter Kristin helped write. While the film is both heartwarming and humorous, it truly brings to life the damage the climate crisis does to our planet.” http://www.arctictalemovie.com/
5. Educational Materials: a small sample
Sustainability: The Higher Education Association Sustainability Consortium (HEASC) has some educational materials on sustainability that may interest seniors. www.playagreaterpart.org.
Solar Energy: Solar Energy International provides workshops and course materials for developing clean power in the home and community. http://www.solarenergy.org/
Nature, evolution, biology: The Scientific American has high quality stories on-line on such topics as “Coral Reefs Losing Ground Throughout the Pacific,” “New Fossils Illustrate ‘Business’ of Human Evolution,” “Requiem for a Freshwater Dolphin.”http://rss.sciam.com/ScientificAmerican-Nature
Biological Diversity. A center in Tucson, Arizona offers materials on biological diversity for seniors with a very little training in biology. http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/
World trends on energy, food, population, etc. Worldwatch is a constantly refreshed source of graphs and pictorial materials on the basic subjects of conservation.www.worldwatch.org/
Biophilic Design. Professor Stephen Kellert at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies offers a podcast of his concept of design “open to nature” based partly on E. O. Wilson’s concept and research on biophilia.http://environment.yale.edu/search/biophilic%20design/
Podcasts by the Smithsonian Like some other educational institutions, the Smithsonian Institution publishes podcasts of lectures on aspects of nature of interest to retired audience, e.g.,“Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center Stories.” http://www.si.edu/podcasts/default.htm
Further references may be found on www.grayisgreen.org.
Chapter Two
1. Change from incandescent to compact fluorescent lighting
When management pays the utility bill, it has every incentive to change from incandescent to fluorescent bulbs both in public and private spaces. Management should arrange for a discounted sale to residents of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL).
“Only 10% of the energy consumed by a normal light bulb generates light. The rest just makes the bulb hot. If every American household replaced one of its standard light bulbs with an energy efficient compact fluorescent bulb, we would save the same amount of energy as a large nuclear power plant produces in one year. In a typical home, one compact fluorescent bulb can save 260 pounds of CO2 per year.” http://powerscorecard.org/index.cfm. Working with the local utility company, retirement homes can explore incentive and subsidy programs for energy efficiency. A good way to start is to ask the utility company for an energy cost-benefit analysis of the programs proposed in this Handbook.
2. Conservation Officer
If responsibility for conservation is divided among the various busy senior officers of a retirement community (housekeeping, finance, dining and kitchen, security, etc.), conservation will be overlooked. For that reason, it is wise for management to assign responsibility for the many facets of conservation to one senior officer.
3. Energy sweeps and timers
Most lights burn until manually turned off. To police such lights and air conditioning thermostats, some retirement communities employ energy sweeps to check lights and air conditioning in public spaces. They also install timers and motion detectors. (Example: Valle Verde, CA: rschafer@abhow.com). If the energy sweeps are assigned to already burdened security officers, energy conservation will lose priority unless there is a Conservation Officer to raise the conservation consciousness of the security officers. Matching resident conservation and house committees should also help to raise green consciousness.
4. Off-peak use
For laundry and other flexible uses of electricity encourage off-peak use schedules. (NB: Some facilities may have contracts with the utilities serving them that provide discounts for size of account, without further discounts for off-peak uses.)
5. Signage
“PLEASE TURN OFF LIGHTS” For both individual and public switches.
EXIT SIGNS “Energy Star exit signs cost around $10 a year less to operate than conventional signs and last up to 10 years without a lamp replacement.” In general, LED signs are the most energy-efficient.
6. Insulate water heater and use solar water heating
Solar power (photo-voltaic cells) is excellent, but solar water heating is simpler. “Investing in a solar water heater can save 4.9 tons of CO2 annually.”
7. Buying appliances
Both management and residents should buy products marked Energy Star. “This designation and its now-familiar logo are awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to the most energy-efficient products in more than 50 categories, including electronics, appliances, lighting, and office equipment.” greentips@ucsaction.org. (Connecticut waives sales tax on Energy Star appliances.)
An equally useful label is Energy Guide. “This large, yellow-and-black label is required by the Federal Trade Commission on major appliances such as furnaces, refrigerators, water heaters, and dishwashers…. The Energy Guide informs consumers of the total energy an appliance can be expected to consume each year, how its energy use compares with similar models (for example, refrigerators with capacities of 18.5 to 20.4 cubic feet), and its estimated annual operating cost. The label also indicates whether the product is Energy Star-rated.”
Air conditioners: a good measure of efficiency is EER (energy efficiency ratio). “An air conditioner’s EER equals the number of BTUs it removes from the surrounding air each hour divided by the number of watts it uses. The higher the EER, the more efficient the unit.” (Union of Concerned Scientists greentips@ucsaction.org) “Buy the product that is sized to your typical needs - not the biggest one available. Front loading washing machines will usually cut hot water use by 60 to 70% compared to typical machines. Replacing a typical 1973 refrigerator with a new energy-efficient model saves 1.4 tons of CO2 per year.” (http://powerscorecard.org/index.cfm ) Con Edison says: “Leaving your air conditioner on when you are out is like tossing money out the window. 25 cents an hour, to be exact.”
8. Home appliance use
“Turn your refrigerator up. Refrigerators account for about 20% of Household electricity use. Use a thermometer to set your refrigerator temperature as close to 37 degrees and your freezer as close to 3 degrees as possible. Make sure that its energy saver switch is turned on. Also, check the gaskets around your refrigerator/freezer doors to make sure they are clean and sealed tightly.”
“Set clothes washers to the warm or cold water setting, not hot. Switching from hot to warm for two loads per week can save nearly 500 pounds of CO2 per year if you have an electric water heater, or 150 pounds for a gas heater.
“Make sure dishwasher is full when you run it and use the energy saving setting, if available, to allow the dishes to air dry. You can also turn off the drying cycle manually. Not using heat in the drying cycle can save 20 percent of your dishwasher's total electricity use.
“Turn down your water heater thermostat. Thermostats are often set to 140 degrees F when 120 is usually fine. Each 10 degree reduction saves 600 pounds of CO2 per year for an electric water heater, or 440 pounds for a gas heater. If every household turned its water heater thermostat down 20 degrees, we could prevent more than 45 million tons of annual CO2 emissions -the same amount emitted by the entire nations of Kuwait or Libya.” http://powerscorecard.org/index.cfm
9. Further research on utility rates and alternative fuels
a) Renewable electricity. “To help track state standards, Union of Concerned Scientists has developed a new, one-stop resource, the Renewable Electricity Standards Toolkit http://ucsaction.org/ct/Cp_o4i911XYf/ (From “Energy Net” 4/18/07)
b) The Promise of Solar Fuel. Liz Borkowski, “The Promise of the Solar Future,” Co-op America Quarterly, 66 (Summer 2005): 9-11.
c) Fuel Economy Guide. U.S. Department of Energy: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (Washington: Government Printing Office, 2007) www.fueleconomy.gov
d) Energy tips for older people www.eldercare.gov/eldercare/public/home.asp
Chapter Three
1. Educate purchasing departments & residents on the energy star label
“Buying energy-efficient home appliances can go a long way toward reducing your household’s electricity costs and contribution to global warming. However, when faced with manufacturers’ claims about energy use and the jargon used on product labels, it can be hard to determine which model will best meet your needs. Here is what to watch—or watch out—for: Energy Star.” Source:
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/office_eere/pdfs/energystar1_fs.pdf.
This Energy Star label represents government certification of energy efficiency.
2. Press for more economical packaging, recycled material
Ask management to join the Responsible Purchasing Organization: http://www.responsiblepurchasing.org/store/index.php?id=1
3. Paper
a) Purchase of publications using recycled paper. “Right now, 95 percent of the more than 12 billion US magazines printed annually contain no recycled paper…. The loss of our forests to provide virgin paper for short-term-use magazines deprives our planet of their many life-giving roles: Forests filter our air and water, hold back flooding, and are havens for migrating birds and thousands of other species.” (Co-Op America)
b) Green paper http://www.seventhgeneration.com/our_products/paper.php
4. Help dining services find local sources of fresh, organic food
See: FEED - Union of Concerned Scientists feed@ucsusa.org
5. Make celebrations and ceremonials carbon-neutral
Example: Graduation of Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. “The school's class of 2007 estimated it would produce 330 tons of carbon dioxide for the ceremony, based on the distances family members would travel to New Haven and whether they were flying, driving or taking the train.
“The 131-member class spent $2,620 to offset the carbon dioxide emissions through three groups: the Conservation Fund, Native Energy, and Carbonfund.org. The students calculated their emissions on the Native Energy Web site, www.nativeenergy.com/travel
Other carbon footprint calculators can be found at www.safeclimate.net/calculator and www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator.
“In addition, students had a catered cocktail party the day before graduation, using biodegradable plates, recycled napkins and local wines and cheeses.” New Haven Register, 7/8/07.
6. Simplify the holidays
See: http://www.newdream.org/holiday/index.php
7. Advise residents: tap water is often as pure as (or purer than) bottled water
“Dr. Mel Suffet of the UCLA School of Public Health, who has studied bottled water, said high-end waters are no better for consumers than cheaper brands, or even water from the tap.” [NB: this paragraph has elicited strong protest from advocates of water filters and critics of municipal water supplies.]
http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/Business/story?id=2883752&page=1
8. Protect your grandchildren from exposure to excessive commercialism
“Today (5/17/07), the Berkeley Media Studies Group and the Center for Digital Democracy released a new report that documents how major food, soft drink and fast food brands are deploying a panoply of new techniques--including cell phones, instant messaging, video games, user-generated video, and three-dimensional virtual worlds--to target children & adolescents, often under the radar of parents.” http://www.digitalads.org/
Against the persistent effort of advertisers to convert classrooms to markets and school buses to captive commercial (and vulnerable) audiences, see: http://www.newdream.org/kids/index.php and Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood ccfc@jbcc.harvard.edu
9. Institutional purchases
a) Your community management can learn about buying green by consulting the National Association of Education Procurement website: www.naepnet.org/Microsites/sustainability/sustainability.html
b) Bulk buying by resident co-ops may facilitate buying green, making resident coordination with management purchases easier.
10. Consult these links for advice on buying green:
Co-op America: http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greenpages/
EPA data base: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/procure/database.htm
Grist http://gristmill.grist.org/activate/uUeByMuZ
New American Dream http://www.newdream.org/index.php
WorldWatch http://www.worldwatch.org/taxonomy/term/44
General purchases http://www.ecowise.com/
Buying to protect v. climate change: http://www.climatecooler.com/
Better world shopping guide: http://www.betterworldshopper.org/
Chapter Four
“Making products with recycled materials, instead of from scratch with raw materials, uses 30 to 55% less energy for paper products, 33% less for glass, and a whopping 90% less for aluminum.” http://powerscorecard.org/reduce_energy.cfm
1. Provide clear instructions to residents on how to prepare and where to leave material to be recycled or trashed. Most facilities provide a “blue (or green) bin” for glass, certain plastics, and cans. Check with local authorities before issuing instructions. For an example of instructions to residents, see “Disposal Instructions,” Appendix I to this Chapter.
For Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection, see: http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2690&q
2. Monitor the contract with hauler who delivers your sorted waste material to the city (or private) disposal center. Without a discriminating hauler, careful resident sorting has same effect on waste disposal as scrupulous rain dancing (or prayer) has on the weather. Check to see where your waste actually goes.
3. For advice on waste, Join EPA WasteWise
http://www.epa.gov/wastewise/about/overview.htm. Your retirement community will benefit from continuing advice.
4. Monitor the local recycling and waste management provisions
a) Liaison with Local Recycling Coordinator:
In Google, type name of city, state and go from there. Or call City Hall. For all towns in Connecticut, go to http://www.ct.gov/ctportal/cwp/view.asp?a=843&q=257266.
(For Hamden, CT, see Pam Roach: proach@hamden.com)
b) Support better waste arrangements in your municipality. Negligent communities need to be pressed to invest in a good waste depot. It is important to note that in many sites, “recycling disposal is profitable.”
5. Paper
Paper represents 35.7% of the waste products delivered to the average waste disposal depot. Larger cities will separate newsprint from clean office paper and cardboard. See example in Appendix 1. to this chapter: “Disposal Instructions” designed for one Retirement Community in Connecticut.
At postal boxes, post clear labels: “RECYCLE” and “TRASH”
Make your own management headquarters exemplary:
Office Bulletins: Xerox both sides; short notices on half page; Economize on notices & agenda for Residents Council and Board of Directors; Post treasurer’s reports, do not circulate.
Books: If recycle, tear off covers; if re-circulate, consult librarian.
Dining room: reduce use of paper doilies, place mats.
6. Stop junk mail
See http://www.newdream.org/junkmail/#more, or
Direct Marketing Association: https://www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html
7. Plastic
Plastics represent about 11 percent of the bulk in waste disposal depots. Non biodegradable plastics last 1,000 years. Ask your local recycling coordinator which plastics are to be recycled.
Recycle “plastic bottles made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate). They can be recycled into many products, including beverage bottles, plastic strapping, fleece jackets, sleeping bags, and carpets. Yet in 2002, less than a fifth of all plastic beverage bottles in the U.S. were recycled.” (WorldWatch)
No plastic shopping bags (San Francisco, Paris, Taiwan ban them).
Take cloth shopping bags and politely decline plastic bags (In the meantime, do not expect people to return bags to their local supermarkets; create on campus depots for plastic bags. Or they can be re-used to line wastebaskets.)
Kitchen & dining room should use cardboard, not plastic, containers;
This includes containers for all take-away meals, muffins, etc.
Reduce use of plastic eating utensils.
See: http://www.ecowise.com/information.php?info_id=22
8. Aluminum cans
“Making 1 million tons of aluminum cans from virgin materials requires 5 million tons of bauxite ore and the energy equivalent of 32 million barrels of crude oil. Recycling the cans saves all of the bauxite and more than 75 percent of the energy, and avoids about 75 percent of the pollutants.” (WorldWatch)
“Recycling just one aluminum can saves enough electricity to run a laptop computer for 4 hours.” www.worldwatch.org/node/1479
9. Glass
Recycling glass yields a 10 percent energy savings and preserves the life of the glass furnace. Yet currently, less than a third of glass bottles sold in the United States are recycled. www.worldwatch.org/node/1479
10. Hazardous waste
Properly dispose of all hazardous waste (batteries, mercury lamps and thermometers, cleaners, solvents, medications, aerosol cans).
Conn. rules for hazardous waste: http://www.rwater.com/hazwaste/
National: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/index.htm
11. Electronic waste
“EPA partners with electronics manufacturers and retailers to increase the number of safe, convenient opportunities Americans have to recycle unwanted electronics and to increase the public's awareness of the need to recycle these products. ‘Plug-In’ [an EPA unit] also partners with governments and non-profits that play a key role in the reuse and safe recycling of unwanted consumer electronics. Contact: Verena Radulovic Tel: 703-605-0760.”
Rechargeable Batteries: drop off at any Radio Shack.
Electronic equipment: For a $10. fee, Staples office supply stores accept electronic equipment;
Conn. Resources Recovery Authority has free electronic collections.
12. Wire hangers
To encourage reuse of wire hangers, put collection box near cleaning service pickup location.
13. Distribution to charities
Old clothing and tag sale stuff: Ask a resident to volunteer to coordinate collections.
Chapter Five
1. Whenever possible, walk, bike, car pool, or use mass transit
Every gallon of gasoline you save avoids 22 pounds of CO2 emissions. If your car gets 25 miles per gallon, for example, and you reduce your annual driving from 12,000 to 10,000 miles, you'll save 1800 pounds of CO2.
2. Ask your fellow residents: “Is this trip necessary?”
If you have an average size car, for very mile you drive you release almost a pound of CO2 into the air. You are slowly melting glaciers, endangering low-lying populations. Like a smoker injuring her friends, your trip releases nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) that modestly increases the risk of emphysema, asthma, and sinusitis among your fellow citizens. Help your friends help the planet.
3. Post a ride-sharing notice where people can offer and ask for rides
An example of such a notice may be seen at Appendix 1 to this chapter: “Sign-up to Share Rides.” One retirement community employs an internet/email exchange and finds this works even though only a third of the residents have email.
4. For new residents: assign preferred parking spaces according to their vehicle’s miles per gallon rating. For new residents, establish two principles for the more preferred parking spaces: (1) disability; (2) ranking of vehicle’s miles-per-gallon: For a ranking of American vehicles by miles per gallon, see link: www.fueleconomy.gov [NB: Take this step only after the issue has been fully debated.]
5. Survey transportation practices and needs of your community
a) Survey the use of private cars to reduce single-passenger trips, errands that can be consolidated or whose purpose might be served, for example, by an on-campus convenience store with a wide variety of necessities.
b) Survey the routing and missions of community buses to achieve more efficient scheduling and less use of private cars.
c) Survey management business trips. See the following link:
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=34864
d) Survey the on-campus store to see how it might stock goods that would reduce the need for off-campus errands.
6. Provide incentives for better use of private cars
a) Propose a commuter benefits program that allows employees to pay for public transit with pre-tax dollars.
b) Consider “parking cash-outs” where employees get payments in exchange for not using free company parking.
c) Provide carpooling incentives, such as reserved parking spots in the best locations.
d) Organize other commuter programs using public transportation wherever possible. http://www.commuterchoice.com/
7. Ask purchasers in your facility to reduce regular deliveries of goods
(Valle Verde (Santa Barbara) changed food deliveries from 6x to 3x week.) Note that this may require greater storage facilities – a capital budget item.
8. Show Management how Environmental Travel Guidelines reduces travel: http://www.itm.org.uk/icarus/icarus_toolkit.asp
9. Electronic & postal communication to reduce transportation
Grocery, clothes and other shopping by phone and Internet saves trips to the shops. So does ordering by catalog. (The catalogs that flood your postal box have redeeming social merit, after all.)
10. When you next buy a car, choose one that gets better mileage
If your new car gets 40 miles per gallon instead of 25, and you drive 10,000 miles per year, you'll reduce your annual CO2 emissions by 3,300 pounds.” See www.fueleconomy.gov
Chapter Six
Preface. Ideologies collide on the building site. The Conservation Committee faces a manager already divided over building versus operating costs (LEED – see below – weighing heavily in favor of operating cost but possibly boosting building cost). This manager also faces: a marketing division uncertain of the market value of green talking points and responding, instead, to surveys of “what people want;” architects who may or may not have been trained in green building, municipalities more interested in zoning and a possible drain on public facilities than on the builder’s budget. The argument is technical. Enlist the services of green specialists. What follows is, of necessity, a sketch of resources rather than a set of prescriptions.
1. Choosing the architects
For new buildings or major renovations hire architects experienced in designing the type of building desired and who are pledged to follow the principles of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – the best standards for green building); see (http://www.usgbc.org/). The marketing value of LEED certification is unknown but very likely has increasing value. See http://www.thegbi.org/gbi/ . For help in selecting a green architect, see http://www.architect.org/
2. LEED certification
LEED certification increasingly is the standard employed to judge municipal buildings, museums, universities, and not-for-profit organizations. The direct cost is about $20,000 but the indirect cost is in dispute. http://www.greenbuildingnow.com/index.php .
Some say it is as much as two percent of the direct cost of the building, but a recent comprehensive, comparative study of LEED certified and comparable conventional buildings finds no difference in cost; see: http://www.buildinggreen.com/ and
http://www.davislangdon.com/upload/images/publications/USA/2004%20Costing%20Green. See also http://ucsaction.org/ct/Cd_o4i911XY4/ In any event, the sooner a decision on green standards is made, the less it costs to implement.
3. Energy Star
The default alternative to LEED is not self- certification by the architects but rather an independent assessment by Energy Star (http://www.energystar.gov/). Or, see Green-e: http://www.green-e.org/about.shtml, http://www.greenglobes.com/.
4. Tips and products for green design
A noncommercial source of information on building materials, saving water and energy, and solid waste is available at: http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/.
A commercial organization claiming to be the “voice of sustainable design & construction” is available at http://www.igreenbuild.com/.
In our opinion, a better source is: http://www.ecowise.com/ . “A really good resource for your architects and engineers is this informal list called Big Green. They have lots of interesting archives, and on occasion questions are asked about very specific projects and lead to discussion of options:” http://www.biggreen.org/.
5. Solar Energy
Considering the probable rise of electric rates (www.ucsusa.org p. 7) a realistic assessment of the cost-benefit yield of solar panels (photo-voltaic cells) requires a projection into the future where the cost of operating the building over a number of years is considered alongside of the direct cost of construction. Both should take into account possible federal, state, and municipal subsidies. See www.nesea.org/buildings, http://www.infoline.org/default.asp, or
http://www.aweber.com/z/c/?xs7zs3cvpk4udadqno2pnmq7ctytg4=1675
6. Explore other sources of clean energy
Before deciding on an energy source, compare benefits and costs of certain alternatives: wind, geothermal, biomass: http://www.igreenbuild.com/. (“Ever wonder how much a tree helps reduce CO2? It is an average of 12 tons per tree planted over its lifetime. Or wonder how much 1 MW of wind power reduces atmospheric CO2? 1200 to 1400 tons annually!!”)
7. Solar water heating uses principles different from solar space heating
It is recommended that you explore the use of solar water heating. See http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/HeatCool.html
8. Health care facilities
For health care facilities consult the Green Guide for Health Care at: www.gghc.org and http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=a7dmsbcab.0.qkw5sbcab.q7jj8ce6.28806&ts=S0258&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.greenerbuildings.com%2Fnews_detail.cfm%3FNewsID%3D35309
9. Healthy buildings. Information on how to avoid contaminants (including volatile organic compounds – VOCs) in your new (and old) buildings is available at: http://www.healthybuilding.net/
10. Renovating older buildings
“Existing buildings can achieve significant energy savings (and therefore CO2 emissions reductions) through retro-commissioning, without the need for capital expense. Best management practices should come before expensive retrofits. Actually, the EPA Energy Star Portfolio manager may be a good tool for your project:” http://www.energystar.gov/.
11. Biophilic design
Professor Stephen Kellert at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies has explored a novel way to “open the doors to nature.” See http://environment.yale.edu/doc/4184/biophilic_design_opening_the_
12. Building in a community: ten things wrong with sprawl
See:
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=axz9j5bab.0.t98qm5bab.q7jj8ce6.28806&ts=S0239&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.greenerbuildings.com%2Ftool_detail.cfm%3FLinkAdvID%3D77292
13. Using Water Efficiently
See: http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=a7dmsbcab.0.tkw5sbcab.q7jj8ce6.28806&ts=S0258&p=http%3A%2F%2Fgreenerbuildings.com%2Ftool_detail.cfm%3FLinkAdvID%3D69460.
For cleaner water at the source, see: http://ga1.org/campaign/cleanwater_works_clone/8bis33nz9tt7nx5?
Chapter Seven
Gardens and Lawns
“It takes an average of 600 gallons of water per year to care for 1,000 square feet of lawn (a plot, say, 20’ by 50’). One hour of lawn mowing generates as much pollution as a 100-mile auto trip.” (Source: Harper’s Magazine). If you live in water-challenged areas, note that about a third of all residential water goes to watering lawns and gardens. (US EPA)
1. To reduce water waste & pesticide, minimize lawn coverage
“If there are areas of your [campus] lawn that go unused, consider replacing the grass with less water-intensive plants such as trees, shrubs, flowers, or low-growing ground covers. For the rest of the lawn, spread drought-resistant varieties of grass seed and allow the grass to grow higher in the summer (so the grass blades provide shade for the soil).” greentips@ucsaction.org (4/16/07)
Example from “Green Hotels:” “Mowed landscaping is being replaced by ground cover. Lawnmowers are used less, so air pollution and noise are reduced.”
For further advice on responsible landscaping, see EPA references: Nancy Nelson: Tel: 801-466-3600 Email: nnelsoncrm@msn.com or Paul Parker Tel: 801-466-3600 Email: pparkercrm@msn.com.
2. Grow only species native to the area
See: Native Plant Database http://ucsaction.org/ct/ap_o4i91KRpP/
3. Minimize pesticides
a) A modest association between use of pesticides and the incidence of Parkinson’s disease suggests caution: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6701269.stm
b) For ecological and other reasons, integrated pest management is advisable (IPM). For school analogy, see http://schoolipm.ifas.ufl.edu/
c) For ecologically correct insect killers, see:
http://www.ecowise.com/index.php?cPath=23_35_119
d) Avoid the use of “2,4D” to kill dandelions.
4. Mulching garden waste
“A Florida hotel bought a mulcher to chop up their garden clippings and create their own mulch. The mulcher paid for itself in three months.” (Green Hotels)
5. Related links
Colorado Water Wise Council http://ucsaction.org/ct/z7_o4i91KRpY/
Gardening Know How http://ucsaction.org/ct/z1_o4i91KRpQ/
Green Housekeeping
Compare: Chapters 1. Energy Saving, 8. Health and Conservation.
Tips from the Green Hotels Association. www.greenhotels.com
1. Banquets
“Meeting and banquet facilities are using pourers for sugar, pitchers for cream and small serving dishes for butter and jellies.” These containers avoid plastic packaging of food.
2. Reusing damaged material.
A Toronto hotel is recycling stained tablecloths into napkins, chef's aprons, and neckties. Hotels are making cloth laundry bags from retired sheets.
3. Saving water.
Chief engineers have found that putting toilet tank fill diverters in older toilets saves about 3/4 of a gallon of water per flush. See also: http://www.greenbiz.com/toolbox/essentials_third.cfm?LinkAdvID=4089
4. Saving energy.
Restaurants and bars in hotels are using daylight exclusively for as much of each day as possible. Solar energy is lighting signage and heating water for hotels in tropical areas.
Tip from EcoWise (commercial)
5. For cleaning products claimed to be free of pollutants, see:
http://www.ecowise.com/index.php?cPath=78 (carpet care, floor care, general non-toxic cleaning, kitchen cleaning, laundry care, bathroom cleaning… Bon Ami polishing cleaner, etc.)
Chapter Eight
Preface to poisons.
In our motorized, industrial societies the air we breathe, water we drink, food we eat, clothes we wear, even the cleaning agents we use often are said to contain toxins. If we are so frequently exposed to poisons, how can it be that our life expectancies and disability-free days continue to increase? The most plausible explanation is that we suffer real losses from toxins in our environments, but these losses are more than compensated for by better public health policies and by better understanding of and control over the great killers (heart disease, cancer, tuberculosis, etc.). If the balance is now in our favor, will this benign balance last? “Each of us carries traces of chemicals in our bodies and as the daily use of chemicals has increased, so have cases of cancer, hormonal and reproductive problems and neurological disorders.” (Glasgow Sunday Herald, 1/10/07).
1. Poisons in the general environment.
The headlines can inspire paranoia – or sensible caution. The Los Angeles Times (8/9/07) reports that bisphenol-A, found in plastics, “affects brain development.” The Baton Rouge Advocate (7/25/07) reports that industrial development in that area increases “pollution-related health problems.” Also in Louisiana, the Associated Press (7/25/07) reports high dioxin levels in an area near “factories that make vinyl plastics, and petroleum products.” “One quarter of adult New Yorkers… have elevated levels of mercury in their blood, mainly from eating certain fish,” says the New York Times (7/24/07). Five hundred miles away in Cincinnati: “high lead levels in children raise concern” (Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/24/07). In Maine: “Of 71 contaminants assayed in the blood, urine and hair of 13 subjects, a total of 46 chemicals were found.” (Natural Resources Council of Maine, 6/14/07). What is the lesson? Support national, state, and municipal monitoring agencies.
2. Toxic products in the home environment.
The news about poisons is also about products used daily. These stories inspire a modern version of evil spirits: every apartment is a house haunted by poison. Consider just a few of the recent news stories:
a. Flame retardants. “Appliances and furniture in your house contain flame retardants. They can save your home and your life, but they might also pose a health risk.” MarketPlace, 6/27/07)
b. Teflon. “New studies by university researchers and scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that a Teflon-related chemical designated as a likely human carcinogen is present in the blood of almost every American.” (Cox News Service, 5/26/07).
c. Food wrappers. “Food wrappers may be an important, overlooked source of perfluorochemicals (PFOA) in humans.” Environmental Science and Technology, 5/24/07)
d. Perfumes. “Synthetic musk fragrances are added to countless consumer items. A decade ago, musks were found in human breast milk in Europe, raising a red flag. Now, even higher levels of polycyclic musks have been found in breast milk from U.S. mothers.” Environmental Science and Technology, 4/19/07)
What should we do?
Not only are these risks not weighed against each other nor balanced for our guidance by the media, but in addition, many studies have shown that, humans are not very good at risk assessment. So, rely on those professionals whose job it is to assess risks to health, your doctors. And use such government-sponsored sources of health information for the layman as http://medlineplus.gov/ , http://www.nia.nih.gov/ and http://www.nia.nih.gov/ .
Subscribe, or have the library subscribe, to one of many high quality health newsletters listed in the following online bibliography: http://library.uchc.edu/departm/hnet/nlist.html . One of the best is Harvard Medical School’s HEALTHbeat@hms.harvard.edu. For a health newsletter focused on those over fifty, see Johns Hopkins Medical Letter: Health After 50: http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/health_after_50/. These newsletters provide good table conversation, as well: Try: “caffeine and nicotine are associated with lower risk of Parkinson’s.”
3. Toxic products in the hospital and clinic.
“Despite their role as places that promote health and healing, hospitals and other health care institutions use a surprising number of highly toxic chemicals on their premises, including pesticides, cleaners and disinfectants, and fragrance chemicals. These volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contribute to poor overall indoor air quality (IAQ) and are associated with a host of health problems.” The resulting poor indoor air quality is “potentially causing eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches; loss of coordination; nausea; cancer; and liver, kidney, and central nervous system damage.” (Health Care Without Harm, www.noharm.org).
4. Food in the hospital and clinic.
Food in clinics and food for in independent living are similar, but there are some exceptions: http://www.foodmed.org/downloads.html.
5. Patients are vulnerable and need help from others.
Because of their aging populations, all advanced countries face geriatric overload, but the American health care system has been found to be less effective than other systems (ranking 12th out of a sample of 13). Although we elderly are not helpless in the face of systemic failure (see below), patients must usually rely on their still healthy friends for remedy at those national and state levels.
Most continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) have resident councils with health care committees that often include retired nurses and doctors. They can be helpful, but response rates are often slow. If appeals to internal authority fail, don’t forget that most states have ombudsmen for the elderly. (Connecticut: “Regional Offices of the Long Term Care Ombudsman,” Appendix III of:
http://www.ct.gov/agingservices/LIB/agingservices/pdf/ElderlyHousingDirectory.PDF.) The elderly have both political clout and media clout (a letter to the editor of the local paper is effective.)
6. Paying for better air and for reducing global warming.
The health of others is what is called “a market externality,” that is, the effect on others of your purchase of an airline ticket is not included in the price you pay. You do not pay for the climate warming effects of the CO2 and the public respiratory damage of the nitrogen oxide that are byproducts of your trip to worship nature at Yellowstone Park.
By paying a carbon offset fee, can you undo the damage you do by traveling?
Europeans reduce car travel, and the consequent emission of greenhouse gases, by high taxes on gasoline and by providing better public transport. Taxing gasoline has higher political costs in the United States, so Americans are turning to carbon offsets, a voluntary self-tax whereby the car driver or airplane passenger voluntarily pays a sum to offset the pollution emitted by his or her chosen mode of travel. The money pays for planting a carbon sink, a tree. Is this a license for the rich to pollute the earth? But good environmentalists also pay the offset fee. It is a moral puzzle. See: http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xibjo6bab.0.xgpjq6bab.q7jj8ce6.28806&ts=S0231&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.greenbiz.com%2Fnews%2Freviews_third.cfm%3FNewsID%3D34705, http://www.climatebiz.com/sections/carbonoffsets.cfm
7. Health is political.
If markets are imperfect instruments for controlling threats to public health, inevitably, elders, like others, will turn to democratic politics. The evidence is everywhere: www.EnvironmentalHealthNews.org.
a) “Republican Gov. Charlie Crist warned… that global warming poses such a dire threat to Floridians that the state must take immediate, dramatic and unilateral action.” Miami Herald : http://newsletters.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2498/18287/565/0/
b) “Nearly two years after voters mandated pollution controls on school buses, children are still breathing cancer-causing diesel fumes on the ride to and from school.” Bergen County Record http://newsletters.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2498/18287/186/0/
c) “Gov. John Lynch signed a law... that cuts in half the level of lead in a child's blood needed to trigger an investigation.” (AP) http://newsletters.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2498/18287/966/0/.
d) “Supporters of [Mayor] Bloomberg's proposed ‘congestion pricing’ toll system cite immediate benefits: Clearing the air in ‘hot spots’ that threaten children's health; reducing traffic congestion in a choked Manhattan.” Associated Press,
http://newsletters.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2543/18287/966/0/.
* * * * * * *
Elderpower to save the ailing planet. In the 19th century, when artisans were brought together in factories, their close association enabled them to unite to win occupational safety legislation and fight against child labor. Later, when young people were brought together in universities, they promoted their civil rights and peace movements.
And here we elders are, brought together in retirement homes! For the good of the planet, let us make the most of it.
Ad astra per aspera
Appendix I
Example Disposal Instructions
Recycling/Trash, etc.
Items that can be collected, and the method of collection may vary in your area. Check with local authorities before using.
BLUE BIN
Item |
Include |
Preparation |
Do Not Include |
Cans |
All metal food containers, pie plates, tinfoil |
Rinse clean, don’t ball up foil |
|
Cardboard |
Smooth, small boxes for cereal & dry food, small corrugated pieces |
Preferably flatten, remove inserts |
Stained boxes: yogurt or ice cream containers, cream cheese tubs etc. |
Cartons |
Milk, cream and juice |
Rinse |
Carton caps |
Glass |
All glass bottles and jars |
Rinse clean |
|
Light bulbs |
|
Wrap in newspaper |
|
Plastic |
All food, drink, detergent containers marked 1 or 2 in triangle |
Rinse clean |
Containers not marked 1 or 2; plastic bags, lids etc. |
NEXT TO BLUE BIN
Item |
Include |
Preparation |
Do Not Include |
Corrugated boxes |
|
Flatten, tie |
Packing materials |
Newspapers, magazines, catalogues |
|
|
|
Paper of all kinds, junk mail, office paper, scrap |
|
Place in paper bag, if possible |
Carbon paper, FedEx etc. |
Plastic bags |
|
Bag them |
|
TRASH
1) Do not put loose trash or garbage down the chute. Bag it first.
2) Do not recycle: paper towels, tissues; wrappers of any kind.
MEDICATIONS
1) Leave medications in original container; remove as much of label as possible.
2) Pills and capsules: add water to partially dissolve them;
Liquid medications add salt or spice to discourage use.
3) Place medications in opaque container.
HAZARDOUS WASTE
1) Bring all batteries to battery disposal bin in designated place.
2) Connecticut rules define hazardous waste as including: fluorescent bulbs, moth balls, insecticides, aerosol cans, floor care products, furniture polish, drain cleaners, tile cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners, nail polish remover, etc. Place these in a separate container or envelope labeled Hazardous.
MISCELLANEOUS
Plastic bags: Avoid them by carrying a cloth bag to shops. If you have them, use to line wastebaskets; bag the remainder and place next to blue bin.
Junk mail: Reduce unwanted postal main. Call 1-888-690-2252 and ask to have your name removed from lists. Or go to following URL and follow instructions:
www.directmail.com/directory/mail_preference
Questions: Call waste manager:…………………..
GARBAGE DISPOSER
NO banana peels, bones, coffee filters, egg shells, tea bags, paper, fruit pits
