Sustainability Factoids
• LED bulbs use 90% less electricity than traditional holiday bulbs. With their 20-year lifetimes, you don't have to replace LED light-strings as often as conventional ones. Burning 10 strands of lights with 100 lights per strand, eight hours per day for a month costs $175 for incandescent bulbs vs. about $1 for LED mini-bulbs. Incandescent lights give off as much as 90% of their energy as heat, leading to fire concerns. LEDs barely warm up. (from Ideal Bite Nov 26, 2007)
• Use cold water for hand washing. Every 10-degree drop in H2O temperature saves you 3%-5% on water heating costs. Most faucets spit out 2 gal per min while you're waiting for the water to warm up. With hand washing, the friction and the soap are what really get your hands clean. As far as water temp goes, you'd have to rinse your paws in boiling water to actually kill germs. (from Ideal Bite Nov 26, 2007)
• Home heating systems emit 1 billion tons of CO2 per year in the United States. (from Ideal Bite Nov 26, 2007)
EarthEasy.com
• $45 — Amount saved replacing a 75 watt incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb.
• 90 — Number of average sized power plants that could be retired if everyone in the U.S. used energy efficient lighting.
GreenBiz.com
Sustainability and the Bottom Line
• 16% — The average productivity gain companies experienced after moving into a green building, as measured by The Rocky Mountain Institute and USGBC
Terrapass.com
• 265 lbs — Amount of carbon dioxide emitted per person during a round trip from Lake Oswego to Bellevue. Includes flights and taxis between airport and Waggener Edstrom offices.
ReTronics.org
• 315 million — Number of computers disposed in landfills in 2004.
• 5 lbs. — Average amount of toxic material per computer.
EarthDay.net
• 24 acres — Average ecological footprint of each American. 4.5 acres — Number of biologically productive acres available per person worldwide.
Buy Locally Grown
Did you know buying locally grown food does more than supply you with fresher, in-season foods? Buying locally reduces transportation fuel use, helps to preserve our community's green space and supports our local economy. Next time you visit your market, ask for locally grown goods. Learn more...
Use 100% post consumer recycled paper
At home and at work; save 5 pounds of carbon dioxide per ream of printer paper by using 100% post consumer recycled paper! Look around…do you know how much paper your office uses? A ton?
In addition, by printing on both sides of the paper, you effectively double that savings- 10 pounds of CO2 per ream.
Clogged mailbox? Too much junk mail?
A 20 minute investment of your time, will help clear that mailbox paper jam! Plus you can do it in the leisure of your home. For only $1, the Direct Marketing Association
( www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing ) will remove you from many junk mail sites.
For other great techniques to stop and to prevent junk mail, please visit this website- www.obviously.com/junkmail/ and take action.
Driving You Green
Most of us spend too much time in our vehicles. So here are some tips to make that time a little more sustainable. Your numbers may vary, but savings will be real;
Keep your tires properly inflated
• Under inflation can result in a 4-10% loss of gas mileage. Your tires will last longer, too.
Clean out the trunk
• Leave the bowling balls, bikes and golf clubs in the garage until you need them. Less weight means better mileage.
Drive like the tortoise
• Leave the rabbit at home. Smooth acceleration and gentle braking combined with cautious anticipation of stops and starts should result in the largest savings, up to 37%, according to Edmunds. In addition to the smooth take-offs, driving the proper speed limit can save an additional 12%.
Combine your errands to eliminate unnecessary trips
…and remember, try to reduce the time your car idles, whether at start-up, at traffic lights or in the drive-thru. References: U.S.A. Today, E.P.A., Edmund
Squiggly Bulbs
What is an easy way to save on energy costs and help the environment? Compact Fluorescent Bulbs save 75% of the energy, last up to 10 times longer and will produce 75% less heat. They may cost a little more, but will pay for themselves quickly. They are not the old fluorescent bulbs we all remember, but a new brighter, whiter light that can fit any fixture. Hint: Compare lumens to get the right light output and recycle responsibly. Reference: EPA Energy Star.
You can also recycle your used Compact Fluorescent Bulbs. For information, times and location of the Household Electronics & Chemical Collection Center (HEC3), located at 2990 110th Avenue North, St. Petersburg, please visit the website- http://www.pinellascounty.org/utilities/swapshop.htm or call (727) 464-7500. Also visit http://www.pinellascounty.org/utilities/mobile-collection.htm or call (727) 464-7500 to learn more about Mobile Collection Events.
Mulching Your Garden
Mulching helps to control weeds, retain soil moisture and reduce erosion and storm water runoff. This results in reduction of chemical applications, as well as, fewer inputs from you. Recycled yard waste is provided free in various county and city locations (visit http://www.pinellascounty.org/utilities/mulch-sites.htm for locations). Another alternative is to use Melaleuca or some other non-cypress, environmentally friendly mulch.
• Every minute of every day, the U.S. loses two acres of agricultural land to development, up to 1.2 million acres per year. American Farmland Trust
• The rate of lost farm and ranch land is 51% faster today than in the 1980’s. American Farmland Trust
• Over the past 20 years the acreage per person for new housing almost doubled. American Farmland Trust
• From 1982 to 1997 more than 3 acres of primary forest and cropland was developed ever minute of every day (totaling over 98.2 million acres in 1997 alone). U.S. Department of Agriculture
• The U.S. has lost 17 million acres of formerly tilled land to soil erosion since it was founded, more than any other nation in the world over the same time period. NRCS
• From 1955 urban and suburban development increased by 300% while populations increased only 75%. Cambridge University Press, The State of the Nation’s Ecosystems
• By 2050 U.S. Forest Service estimates that the U.S. will lose 23 million acres of existing forest lands. U.S. Forest Service
• By 2030 one third of all plants and animals will be extinct. 55,000 species are lost every year, more species than went extinct during the age of the dinosaurs. Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
• From the year 2000 to the year 2030 the amount of construction will equal 50% of the volume of all the buildings that currently exist. In 2030, 427 billion sq. ft. constructed building will exist. 182 billion sq. ft. will be devoted to personal housing. However, the material to build these structures does not at this time exist and may not be available in the future without recycling. Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
• The world’s population is now over 6 billion individuals, by the turn of the century it will exceed 9 billion individual and could be as high as 12 billion individuals. IPCC
• The world now lacks potable drinking water for 2 billion people and that number is increasing daily. CSIRO
• To produce one kilogram of: oven dry wheat gain, it takes up to 750 liters of water; corn, up to 630 liters of water; rice, up to 1550 liters of water; soybeans, up to 2200 liters of water; beef protein, up to 100,000 liters of water; and wool, up to 170,000 liters of water. CSIRO
• In a study conducted in the United States between 1982 and 1998, a 1°C increase in temperature decreased corn, wheat and rice production by over 10%. In other countries that decrease ranged up to 17%. In some countries, however, crop production increased as temperature increased. IPCC
• The IPCC predicts an increase in global temperatures of 1.4-5.8°C in this century. IPCC
• As of 2000 the world was no longer sustainable. National Geographic Study
• Although tropical forests cover only about 7 percent of the Earth’s land, they probably harbor about half of all the species on Earth. They could be extinct by the end of this century. NASA
• In the next 24 hours, deforestation will release as much CO2 into the atmosphere as 8 million people flying from London to New York. Rainforest Concern
• Forests provide 1/3 of the world’s drinking water. Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
• The deforestation rate in the 1990s was estimated at 14.6 million hectares per year; since 5.2 million hectares were gained through afforestation (i.e. establishing a forest on previously unforested land) and natural expansion of forests, the rate of net deforestation was 9.4 million hectares per year. UN Study on Deforestation
• Every minute of every day 21 children die of hunger. 6 million children under the age of 5 die each year from hunger and lack of water and that number could continue to increase as our climate changes. CARE
• 854 million people across the world are hungry, up from 852 million a year ago. Many of these people could soon die from malnutrition or lack of clean drinking water. Bread for the World
• Worldwide, the United Nations estimates that 60 percent of the most valuable commercial fisheries are currently over-fished, or fished to the limit. WWF
• By the year 2050 we will have run out of most of our sustainable forests, most of our carbon energy used for transportation and construction and we will have placed such a strain on our growing populations that single-family housing will be considered a luxury. UN Study on Sustainability / Populations
• 8,000 lbs of waste are typically thrown into the landfill during the construction of a 2,000 square foot home. Green Builder
Campus Waste
• The average college student produces 640 pounds of solid waste each year, including 500 disposable cups and 320 pounds of paper. It is estimated that every year 222 million tons of waste will be generated by college students alone.
• Campuses offering incentives for double-sided copying have cut paper use and costs almost in half!
• Implementing a recycling collection as infrequent as once a week has diverted about 40% waste at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
• Campuses offering reusable mugs and drink discounts have seen disposable waste decrease by as much as 30%.
Electronic Waste (E-Waste)
• E-waste is made of many toxic ingredients such as lead, beryllium, mercury, cadmium, and brominated-flame retardants that pose both an occupational and environmental health threat.
• It is estimated that electronic waste currently represents between two and five percent of the national municipal solid waste stream, and is expected to increase by three to five percent per year.
• More than 4.6 million tons of e-waste ended up in U.S. landfills in 2000.
• Millions of pounds of electronic waste from obsolete computers and TVs are being generated in the U.S. each year and huge amounts (an estimated 50% to 80% collected for recycle) are being exported.
Energy
• The United States spends roughly $440 billion annually for energy. Energy costs U.S. consumers $200 billion and U.S. manufacturers $100 billion annually.
• In 2004, Americans with the help of ENERGY STAR saved about $10 billion on their energy bills while reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 20 million cars.
• Residential appliances, including heating and cooling equipment and water heaters, consume 90% of all energy used in the U.S. residential sector.
National Waste
• Every year, the average American household will spend $17,000.00 on basics including food, clothing, body care, and other household items. And over the past 30 years, the waste produced in this country has almost tripled, from 88 million tons in 1960 to about 236 million tons in 2003.
• In a study done in 1996, Americans, who make up only five percent of the world's population, used nearly a third of its resources and produced almost half of its hazardous waste.
• More than 100 million trees worth of bulk mail arrives in American mailboxes each year that's the equivalent of deforesting the entire Rocky Mountain National Park every four months.
• U.S. pesticide amounts used in both 2000 and 2001 exceeded 1.2 billion pounds.
Energy Tips
1.Replace system filters monthly.
2.Keep all vents and radiation free from obstructions.
3.For each degree you set back your thermostat you can save up to 3% annually.
4.Turn down the thermostat if you will be gone for longer than 2 hours and when you go to bed. Better yet, install a programmable thermostat.
5.Check ductwork and seal any splits or holes with duct tape, color optional.
6.Check all weather-stripping and outdoor caulk and install or replace as needed.
7.There are cool mornings and warm afternoons now, so set your heating thermostat down. Your house should be warm by the time you get home. No sense heating something that will get there by itself.
8.Set your air conditioning thermostat up when you are away. Better yet, install a chronotherm (timed t’stat).
9.When you leave for vacation, set your hot water tank to a low setting.
10.In the heat of the summer, keep your window furnishings closed during the day and open in the cooler evening.
11.Tune up your lawnmower.
12.Vent your attic, either with windows or a cheap little fan placed in a window.
13.Shut down computer games when you are finished with them.
14.Remember to turn the VCR/DVD machine when not in use.
15.Use the sleep mode on your remote, if you are prone to fall asleep while watching T. V.
16.Turn off your computer at night and on weekends. Note only will this save energy, but it may help prevent internet intrusions.
17.Laptops are 90% more energy efficient than desktops, with built-in energy saving properties such as LCD screens and sleep modes.
18.Computer monitors use much more electricity than the hard drive of a computer. If you are going to be away from your computer for 15 minutes or more, shut it off.
19.Set your computer to enter sleep mode when not in use, this can cut electricity used by 80%.
Recycling
One ton (40 cases) of 100% post-consumer paper SAVES the equivalent of:
• 24 trees (forty feet in height and 6-8 inches in diameter)
• 7,000 gallons of water
• 4,100 kilowatt hours of electricity
• 60 pounds of air pollution1
Carbon Calculator
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/cuecs/CarbonCalculator/
What You Can Do
• Always request environmentally preferable products and services.
• Always purchase Energy Star rated appliances and electronics.
• Ensure that the energy saving features are enabled on all equipment.
• Use green cleaning chemicals and techniques.
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Buy Recycled.
• Print on both sides of the paper.
• Avoid over packaged products, provide your own reusable bag.
• Use Purchase 100% recycled paper whenever possible.
• Introduce Purchase Fair Trade Certified, local, and organic coffee and teaorganic food and beverages whenever possible (especially coffee and tea in the office!)
• Purchase products that are in compliance with the US Green Building Council's LEED rating system.
• Invest in reusable plates, cups, and utensils
• Make sure your office recycles glass, paper, aluminum, and plastics, batteries and electronics.
• Switch Replace office incandescent light bulbs to with compact fluorescent light bulbs
• Encourage the use of green alternative transportation to and from work (car pool, public transportation, walk, bike, etc.)
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