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Appliances: Energy Saving and Earth Saving
- Washer/Dryer combo for urban living.
Last week I traveled to NYC to attend the LIVE World Summit – Leadership, Innovation & Vision for the Earth. This was a great gathering of people that want to learn more about how they can make the world a better place. Topics covered everything from health issues, to the ocean, to branding and finance.
My friend Evan generously let me crash at his apartment – so of course I had to take a photo of his super cool and energy efficient washer/dryer combo. Also note the bamboo wood used for the cabinetry in his bathroom. What a cool guy! I never thought I would be inspired by a bachelor pad, but between the countertops made from recycled materials and the bamboo floors, this was one cool place to hang out. Remember the coffin in St. Elmo’s Fire? I think an eco-friendly bachelor pad is the chick magnet of now.
Anyway, back to the conference. One of the topics that was new to me was about refrigeration units. A woman from Greenpeace talked about how detrimental refrigerators are to the environment. And after reading more about it, I can’t believe I was not already aware of this. Considering how much I read up on these topics, it just goes to show you that there is always something to learn.
GreenFreeze is Greenpeace’s campaign to transform the refrigeration and cooling industries by eliminating the use of F-gases, the chemicals used to cool refrigerators, homes, cars, and food in stores and vending machines. F-gases are responsible for 17% of the world’s global warming pollution. CFCs such as Freon, which you’ve probably heard of, have been banned. However, the HFCs that were presented as the “environmental alternative” to CFCs by chemical companies have had a similarly grave impact on the environment — which is why we need to eliminate them now.
And though it was upsetting to learn how long it took for the US to accept the new technology, it was heart warming to hear that Ben & Jerry’s, a D2E exhibitor, played an integral role in getting this technology to the US. Apparently, common sense does not always prevail in Washington. Lobbyists for the big manufacturers held up the process, so caring and responsible business owners like Ben & Jerry, and community organizers like Greenpeace had to rally together to make it happen. See a more detailed report from Treehugger (9/30/08):
Greenpeace researchers in Germany first developed the precursor to the climate-friendly freezer in the early 1990s when it became clear that HFCs, which the chemical industry had marketed as a safe alternative to ozone depleting clouroflourocarbons (CFCs), were accelerating global warming.
The technology showed, contrary to industry claims, it was possible to use effective refrigerants that protected the ozone layer and the climate. In fact, the cooling units turned out to be more efficient than those using HFCs.
Greenpeace made the technology available to industry free of charge, and it is now used by leading manufacturers such as Haier, Whirlpool, LG, Bosch, Panasonic and Samsung and can be found in over 300 million refrigerators worldwide.
However, the HFC-free refrigerators weren’t allowed in the United States until this year when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allowed Ben & Jerry’s to run a test trial of 2,000 Greenfreeze-equipped freezer units at shops across the country.
I never thought I would feel warm and fuzzy inside while eating ice cream, but this Ben & Jerry’s sure tastes good!
Reducing my impact, one habit at a time
Above: Two weeks worth of recycling and trash. Since we have been composting, our trash bag has been reduced to half of a kitchen bag every two weeks. There is always room for improvement, but this reduction is significant.
In the wave of environmental awareness that washed over the US after An Inconvenient Truth I was one of the many that realized I should be aligning my actions with my values. I have always considered myself an environmentalist, but it was clear that I had more to learn and I would have to change some habits.
We have stated on this blog the importance of tackling one habit at a time. I have found that it takes me about three months to make a complete transformation from one habit to another. So I average about four habits a year. Below is a list of the habits I have changed this past year:
1. Reusable mug and fair trade for the coffee addict.
I started using my reusable mug for coffee runs – no more paper cups allowed. At the D2E office we buy only fair trade coffee and we make our own more often than we run out to the coffee shop. This has saved us a lot of money as well, which is a bonus for a small business. We love the New Mexico coffee from Trader Joe’s and of course we run to the farmers market regularly to get our fix of Equal Exchange.
2. No more bottled water
I have a Shaklee water filter at home so I can feel good about drinking the tap water, and I have a Soda Club seltzer maker since my husband and I are addicted to bubbly water. I stopped buying bottled water and use my reusable metal bottles when I need to have water on-the-go. I have a small one that is easy to keep in my purse and a larger one that I bring with me on trips.
3. BYOB – Bring Your Own Bag
This one took some time. I now have multiple reusable bags that I keep for my shopping needs.
- I keep a bag that folds up into a little zipper pouch in my purse for unexpected purchases.
- I keep four bags at my apartment, two at my office and two in the trunk of my car. People that use their cars often will probably keep more bags in their car, since they will drive to the grocery store. I tend to shop at lunch time and I only buy for two meals at a time, for only two people. So I can get away with one or two bags that I can carry on the bus or in my messenger bag when on my bike.
Once you figure out your system – how many bags you need and where you keep them – this habit is very easy to keep. Since every time you use reusable bags at the grocery store, you are a walking advertisement for environmentalism, there is a bit of public pride that goes along with it. People often say to me “Oh, you are so good. I find it so hard to remember to bring a bag.” and I always reply “One habit at a time. Don’t be too hard on yourself, and give yourself a few months to change one habit.” On the days that I don’t have enough bags for my groceries or if I did forget to bring my bag, I get a paper bag so that I can use it to hold my paper recycling. There is an arguement about paper vs. plastic that is worth investigating. Each time I read about the bag issue, it just makes me realize how important it is that I bring my own bag.
4. Waste, Compost and Recycling
I have always recycled, so this was not a habit that I had to pick up. But I did start to look at what I was recycling and ask myself if I could change my purchasing habits so that I would not have the packaging that needed to be recycled. For instance – buy more fresh fruit and vegetables rather than frozen or canned. The great thing about this habit is that besides cutting down on packaging materials, I am also getting healthier food and supporting our local farmers.
I started composting and this has significantly reduced the amount of garbage that goes to our curbside. The photo above is what our curbside looks like every two weeks. We have significantly reduced the amount of trash we generate. We don’t have to put the trash out every week. I highly recommend this. It really feels great.
5. Food
This one was tough for me and I am still working on it. I have been running my own business since 2001 and in the first three years I did not have much time for cooking. So I got into the habit of getting take-out or eating at the bar of a local watering hole. Besides the health and weight issues associated with this, I was spending way too much money on my meals. So I have spent the past year working on my cooking skills. I shop at the farmers market or walk down the road to Trader Joes during lunch. This has helped since it doesn’t take time out of my day, and once I have purchased the fresh produce I am committed to cooking it. There is nothing worse than good food gone bad.
- Shop for produce and fruit at your local farmers’ market. Many farmers’ markets also have cheese, meat and baked goods.
- Look for grass fed, free range and organic labels (this labeling/certification is not perfect, but it is a good start and it encourages our food industry to recognize that consumers demand quality)
- Pay attention to where the food comes from – Local is always better.
- Pay attention to the packaging. Less is more.
6. Eco Clothes shopping
This one is another ongoing effort. I wear clothes every day, so I consider fashion an important way to express my values. Thanks to D2E I have found some great local stores that buy only from sustainable brands or local designers. This makes shopping easier since I do not always have time to sift through the clothing racks looking for organic cotton or bamboo. Besides that, there is more to the equation than just using non toxic and renewable fabrics. The company should have an invested interest in fair manufacturing practices. The communities that labor to make our clothes, whether they are in Los Angeles or Nicaragua, should be fairly compensated. The clothing industry should be a positive part of their local economy.
You will find a lot of great fashion companies at D2E who can educate you on the materials they use and the manufacturing standards they demand. All of our exhibitors care about the earth’s resources and the people that help them manufacture their clothes (worth investigating: ENVI, IBEX, Jute & Jackfruit, Helen E Reigle, Tara Lynn, Del Forte jeans and COVET).
Some simple guidelines that I have adopted:
1. Think before you buy. Do you really need this garment?
2. Buy quality clothing that will last. Get away from purchasing cheap garments that start to deteriorate after a few washes or quickly go out of style.
3. Renewable and non toxic materials: Bamboo, Organic Cotton, Tencil, wool, hemp
4. Second hand shopping or trading with friends. Afterall, one woman’s trash is another woman’s ball gown.
5. I use non toxic, gentle laundry detergent from Shaklee to wash my clothes. I am more selective about what clothes go into the washing machine and/or dryer and I take good care of my delicates.
The fashion issue is so big, that even after making efforts to educate myself and shop wise over the past two years, I still feel there is much more to learn. I have learned that the leather used for boots and shoes has the largest impact in the whole process. Transportation from one country to another has a minimal impact compared with feeding the livestock, the methane that cows emit and the manufacturing process to turn a hide into a boot. I’m not sure if faux leather is better than real leather – this needs to be investigated. I’m plagued by doubts – it aint easy being a conscious consumer, but it is necessary.
I hope sharing my venture into a sustainable lifestyle can help others make changes. We are all in it together, and our purchasing power is one way we can make a difference.
Boston Bikes & Builds Green
What a beautiful August morning in Boston! I met up with the Bike Friday convoy and biked with the crowd all the way to City Hall Plaza. The weather was perfect, I met lots of other bike enthusiasts and I enjoyed a free bagel, banana and coffee. My convoy started in Lexington and picked up people along the way. We were the largest convoy so we each won a T-shirt. What more could a girl ask for? Well, a photo with the Mayor of course.
Lorelei from D2E with Mayor Menino. I love this guy. Besides all the great work he is doing with Boston Bikes, he is working to make the urban affordable housing green as well. This guy is the real deal.
Erin Ailworth reports in today’s Globe:
“The mayor is the leading mayor in the country in the creation of affordable housing,” O’Connell said. “And now he has become the leading mayor in the country in the greening of affordable housing.”
A big congrats to Nicole Freedman who is heading up Boston Bikes. She organized the event and we had a great turnout this morning. I’m still all pumped up on adrenalin and ready to conquer the work day.
Sustainable Carpets
Today Down:2:Earth has compiled a helpful list of sustainable carpet companies that are healthy for your home. The main problems with carpets is that once used, they generally end up in landfills. And some carpets contain backings with PVC’s which contain petroleum and are a danger for your health, especially if they are in your home. Now that I think of it, whenever we find something that is bad for the environment, it is bad for us humans as well. So let’s clean house!
Thankfully technology has brought the carpet industry a step further by implementing manufacturing processes that allow for more environmentally friendly productions. As consumers it is our responsibility to know how some companies are more sustainable than others, while understanding what goes into their manufacturing process, and the energy involved producing these carpets.
While these questions can’t always be easily answered we have done some research to help you make up your mind for the purchase of your next carpet.
Lees Carpet/ Mohawk Carpets
These two companies have partnered up and are a leading sustainable carpet company. Some of their technologies, like Lees’ Duracolor stain-resistant dye technology, will keep your carpet clean and make it last longer. Durability is something we look for. Most of their carpets are either made from recycled bottles or from recycled carpets – even better! Their backing system contains no PVC’s and they make them from recycled materials such as window shield wipers. They even use tires to make outdoor carpets. Mohawk company shows to have a social commitment as well as an environmental commitment by donating 25 cents per square yard sold from selected carpets for cancer research. They pretty much recycle everything in their manufacturing process from beginning to end. Wow – we applaud this.
Milliken Flooring Company
Are sustainable in their attempt to reduce their energy consumption and water usage by 50% in their manufacturing process. Since 1999 they have had zero waste dumped into landfills. Their carpets have no VOC off gassing and their backings are PVC free. Milliken’s Earth Square is a closed loop system where all carpets are made of 100% post consumer product.
Shaw Carpets
This company re-uses their carpets at a larger scale. They have a system where carpets are collected, brought to a central location where they are sorted into different fiber streams and then recycled to become new carpets. Their green label plus assures there is no off gassing emitted from their carpets. The fibers that they use for their carpets are nylon, polypropelyn, wool, and nylon type 6 which is used in their recycling system. As a company Shaw carpets has come up with green edge initiative which is a list of all the things they do as a company to be sustainable. For instance using dyes that are less toxic and need less water, and using epic hardwood floor made from recycled wood.
Interface Flooring Systems
Was the first company to come up with modualr carpet systems, this concept in environmental in and of itself because it eliminates the need to replace an entire carpet floor if there is only one section that is damaged. As a company they came up with Mission Zero which seeks to eliminate any sort of environmental damage the company may be causing by 2020. Finaly Interface uses recycled vinyl backing for their carpets which some claim is damaging to your health. They have great designs to boot – and we love that.
That’s all for today, tune in next week to find out about more sustainable items for your home.
Sustainably Yours
Nathalie Zegarra
Sustainable Flooring
Down:2:Earth has compiled a list of what flooring types are eco-friendly and sustainable.
First let me share with you some facts on why flooring isn’t good for the environment:
Traditional flooring negatively impacts the environment because it uses valuable natural resources and harmful chemicals. Its production can use wood and water at an extremely fast pace that often leaves the resources unsustainable. The production can give off dangerous petroleum by-products and the treatments and finishes for the wood can give off many volatile organic compounds that include carcinogens such as formaldehyde.
Some alternatives and why they’re better:
CONCRETE
Many homes have concrete bases underneath their floors. One new eco-friendly flooring trend is to leave the concrete exposed, stain it, seal it, and leave that as the floor. It never needs waxing, is easy to clean and removes the need for carpeting. It can also be energy friendly: during the day, concrete absorbs heat from direct sunlight, conserves it, and releases it through the night. Despite what many may think, concrete does not have to be dull. Check out this design on concrete from Transparent House.
BAMBOO
Bamboo’s vitality makes it a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to traditional flooring. The plant is fully grown within three to five years whereas a hardwood tree can take 40 or 50 years to mature. If the plant is cut correctly and responsibly in a manner that leaves enough of the stalk and roots intact, the plant can regenerate. Also, the plant doesn’t need lots of chemicals such as fertilizers or pesticides to grow. An important aspect of Bamboo, however is the that it grows in warm wet climates in Asia which means it has to be transported all the way from Asia which which has a significant ecological foot print. Nothing is perfect, but these are some better options to consider.
CORK
Cork can be a renewable and recycled alternative to traditional flooring. It is either harvested from a tree as bark and the tree re-grows the bark for the next harvest or it is made from the waste from wine cork factories. Cork is an excellent insulator so it conserves heat and has exceptional memory, meaning it retains minimal marks when dented. Air pockets in cork make the product soft to walk on and reduce the wear and tear on the floor since the cushioning prevents shoes from grinding on the flooring. A unique advantage is its noise-canceling, which is great for music studios.
RUBBER FLOORING
It is important to note that there are two types of rubber, one is synthetic made with petroleum, and the other is natural rubber, which is removed from the sap of the rubber plant. These rubber plants are found in sub-tropical climates like Brazil. The rubber is compressed then sold. It is important to know what part of the world the rubber comes from and it’s manufacturing process because some rubber floorings may contain PVC, plasticizers, or halogens. Rubber flooring is ideal for high traffic areas, although not so much for kitchens where grease and water become slippery.
RECLAIMED WOOD
Reclaimed wood is wood that has been taken from existing buildings, which is then refinished and recut. It can come from old barns, factories, warehouses, boxcars, wine barrels, and from the bottom of riverbeds. Reclaimed wood is great for several things that range from making furniture to installing new floors. At the same time reclaimed wood can be regarded as reliable because it has already weathered the elements, so one can be sure of its stability. See this great example.
Good luck with the renovation! Hope this week’s issue of sustainable home was helpful, until next week.
Sustainabily yours
Nathalie Zegarra
Mom Hint: From Lint to Flint
I have learned a lot from my Mom over the years so as we approach Mother’s Day it seems appropriate to pass on one of her great tips. When home for Easter I pulled a college stunt and brought some laundry home. I try not to revert to old habits, but my schedule was so dang busy in the month before D2E, it was hard for me to do my household chores. So I brought home a load of laundry, making my Easter feast a two-fer (and giving my brother a chance to heckle me).
While doing my laundry I noticed that my Mom had a ziplock bag with laundry lint from the dryer. This seemed odd, and I wondered if she had found a way to recycle it.
Mom hint #1: Use dryer lint to help start your camp fire.
Yup, my Mom’s pretty cool. She recycles and she camps.
Recycling: The Gateway Drug
These days, everyone and their soccer mom (even mine!) is talking about climate change, and ways of reducing their environmental impact. What surprises me is that a lot of individuals, and some businesses I’ve researched for d2e, are extolling their recycling efforts, when recycling is one of least effectual ways of reducing environmental impact.
A friend of mine put it this way: “Recycling is the gateway drug.” It seems to be the first thing a lot of people focus on, but it introduces you to other hardcore habit-forming actions.
I first learned about recycling in a unit in elementary school, and went on a field trip to a landfill and recycling center where our trash ended up. My mom threw away one of my dolls, probably because I was bad or because of a recall, and I remember hoping I might find it and take it home (my fascination with trash rummaging continues to this day).
My interest in recycling resurfaced in middle school. Students often threw old quizzes and homework into the trash, when a blue recycling bin sat next to it, neglected, sometimes containing trash from the same careless students. It didn’t help that rumors went around the school that the janitors dumped everything into the same bin. Apparently that’s a common rumor in schools and offices, probably started when a janitor was forced to dump contaminated recycling into the trash.
In high school, I experiemented with new forms of action. I spent some of my 20-minute Thursday lunch breaks writing letters to the government and corporations to save whales, rainforests, and to deplore oil spills with other young impressionables like me, who loved monkeys, pandas, and dolphins. I wonder what happened to those letters . . . do you think they were recycled?
Sure, recycling is part of the solution. Giving plastic, glass, paper, and even aseptic containers a new life reduces the amount of space we need for landfills, the number of diesel garbage truck trips to landfills and incinerators, and the amount of new materials (whether mined or clearcut or cooked up in chem labs) and petroleum required to make new bottles and cans and catalogs we threw into the landfills or incinerated.
However, the amount of energy it takes to truck recyclables to recycling facilities, to melt plastic, glass, and rubber into new products, and to ship those products all over the world (China and India are huge purchasers of recycled paper) can result in a net zero savings in energy use and carbon emissions. When it comes to making changes in your life that will really benefit the environment, recycling is just the tip of the melting iceberg. Here’s a heated discussion about this on Treehugger.
If recycling is the gateway drug, then I’m too far gone for rehab. Check out the recycling in my apartment . . .
Great Green Gifts
I always despised holiday shopping until I started research for d2e. Not only is driving to several stores, sitting in traffic, and purchasing goods flown in from all over the world detrimental to the environment, but it can also be miserable. This year I found a new one-stop shopping destination, Greenward in Porter Square. They even offer a
10% discount to Zipcar members!
For my buddies at the office, I got a kitchen scrubber from Loofah-art, to clean out our reusable mugs. I’m embarrassed to say that I thought loofah was a sea sponge, but apparently it comes from a squash-like plant. These scrubbers are 100% biodegradable, colored with natural vegetable dyes, hand sewn, and support small farmers and educational initiatives in India. And they’re adorable. I might keep the beet for myself. I also got Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap for our bathroom.
For my roomies (ok, so it’s mostly for me . . .), I got a really funky floor mat, in the design of a manhole cover and made from recycled tires, by Fred. Look how cool it looks with the new rubber boots I bought last Thursday to aid my walk home during the snow storm.
Since my mom and dad can barely pronounce “blog” and certainly don’t read any, I have no qualms telling the rest of the world about a gift I bought for them, a really nice stainless-steel kitchen compost holder by Norpro. This will be a much lovelier way to keep peelings and eggshells on their new kitchen countertop, and will encourage them to use the compost bin I set up in their back yard.
I think they’ll also get a kick out of the biodegradable Business Bags I found, a different kind of “doggie bag” they can use to clean up after their new puppies.
Lastly, for some lucky youngster who participates in Toys for Tots, I got a darling little wooden bean with wheels, from Nest based in Holyoke, MA. This toy is made of sustainably harvested hardwood with non-toxic paint, and is packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled chipboard.
There are a slew of Green Gift Guides this December for the greeniac in your life (I hope Santa reads my blog!). Fortunately, it’s not all hemp and composting equipment, although there are definitely some beautiful products in those categories. For a stuff-free holiday season, check out these suggestions from Grist. If you’re looking for something wrappable, I like Treehugger, Inhabitat, The Daily Green and Co-Op America’s suggestions. For the artsy, check out Etsy, which plays host to artists offering handmade items for sale, many from recycled and vintage materials.
If you’re looking for brick-and-mortar stores in the Boston area for your green gift needs, a few others besides Greenward are Fiddlehead on Newbury Street, Dunia-Ecostore in Maynard, and Hatched in Jamaica Plain. As for clothing, The Hempest has some lovely offerings made from fast-growing hemp, and Envi is THE source for your eco-chic fashionista, but don’t overlook consignment shops like Second Time Around and Poor Little Rich Girl.
There are abundant green gift options for everyone in your life, from the eco-chic to the eco-naive, making it easy to make this season a little greener.
A great story of business in synch with nature
Julie and I were invited to the Hermann Miller (HM) showroom to see their residential furniture options. I have always known HM to be ahead of the game with innovation and design, but I did not realize the extent of their commitment to the environment. As I meet with more businesses and learn of their histories, it is clear that the companies leading the way today were either founded by visionaries – or have been influenced by visionary leaders. These individual business leaders have a clear understanding that a company can not merely concern itself with the economic bottom line – one must seriously consider the people involved and the environment. This thought inspired me, as it is an example of how an individual can make a difference. Herman Miller’s environmental awareness can be traced back to the company’s founder, D.J. De Pree, a devoutly religious person who felt a personal concern for the world and everything in it. In the early 1950s he penned a statement of corporate values that declared Herman Miller “will be a good corporate neighbor by being a good steward of the environment.” This brings me to the story. While we were visiting HM Barb told us a story that helps sum up the HM brand.
The HM manufacturing facility in Michigan had a wasp problem. This was back in the 1950’s when the common remedy to eliminate wasps was with poison. However, since HM recognized that this solution could endanger the people working in the building more than a few pesty wasp bites, they did some more research. They found that honey bees normally populate the same area and they could be used to push out the wasps. Honey bees do not pose a threat to people, and they can help nurture the wildflowers in the area. So HM hired a beekeeper to set up a honey bee farm.
The beekeeper then informed the furniture manufacturer that they had a new product: honey. So to this day HM produces and bottles honey. They give out beautifully designed bottles of honey to customers, vendors, and lucky visitors like myself.
After that warm and fuzzy story, and a great lunch, I had to rest a bit on the Eames lounge. Promoting responsible businesses can be quite satisfying.
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