recycle
Home made seltzer!
Enter the Penguin by Soda Club. I have to start off by saying that I love this machine. I love the design and I love the crackling bubbles that it produces. I smile each time I see this penguin on the counter next to my Alessi sugar bowl – the two are quite a hoot.
Just yesterday I made my first bottle of seltzer water. It reminded me of the time I made butter in girl scouts. I stared at the clear bottle with all of the beautiful bubbles rising to the top and I could not help but wonder, where did these bubbles come from? Of course, they came from the CO2 container, but the moment was quite magical.
Details: Assembly was simple for someone like my dear friend Brenda who has no problem reading through an instruction manual and following the steps. It was a bit more challenging for someone like myself who prefers to plow through everything on my sometimes faulty intuition and muscle power. Luckily I am old enough to know my limitations. So when I opened the box and pulled out the parts and the manual, I set it back down and let it wait until I was in the right frame of mind. My husband rolled his eyes, thinking that he could probably assemble it blind folded as it was really only a few parts. But I did not want to damage the machine in haste, which I have done numerous times in the past trying to shove parts together. So I waited.
Yesterday was designated the day of assembly. I did not have any appointments to run to and could focus on the job at hand. My mind was clear, and I did a little seltzer jig to bring good vibes to the room. First I put all of the pieces out on the counter and opened up the manual. I read each stage and followed the directions. I got a bit tripped up trying to figure out how to open up the canister that holds the glass bottle. This is one of those things that just requires “getting the feel” for it. Once you have released the canister it pulls up and opens for you in a cool Star Trek way. After opening and closing the canister a few times I managed to get the feel and now it is easy.
I was a bit freaked out with the CO2 canisters. I do not normally handle things like this, so I had Hollywood driven fears that it would explode in my hand. It did not. I had some trouble trying to take a protective plastic cap off the canister, but my husband easily popped it off by using a butter knife as a lever. Very clever. In Hollywood that would surely have been a disaster, but I guess in real life it is okay.
Once I had everything assembled, the water bottle was filled with Arlington tap water and ready to rip, I pushed down on the penguin’s cute little bill to bring on the gas. I was a bit timid at first, again fearing that the Penguin would explode and trigger the pipes in our building to burst and then a tidal wave would engulf the town of Arlington. But my fears soon turned to pure joy when I hit the gas release button and opened the canister to find a bottle of bubbly seltzer ready to enjoy.
Ahhhh…. bliss….
Impact: As always, we need to look at the big picture. What waste does this machine bring and how does that compare with buying seltzer in plastic bottles, or just denying myself of seltzer altogether? Soda Club does a good job talking about the impact of their product and at this point I feel good about it. I can send the empty CO2 canisters back to the company and they will reuse them. Soda Club states that “Empty carbonators are returned to Soda-Club to be cleaned, inspected and refilled with CO2 drawn naturally from the air. Carbonators are reusable as long as they remain in good condition.”
So at this point I am feeling good about my penguin. The main impact comes from manufacturing the product and shipping. I used to think shipping was a huge issue, but now I am learning that it is a smaller part of the big picture. This leads me to believe we should look into this subject a bit more and blog about it.
Amazing how one blog always leads to the next.
Recycling efforts at D2E
We recycled .65 ton of the single stream and .73 ton of the compost items. It is worth noting that one month ago the Hynes would have only recycled paper and cardboard and for a show the size of D2E it would have totaled only .27 ton. So we recycled 1.09 ton of waste that just one month ago would have been put into a landfill. The Hynes is happy, we are happy and we hope this gives you the warm and fuzzies as well.
I’d like to take this moment to thank the Hynes for being so supportive of our mission. When we initially approached them about our need to recycle as much as possible and to off set the energy costs, we did not have to spend time selling them on the idea. They had already begun working on this new program and they saw D2E as the perfect show to launch it. Aramark, the food vendor was also quick to jump on board with plates, forks and cups that can go into the compost along with all the table scraps.
As we recover from the past few months of intense preparations and the weekend filled with stimulating discussions and fun events I will be posting more info and photos. And then we are to 2009! Here’s to more companies realizing the importance of the triple bottom line; economics, social and environmental – and may we all learn to walk forward with “Bold Humility” as stated so eloquently by Frances Moore Lappé.
Saving trees, one fax at a time
Since we in the D2E office are planning an environmental expo, we are becoming very conscious of the impact of even the tiniest actions of our business. For instance, every day we get at least one advertisement faxed to us. Ironically, we often receive ads for ink cartridges. Do the ink cartridge companies really think we’re going to call them after their junk faxes use up all our ink?
We’ve started collecting the faxes and other pieces of one-sided paper in a cardboard box for reuse. The ads really add up! We are also calling the advertisers to remove our fax number from their list, which takes a little extra time, but will save a lot of paper.
As for the paper we can’t reuse, the D2E office signed up for Earthworm Recycling about 6 months ago. Earthworm is a nonprofit based in Somerville that recycles mixed office paper for businesses. We recently received a report on our progress; we have already recycled 481 pounds of paper, which is roughly equivalent to 4 trees.
Interesting factoid from Earthworm’s website:
Did You Know . . . Enough office waste paper is thrown away each year to build a 12- foot wall between Los Angeles and New York City?
Unwanted Catalogs
What to do with unwanted catalogs? I have always had two romantic visions of what I would do with these invasions of my mailbox.
1. Art – I will make collages or some form of paper art and become a self-sustaining paper artist that works only with found objects.
2. Leisure – I will sit down with a glass of wine and flip through the pages of all the catalogs, ordering up whatever suits my fancy.
As you have probably already guessed, neither of these is going to happen any time soon. So into the recycling bin they go!
I think back in 1999 I bought a pair of hiking boots from the Campmor catalog and they ended up not fitting me very well, a bit too tight in the toe area. Due to my busy lifestyle, I never got around to returning them so now my sister-in-law wears them when she is walking her very cute dog, Roxy.
I’m okay with all of that. I am happy to live my busy life and go to work each day to help plan D2E. To be honest, considering how seldom I actually go shopping, it is a real treat for me and I like to go into the stores to feel the fabrics, flip through the books or sit on the furniture. Call me old-fashioned, but I love the experience. So if you are like me and each time you get a catalog in the mail it goes directly into the recycling bin – I have news for you. Catalog Choice is an on-line service that will cancel all of your catalogs for you. When I get a catalog in the mail I rip off the address info where my customer number is. Then I log into Catalog Choice, find the catalog that I want to cancel, put the information in and before you can say “recycling is fun but consuming less is bettah” I am done.
Hope this tip helps!
Green office in the Gray Urban Landscape
How can an office take steps to produce less waste and consume less energy? First of all, the people that work in the office must want to make a difference. After all, it is us humans that create the waste, not the office walls.
We aren’t perfect here at 715 Boylston Street, but we have taken some basic steps at the D2E office over the past year. And as we continue to learn more about the great services and products available, we do more. Below is a list of the changes we made in 2007.
1. Consume less
- Only print when needed.
- Use both sides of paper
- Use ceramic mugs for coffee and glasses or SIGG bottles for water (Some in the o
ffice are hard-core and will not allow themselves to get a coffee at our local cafe unless they bring their own mug.)
- We use cloth towels in our bathroom
- We keep two shopping bags hanging from the coat rack in case anyone needs to do some shopping and forgot their bag.
- Turn heat off at night and weekends.
- Only use lights that are needed.
2. Recycle
- Earthworm picks up our paper to recycle
- One office’s trash is our office’s conference table.
- We
signed up for the Stonyfield recycling program so that our yogurt containers can be turned into plant pots
- I found my desk on the curb (elbow grease and paint to spruce it up)
- 2 office chairs are from a second hand shop
- We have a table from Artists for Humanity that is made out of old catalogs and magazines – very cool. (see top photo)
3. Public Transportation
We moved our office to the Back Bay so that it would be right on public transportation. Now everyone either takes the bus, the subway or rides a bike to work – even Lucy the Black Lab.
The next big step for the office is the Low Carbon Diet. At the encouragement of Dan Ruben, we have all purchased a copy of the work book and this week we are having our first team meeting. More to come on that subject.
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 . . .
Recycling on the Mountain
This weekend I managed to get my first days of snowboarding in and was able to experience Killington with new owners. Besides having a blast and burning my quads until I could no longer walk, I was happy to see that the new owners have instituted a recycling program. (I love the sign!)
I’m sure ski resorts have a huge impact on the environment. Between snow making, the chair lifts, the waste at the lodge and all of the big SUV’s that carry us snow hungry people to the mountain – each ski resort must have a huge footprint. Since I am an avid snowboarder, this ads to my impact. (Great – one more thing to consider.)
I contacted Killington, since that is my main mountain, to see what kind of environmental initiatives they have going. I would feel better about the time I spend on the mountain if I knew that part of my season pass purchase was going towards innovative ways to reduce carbon emissions.
So, this is what I learned about Killington.
For the upcoming ski season, Killington Resort is implementing the following environmental initiatives:
- Co-mingle recycling program throughout all facilities, including six day lodges.
- A $50,000 “Free Aire” refrigeration energy saving project on 10 of our 18 walk-in coolers and freezers that will save 86,389 KWh and 31 tons of C02 savings per year
- Purchase 30 addition Low Energy Snowguns ($40,000), bringing our total of Low E guns to 339 out of 1,435 total guns. The increased use of Low E guns has reduces our diesel consumption by more than 30 percent and electricity by 25 percent over the past three years.
- They are also looking for a reliable supplier for biodiesel in the Central Vermont area.
The above is just the tip of the iceberg. What impressed me the most about Killington’s initiative is that they are focusing on reducing their impact rather than just buying carbon credits to make up for it. That tells me that they are running their business the way I am trying to live my life.
Now – I am still figuring out what I want to do personally about the additional impact I make by choosing to go snowboarding. Keep posted – and feel free to pass on suggestions. But I’m not ready to give up this sport – so for now I am looking into carbon credits to offset my lift rides and driving to the slopes (besides all of the other lifestyle changes I am already making to decrease my impact).
If you are interested in reading more details about Killington – see below.
Details, details, details…
Snowmaking
Killington Resort’s snowmaking system, the most extensive in the world, consumes more power than all other resort operations combined. Over the past three years, more than $5.5 million have been poured into snowmaking improvements to increase the efficiency of the overall system and eliminated energy waste of both compressed air and water.
In partnership with Efficiency Vermont, we have completed a seven-year program to replace older diesel-powered snowmaking compressors with new state of the art “Tier III” low emissions machines. This upgrade has reduced our total emissions by 50%, or 100 tons of green house gas, which is the single most significant reduction in the ski industry!
The addition of HKD Ranger tower-mount Low Energy snow guns have complemented our power generation plant upgrades, further reducing Killington’s energy consumption. Low Energy guns produce the same amount of snow as conventional guns while utilizing up to 75 percent less energy. Over the past four years, Killington has boosted its Low Energy arsenal to 339 of the resort 1,435 total snow guns. Low energy snow guns are configured in the nozzle to use the same amount of water as conventional guns with less compressed air. The one drawback is their versatility as the optimal temperature range for their use is a wet bulb temperature (a combination of air temperature and humidity) below 26 degrees with light wind. However, the added advantage for the Low Energy snow guns is that by using less compressed air, Killington can run more guns at one time! In addition, the increased efficiency of tower-mount technology allows more rapid resurface capability with not only reduced air consumption and less energy, but manpower, which means fewer gas-powered snowmobiles on the mountain.
“Free Aire” Refrigeration Energy Project
A “Free Aire” refrigeration energy saving project took place this past summer and fall on 10 of our 18 walk-in coolers and freezers that will save a combined 86,389 kilowatt hours and 31 tons of C02 per year. Free Aire is a Vermont company out of Waitsfield. The project was captured by a production crew from Discovery Network’s Science Channel and will air on “Trippin’ the Green” in January.
Water Conservation Measures
The source of snowmaking water has been supplemented by the use of the Woodward Reservoir. This conservation measure has allowed the historical flows in local streams to be maintained, and in some cases increased, to insure protection for aquatic species. At the same time the snowmaking water supply can now support future growth without impacts to natural resources. In addition, the cold water pulled from the depths of Woodward Reservoir reduces the need to power cooling plants at the resort prior to pumping water through the snowmaking system.
Additional water conservation measures have been achieved through an innovative design to use recycled waste water systems throughout restroom facilities at our six base lodges, which saves up to 30,000 gallons of fresh water a day during peak usage and will be expanded in the future.
Support of the Regional Transit Provider
Killington Resort is the largest private contributor to “The Bus” – The Marble Valley Regional Transportation District. The Killington Region Transit Expansion Plan was a proactive response to the Village Master Plan proposed in 1998 to reduce traffic impacts to the region. Current ridership for the region exceeds 800,000 one way trips, with resort related trips exceeding 375,000, of which 75,000 are commuter and employee related – which continues to increase each year.
The combined efforts of the state, the resort and regional business supports the nearly a $1 million operating budget. The objective is to reduce the dependence on the automobile, drastically reducing emissions in the region, and to creating a pedestrian friendly village that is contiguous to the surrounding community.
Green Mountain College Partnership
Green Mountain College provides resort industry career training, educational outreach and consultants to develop operating strategies to manage overall energy consumption.
Killington Resort contributes to these programs by providing hands-on classroom experience, instructors and internships for students.
Additional recycling within maintenance operations include:
♣ All anti-freeze (350 gallons per year)
♣ Waste Oil for energy recovery (5,000 gallons per year)
♣ Laundered Rag recycle for shop use
♣ Battery and tire recycling
♣ Nearly exclusive use of latex paint to reduce hazardous wastes
♣ Use of sorbets and wringer to recover waste oil
♣ Use of recycled parts washer to eliminate spent solvents
♣ White paper and cardboard recycling
♣ Gas water recycling
♣ Use of air vacuum to recover waste oil
♣ Mercury bulb waste stream reduction
Printed Collateral
Killington Resort supports the highest social and environmental standards in the market for paper printed collateral. The 2007-08 Killington and Pico Mountain Trail maps will be printed on FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council) paper.
Alternative Energy Sources and Conservation Measures
We continue to research alternative energy sources for participation in the future development of: wind energy, cow power (methane gas production) through Central Vermont Public Service, wood chip power generation and natural and cryogenic gas plants.
We continue to work with energy conservation consultants to find new ways to economize and reduce energy consumption, including kitchen equipment, motor controllers and rebuilds, cooler economizers, lighting upgrades and green building design.
Additional goals built into the Killington Resort conservation program:
- Expand the resort’s recycling and solid waste reduction program
- Pursue energy conservation measures through Demand Side Management
- Keep abreast of energy reduction and efficiency opportunities
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D2Eets on Twitter
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