A More Sustainable Super Bowl XLIX

This week, I've been anxiously awaiting the Super Bowl, as many other fans have. Since I couldn't get the game off my mind, I found an article written by SustainableBusiness.com talking about the sustainable practices going into this year’s big show!

While University of Phoenix Stadium doesn't have any solar (c’mon, it’s Arizona! Utilize that big, beautiful sun!), the stadium is touting energy efficiency in a number of places. This is the first stadium to switch over to 100% LED lights, where 312 LEDs will only draw 310 kW, which will cut the demand for lighting by 75% (“What’s”)! Not only are LED lights more efficient, but they also provide better lighting for fans as they’re much brighter and remove shadows on the playing field. There will also be 500 motion sensors in place to cut energy use, and the stadium will reduce the load of air conditioners as well.

The sustainability doesn't stop there. Fans have been swarming in from all over to Arizona for the week leading up to the Super Bowl and events took place all week long. In considering food waste, this year the goal was to create a zero-waste area of up to 12 blocks outside the Phoenix stadium (“What’s”). Composting and recycling of food waste has been implemented, and – this is personally my favorite idea – the leftover “food will be donated to Waste Not, which will distribute it to facilities that feed people in need” (“What’s”).

So this year, I get to watch the Super Bowl knowing that there are efforts moving towards more sustainable enjoyment of sports. In addition to this, the two teams that are playing on Sunday (the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks) are among the “greenest football teams” (“What’s”). While the Patriots and Seahawks rank 5^th and 6^th, respectively, in terms of solar use in their stadiums, they boast the 3^rd and 4^th most ‘solar-powered’ football stadiums. Check out the chart below, provided by the SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association), depicting the use of solar energy throughout sports stadiums:

Provided by SEIA ("Solar")

The article even gives a special nod to the Green Sports Alliance for growing and encouraging the use of solar energy in powering our sports fields and raceways!

Oh yea, and... Go Hawks!

Works Cited

"Solar For The Win: A Study on Solar in U.S. Professional Sports." SEIA. Solar Energy Industries Association, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.seia.org/research-resources/solar-win-study-solar-us-professional-sports>.

"What's Green About This Year's Super Bowl?" SustainableBusiness.com. N.p., 30 Jan. 2015. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. 

<http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26128>.

Eco footprint update #2

Well...let's see how I've done this far:

I have stayed on track with eating less meat (one meal a week). Although, I have to admit that my one vegetarian meal I've had the past two weeks has been the same: pb&j. And this is probably because the only other vegetarian thing I know how to make is a salad, and that's not a full meal (though this could be said for the pb&j).

This week's groceries included organic produce for 2 meals and an organic apple for a snack (it's only 2 meals because that's the number of dinners I planned for this week). I was also able to turn off my computer's power strip 4 nights this week (the other nights I pulled almost-all-nighters, forgetting to shut it down entirely when I went to bed [or went to school]). 

It's looking like I will be able to keep up on these goals, but I do need to get better about changing my habits so that "sleepy" me can make the change as well.

Boeing researching tobacco to use for jet fuel

This week, we talked about responsible tourism. I was interested in the idea, so I thought I would find a current event article on the topic, and found this one from the Smithsonian stating that Boeing is researching practical alternative jet fuels from various bio sources. This specific article talks about the efforts put forth by Boeing, South African Airways, and SkyNRG to turn tobacco into jet fuel.

Now, it’s not the tobacco we are used to. This variation of the tobacco plant used for energy, called Solaris, has oily seeds that can be processed and turned into biofuel. The Solaris tobacco plant is also nicotine-free, which is great for the health of farm workers toiling in the fields; a study of Hispanic workers in North Carolina found that about 41% of workers got Green Tobacco Sickness, which is caused when nicotine is absorbed through the skin (“Fact”). Deemed a “win-win-win” by the companies involved, this form of the tobacco plant can replace farms of nicotine-filled tobacco, alleviating the health risk on farm workers while still maintaining tobacco farms in the economy (Willmott). At the same time, it will create a more sustainable fuel for the future, and can reduce fuel prices in the future, which account for about 1/3 of the operating expenses for airlines (tobacco fuel is currently more expensive than ordinary jet fuel, but the costs would come down over time).

This all sounds very good to me, as the need to move away from fossil fuels is dire. However, there is still more that I want to know. Normal tobacco plants need heavy amounts of fertilizers and pesticides, which are damaging to the environment and to the health of farm workers and animals. This practice leaves behind chemicals that can leech into our groundwater. A second concern is that tobacco plants take valuable nutrients from the soil, it is one of the major crops that causes soil degradation. This stresses the need for farmers to rotate crops because the land becomes unsuitable. Another environmental consequence to growing tobacco is deforestation, mainly in farming and curing the tobacco leaves. While this would be slightly alleviated because there would be no need to use wood to cure the tobacco, there still exists the worry that forests will be cut down to meet the demand for the plant.

I haven’t been able to find any answers to whether or not this nicotine-free Solaris tobacco plant has any of these problems associated with its growth; however, if it proves to do the same damage that plagues the common tobacco plant, then I think we should try to find another source of biofuel. Thankfully, Boeing is working on several other experiments in a number of other countries searching for a sustainable bio fuel to replace the current option.

Works Cited

"Fact Sheet: Environmental Impact of Tobacco." (n.d.): n. pag. Multnomah County Health Department, Mar. 2013. Web. 21 Jan. 2015. <http://www.pdx.edu/healthycampus/sites/www.pdx.edu.healthycampus/files/Environmental_Impacts.3.7.13.pdf>.

Willmott, Don. "Holy Smokes! Tobacco May Fuel Planes in the Future." Smithsonian. The Smithsonian Institute, 12 Nov. 2014. Web. 21 Jan. 2015. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/holy-smokes-tobacco-may-fuel-planes-future-180953306/?no-ist>.

Eco Update #1

     Well, it has been a week since I calculated my Eco footprint, and I have to say, it’s harder to stick to some of these goals than I had thought. My first action was to purchase more organic foods, starting with organic produce. I hadn’t quantified this goal in my first post, so I’ll do it here: I will try to buy organic produce for 3 meals a week. I have not stuck to my goal this week as my husband did the grocery shopping and didn’t purchase any organic produce.

     My next goal was to switch off my computer’s power strip two nights a week. I have done this one night this week, but mostly haven’t been able to simply because I have been on the computer all night long! For 3 nights this week, I have been up until 5 or 6 in the morning doing homework, and in my tired state, I’ve been forgetting to change my habits. :/  

     My last goal has been easier to stick to. I chose to eat a meal without meat at least once a week, and found that I did this twice this week, once eating a pb&j, and once eating chips and salsa (both were for lunch). I figured that I might be able to challenge myself to eating a meatless meal 2x per week next time.

     It hasn’t been very easy to change long-standing habits, but then again, nothing that’s worthwhile is ever easy.

Coming Soon: grow your own sustainable materials?

     Ecovative calls its business a “material science company” working to make sustainable materials (“About”). The company got its start with Mushroom Material, a material grown from fungal mycelium (a natural glue) and agricultural waste, and that is fully compostable at the end of its usable life. It has been used to make plastics, insulation, and other packaging materials. This material is gold certified as an alternative to plastics by Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.

     The article I found talks about how Ecovative is going to release a grow-your-own Mushroom Material kit in September, yet has already seen some of the possibilities that may come from the new material. Ecovative used social media to reach out to innovators, asking them what they would use the kits to create. A myriad of ideas have come in, including surfboards, pet coffins, lamp shades, and – my favorite – replacement for Styrofoam cups (Knowles). Those who make their own designs using the Mushroom Materials kit will have free license to keep or sell their designs, or scale up production with Ecovative.

     Businesses are catching on to the new material as well. The CEO of Ecovative explains that Mushroom Material is cost competitive, and that insulation made with it is “similar to rigid board insulation, providing a tight envelope with few thermal bridges, resulting in a more energy efficient building” (Knowles). Another benefit of the material is that is it safe and non-toxic, meaning it can be installed without any safety equipment or procedures. 

     The company now looks to make a more environmentally-friendly replacement for wood. Using the fungal mycelium to bind together particles, Ecovative hopes to supplant engineered woods that use a carcinogenic adhesive: urea-formaldehyde (Knowles).

Works Cited

“About Ecovative.” Ecovative. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. http://www.ecovativedesign.com/about/.

Knowles, Victoria. "Say Sayonara to Styrofoam and Hello to Mushroom Materials." GreenBiz. N.p., 9 Jan. 2015. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. <http://www.greenbiz.com/article/say-sayonara-styrofoam-and-hello-mushroom-materials>.

My Eco footprint is a size 8, too.

My eco footprint results showed that if everyone lived like I do, we would need 4.03 Earths to sustain ourselves! Wow… I suppose I expected my consumption to be on the high end, but put into terms like that, it hits a little harder somehow. 

The area that contributes most to my footprint is my food consumption; I was above the national average in this area. I think this is because I answered that I shop mostly at supermarkets, convenience stores, and restaurants. I do weekly shopping at Fred Meyer, one trip to Costco a quarter to get deals on bulk items, and I enjoy going out to eat (Jalapeno’s at the end of the quarter is a nice treat). I also have a carnivorous diet, eating at least one meal with meat or dairy a day.

The electricity I use to heat my apartment (<1000 sq. ft.) is minimal. I usually keep the heater in my living room on under 60 degrees (it’s actually really cold, but I love blankets), and only turn on the heaters in the bedrooms when I’m using them, with the doors closed to keep the heat in. Appliances in the kitchen are unplugged until they’re used (microwave, toaster oven, espresso machine, and toaster). Since moving to Bellingham, I have driven very little. I walk to school daily, and only really drive to get groceries and out to eat. The most I’ve driven is back down to Everett maybe 4 times to visit family. This has resulted in very low mileage currently.

                

The housing footprint was lower than I thought would be, as I live in an apartment building that seems it was built in the 70s. The complex has over 20 units, none of them have water saving features, and I’m doubting the buildings are made of efficient products. As for my water saving habits, I think I’ve only washed my car once, and only do laundry when there’s a full load to run.

                

My goods and services footprint being low might be a product of my limited funds (that’s putting it lightly). I live within my means most of the time, but I’m really stingy right now trying to save as much as possible for after graduation. I also don’t replace most things until I truly need to. This category is also low because I throw everything I can into recycling, leaving me with less than a bag of garbage a week.

Actions to take:

         1)  The first action I plan to take is to start buying more organic and sustainable foods. I usually don’t do this because it’s more expensive, but I can start by purchasing more organic produce.

      2)   I turn off my TV power strip, but I don’t do it to the computer one, and that will be my 2^nd step. I will work towards turning this off at least 2 nights a week.

      3)    Finally, I’m going to try to eat less meat and dairy products, starting with having one meal without meat a week. This will help with my health as well as the Earth’s. And hey, I love pb&js.

I look forward to making these changes in my life and seeing the results at the end of the quarter.