On Tuesday, January 24th President Obama will deliver his State of the Union Address from Capitol Hill. How prominently do you think clean energy and the “green” economy will be featured in the speech? Choose from one of the options below:
Are Cities Really More Sustainable?
In the most recent Five Friday Facts, Justin provided information on the growth in cities outside the developed world. He points out that increasing populations pose challenges for sustainability. How ...
Growing Up in LA
A few weeks ago I was talking with another transplant from Los Angeles who also became interested in environmental sustainability. She asked what it was that got me interested in ...
Happy Birthday, 2nd Green Revolution
It has been three years to the day since our first post at 2nd Green Revolution. From that beginning, the number of visits to the site has tripled each year, ...
From Used Mattress to Commodity
by Eric Wilson on January 23rd, 2012
If you’ve ever wondered what happens to your mattress after you’re done using it, Spring Back Recycling has one answer. The new company started recycling the old foam and spring amalgamations. Spring Back Recycling, which was founded last year, charges patrons $10 per mattress to recycle the old sleep-aids. More than just an environmentally friendly company, Spring Back began “through a partnership between Belmont University’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team and Belmont Church’s Isaiah 58 Ministry in the spring of 2011. This partnership provides a second chance to previously incarcerated and homeless men” in addition to reducing the amount of material sent to landfills.
The combination of environmentally conscious and socially aware aspects makes Spring Back a model company for a sustainable future. According to their website, more than 30 million mattresses are disposed of in landfills each year. Although they only serve the Nashville, Tennessee area at this time, the model could work in numerous locales, providing jobs that cannot be outsourced.
Through the recycling process, raw materials can be recovered from mattresses.
Efficiency is not the Key to Sustainability
by Eric Wilson on January 22nd, 2012
Justin has written a few posts about the importance of getting outside; one titled “Encroachment” and the other “The Set Aside“. This post follows up, but takes the idea in a slightly different direction.
I realize the title of this post may be heresy, but hear me out. The other day I was in a building that houses several people I needed to talk to for a few seconds each. “Aha!” one might say, “Use email, it’s a great tool for that.” Those people would be right, but in adhering to my “Appropriate Use Policy” I used a different technology, the stairs.
I walked up one flight and dropped in on someone to update them. Since they were on the phone, I left a post-it note with my message. While not ideal, it shows I took the time to drop by. Though admittedly not the most efficient way to contact someone, it builds social capital, something that we’ve failed to cultivate.
Next I walked up 5 flights to follow up on an email chain that had languished for some time. Breathing more heavily than I care to admit (hey, it’s a mile high) I entered another office.
Eating in “Meat” Season
by Megan Stilley on January 21st, 2012
I have previously discussed the importance on eating in season, but this focus is usually put on fruits and vegetables. Did you know that meat is seasonal as well?
The seasonality of meat is based on how naturally animals eat, hibernate, reproduce, etc. Animals need the time to consume food and process it in a way they can healthily add weight. Unlike in factory farm methods that try to make animals forcefully gain weight at an unhealthy pace with unhealthy feed (or corn), pasture raised animals are also healthier for us to eat. Factory farming also forces unnatural lighting situations so animals cannot know what time of year or day it is. This causes chickens to constantly produce eggs and cows to constantly produce milk. Seasonality is especially true for pasture raised cattle since they are dependent on grass as their main source of feed. Turkeys, chickens and pigs are not solely dependent on grass since they are all omnivores but they are still seasonal when it comes to butchering.
Here are the specifics:
Five Friday Facts: Potpourri
by Justin Manger on January 20th, 2012
- Worldwide meat production tripled between 1971 to 2012 to about 600 billion pounds.
- The top three foods that generate the most greenhouse gases before and after they leave the farm: lamb, beef, and cheese .
- Higher ozone levels could trigger 2.8 million additional serious respiratory illnesses in 2020.
- Red LED bulbs have 8 times the amount of lead allowed under California law.
- Life expectancy in major European cities could increase by 22 months if air pollution in those cities were reduced to levels recommended by the World Health Organization.
Source: Guide to Green Living Magazine, Fall/Winter Edition
Image source: Metropolitan Museum of Art
Is Germany the Model for a Second Green Revolution?
by Chris DeArmond on January 20th, 2012
In May 2011, shortly after the Fukishima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Germany’s government decided to put the country on track to phase out its nuclear power plants by 2022. In its place will be energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, and bioenergy, as mandated by Germany’s 2012 Renewable Energy Act. As one of – if not the most – ambitious and expensive green energy models to be implemented, other countries and environmentalists will be watching closely to see if renewable energy can actually work on such a large scale.
The legislation, which went into effect at the beginning of this year, outlines how Germany will ramp up production of renewable energy. The goals stated in the policy are: at least 35 percent of energy will come from renewable sources by 2020, at least 50 percent by 2030, at least 65 percent by 2040, and between 80 and 95 percent by 2050. A recent press release by Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety shows that renewable energy accounted for roughly 20 percent of energy production last year, up from just 6.4 percent in 2000.
According to the Associated Press, Germany’s vast expansion in renewable energy will depend on investment incentives, government subsidies, and the continued cooperation of taxpayers. Technology-specific remunerations, or feed-in tariffs, are given to renewable power plants for 20 years, and reward those that start up sooner. While expediting investment, feed-in tariffs will help give market access to smaller companies. To help foot the bill, Germans pay for electricity by the “user-pays” principle, meaning the price of power increases with consumption.
Carpooling Grows Up
by Eric Wilson on January 19th, 2012
When I was a kid, my mom and a bunch of other parents in and around the neighborhood arranged a carpool system whereby each parent would drive a group of kids to school one morning and pick all of us up one afternoon each week. I never really thought much of it other than it allowed parents to go to work on time most days of the week (for those that did work). In retrospect, it was a great way to not only save time, but money as well. The amount of traffic was reduced by up to four cars for each group that carpooled. Costs were also driven down, not just gasoline, but also wear and tear on the car. For those that don’t remember the halcyon days of their youth, children can take a toll on the car itself.
With the recent uptick in collaborative consumption, more and more companies that engage in this type of consumerism have come to our attention. One of those companies is Carpooling.com. With 3.5 million registered users in 2011, they help provide transportation to roughly 1 million people each month.
The Rising Meat Consumption
by Megan Stilley on January 18th, 2012
A recent report from the Worldwatch Institute stated that global meat consumption is up 20% over the past 10 years. The report claims the majority of the increase is from developed nations and the expanding size of factory farms. In fact developed nations consume 80 kg (176 lbs) per person on average a year, while in developing nations the average person only consumes 32 kg (70 lbs) per person. This can cause many sustainability issues since factory farms pollute the environment and use mass amounts of resources. Factory farms use massive amounts of water, feed (grains and corn that could be used to feed the largely growing human population), antibiotics, and land space. They also pollute mass amounts. The waste that is created from factory farms is not able to be used as fertilizer since the animals are fed corn and antibiotics and the waste is basically toxic. If animals are raised in more natural or pastoral ways they may still use massive amounts of resources but their waste is usable and it is healthier for you to eat.
A few interesting tidbits from the report are:
