eco footprint
How Long Does it Take to Biodegrade?
I talk a lot about biodegradable items, biodegradable soaps, and even biodegradable diaper services, but what does ‘biodegrade’ even mean?
In our effort to keep from burying ourselves in trash and waste since we are still very much a ‘disposable’ society, how can we reduce our impacts (other than the obvious re-use of materials?) By making everything biodegradable! Bio-degradation happens to just about everything on the planet to some degree, so lets put things into context, shall we? I’ve collected information on many of the most commonly used items, including so called biodegradable items to really put things in perspective.
An Apple Core
In a landfill: Never*
In a backyard compost: 2 weeks
In an industrial composter: days
In the ocean: 8 weeks
Your Starbucks Coffee Paper Cup
In a landfill: Never*
In a backyard compost: One Month
In an industrial composter:
In the ocean: 6 Weeks
A Biodegradable Bio-Plastic Cup
In a landfill: Never*
In a backyard compost: Unknown
In an industrial composter: Less than 3 months
In the ocean: Unknown
› Continue reading
New Balance 70 Eco Shoe (ME070 & WE070)
New Balance is breaking into the green shoe arena, and we aren’t talking colors. The just released ME070 and WE070 are made from recycled and sustainable materials, designed and developed with a real focus on eliminating waste. Boston-based New Balance is in the process of creating a new eco-preferred collection within it’s Outdoor category, of which the 70 will be the introductory model.
Billed as “part of a larger, corporate-wide sustainability initiative to operate our business in an environmentally sensitive manner,” the New Balance 70s are just the tip of the toe. Developed for eco-fashionable consumers, the New Balance 70 features a new eco-friendly construction with seventy-five percent of the upper components consisting of “environmentally preferred materials.” The laces, webbing, rand, quarter, tongue and saddle incorporate recycled polyester; the foxing and the tip of the shoe are synthetics made with fewer solvents than traditional materials. Rice husks filler in the outsole reduces the amount of rubber needed, thus reducing the amount of petroleum used. Water-based adhesives (rather than solvent-based) are used to join the upper and the sole unit and no paper stuffing or paper wrapping are used in the packaging of 70.
I was lucky enough to be one of the few to test out this new shoe before it hit the market. The first impression of the stylish burnt-orange model (MT070PB) I received in the model was › Continue reading
Eco Friendly Golf Course? Justin Timberlake’s Mirimichi
Goes to show that there are varying degrees of sustainability. The worlds first ‘Eco-Friendly Golf Course’ is opening tomorrow (July 25th, 2009) in Memphis, Tennessee. A brainchild of singer and green celeb Justin Timberlake, the Mirimichi Golf Course is the first golf course in the US to receive the Audubon International’s Classic Sanctuary certification and hopes to gain Platinum LEED certification by opening day.
The former Woodstock Hills Golf Course was purchased by the Justin Timberlake, an avid golfer, in hopes of saving it from development. Feeling that it was “such a landmark for the community” and being the first place he had ever hit a golf ball, he was able to “scoop it and save it.”
Long considered a blight on nature and wilderness due to the intense water use, fertilization, and runoff, golf courses have also been criticized for their lack of native habitat. Mirimichi seeks to change all of that with rainwater irrigation, native landscaping, and a new Natural Resource Management Center featuring state-of-the-art biodegradable treatment of rinse water. It even features native grass areas which frame the holes and reduce the mowable acreage of the course.
“Creating an eco-friendly course was a priority throughout the renovations,” said Greg King, director of golf, Mirimichi. “We wanted to create a world-class golf experience that protected and enhanced nature’s canvas.”
Weekend Green Reads – Books on Sustainability
This weekend seems like a great weekend for reading, so I thought I would share some upcoming green books in my queue. I seem to have a sustainable design theme going, although that should come as no surprise to anyone who regularly reads my blog.
Sustainability in design has always interested me, mainly because so many problems with current products on the market can be solved by a tweak in the design. For many, this can entail looking at a product with a whole new perspective- which can prove difficult in many situations. Take for example one of the books, Design Is the Problem: The Future of Design Must be Sustainable.
The author, Nathan Shedroff, considers how paper bags may be worse than plastic for the environment or how a Prius may have a larger footprint than a H2 Hummer. Now these are pretty bold statements, so I am intrigued as to how he crafts his argument.
Another book along those same lines, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, explores the cradle to cradle process (or C2C, the ‘birth’ of a product all the way through to the ‘death’ and re-birth of the raw materials) and how it can and should be implemented into the consumer stream.
This is a concept of growing interest (you can tell from increasing products advertising cradle to cradle certification), and with good reason. Our ‘disposable’ society needs a shift and the best way to do that is to make products with their ‘end-life’ in mind.
The two previous books are great reads for everybody, geared towards educating and inspiring with varying layers of depth. As an ecologist, my scientific background begs for more granular depth. At times, I like to see the data, the science behind things, the technical stuff. This is where Sustainable Design: The Science of Sustainability and Green Engineering
Providing “…readers with the scientific principles needed to guide their own sustainable design decisions”, and “written to enable readers to take a more scientific approach to sustainable design”, it will be sure to entice all you architects, engineers and scientific types.
New Soap, Old Bottle – Reducing Trash with Reuse
A great idea to help reduce the impact of discarded plastic bottles and preventing further unnecessary packaging at the same time.
New Soap, Old Bottle is a company founded by Scott Amron that bottles new bulk name-brand soap into sanitized used old plastic soda bottles, plastic water bottles, and beer bottles.
Packaged in America and finished with a child safe spray, pump or squeeze top, these new-old bottles will perform as well or even better than those you are used to.
New Soap is an eco-initiative. Our goal is to make it easy for companies to offer their products packaged in old bottles, giving the consumer a greener option.New Soap, Old Bottle saves two bottles for each bottle sold. That’s the bottle that would have been manufactured and the bottle rescued.
Energy Active Eco Home- Taking Energy Efficiency Positive
This technologically advanced home boasts a computer controlled system that regulates the home like a human body. Monitoring temperature, seasons and the time of day to maximize efficiency, this home is an energy over achiever- creating more energy than it uses. While this may sound futuristic, it’s happening right now, in a cold and cloudy Lystrup, Denmark in fact.
Increasingly popular in the U.S., Passive Houses are energy efficient homes that mitigate power through the use of solar, wind or other renewable energy sources. These homes are becoming the standard throughout most of Europe prompting a new frontier of energy Active Houses. These Active Houses are highly efficient homes that captures more energy than the occupants need for heat and power and require not only super efficient building techniques and materials, but also onsite renewable energy sources.
For eight months a year, the solar cells produce excess energy to sell to the grid. In the winter months, the house buys back electricity – from renewable sources, of course. When a mass-market battery car finally reaches the market, there will be a charger for it in the garage and energy to spare.
Buy, Sell, Trade and Get Rid of Stuff – Recycle and Trade Spring Cleaning Treasures
I was going through my place doing a little spring cleaning (in spring, can you imagine?) and I ended up with 3 different categories of items:
- Items I want to sell (and I think i can)
- Items I want to sell (and I think they are pretty much worthless)
- Items I just want to get rid of
If you can believe it, there are actually very specialized places to do business with all three of these types of items. For items that actually have some value and could fetch a fair amount of cash, I usually head straight to craigslist, ebay or amazon
Save Trees and Read Green with a Kindle
So the question on every green minded book fanatic, is the Amazon Kindle green? In short, yes, if you use it enough. The estimation, provided by the journal of Environmental Science and Technology, is that you can save approximately one tree per year if you replace your daily newspaper with the e-version.
That accounts for a 700 pound reduction in paper use just from the daily newspaper, add in another one or two pounds for each book and you are looking at quite a big tree.
› Continue reading
Seven Great Biodegradable Items You Should Know About
Biodegradable items are great for our environment. They break down and replenish the earth. Biodegradation is the process of biological conversion of materials into CO2, H2O and minerals. According to tests based on international standards (OECD), to be called readily biodegradable an ingredient must biodegrade 60% or more within a 28 day period. The only drawback is that most items (including all those listed here) must be disposed of properly, which means it must be composted. Backyard composters are a great way to biodegrade food scraps, paper waste, and many of the items listed below. If you live in a condo, or have no way to compost locally, many cities have a green waste bin which accept most biodegradable items. However, some items (such as diapers or contaminated items) may require a commercial composting facility. Contact your local waste management facility to inquire about their policy on green waste and composting.
Disposable biodegradable trash bags – BioBag, a disposable biodegradable trashbag. They also produce bags for all kinds of needs such as yard waste, doggie waste bags and more, all of which are biodegradable. If disposed at a commercial compost facility, these bags will biodegrade in as little as 45 days. BioBags are shelf stable up to two years before they start to break down.
Eco-Friendly biodegradable drinking straws are ingenious. Its something we use millions of each day and throw in the trash without thinking. Heat stable to 135 degrees F, these compostable straws are a must for your drinks on the go. From stir straws to jumbo smoothie straws and an array of color options. For foodservice requirements, wrapped straws are also available.
Biodegradable diapers have a huge impact on reducing the amount of waste created by petro-chemical disposable diapers. Available from several brands such as Seventh Generation, gDiapers and Nature Babycare, these green diapers are becoming an easy way to go green for your baby. gDiapers even make flushable diapers to avoid the landfill (even biodegradable diapers don’t breakdown very well in a sealed landfill). If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you should check out Earth Baby, a biodegradable diaper composting service that will deliver, pick up, and compost your diapers and wipes for a low monthly fee. A great alternative to cloth diaper service, and a huge improvement over plastic disposable diapers.
Biodegradable cutlery made of Plant Starch Material (PSM). Compostable and made from non-GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) vegetable starch, these medium weight biodegradable utensils have a heat tolerance up to 200 degrees F and biodegrade in 90 days. There are heavyweight biodegradable fork, knife and spoon sets available as well, made from PLA Corn Plastic, these contain some additional biodegradable fillers and most closely resemble plastic utensils. PLA cutlery is BPI compost certified.
Biodegradable Airsoft Eco BBs like those made by EcoBB and others. I remember shooting my BB gun as a kid and just littering the back yard with millions of these little BBs. I would feel better about that if i knew that after a few rains they would have started to disappear. Many of these products completely dissolve in 7-10 days leaving no trace of your pellet gun ways.
Biodegradable cleaning supplies – such as Eco-Me natural cleaning kits which you can make yourself out of household products and pre-mixed formulated products like those available from Method Home. While biodegradable doesn’t necessarily mean you can go take a bath in a mountain lake with them (most biodegradable products are still harmful to the environment until they have begun to biodegrade in soil) they are free of lasting toxins and harsh chemicals like chlorine, phosphates, phthalates, and ammonia.
Biodegradable pesticides – Perhaps the most well known and widely used biopesticide comes from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a bacterium that produces insecticidal proteins, although several are made from citrus oils and other organic biodegradable compounds. EcoSmart pesticides and insecticides are made with organic plant oils which naturally repel pests. Safe even for Organic farms, these pesticides are naturally derived with no synthetic chemicals and readily biodegrade.
Find many of these items at branch.com and ecoproducts.com
Sustainable Eco Friendly Gifts and Decor – Branch Home
Gift giving season is coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean we stop shopping, and I have just found my new favorite online store to shop at. Branch Home has a ton of great products for just about every need, home decor, toys, gadgets, kitchen, garden and more – but the best part is that its all sustainable. They are a bit different in that they filter all businesses and products for their sustainability, social responsibility, and green manufacturing process. When you shop there, you can be sure that what you are purchasing is well thought out and designed with the environment in mind all steps of the way. Sustainable can mean different things, especially with all the greenwashing out there these days, so here are the main criteria Branch used to determine a products sustainability:
1. The materials used must be environmentally responsible.
2. The manufacturing process must be ecologically sound.
3. The labor employed must be treated fairly and provided safe, healthy conditions in which to work.
Also used to make determinations are the materials (are they sustainable, renewable or recycled), energy used to manufacture the item, transportation of the item, the uses (not a disposable chotchky), and the disposal (readily recyclable, renewable).
Wind power recycled glass wrapped in Jute - Pictured: $470
Handmade renewable felted wool stingray toy - $12
If this store looks familiar, you may have seen them reference before in my last post where i featured a vintage belt floor mat from them. They carry some very unique items, many of them handmade in various regions like Nepal and Africa, and even some from San Francisco and Berkeley, CA. Each item has an in-depth description of where it was sourced, the renewable materials composing the product, and a bit about the manufacturing process.
Moso Lamp Hand made from sustainably forested bamboo - $248
Cove organic duvet and sham sets - $330
Its not unlike purchacing organic foods in that you will pay a bit of a premium for many of the goods found in their store, but its usually for good reason. Handmade goods, and those sourced from non-standard sources can be limited and expensive. Somebody has to foot the bill for the process until it becomes more efficient with dependable suppliers and manufacturing process. Until then you should feel good about purchasing products that are making a difference, creating change, and if nothing else, are each unique and special.
A Great Green Workout – Create Your Own Energy at the Gym
I remember thinking that this would be a great idea back when i used to workout at the gym in college, and now someone actually did it! A gym where you create your own power during the workout. The Green MicroGym in Portland, Oregon is not your traditional gym, it is stocked with generators that are linked in to workout equipment so you actually power the studio (they estimate the equipment and solar panels will cover about 40% of the gyms’ operational energy). They are attempting to increase that number even further and have calculated a need of 240 hours per day on the equipment is needed to net a 100% self sustainable studio. They are not above offering incentives and will actually even pay you for every hour you work out with their burn and earn program.
The Team Dynamo and spin bikes are hooked in and collectively generate up to 350 watts continuous power, all of which is fed into the gyms power system or the local power grid. They are working on hooking the elliptical machines into the loop Even the ‘traditional’ workout equipment is eco-conscious with the SportsArt EcoPowr Treadmills using 30% less electricity than other models. The gym has a real energy conscious atmosphere, with solar panels, energy efficient fans to cool the gym, lighting, all of which is individual member controlled, so its off when not in use. All materials have been thought out with recycled rubber, marmoleum, and sustainable cork flooring, non-toxic cleaners and dual-flush toilets.
With 2800 square feet of space, with 4 rooms of cardio equipment, free weights, training equipment, and floor space for stretching, yoga and bosu, you should definitely check them out if you are in the Portland, Oregon area. Hopefully in 10 years all gyms will be this energy savvy.
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