Archive for the 'waste' Category

Your computer is killing Earth

Published
by
greenhl
on May 17, 2008
in conservation, energy, global warming and waste
. 0 Comments

computer_on_fire

We all know throwing computers away into our landfills is bad for the environment. I’ve written about the negative environmental impact of disposing computers in our landfills, and how we can recycle computers.

How many of you out there leave your computer and / or computer monitors on all night or when you’re not using them? If you do, you’re directly contributing to global warming. Even though computers and monitors have power saving modes, they still consume electricity when they are on. In fact, they even consume energy when they are off and still plugged into the wall or power strip. If you don’t think computers use much energy, try this fact. A friend of mine recently started turning his computer off at night and shaved $12 per month off his electricity bill. Not only does it take power to run a computer (even in sleep mode), but it also takes additional cooling power to offset the heat produced by computers and monitors.

When I leave the office each night, I always turn off my monitor and the power strip. It’s a small action which takes about 3 seconds, but I know every little bit helps. Unless you really need your computer or monitor on at night, turning them off will save you money and will save our environment as well.

Starbucks grinds its way into the ground

Published
by
greenhl
on May 14, 2008
in corporate, gardening, recycling and waste
. 6 Comments

starbucks_coffee_grounds

I wrote a couple months ago about why I hate Starbucks for promoting waste. I’m here to say that I recently made a discovery which helps Starbucks atone, if just a little, for the waste they promoted previously.

I stopped going to Starbucks a while back to both support other stores and as a way to protest Starbucks’ blatant waste. Well, last week, I had no choice as someone I was meeting with vehemently insisted on going to Starbucks. Resisting with every bone in my body, I told him that I’d meet him there, but only if we could sit outside since I would buy a drink somewhere else. (I give credit to Starbucks for not asking me to leave since I didn’t buy anything from their store).

As I was leaving, I walked through the inside of the store. Lo and behold, I saw a bin in the corner which contained free bags of used coffee grounds. Apparently, Starbucks has been offering free grounds since 2004. I think it’s a fantastic program. Used coffee grounds are great for the garden and great for composting. Adding coffee grounds to compost or ground soil increases the nitrogen balance, increases the rate of composting, and provides food for worms, which are great for gardens and plants. Here are some tips I read from an EPA article:

  • Add brown leaves and grass clippings to offset the acidity of coffee grounds
  • Grounds should not make up more than 25% of a compost pile
  • Add one teaspoon of wood or lime for every five pounds of grounds to offset acidity levels
  • Coffee grounds helps worms flourish – worms are great for your soil and garden!
  • Coffee grounds can help repel pests

If you need a lot of coffee grounds, work with your local Starbucks manager. Many are more than happy to work with you on special needs. I’m still going to pass on buying coffee from Starbucks, but I won’t resist as strongly the next time someone wants to go there.

Hey smokers, cigarette butts are litter.

Published
by
Paul
on May 13, 2008
in pollution and waste
. 0 Comments

Many of my friends are smokers or were once smokers, so I say this with only the greatest of respect: stop littering you idiots!

GreenHL wrote a great post yesterday about various negative effects that producing cigarettes has, so I won’t get into it, but one point that he makes only obliquely is that the problems with cigarettes are exacerbated by the fact that most smokers seem to think that their butts somehow magically disappear from the sidewalks and roads like magic.

butts.png As this trashcan in Japan illustrates poetically, they don’t.

Smoking the Earth Away

Published
by
greenhl
on May 11, 2008
in carbon, pollution and waste
. 4 Comments

earth_on_fire

We’ve all heard about the harmful effects of smoking, whether it’s lung cancer, emphysema, or the dangerous effects of second hand smoke. This is all on top of yellow teeth, smelly skin / clothes, yellow ceilings in your house, depreciating your car’s value, or the monetary effects of purchasing packs of cigarettes. What hasn’t really been highlighted are the environment effects of smoking.

Globally, there are over 1.2 billion smokers who consume an estimated 6 trillion cigarettes – equivalent to about 900 cigarettes per person on the planet. Approximately one third of North Americans smoke, and the percentage is even higher in Europe and developing countries. Although the sheer effects of burning that many cigarettes is detrimental to the air, the harm cigarettes cause do not stop at our lungs or the air. Each year, enormous amounts of cigarette butts are discarded improperly, not only starting fires, but also creating a huge amount of pollution and chemical waste when they decompose (filter-tipped cigarettes do not decompose).

On top of this, producing cigarettes also consumes huge amounts of energy and resources. Because tobacco plants are sensitive, up to 16 pesticide applications are required each growing season, leading to a large amount of chemical runoff, ozone pollution, and land toxicity. Nearly 600 million trees are used each year to provide the necessary fuel to dry tobacco, which equates to approximately one tree for every 300 cigarettes. About 4 miles of paper is used per hour by manufacturing machines, and nearly 6 billion pounds of solid waste is produced annually on top of the over 500 million pounds of chemical waste. There are also huge amount of toxic releases such as ammonia, hydrochloric acid, sulpuric acid, and toluene (just to name a few examples) into the environment directly associated with tobacco manufacturing. Finally, to top this all off, tobacco related medical expenses and lost productivity accounts for over $150 billion annually in the U.S. alone.

It continues to baffle me that more is not done to help people quit smoking. I know nicotine addiction is strong, as are the tobacco lobbies in Washington. However, given the huge economic, social, and environment costs, when will we have enough? In this case, it’s good to be a quitter.

What’s better than recycling? Getting PAID to recycle!

Published
by
JB
on May 6, 2008
in action, recycling and waste
. 1 Comment

recycle-bank.jpgI like to recycle. I try to do it as much as I can as I feel like it’s a way for me to do my small part on a daily basis. But I realize that not everyone feels this way. I’ve often thought that in order to get more people to recycle frequently, there needs to be some sort of incentive program in place.

Well lo and behold, such a program exists! In 2004, a successful service called the RecycleBank was born. If you are lucky enough to live in an area where the RecycleBank operates (currently the Northeast U.S.), you can sign up for this service.

You are issued a special garbage bin that has a special computer chip (RFID). You can dump all of your recyclable materials into the bin (no sorting needed!). Each week, when your recyclables are picked up, your bin is scanned (for the chip), weighed, and then points are assigned to your account, based on how much your bin weighs. These points can then be converted into rewards at participating retailers, such as CVS/Pharmacy or IKEA.

In addition to the economic incentive, I would also think that there’s an emotional benefit – the feeling of accomplishment! RecycleBank tells you how much good you are doing for the environment, sharing with you your recycling metrics.

That is a rockin idea. I only wish they had something like this in California. RecycleBank, please expand your services to the greater U.S! I am waiting for you!