City Planning
Vertical farming:
Vertical farming combines a multitude of technologies such as biodomes/greenhouses, wastewater treatment on site, hydroponic gardening, composing, and many others, to create a closed loop, controlled growing environment for a city's food supply. By growing food in a vertical greenhouse the size of a small sky scraper, land use can be reduced dramatically, and pesticide and herbicide runoff into the natural systems can be eliminated completely. In addition, by producing food at the city center, transportation costs and carbon emissions can be reduced as well. Vertical farming also creates technology and horticulture jobs, and reduces reliance on large farming equipment and factories required to grow food in the currant agricultural system. These buildings can have beautifully elegant and aesthetic designs, and can become a social center in the city as well as a food producing powerhouse. Some designs incorporate on site restaurants and grocery stores at ground level, and some have microclimate plazas in their center, offering an oasis of green in the middle of a city of grey. The website below has explanatory videos and blogs, as well as promotion of the book, The Vertical Farm, which I read a few months ago and was greatly inspired by.
verticalfarm.com
Wastewater/Stormwater Management:
Large cities such as Philadelphia, Seattle, Portland, and New York are embarking on a mission to reduce pressure on their wastewater and sewage treatment centers by installing numerous green projects throughout their infrastructure. Mimicking porous soils and wetlands, small projects such as depression swales, and larger projects like porous pavement streets, are preventing runoff by capturing rainwater event precipitation along its course through the city, instead of letting it flow rampant through the streets and end up overloading municipal systems. Other componenets include green roofing, rain barrels, tree trenches, and rain garden planters, using nature's need for water to remove it from the urban grid, slow flow rates, and clean it as well. The second link down leads to an article focused on PA's initiatives and projects, and includes financial estimates for implementing these designs in the next couple of decades. The first link is for a water filtration technology that uses the simple model of soil to cleanse wastewater before returning it to a groundwater system or surface waterway. Buildings can become closed loop systems by capturing rainfall, cleaning wastewater, and simply redirecting the clean water back into the building for secondary use.This technology can also be installed on a smaller scale at private homes for water treatment on site, instead of using energy to pump it off site and send it to a treatment facility before it can return to the natural environment.
Biolytix water filters- biolytix.com
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/to_tackle_runoff_cities_turn_to_green_initiatives/2613/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29
Monday, March 3, 2014
Monday, February 17, 2014
Impacts of Climate Change on USA & Mediterranean Basin
Also for your country (USA and Assigned), read the summary for the country in Heritage country index - http://www.heritage.org/index/ranking. Look at the "Economic Heat" global map. Can you think of ties between economic freedom that you read and climate? What projections can you make about economic freedom with climate change for the US and tour assigned country.
Blog about the impact of climate change on the US and your assigned country. Include what you learned from the what you’ve learned in terms of what climate change is, and its impacts from the readings and online resources. This should be a detailed blog with numbers, not a namby-pamby blog. Discuss impacts to your assigned country and think about how the socioeconomic impacts of climate change. You might have to do a little extra background reading to bolster your arguments. Include links to your resources at the end.
Blog about the impact of climate change on the US and your assigned country. Include what you learned from the what you’ve learned in terms of what climate change is, and its impacts from the readings and online resources. This should be a detailed blog with numbers, not a namby-pamby blog. Discuss impacts to your assigned country and think about how the socioeconomic impacts of climate change. You might have to do a little extra background reading to bolster your arguments. Include links to your resources at the end.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Pakistan vs. US Ecological Footprint
Pakistan= 0.46 earths
USA=4.31 earths
Our group discussed how the USA might require more earths mainly due to the fact that the distance many imported goods travel to the US is much greater than the distance they must cover to reach Pakistan. A major good that the US imports is oil, and in Pakistan, oil supplies are much, much closer than they are to the US.
Other differences include the type of meat they eat (goats require less water and land than do cattle), and the products they use to build houses (brick/mortar vs. wood).
One more notable difference is the climate of each country, and how many heating days or cooling days occur throughout the year, which dictates the amount of energy needed to either heat or cool the home.
USA=4.31 earths
Our group discussed how the USA might require more earths mainly due to the fact that the distance many imported goods travel to the US is much greater than the distance they must cover to reach Pakistan. A major good that the US imports is oil, and in Pakistan, oil supplies are much, much closer than they are to the US.
Other differences include the type of meat they eat (goats require less water and land than do cattle), and the products they use to build houses (brick/mortar vs. wood).
One more notable difference is the climate of each country, and how many heating days or cooling days occur throughout the year, which dictates the amount of energy needed to either heat or cool the home.
Personal Ecological Footprint
If everyone on the planet lived my lifestyle, we would need 1.52 earths.
I'm a vegetarian (almost), I don't drive in town often but I do take long road trips during the summers, my home is heated by natural gas, and it was built in the 70s, so who knows about the kinds of materials it was built with. I always have water conservation on my mind, but as a renter, I haven't invested in energy efficient appliances like a low flow toilet, which is frustrating because I'm not yet in a position to buy a home and make those changes in my lifestyle...but what's a college kid to do?
My goal is to bring it down to just 1 earth, but then I think, if I'm a conscientious, natural resource major, I should be going above and beyond and consuming resources equal to less than 1 earth, just to compensate for those who live a life demanding 2 or 3 earths, because I know they must be out there.
I must have gotten my results because of the predisposed factors I am subjected to just by being an American. Consuming imported goods, the energy source in my home, infrastructure for roads and water, and all those other things I don't choose to use or ask for, but here they are, and so I use them. A huge influence must also be my choice to live in the high desert, where fresh produce and other goods must be trucked over the mountains because many things simply can not grow here. My largest global hectare footprint was for carbon, which makes sense because my home is heated with natural gas, and I do love those road trips...
Ultimately, we can only do our personal best to reduce our footprint, but so much is left up to the life we are born into, where we live, and the resources we have available to be able to prioritize reducing our footprint over simply paying the bills and getting by.
My goal is to bring it down to just 1 earth, but then I think, if I'm a conscientious, natural resource major, I should be going above and beyond and consuming resources equal to less than 1 earth, just to compensate for those who live a life demanding 2 or 3 earths, because I know they must be out there.
I must have gotten my results because of the predisposed factors I am subjected to just by being an American. Consuming imported goods, the energy source in my home, infrastructure for roads and water, and all those other things I don't choose to use or ask for, but here they are, and so I use them. A huge influence must also be my choice to live in the high desert, where fresh produce and other goods must be trucked over the mountains because many things simply can not grow here. My largest global hectare footprint was for carbon, which makes sense because my home is heated with natural gas, and I do love those road trips...
Ultimately, we can only do our personal best to reduce our footprint, but so much is left up to the life we are born into, where we live, and the resources we have available to be able to prioritize reducing our footprint over simply paying the bills and getting by.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Water Use Comparisons & Thoughts
Read three other student water consumption blogs and compare how you and you classmates use water.
I found that in my own water use, greatest consumption came from coffee and milk to put in that coffee, among other food items. Other classmates also acknowledged that their dogs use almost as much water as some of the most water poor people in the world, especially so on days they get a bath. We don't eat much meat in our house, in fact, we only eat meat when we're at a friend's house or maybe eating out, so I saw a significant rise in water use for those who are regular meat consumers. While some accounted for the clothing they wore, one classmate pointed out that you should divide the number of gallons needed to produce a shirt by the number of times you've worn it; this should encourage less consumption of new cotton goods and making existing clothes last. It was interesting to see how far some people took their analysis, and how shallow others took it. I tried to go pretty deep, but if you really wanted to, you could spend days counting gallons for one day of use.
Contemplate geography in water use.
I, like many of my peers, grew up in the Willamette Valley, where rain is considered a nuisance, not a gift from the gods. Even within that confined region however, there was variation in water availability. Out in the country where I grew up we had a well and gutters with huge barrels for collecting the rainwater. When it was cold we hauled buckets of water from the creek to be able to flush the toilet, because the pipes in the house would freeze. In town though, infrastructure was developed and advanced enough to allow for nearly year round use of water, without having to life a finger, or dig a new well, for that matter. Most kids growing up in the valley didn't think much about how much water we had in our region, because we had so much of it. The kids growing up over here though, in the desert, probably thought about it a little bit more. Even so, they lived in a developed country with advanced technology used to provide clean water year round, even though they lived in a desert. Worldwide this seems to be a growing trend; people are living in places more and more often that would otherwise not be suitable for life, had we not the technology, infrastructure, and monetary resources that made bring water into arid environments possible. Consider the Colorado River and the millions who depend on it, and are in turn depleting it, because they are living somewhere that is not meant to support so much life. Geography is not only important while contemplating water use because there are different amounts of water in different places geographically. It is also important to consider where the money is allocated geographically, because where the money goes, the water will follow.
Any thoughts about direct consumption or the hidden water in your product consumption patterns?
One thing is clear, we could all eat less meat and the planet would thank us for it.
On another note, it's a shame that so much of the water we consume is not done so directly, because so many of us don't even drink the recommended 8 cups a day, but we're all utilizing upwards of 4-5,000 gallons every day between the food we eat and the lifestyles we live.
I could better do my part by cutting back on coffee...I wonder what the daily American coffee habit uses in terms of water...between growing the beans, transporting them, cleaning them, grinding them, steaming the milk, the milk!, washing the cups, growing the trees to make all the paper cups, boiling the water, growing the sugar, etc, etc. The one thing I noticed about this whole process was how it could just go on forever. Now everywhere I look, I see water!
I found that in my own water use, greatest consumption came from coffee and milk to put in that coffee, among other food items. Other classmates also acknowledged that their dogs use almost as much water as some of the most water poor people in the world, especially so on days they get a bath. We don't eat much meat in our house, in fact, we only eat meat when we're at a friend's house or maybe eating out, so I saw a significant rise in water use for those who are regular meat consumers. While some accounted for the clothing they wore, one classmate pointed out that you should divide the number of gallons needed to produce a shirt by the number of times you've worn it; this should encourage less consumption of new cotton goods and making existing clothes last. It was interesting to see how far some people took their analysis, and how shallow others took it. I tried to go pretty deep, but if you really wanted to, you could spend days counting gallons for one day of use.
Contemplate geography in water use.
I, like many of my peers, grew up in the Willamette Valley, where rain is considered a nuisance, not a gift from the gods. Even within that confined region however, there was variation in water availability. Out in the country where I grew up we had a well and gutters with huge barrels for collecting the rainwater. When it was cold we hauled buckets of water from the creek to be able to flush the toilet, because the pipes in the house would freeze. In town though, infrastructure was developed and advanced enough to allow for nearly year round use of water, without having to life a finger, or dig a new well, for that matter. Most kids growing up in the valley didn't think much about how much water we had in our region, because we had so much of it. The kids growing up over here though, in the desert, probably thought about it a little bit more. Even so, they lived in a developed country with advanced technology used to provide clean water year round, even though they lived in a desert. Worldwide this seems to be a growing trend; people are living in places more and more often that would otherwise not be suitable for life, had we not the technology, infrastructure, and monetary resources that made bring water into arid environments possible. Consider the Colorado River and the millions who depend on it, and are in turn depleting it, because they are living somewhere that is not meant to support so much life. Geography is not only important while contemplating water use because there are different amounts of water in different places geographically. It is also important to consider where the money is allocated geographically, because where the money goes, the water will follow.
Any thoughts about direct consumption or the hidden water in your product consumption patterns?
One thing is clear, we could all eat less meat and the planet would thank us for it.
On another note, it's a shame that so much of the water we consume is not done so directly, because so many of us don't even drink the recommended 8 cups a day, but we're all utilizing upwards of 4-5,000 gallons every day between the food we eat and the lifestyles we live.
I could better do my part by cutting back on coffee...I wonder what the daily American coffee habit uses in terms of water...between growing the beans, transporting them, cleaning them, grinding them, steaming the milk, the milk!, washing the cups, growing the trees to make all the paper cups, boiling the water, growing the sugar, etc, etc. The one thing I noticed about this whole process was how it could just go on forever. Now everywhere I look, I see water!
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
My Daily Water Use
Water I Used Yesterday:
8 am-drank =12oz
8:10am-brushed teeth=25oz
8:15am-flushed toilet=64oz
8:30-Fed dog, put warm water on his food, filled his water dish=80oz
10:30-breakfast: Eggs (13,000oz), potatoes (825oz), tomatoes (430oz), mushrooms, green peppers, avocado, garlic, olive oil, pepper, salt, 1 yerba mate drink. Rinsed the vegetables.= >15,000oz
12:30pm-Filled water bottle=20oz
2pm-flushed toilet=64oz
3:40pm-Ate an apple with peanut butter=2300oz+
6pm-Drank ~10oz of coffee=4620oz
7pm-ish-flushed toilet=64oz
7:50pm-washed hands=50oz
8pm- Dinner: quinoa, lentils, zucchini, carrot, broccoli, kale, onion, coconut oil, garlic, salt, pepper, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, vegetable stock base, olive oil=probably similar to breakfast, >15,000oz
8:30pm-Hot cocoa-milk, cocoa mix, marshmallows=6600oz+25,000oz
9pm-brushed teeth=25oz
Grand Total= At least 70,000oz, or 2,200 litres
not including:
cotton use for the clothes I wore
more for meals, especially from using olive oil, peanut butter, avocado, and coconut oil.
I also drove a car, which used gas that requires water to process, and to grow if it contains ethanol.
Used water to wash dishes, and wipe down kitchen counters.
Used toilet paper which required water to grow and process.
I know I'm missing others, and on top of all that I should have drunk more yesterday as it is...
8 am-drank =12oz
8:10am-brushed teeth=25oz
8:15am-flushed toilet=64oz
8:30-Fed dog, put warm water on his food, filled his water dish=80oz
10:30-breakfast: Eggs (13,000oz), potatoes (825oz), tomatoes (430oz), mushrooms, green peppers, avocado, garlic, olive oil, pepper, salt, 1 yerba mate drink. Rinsed the vegetables.= >15,000oz
12:30pm-Filled water bottle=20oz
2pm-flushed toilet=64oz
3:40pm-Ate an apple with peanut butter=2300oz+
6pm-Drank ~10oz of coffee=4620oz
7pm-ish-flushed toilet=64oz
7:50pm-washed hands=50oz
8pm- Dinner: quinoa, lentils, zucchini, carrot, broccoli, kale, onion, coconut oil, garlic, salt, pepper, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, vegetable stock base, olive oil=probably similar to breakfast, >15,000oz
8:30pm-Hot cocoa-milk, cocoa mix, marshmallows=6600oz+25,000oz
9pm-brushed teeth=25oz
Grand Total= At least 70,000oz, or 2,200 litres
not including:
cotton use for the clothes I wore
more for meals, especially from using olive oil, peanut butter, avocado, and coconut oil.
I also drove a car, which used gas that requires water to process, and to grow if it contains ethanol.
Used water to wash dishes, and wipe down kitchen counters.
Used toilet paper which required water to grow and process.
I know I'm missing others, and on top of all that I should have drunk more yesterday as it is...
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Bag It! Notes
Bag it notes
Everything is made of plastic!
1. It takes 12 million barrels of petroleum to make 1 year's worth of plastic bags used in America.
2. The plastic bag began being used in grocery stores in 1977, today (at time of video) we use a million plastic bags each minute.
3. Plastic bags are technically the # 1 consumer item in the world.
4. There are organizations formed by chemical companies which are fighting to prevent the ban and elimination of plastic bags, one is called "progressive bag affiliates"and one has a website called savetheplasticbag.com.
5. 800 pounds of garbage/recycling is generated every year, per person, from packaging alone.
6. Reusable diapers can prevent up to 1 ton of landfill waste and save roughly $1,200 per year, per baby.
7. Bottled water may surpass soda sales in the next few years (maybe it already has), and at the time of this film, Americans consumed 2 million plastic bottles every 5 minutes.
8. Plastic bottles are usually "downcycled" into something that cannot be recycled again.
9. The EU requires that chemicals must be proven safe before use, but in the US, chemicals are 'innocent until proven guilty', and must be proven harmful in order to be removed from the consumer market.
10. Exposure to the chemical family of phthalates is shown to lead to decreased sperm count and increased femininity in boys, and these chemicals are found in all sorts of personal care products and baby toys.
Things you can do:
don't drink bottled water
buy used
bring your own container
recycling comes after reducing and reusing
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