Vintage Post: Ahhh the smell of sewage in the morning!

This past Saturday (March 2009) I participated on a tour of one of 3 Wastewater Treatment plants in San Francisco with some coworkers.  We visited the Oceanside Wastewater Treatment plant located just South of the San Francisco Zoo.  Entering the compound was like entering a secret bomb shelter in the mountains.  It is very inconspicuous, enclosed, and full of concrete.  They intentionally designed it to be hidden from public view, and public smell.

After an overview of the process, including maps and pictures, we embarked on the tour.  This plant processes only about 15% of San Francisco’s wastewater.  The rest goes to a plant on the East side of the city, which injects into the Bay.  There is a third plant in the North of the city that acts as an overflow plant in stormy times.

At the Oceanside plant they do primary and secondary treatment.  They first filter out the solids and trash including plastic bottles, paper, and baby wipes (apparently this is a scourge in the system and these and other types of wipes [makeup, cleaning, etc] are NOT flushable).  Then there is some sort of tank where the real solids (think about it) fall to the bottom and are rushed away.  The water than goes onto another area where oil (mainly cooking oil) is skimmed off the top.  Remember, cooking oil really shouldn’t be washed down the drain.  After that, the “clean” water (which you still shouldn’t be drinking) is funneled to a 12 ft diameter pipe that goes 90 feet underground and 4.5 miles out to sea.

Sounds pretty simple right?  Well, there is also tertiary treatment, which this plant does not do.  This is the process that disinfects the water, and makes it safer for drinking.

There are also plans (pipe dreams, pun intended) to build a pipe from the Eastside Treatment plant to the West, so that the entire City’s waste is pumped out of this pipe to the ocean, instead of 85% of our waste going into the Bay.  Ew.

We also talked with a marine biologist at the plant who is part of a team insuring the water going out into the ocean is not negatively affecting marine wildlife.  They test water samples close to the plant and far away, and test larger fish species as well as the tiniest life forms.  One doesn’t normally think about the affect of your waste on the ocean’s fish and other wildlife, so this is a very important job.

The same thinking should apply to street drains.  The amount of trash and chemicals that goes down those drains is criminal (literally).  Think about cigarette butts: smokers constantly, casually throw their cigarette butts on the sidewalk which then wash down the drain and end up in our ocean  As a beach clean-up veteran I can attest that, along with Styrofoam, cigarette butts are the most common trash on beaches.  Please if you are a smoker, do not throw your butts on the ground, save them for the trash.  Remember that everything is connected, and things don’t just disappear when you wash or flush them down the drain; they will most likely end up in our oceans.  Think about that the next time you use the bathroom or the kitchen sink.  We only get one world and every little bit counts.

SATURDAY – International Day of Climate Action

This Saturday, October 24th, 2009, people in 173 countries are coming together to call on world governments to take action on climate change.   In just a couple months, world leaders will be gathering in Copenhagen for the UN Climate Negotiations.  Millions of people are hoping that conference will end with a global accord to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  The end goal is to reduce the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from 390 Parts Per Million, the current level, to 350 PPM, what scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, or below.

The government of Maldives recently held a cabinet meeting underwater to highlight the fact that their island nation, only an average of 7 feet above sea level, will certainly be underwater if rising sea levels aren’t stopped or reversed.   President Mohammed Nasheed is strongly in favor of all nations acting to cut carbon dioxide emissions.

Something else that impressed me was in an email from 350.org: “Palestinian, Jordanian and Israeli activists will put aside political differences to push for a fair, ambitious and binding climate treaty.  On the beaches of their respective shores of the Dead Sea, they will make a big 3, 5, and 0.”  Having recently made a trip to Israel, I know firsthand how tense the relationships between these countries are, and working together like this for a broader goal just touches my heart.

So this Saturday, I’m heading to the San Francisco ferry building at 3 pm to take part in a gathering of eco-minded people to send a message to our leaders. What will you do?  Check out 350.org for events in your area and for more information.  Right now there are 4,517 planned activities registered for Saturday in 173 countries.

Be Your Own No Impact Man

I first read about No Impact Man (the man, the book, the movie) on Huffington Post, where blogger Katherine Goldstein detailed how “everyone” was talking about him.  That may not be true yet, but I’m hoping to get the word out to those without their hand on the environmental pulse.

No Impact Man, Colin Beavan, is just a normal guy who decided to live a year having as little impact on the environment as possible.   The movie documents that experience and the result is more than you would think: “It means eating vegetarian, buying only local food, and turning off the refrigerator. It also means no elevators, no television, no cars, busses, or airplanes, no toxic cleaning products, no electricity, no material consumption, and no garbage.”

Before you scream “It’s impossible!” think about the Beavans, a couple with a young child living in Manhattan, the urban mecca of the world.   Then think about the history of that world.  The Industrial Revolution happened less than 300 years ago, and almost all of our everday “convienences” have been invented since then.  Prior to electricity, the world’s people lived simply and comfortably without a percentage of the impact that we make on the Earth today.

First step, get inspired and watch the preview for the movie on the official website.

Second step, sign up for HuffPost’s No Impact Week, starting next Sunday, October 18th.  I will be taking part, and hopefully blogging my way through it.  You can read the day-by-day guide here.

Vegetarianism: An essential part of being an environmentalist OR a plot by liberals to take over the world?

Carnivores vs Vegetarians

In a piece on Huffpost Green, Jennifer Grayson asks the question, “Can you be an environmentalist without being vegetarian?”  The point Grayson makes is a valuable one: there are a lot of ways to be an environmentalist, and nobody is perfect.  “Johnny may be a vegan, but he has two dogs that contribute to the 10 million tons of pet waste polluting our waterways every year; Suzy eats all organic but can’t live without her daily Diet Coke; Bob outfitted his entire house with solar panels but flies to Europe four times a year on business; and so on and so on.”  Of course, not supporting factory farms and chemical- and hormone-filled meats by being a vegetarian is a way to support the plant.  But choosing organic and local meat is another.  And riding your bicycle instead of driving a car is another.  Being vegetarian or not (or vegan or not) is hardly the only way to judge your level of eco-responsibility.  To try and live in today’s society and be a 100% environmentalist is impossible, but you have to try and make as many positive changes as you can.

I personally consider myself an environmentalist and am not a vegetarian, but I am a flexitarian.  Flexitarianism is a somewhat silly name for a diet that just means that you do not eat meat at every meal.  I find it silly because it seems normal that you wouldn’t eat meat at every meal, but maybe that is just me.  When I lived with my parents, we certainly ate meat at every meal that we ate together.  And my parents are liberal hippies…so maybe I’m wrong about flexitarianism being silly.  Living with 2 vegetarians now, I find it difficult to cook meat in the house sometimes, especially when I want to make a big meaty meal but have no one to share it with.  Yet I love tofu and can enjoy many meals without including a carnivorous component.  I definitely could do a lot better when it comes to eating meat.  I try to eat organic and local meats that are sustainably produced, but that is not always possible.  This is something I (and you!) should be working on.  Grayson also mentions having “Meatless Mondays” to start reducing your dependence on meat.

The other interesting vegetarian item I came across today was actually posted my boss, who is also a vegetarian (I’m noticing a pattern in my associates).  It is a site called Vegetarians Are Evil and it a great resource for those who believe that vegetarianism is another nefarious plot by liberals to take over the world and turn our kids gay and all sorts of other evil things.  I’m still undecided about whether this site is a joke or not, as it is that ridiculous.  But never underestimate the crazy out there.  “Animal rights activists (vegans) have been murdering and attempting to murder high profile individuals for decades and the press barely mentions the fact that they are left wing vegetarians.”  Huh.  I never thought about that before!   Check this out, maybe you will be convinced…

Just say no to polystyrene

There are no words to express my extreme distaste for polystyrene, better known as styrofoam.  You are most familiar with styrofoam as food and beverage containers and packing material.  While it probably seemed like a miracle solution when it was discovered in 1839, because of its inability to biodegrade, polystyrene is a huge environmental pollutant.

Think about your experience with styrofoam for a moment.  Who hasn’t picked apart a foam cup into tiny pieces?  Or played with tiny styrofoam packing materials?  These showcase the biggest problem with styrofoam.  While it does not biodegrade, it does break down into smaller and smaller pieces.  And because the pieces are very light, they are easily blown by the wind and float on water.  Recently, I was doing a local beach clean-up and I focused on the hundreds of tiny pieces of styrofoam that I found on the beach.  Hard to see, but deadly.  Marine wildlife, including fish, birds and mammals often mistake tiny polystyrene bits as food and digest them.  Research has suggested that the chemicals in polystyrene foam can cause cancer and leach into food and drinks.

So it’s a problem, but what can we do about it?  Cities around the U.S. are banning polystyrene food containers, including my great city of San Francisco.  You can find a list of CA cities that have similar bans here.  Other regions include Portland, OR and Suffolk County in New York state.  Even better, California is now considering a statewide bill, AB 1358, which bans polystyrene food containers.

You can help by:

1. Discontinuing use of any polystyrene products in favor of more sustainable solutions
2. If you live in a city with a polystyrene ban on food containers, keep your eyes open!  If you see a restaurant in violation, report it!  You can do so in San Francisco by clicking here.
3. Support AB 1358 by writing your CA state senators and assembly members and letting them know why you too hate styrofoam.

A Day Without a Plastic Bag

December 18th is officially A Day Without a Bag, but I’d like to clarify that that means without a plastic or paper bag.  This day is really about using your resuable bags in this season of extreme shopping and extreme waste.

If you live in San Francisco, stop by Union Square Thursday, 12/18 at lunch (12-2 pm) to receive a free reusable bag from Surfrider Foundation.  This day is a great way to raise awareness about the wastefulness of shopping bags.   The average American uses 500 bags a year!   BagMonster is a great picture to this massive problem.  It is a mascot created by Chico Bags (a brand of reusable bags): a man covered with 500 plastic bags, that same number of bags the average American uses annually.

Every retail, drug, grocery, etc store uses plastic or paper bags when giving you your products.  Of course, it is a convenient way to carry home your items.  But what do you do with that bag when you are done with it?  Maybe you reuse it once or twice, but eventually it goes into the trash and ends up in your gutters and your oceans.   To completely avoid this problem, grab a reusable bag.  Most are $1 – 5.   I have one (ACME bag brand) that folds up real small and I simply stick it in my purse so that I have it whenever I need it.  My friend Mad Grad enjoys Chico bags because they have key rings on the bags – easily attachable to your keys.  Luckily, you can find a variety of reusable bags almost anywhere nowadays from grocery stores to drug stores, they are a hot seller, and need I add – a great Holiday gift!

When you do your Christmas shopping, please think twice about accepting a plastic or paper shopping bag, and turn to your reusable bag instead!

Auto Industry’s request for a Bailout is Congress’ Golden Oppurtunity

So it is hard to stay positive when every day sees more news headlines about the stocks dropping and  Congress giving away more and more money.  I’m no economist and I decided to let those (supposedly) more intelligent figure out the details.  However, when I heard that the auto industry was begging for handouts as well, I had to speak up.

Automobiles, in my mind, are the single most polluting part of American and world society.  If everyone stopped driving tomorrow, it would reduce by half the amount of carbon monoxide, by a third the amount of nitrogen oxides, and by a quarter the amount of the hydrocarbons in our atmosphere.  As a consumer-driven and convenience-driven country, we are nowhere near eliminating our addiction to cars.  However, this economic crisis for American car companies is actually a good thing in the fight for a greener country and planet.

Instead of writing a blank check to the “Big 3″: Ford, Chrysler and GM, Congress should think long and hard about how they want the transportation in this country to look like now and in the future.  Let’s think beyond fuel-effecient vehicles that still rely on gas.  Let’s implement incentives for vehicles that run on renewable sources, such as vegetable oil – which is also great because it reduces unnecessary waste.  Let’s get those car companies working on something entirely different, like mass transit vehicles that could take the place of cars.  I’m no scientist, but I have faith in those in this country who are, and I believe that they can find a solution that satisfies convenience, energy efficiency, unemployment and of course pride.

Let’s make this economic disaster into something that can transform transportation and improve our country, instead of simply propping up greedy, outdated and (obviously) failing companies.

Going green requires a little political awareness too…

I typically try to avoid political commentary from my blog, as I prefer it to be more of a how-to.  But I couldn’t resist after seeing Senator Inhofe’s (R-Oklahoma) pronouncement last Thursday about environmental organizations.  He accuses all environmental groups, including the large and respected organizations Sierra Club, Greenpeace and League of Conservation Voters of being part of a Democratic conspiracy to keep Republicans out of elected office. He argues that their endorsements and financial support of Democratic politicians and their persecution of Republican ones is proof of this accusation.

Senator Inhofe seems to forget the basic fundamentals of non-profit organizations.  They support the politicians that believe in their cause.  Just as the NRA mostly supports Republicans, the environmental groups will largely favor Democrats because these are the people who attempt to further environmental goals.  I realize in the current political landscape with more and more people  becoming concerned about climate change, many Republicans are changing their tune (but beware of greenwashing).  However, the Republicans have never been noted for their eco-friendly policies and thus there is no reason that environmental organizations should support most of them.  Environmental organizations will support those that consistently vote with the environment; for bills that improve it and against bills that contribute further to their degradation.

The other problem I have with Inhofe’s argument is the suggestion that the connections between different environmental organizations further implicates them in a Democratic conspiracy.  Why wouldn’t environmental organizations be allied and share resources?  This is a completely obvious way of running one’s organization.  Inhofe exposes these things as though this is a ludicrous way of behaving.

Inhofe focuses on a collection of groups that want to improve society and the Earth’s health just because they listed him as one of their “Dirty Dozen”.  There’s a more obvious conspiracy in politics today that doesn’t aim to improve anything for the general public, just the pocketbooks of America’s most powerful people and companies.  I’ll leave you to decide which conspiracy you want to be a part of.

Back to Basics: Recycling

I don’t know if this picture is as scary to you as it is to me.  This was taken last summer at the San Francisco transfer station.  Note: this is not the dump.  This is the transfer station meaning that this is where the trash is temporarily dumped before being transferred into even larger trucks to go to the landfill.  This picture represents just a fraction of the daily-weekly trash of one city.  That is indeed frightening.

The goal of zero-waste (which San Francisco is currently trying to reach by 2020) is intimidating.  How can I produce zero-waste when in fact I generate a lot of waste?  Each tissue, plastic bag, coffee cup, pizza box, old razor contributes to this massive surplus of trash that isn’t getting any smaller.

That is why it’s so important to use the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

• Reduce – Don’t use something in the first place: I try to never use paper napkins and paper towels any  more.  These are unnecessary if you just use a cloth napkin.  I keep one out, use it a few times, and then throw it in the wash pile.  Same goes for paper towels.  Instead, I keep out a couple dish towels that I use for all the same things.  If anything, cloth napkins and towels work better than their paper counterparts because they are more absorbent and durable.  And I never have to buy napkins again (note that if you do still use these, and have composting, they can go in your compost bin)!
• Reuse – Use something again: Wrapping paper is one of the most pointless and wasteful purchases.  It’s just getting ripped off anyway!  For my last birthday, my mom wrapped my presents in cool scarves.  That way, I had double the presents!  If you don’t have any spare scarves or extra fabric laying around, just use something else that you have easy access to: like yesterday’s newspapers or last month’s magazine.  Not only are you reducing the waste you create, you are reusing a product that normally goes into the trash (and then landfill!)  Note: newspapers (oddly) also make great cleaners – think mirrors and windows.
• Recycle – When something has no more use, make sure it goes in the recycling, NOT the trash: Ok, everything has it’s shelf life.  There comes a time when you’ve exhausted all the uses of a single product.  So please please make sure to recycle it.  I think we all know the things that can be recycled: paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum, plastic.  But other things such as batteries, plastic bags, and electronics can also be recycled.  For SF residents, check out where to recycle these things here.  For in or outside San Francisco, you can use the toolbar at the top of this web page.

Zero waste can be easy if you just think twice before throwing something in the trash can, what else could I use this for?  Or could this item be recycled or composted?

UPDATE: Check out the great site a friend just shared with me about how to recycle things you wouldn’t normally!

Greening your office

For those who work in an office (like myself), it feels as though that is where you spend a majority of your time. So you should make every effort to keep it as green as you would other parts of your life.

1. We have to remember that green living requires examining every part of your life/routines to see where you can make a change. Thus, greening your workspace starts with how you get to work. I’m talking about walking, biking and mass transit. I used to live outside San Francisco and would walk 15 minutes to the bus, take a 45 minute bus ride, and another 5 minute walk to work. That’s over an hour commute. But I know if I had decided to drive, it would have taken much longer when factoring in traffic and the impossibility of parking. The expense would also have been much higher. Before I was spending about $8/day on the bus ($160/month), now that I’ve moved to San Francisco I spend just $2.25/day ($45/month). Driving would include gas (very high right now as we all know), the cost of insurance, toll over the bridge, and parking daily. I don’t even want to calculate that cost. In addition to these things, walking or biking your way to work is great exercise and makes you feel much healthier. And don’t forget the joys of carpooling. In addition to saving money, the environment, and time driving (you can sleep while others drive!) – it is a great way to make friends. Whether people who work in your office or in an office nearby, you can expand your social and work network this way. If you live in the Bay Area, go to 511.org and check out their Trip Planner for finding mass transit options from home to work (or anywhere else). There are also links to Bike Maps and Carpool matching services.
2. Next is once you enter the building. If you work in an office building with multiple floors, you probably take the elevator. This saves time and energy. However, elevators are a waste of energy, especially for just one person. If you work on the second or third floor, consider taking the stairs. After a few weeks of this, you will definitely notice that it gets easier and easier. I work on the 6th floor, and I have walked up a few times, but it is quite a lot of work (though I may try from now on just to bare it, because it’s such great exercise). However, I always try to walk down whenever I leave the office. No matter what floor you are on, it is easy to take the stairs down instead of calling up that elevator.
3. The next step is literally greening your workspace, I’m talking about keeping plants on your desk. I have one potted plant (which is growing nicely) and some dried lavender. A coworker had a whole trellis hanging from her window with numerous plants. You can have as much or as little as you like, but it is a nice reminder of nature and the outside world instead of your gray cube walls. Just remember to water it (without over watering). I generally check how dry the soil is when I come in each morning and water it if it doesn’t feel moist.
4. Breaks: Stop every day for coffee before work? Or like to take that mid-morning break? Two things you can do. First, invest in a coffee maker, either for your home or office. Either way, you are saving money, and by using a mug or travel mug instead of disposable cups, you are eliminating waste. If you just can’t let go of your gourmet coffee drinks, bring your own cup! I have a travel mug that I keep at the office for whenever I have the urge to run out for coffee or tea. Just think, you are completely eliminating all those cardboard cups that would have gone straight to the trash.
5. Along the same lines is your lunch. From an economic standpoint, I try to bring my lunch 4 out of 5 days a week. But this too also helps to eliminate waste, depending on what you wrap your lunch in. In high school I used a brown paper bag every day with a plastic bag for my sandwich, a plastic bag for chips or crackers, and a disposable soda can. Now I have a reusable lunch bag, tupperware that perfectly fits the size of my average sandwich, and a steel water bottle (easily fillable with juice or soda as well). And I use tupperware for anything else I bring like crackers or fruit. There is no need to waste paper or plastic bags when you have everything you need with reusable containers.

That’s it for now, but lots more green office tips to come!