Trash Talk : Recycling in Philadelphia

Yesterday evening, a colleague and I attended a lecture held by Young Involved Philadelphia at WHYY on Recycling, Composting and Disposal in Philadelphia. I was very impressed by the event, as they broached a wide range of topics including curbside recycling, material recovery facilities, composting services, and landfills. Waste is something that we all generate (according to the EPA, the U.S. averages 4.4 pounds/day/person), but many people have never visited the magical place where all of their materials ends up.... whether it's a landfill or a recycling facility.

I really do think that landfills are magical places; I have never been to a place more effective at convincing people that their efforts to recycle and compost matter. They are humbling, sobering, and tragic all at once, a perfect reminder that our consumption has a collective impact. Conversely, recycling facilities are magical because they hold so much potential for creating something new, and give us another chance to use the materials more wisely. Visiting either of these places can make you far more thoughtful about your own waste stream, but it's pretty rare that someone would call up their local landfill or material recovery facility and ask for a tour (although you definitely can and should).

The good news is that the representative from Waste Management showed this wonderful little video at the event last night, which I am very pleased to share with you here. It allows for the best of both worlds... a great overview of recycling in Philadelphia without any of the smell. I'd love to hear your reaction- please leave a post below!!!!

Sustainability Spotlight : Taking a Look at Patagonia

Don't believe in love at first sight? Allow me to introduce you to Patagonia. They're an outdoor clothing company with this central mission: "Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis." The company is 40 years old, and has integrated environmental considerations into countless aspects of their business, with impressive results. Some of many things that the company does includes donating 1% of sales towards preservation and restoration of the natural environment on an annual basis, managing a recycling program for worn-out Patagonia products, and most recently, building a Gold LEED Certified Service Center in Reno.

The guiding force behind the values that Patagonia seems to intrinsically embody is Yvon Chouinard, a 74 year old "Conquerer of the Useless", and self-described climbing dirtbag. He never meant to be in business, but ended up there, and has been using his company to make a world of difference in the lives of his employees and his customers. Chouinard is known for the "Let My People Go Surfing" policy, and even lets his employees participate in an Environmental Internship program where they can lend their skill to an environmental cause for up to two months while still earning their full salary and benefits.

The company received a large amount of publicity on Black Friday, when they placed an ad in Times Square urging consumers to take a pledge to reduce consumption. Many articles talked about the "marketing genius", even calling it a PR stunt. But anyone who has been exposed to the company knows that they are not trying to drive short term profits, and they don't need stunts, because they have put their values before profit for the past 40 years. Simply put, they have a loyal customer base because they are authentic, and make high quality gear that survives for a very long time. If you're thinking about purchasing some outdoor gear in the future, you should consider them, but at the very least, I would encourage you to do some more reading about the company. Whether it's about their environmental or management philosophies, we could all learn a lesson or two from Patagonia.

A Global Solution to Breathing Easier?

Air pollution has been making international headlines in 2013, beginning with particulate matter in China and continuing with the Forward on Climate rally in Washington, DC. In the United States, motor vehicle emissions account for 51% of household carbon dioxide emissions, which is why government agencies and environmental organizations encourage the use of public transportation. I work for Amtrak, so I frequently take the train, but I've noticed that many of my colleagues here actually drive in to work, despite having a train stop near their homes. The biggest barrier that I've observed is that there's no easy way for people to get directly from their houses to the nearest train stop, so they simply decide to drive.

As an urban commuter, I had always solved this issue by riding my bike to work, but being unable to store my bike inside my apartment had led to a lot of problems (to the point where I felt like we needed to hang a sign like the one to the left outside of our apartment). In one instance, the bolt on my front tire was stolen, and I actually rode all of the way to work without it, only realizing the bolt was missing once I reached the train station. Obviously, this was pretty dangerous, since my entire front tire could have fallen off my bike during the ride, and I felt that I needed a better solution. 

While trying to replace stolen components from my bike I visited Trophy Bikes, where a really helpful mechanic suggested Pitlocks, which are bolts with customized keys to prevent theft. I was interested until I found out that the price tag was about $90, which was probably worth more than my actual bike. It definitely would have solved some of my problems, but I was hesitant to spent this money on a bike that I was forced to leave outside uncovered (and was already generating some rust). After mentioning this to the mechanic, he pointed out a foldable bike that they carried called a Brompton. For those of you that are not familiar, these bikes are wonderful, but very pricey, and usually cost upwards of $2,000. My grad school budget has no room for splurging, but I was hooked on the idea of a folding bicycle, which could be stored indoors, would prevent theft, and could even be taken on a train! 

I looked around for a few months, and I thought that maybe I could find a great deal on a used Brompton or Dahon on Craigslist, but there were very few located in the area, and most were out of my price range. Finally, I stumbled upon Citizen Bike, which offers a range of foldable models, with prices between $169 (16" wheels and steel frame) and $399 (20" wheels and alloy frame). Another theft (this time of my bicycle seat) forced the issue and I donated what was left of my bike the day after purchasing a Citizen Miami online. I've had the Citizen Miami- which my coworkers have affectionately named 'Matilda'- for a week now, and I'm very impressed. 

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm by no means a bike connoisseur. In addition to Matilda, I own a used Specialized Hardrock for mountain biking, which I purchased only after another bike mechanic seemed legitimately concerned that I might break the frame of my Huffy on the trails at Wissahickon Park. Matilda offers a smooth ride, and with 20" tires and a steel frame, weighs about 30 pounds. She folds nicely in 3 quick moves, and while I was secretly worried that the bike would look ridiculous, I've gotten a few compliments already.  My favorite was one by a clear Philly native who shouted "Yo, that jawn is TIGHTTT!" Best of all, she only set me back $269, and fits nicely under my desk. 

I've had friends complain about the difficulties of taking their bikes on public transportation (having to place their beloved bike in front of a bus or not being able to take it on the train) and I really think that foldable bikes have an important place in this discussion until public transit can find a better way to accommodate full sized bikes and their riders. They could fill the missing link for the everyday commuter, and ultimately help us cut down on commuting costs and congestion while improving air quality. The New York City MTA has already partnered with Citizen to create the MTA MetroBike which can be taken on any MTA Trains and Buses without restriction, 24 hours a day. The MTA already serves 8.5 million transit riders each weekday, but I hope that folding bikes make it easier for suburbanites or those more removed from city transit to also chose public transportation. The advantages would be similar overseas, as these bikes take up very little space and encourage the use of public transportation in areas that are experiencing a surge of vehicle usage. My only complaint is that I wish I had known about Citizen's folding bikes earlier, specifically when I lived on 36th Street and carried my heavy mountain bike up 4 flights of stairs because it wouldn't fit in the elevator, ha ha! It would also be cool to know more about what Citizen does within their own company to incorporate sustainability.

My next post will be a "Sustainability Spotlight", focusing on a company that has set the standard on incorporating environmental consciousness into their operations. See you soon! 

My Most Recent Act of Kindness

One of the organizations that I volunteer with is called The Monster Milers, (formed and run by the wonderful owners of The Monster Minders) and we run with shelter dogs so that they can have regular exercise, lower their stress levels, and get adopted more quickly! The Milers operate at 3 different locations- PAWS Grays Ferry, PAWS Old City, and STAR on 2nd Street. As a result, many high energy dogs in the Philadelphia shelters have been adopted by runners, and they both have found a perfect fit.

Personally, I volunteer at one of the PAWS locations, and despite being a long distance runner for over ten years, I have found that being a Miler has tremendously improved my running. The dogs help you keep a faster pace than you would on your own, and they're often far more reliable than my friends are about getting together to work out! Since I often spend time at the shelter with the dogs, we occasionally foster for the shelter when it's a good match for our monsters (Ellie the cat and Izzy the dog).

One of the foster puppies!

Following a recent run, the volunteer coordinator suggested that I check out the cute puppies that they had just rescued, and mentioned that they might be an easy foster. PAWS is a no-kill shelter, but it pulls directly from a high-intake city shelter that does euthanize, so fosters are essential to the organization and create space to save more lives. Puppies are great because they are adopted pretty quickly, don't take up too much space (an essential for apartment living), sleep most of the day, and are just so stinking cute. So I took a peek at the three pups- three sisters, all brindle mastiff mixes- and said that I'd talk to my boyfriend about it.

We came in to pick them up on Sunday afternoon, and they've been at our house since! I'd forgotten how funny puppies are- one of them jumps up and down in excitement over just about anything, and another one tries to play tug of war with your socks in the morning. We've gotten a tremendous amount of interest in them from friends and co-workers, so I have no doubt that they'll be adopted as soon as they have all their shots and are spayed. Until then, we're giving them lots of large breed puppy chow, socialization and love.

If you're considering adding a pet to your family, I urge you to consider adopting from a shelter (like ACCT Philly, PAWS or STAR) instead of buying from a breeder- even better, I encourage you to adopt an older animal. Chances are that they're already house-trained and much lower maintenance than a puppy or kitten would be!!! I chose not to take a picture of the mountains of laundry these puppies generate, but trust me, it's one thing that you wouldn't miss.

Hope you're having a great week!

Happiness That Doesn't Cost a Thing

We've known for a while that those who spent money on others are happier than those who spend money on themselves, but do you really need to donate money in order to get your happiness return? And what about those who are also short on time? If you've ever been a college student, you know that it's entirely possible to be both broke on time and money- but don't fret! Here are a few quick and easy ways to get your happiness boost!

1) Donate your hair! Yes, it's a bit of a sacrifice to lose 10"-12" of it, but let's face it, your cut could use a little bit of edge, and it's a great way to give. Organizations like Locks of Love and Wigs for Kids are happy to have donations of untreated hair, and many salons offer free haircuts for those who donate! I've donated in the past, and there's nothing like knowing you're giving a child the gift of confidence. 

2) Donate blood! It's not the most pleasant thing in the world, but if you or a loved one has ever been hospitalized, you know that it is incredibly necessary and can truly be the difference between life or death. Not to mention, the people that work for the Red Cross are some of the nicest that you will ever come across, and even give you cookies and juice for your kindness! If you're eligible, I urge to try donating sometime this month! 

3) Contribute your writing to More Love Letters, a group that sends lots of cheer in the form of love letters to the strangers who need it! You can add your voice to the others, start your own efforts in your city, or request a bundle of love letters for someone in your life who is going through a hard time. Either way, it's bound to bring some happiness! 

4) Use your professional skills! My favorite site for this is Catchafire where you can donate your skills to a cause you believe in while building your own portfolio or resume. Many of these projects can be completed remotely and are for a very good cause!

Please leave a comment if you've tried any of these, or have some great ideas to add!!!!

Here's Looking At You, Kid....

At the beginning of the this year (yes, I know, this was basically last week) I received the VERY BEST news- one of my very best friends and her husband are expecting!!!! A little bundle of joy will be coming their way in mid-August, and we are all so very happy for them! They have a penchant for firsts- she was the first of our friends to buy a house (cha-ching), get married (yikes!), and now once again, she is venturing into uncharted territory.... the land of Parenthood. 

While my friends have all babysat before, and somehow manage to keep our own pets alive, I think it's safe to say that none of us are even close to being experts on the subject of tiny humans. So I've been doing what any proud BFF would do- first, telling EVERYONE I know that my best friend is expecting (which I did, even my dentist, who was absolutely thrilled for them), and second, begin researching this strange and foreign land of life with a baby. I think that this is natural for most girls- there is obviously a shower to be planned and a nursery to be decorated and eventually there will be a little person that you can spoil and bribe. So you need to do research, and find out exactly how to be the BEST at giving baby gifts. 

I was happy dreaming of all the beautiful pink and blue things that I could buy for them for the first two or three days, but then I started thinking about unpleasant baby things. Like all of the chlorine in diapers, and phthalates in baby lotion, and parabens in baby shampoo.... and how my friends are unlikely to be open to me insisting that they use cloth diapers on their child. I'm picturing a laughing "Easy for you to say!" response, as they work to avoid tons of stinky baby laundry. So what are the alternatives?

It turns out that there are actually a ton of environmentally friendly diapers out there- some made out of bamboo, some are vegetable based , some are made out of cotton, and most are hypoallergenic, chlorine free, and biodegradable. It seems like there's a decent range in cost (some were .40/unit while some were .26/unit), but I was just so happy to see that there were reasonable environmental options for reasonable people! And one of the companies that I was most impressed with was the The Honest Company, which popped up in the news in early 2012, and has been making products that are free of "phthalates, sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates, PVC, parabens, benzene, chlorine, synthetic fragrances, triclosan, formaldehyde-based preserving agents, nanoparticles, TEA, MEA, phosphates, polyethylene glycol (PEG), quaternium 15, DMDM hydantoin, 1-4 dioxane, bisphenol- A (BPA) alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs) nonylphenol, BHA, benzalkonium chloride" widely available to everyday parents. They also sell household cleaners, dishwasher tablets, laundry detergent, and bath and body products. So really, they have products that even my own household can benefit from. 

I am probably going to test out some of their products to make sure that my baby shower gift is as awesome as it could possibly be (I really only have 4 months to prepare). Although now that I think about it, children are generally obsessed with toys, so it looks like I may have a lot more research to do.....

Anyway, have a great weekend, and please feel free to share suggestions for environmentally friendly and non-toxic children's toys!!!! 

When There's Nothing Left to Burn....

A Cuyahoga River Fire (Photo: November 3rd, 1953, Courtesy of CSU Libary)

One of the most interesting stories from my introductory environmental science class was that of the Cuyahoga River Fire that occurred in Cleveland, OH in 1969. High industrial production and poor regulations in the area had resulted in extremely poor water quality (anoxic conditions, oily sludge and debris, thermal pollution), ultimately sparking a total of thirteen fires on the Cuyahoga River from 1868-1969. In each of the instances, the oily debris at the river's surface ignited, and the oily sludge allowed it to continue to burn. For over a hundred years, these fires were considered normal in Cleveland- in fact, the fire that occurred on June 22nd wasn't even the largest fire that had taken place! But the American Environmental Movement was growing (with the first Earth Day to be celebrated on April 22nd, 1970) and for the first time, the fire gained national media attention, with Time Magazine stating that the Cuyahoga was a river that "oozes rather than flows." Under increased national pressure from the press coverage of the fire, Congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 1970, before enacting the Clean Water Act in 1972.

The Cuyahoga has come a long way since 1969, resulting in better water quality for both the river itself and Lake Erie (which is where the Cuyahoga leads). My boyfriend grew up sailing on Lake Erie in the late 90's and has only very good memories of water quality in the area, largely thanks to the legislation passed by the Clean Water Act. But in other areas of the country (like here in Pennsylvania), it is evident that we still have a lot of room for improvement. During my time at Drexel, I spent three days a week sailing on the Delaware River as part of the Drexel Sailing Team. I absolutely love the area, and still consider the team's yacht club to be a home away from home. In addition to the team practices, I sailed with club members for a Wednesday night racing series, and had an opportunity to crew for some faster boats, including V15s and J22s.

I specifically recall a summer evening last year when there was no wind (right after a large storm, actually) and the boats were all rigged up, but everyone was hanging out on the deck waiting for the wind to fill in. And these people, with their khaki shorts and big shiny boats were standing on the docks socializing, utterly oblivious to the fact that they were completely surrounded by floating trash. These members were definitely able to see all of the plastic (red coke bottle caps, water bottles of all shapes and sizes, tennis balls, candy wrappers) mixed in with the organic debris, but being a little older than I am, I think that they had just become indifferent. Since we had all the time in the world, I went up to the yacht club and collected a trash bag and boat hook, and spent two hours cleaning up any garbage that I could. In fact, embarrassed by their own inaction, many of the members ended up pitching in. But the point is that after looking at the same debris all of the time, sometimes we forget to react and need a reminder that this is unacceptable (like the shaming provided by Time Magazine following the 1969 Cuyahoga Fire).

We depend on our waterways for so many things, like our drinking water, and protection from storm surges, but we just cannot seem to treat them with the respect they deserve. We have to realize that the purchasing decisions we make (such as a single use water bottle versus reusable water bottle), have a very large impact, and ultimately anything we choose to dispose of on land is only one storm sewer away from being in our rivers. A really good illustration of this relationship is a TED Talk given by one of the founders of the Plastic Pollution Coalition located here. In addition to refusing plastics, you can outsmart some of your other waste streams by checking out a company called TerraCycle. Started by a Princeton undergrad in 2001, TerraCycle was once known solely for their organic fertilizer, but is now a leading expert in creating products and materials from unconventional waste materials. Things like wine corks, flip flops, graphing calculators and candy wrappers can all be recycled through TerraCycle (even cigarette butts)! Most of their 'Brigades' offer free shipping and a charitable donation in exchange for your waste.

Do you have any products that you could begin to recycle through TerraCycle? And what about the waterways near you? Are there any actions that you can take to improve the water quality there, or can you make better purchasing decisions? I'd love to hear your simple solutions to leaving your corner of the world a little better.

Resolved, that....

It's easy to scorn the idea of New Year's Resolutions, but I think there's a certain bravery in examining your past year and setting goals that there's no guarantee you will achieve. Maybe there's something you've always dreamed of doing, that you've never made a priority, or maybe there are some current habits that you'd like to see disappear. I hope that this year you have the fortitude to tackle your challenges head on, and create the world that you've imagined.

Whatever your resolutions may be, I encourage you to write them down and display them somewhere prominently. It could be on Facebook, a blog, your cubicle, or your refrigerator, but I think that this is a crucial element to your own success. First, it increases the level of your own accountability to your goals, and secondly it shares your priorities with others. If your goal is to fit in some physical activity every night after dinner and you never communicate this to the rest of your family, be assured that they will not know that this is a priority, and they may inadvertently derail you from your efforts. Posting your goals will help your friends, colleagues and loved ones be your ally in accomplishing them- your bravery may even inspire them to join you!

For the purposes of my own accountability, I would like to share my goals for 2012 with you!

My theme for work and school this year is: "Promise less and deliver more." 

I am, and have always been a "yes" girl. I take on too much, and have been chronically over-committed for years. This helped to lead to a very diverse resume in high school, but also lead to tons of stress and some poor grades in my undergraduate career. When you're over-committed it's easy to forget to take care of yourself and the relationships that matter most to you- I can tell you from experience that if  you're over-committed you're also far more likely to show up late to just about everything. I've worried for years about hurting people's feelings by saying no, but honestly there's nothing worse than saying you'll do something and not honoring your commitment. So this year, I'm focusing on only doing the things that I truly love, and having the discipline to always follow through.

My theme for my personal life is : "Self-renewal." 

If you're familiar with the Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, self-renewal is the 7th Habit, and the one that I think I could use the most work on. According to Stephen Covey, "Sharpening the Saw" is essential to achieving a balanced, sustainable, and long-term effective lifestyle. He specifically singles out the importance of diet and exercise, for physical renewal, so I want to focus on both items for 2013.  I will achieve this by maintaining a food and fitness journal, and make conscious efforts to try new things each week. This could mean trying new foods, walking a different way to work or class, trying a new running workout, or taking my rock climbing to new heights (a perpetual fear that I'm working to overcome). In an effort to incorporate spiritual renewal, I will also keep a journal called "One Good Deed a Day" and complete a good deed each day whenever possible. I believe that both of these will also help me be more disciplined in my everyday life, and discipline is something that I often struggle with. I also will make every effort to spend more time outdoors whenever possible (hiking, biking, climbing, camping, running, etc). I do realize that I am not perfect, but I think these three items are in my best interest, and could lead to a really great new year.

Lastly, I resolve to spend more time at the Jean Madeline Aveda Institute (home of the $16 haircut and equally inexpensive spa pedicure) to give myself a little pampering when needed.

How do you plan to leave yourself (and the world) a little better in 2013? I would love to hear your own goals for the upcoming year!