Waste: let's start from the beginning

The reading for this week very much encompasses why I'm taking this class. If you've read about my personal project, you already know that a little blog and book called Zero Waste Home and a documentary called No Impact Man changed my life. 

Ok, so maybe I'm being a little dramatic. These sources haven't overhauled my life quite yet, but they have certainly overhauled my thinking. And you have to start with that. 

Waste is a huge problem in the world, especially in the US. According to this week's Roseland reading, in 2009 the US "generated 243 million tons of municipal solid waste from residential, commercial, and institutional sources." This equates to 4.34 pounds per person per day (which is a little easier to wrap your head around than 243 million tons...).

The chapter discusses the 3 R's we all know and love: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. It introduces a few more R's: Rethink and Redesign. This is akin to the "Cradle to Cradle" movement, the idea that waste should be considered and minimized from the earliest phase of product design.

I like this idea, but it misses one big component of our waste problem: the pure consumption level of many people, in particular Americans. Less consumption would minimize waste without any additional effort. Less planned obsolescence and more emphasis on repairing broken items would also decrease consumption. In many cases, buying something new is cheaper than repairing it (microwaves, toasters, hair appliances, shoes!). Yet, I can attest that shoe cobblers (or repair shops, if you must), are a fantastic resource. 

The author of Zero Waste Home, Bea Johnson, includes another R in the mix which addresses this issue of consumption and demand for items.

REFUSE.

She encourages refusing many things including but not limited to: freebie handouts, birthday/wedding/shower favors, junk mail, and items generally not essential to your life. 
Wait, you might say, why would I turn down FREE stuff?  It's FREE! 

Here's the thing, every time you take something "free" - a pen with a company name on it, a magnet promoting a business, notepads given out at conferences, etc. - you create demand for that free product. Because the demand for that "free" product exists, companies continue to use our collective, limited resources to produce them. And the kicker is, do you ever even want that "free" stuff? I have random notepads from conferences that I planned to use - still sitting blank in a drawer. Those free pens run out of ink within weeks. How many cheap, advertising magnets can a person own? Ultimately, all this "free" stuff ends up in a landfill and is actually quite costly. Junk mail and favors present the same issue. However, junk mail is notoriously difficult to cancel according to Zero Waste Home followers. 

At the end of the Zero Waste Home book, the author discusses an ideal economy of 2nd hand items. This economy would emphasize repairing items, which would require skilled workers. It would consist of used clothes, shoes, appliances, books, etc. I think this sounds like an amazing idea. Honestly, we have enough stuff on the planet to practically last everyone a lifetime. But, let's suppose for a minute that were not the case. I would argue this ideal 2nd hand market cannot possibly exist without a "1st hand" market. Essentially, someone must buy the item from the producer and use it before placing it on the 2nd hand market. In that essence, is it really possible to have an economy relying only on a 2nd hand market? Or maybe we don't need any more "1st hand" items - how do you set up this 2nd hand market to be effective? How do you decrease the emphasis put on fast-fashion, the newest electronic goodies, and people's desire to have the best, the newest, the fastest, etc.?

I'm gonna leave that question up for debate, but in the meantime, I challenge you to start refusing items in your life. 
And, if you've never watched this video titled "MAN" by Steve Cutts, you've got to check it out:
(Warning: 'Man' commits violent acts involving a gun!)

Until next time,
Katie

"shaving" down my plastic items

So, this morning I did a little online shopping. But, it felt like productive work because this shopping was for my personal project!  

For a while I have thought about switching out my cheap, yet expensive, crappy plastic razor for something more sustainable. Why do I say cheap, yet expensive? Well, for starters they look cheap - often made of colorful, light plastic to appeal to women buyers. (Guys, sorry I don't know what marketing ploys are used on you.) The reusable sticks of the razors easily become grimy and dirty while sitting in the shower. Also, they are cheap because they are meant to be disposable. Even those razors where you can just dispose of the blade and put on a new one, yep, the stick part is still made to be disposable. This forces you to buy a new one down the road when the "reusable" stick part is disgusting and dirty. 
But, they are expensive! I would cringe every time I had to buy razors or just razor blades because, come on: 

Razors and blades for each gender

These are some reasons I chose razors for my first non-food plastic alternative item. Lucky for me, as I mentioned in my first blog, other people have come before me in search of plastic alternatives. In fact, My Plastic Free Life has an entire blog about switching to a plastic free razor. I read the blog, where the author suggests finding a metal razor at a second hand store. That is admittedly the best option - decreases the demand for new products and thus the demand for resources to make the new product. Unfortunately, I have limited free time on my hands this semester (I know, I know, we all do), to be scouring second hand shops in search of a razor I needed, um, like a week ago. 

So, I ended up visiting a website recommended by the blog, called Classic Shaving. This website is definitely geared toward males, evidenced by their recommendation to "test out multiple razor blades to see what feels best on your face." But, you know what? A razor is a razor is a razor. It will do the job whether it's marketed to men or women. 

I searched around a little on their site. I wanted a razor similar to what I have used the last...18 years? And, I wanted a safety razor because I don't really want any blood baths.  
*Here's a tip, if you decide to check this out, do not bother with the "Sets & Kits" tab. That section is just a smidgen out of range for a student budget.

I ended up purchasing a combo razor with 10 blades for $29 with shipping & tax. According to the website, a blade used daily should last about a week. At that rate, I won't need new blades for a very long time. The blades purchased separately run about $5 for a set of 10. But, when I need more I might source other sites or stores.

My new "Classic Brand Closed-Comb DE Safety Razor - Chrome with 10-pack of blades"

I should probably address something at this point. Some of you might say, well, you could just stop shaving. And that would eliminate the waste that will still be produced by using this metal razor. 
That's true, I could stop. 
But, quite frankly, I don't want to at this time in my life (and probably never will have a desire to stop shaving). 
Perhaps if societal norms shifted, I would consider it. But beauty standards like shaving your legs aren't likely to change quickly or any time soon. 
So, until then, I believe this is a better option than the "cheap", disposable, plastic razors.  

Even more of an incentive, this razor and blades combo is about the same price as purchasing a replacement set of blades from Venus. In the picture above, one type of blades is $23. And, I would have to purchase those refillable blades potentially a few times a year. (Though in the past, I just stretched them out as looooooong as possible.) This means, I will probably save money in the long run. 

Well, unless everyone ditches their cheap, plastic razors and drives up the demand of the good old straight razor blades. 
But, you know what? The whole country moving away from the environmentally damaging plastic razors and blades would be worth the cost to me!

If any of you decide to jump on board with me in this initiative, I'd love to hear about it in the comments!  

~Katie

Outside Experience #1: Science Cafe

This Tuesday, I completed my first "outside experience" by attending a series called Science Cafe at Finch's Brasserie on Kirkwood. Science Cafe is a monthly event addressing various science topics. You can scope out that link to see if any of the upcoming talks appeal to you!

This week's topic was especially applicable to discussions we've had in Sustainable Communities. James Farmer from the IU School of Public Health presented on the "Human Dynamics of Engaging in Local Food Systems: A Perspective on Farmers' Markets and CSAs." 

(I quickly read Professor Farmer's faculty profile on the SPH faculty site, and just as Patty mentioned in class, there certainly is some overlap in the sustainability and health fields. Professor Farmer works under the Recreation, Park and Tourism heading at the SPH. His research interests include: motivations & barriers to sustainable behavior, private land conservation and land trusts, participation in  local food systems and the human aspects of sustainable agriculture and rural living.) 

Professor Farmer's interest in farmers' markets (FMs) and community supported agriculture (CSAs) all began with listening to "The Omnivore's Dilemma" on a road trip several years ago. Since that time, these topics have received even more media attention.  In the last 3 or 4 decades, FMs have exploded. In 1979, California had 6 and now they number greater than 700. CSAs have also grown quite a bit nationally. With less historical information, in 2012, the US had 6500 CSAs, and today, there are approximately 7800.

Farmer decided to research the differences (or similarities) in people who participated in FMs, people who participated in CSAs, and people who did not participate in either. They randomly selected 12 FMs and 17 CSAs in Indiana. The sample size was 321 participants in FMs, 117 participants in CSAs and 117 non-participants (filled out the survey and sent it back). 

Some interesting findings:
Between FMs and non-participants:
- More people without children frequented the FM
- Less people from rural areas attended FM
- More people attending the FM had a Bachelor's degree
- People attending FM were mostly white

Additionally, only 7% of people who go to the FM also subscribe to a CSA. Everyone who attended the FM also had a friend or family member who attended. Word of mouth was the most effective advertising for the FMs. And, there were no statistical differences between people who attend FMs in Indiana and people who attend FMs in North Carolina.

Barriers to attending the FM included:
- 25% did not know where one was located
- Proximity
- Saturday morning time was not always ideal
- A need for WIC, EBT or other electronic transaction options for low-income voucher programs
- Lack of public transit to the FM
- Product cost
- Lack of variety of products
- Feeling out of place, not fitting in culturally, ethnically, or socioeconomically

The 5 most important drivers (per regression analysis) of going to the FM were:
- Organic options   (+72.1%)
- Food coming from within a 100 mile radius   (+78.5%)
- Education level of attainment   (-82.9%)
- Social connection/social norm   (+65.5%)
- Proximity to FM   (-6.7%)

When comparing CSAs to FMs, there were very similar motives between the two groups.

Compared to FM participants, CSA participants were likely to cook more, have more children, live in more suburban areas, have a graduate degree, make ~$90,000 annually, and again, they were generally white. 

One of the odd things about CSAs is the lack of commitment over the years. After year one of using a CSA, participation drops markedly. Also, farmers unfamiliar with the idea of a CSA can be hesitant to try it. However, Professor Farmer gave antecdotal stories about his time living in Huntington, West Virginia while working at Marshall University and about former students farming in Vermont. According to Farmer, when he pitched the idea of CSAs in Huntington, only one farmer stuck around to get more details about starting such a program. The farmer gave it a try and via social networking and social institutions (in this case, a church community), they managed to get 50 people signed up in a weekend! As for the students in Vermont...these students hailed from Earlham College in Richmond, IN. They decided to make a go of farming in Vermont and established a CSA program. Sadly, when Hurricane Sandy hit a couple years ago, their crops were destroyed and a river bedrock was shifted making much of their land unusable. BUT, with the support of their CSA community, they were able to stay the course and rebuild their farm! 

Overall, the data collected and analyzed by Farmer showed that compared to non-participants, people utilizing FMs and CSAs tend to be from a privileged, professional class. 

Professor Farmer also speculated a bit as to why these people are flocking to the idea of local food. He mentioned a distrust of the industrial food system. And, he hypothesized the educated professional class often migrates away from families and relatives. So, this group is often searching for a sense of community and familial relations of some sort. Thus, he proposes it's become a network of rebuilding community and makes a "big city small." 

I really enjoyed this talk!  Professor Farmer was engaging and informative. Additionally, he grew up in Richmond, IN a town about 35 miles from my hometown (which we frequented because they had amenities Connersville was lacking). So, after the talk, I introduced myself and told him a bit about our class! If any of you have a chance to see him present, I would highly recommend it.

metrics & goals for Project Plastic Overhaul

In my initial blog post about my personal project, I told everyone my plan to decrease the amount of plastic in my life.  However, an important part of this project are the overall goals and metrics to measure the degree of success at the end of the semester. So, I have a few specifics to share:

Because food is the main thing I purchase on a frequent basis, much of this project will revolve around my food purchases.  However, I am adding some very specific non-food endeavors too.

Goal: To decrease my plastic consumption by the end of the Fall 2014 semester.

Metrics:

• Cut my consumption of food products wrapped in plastic by 50%
• Examine plastic consumption associated with my dog and look for ways to decrease it
• Source non-plastic alternatives for at least 3 non-food items, examples:
• Personal care products, e.g. razors, lotion, chapstick, make-up
• Running or work-out related items
• School/office supplies  
• Completely eliminate beverage purchases which use plastic (lid, straw, cup, bottle, etc)

Of note, I will not be replacing reusable plastic items already in my household. While I am aware of their impacts now, I think it's equally irresponsible to replace an item simply for the sake of getting rid of plastic (ie the trashcan under my sink). Additionally, some of those items have practical value (ie my water bottles for running/biking). So, unless a health concern exists (BPA! Ah!), I will continue to use those types of items which I already own. 

So, here goes nothing!

~Katie

Policy Instruments - a little case study of Indianapolis

Between graduating from Franklin College and starting graduate school here at IU, I lived in Indianapolis for almost 7 years. Even before that, Indianapolis was a pretty familiar place to me during my final years of undergrad. 

While in Indy, I lived all over the city from Southport (south side), to Broad Ripple, to a neighborhood called Herron-Morton on the near north side, to Nora on the north side. I worked on the east side, the west side and the north side.  Basically, despite not growing up in Indy, it feels like home and I know parts of it inside and out.

Honestly, I love Indy. It is truly a fantastic place to live. The downtown is vibrant, not just somewhere that people go to work from 9-5. There are little nooks, such as Broad Ripple and Mass Ave that are just kicking butt at encouraging the "local" scene. On the first Friday of every month there is an event titled, well, First Fridays, which puts local artists, food trucks, and other establishments on the map. 

I mention all this exciting information first because it clearly shows that Indy has, or is at least trying to improve, capital in many ways (cultural, human, social, economic, physical). Hopefully, this capital allows for a greater sense of community around Indy and improvements on the natural capital front. It still has a way to go, for instance the near east side and near west side are pretty troubled areas. (I'm sure Professor Brown could enlighten us after last year's V515 project.) 

In light of my love for Indy and familiarity with the city, I thought I would discuss a few of Indy's sustainable initiatives and the policy instruments used to achieve them. I really saw Indy make some strides while I was living there, and I have enjoyed keeping tabs on the city since moving to Bloomington.

Definitely chime in below if you think I've misidentified any of the policy instruments. Most of them I had to deduce from information about the projects!

One of the most touted projects in Indy over the last decade has been the Indy Cultural Trail. It's a dream city trail for bicyclists and pedestrians. But it's also so much more as it connects 5 cultural districts, has public art, and a peace walkway. It connects to the Monon Trail (think the B-Line) and the White River Wapahani Trail which can then connect to the Central Canal Towpath (aka the Butler Towpath). The cultural trail was made possible by a public-private partnership, which falls under the expenditure policy instrument category and a grant which is a financial incentive. A few million dollars were raised for the project and then the City of Indianapolis gave permission to use the city sidewalks for the project. A generous private donation from the Glick family kicked off the ground breaking in 2007. Finally, a US Department of Transportation grant in 2010 allowed for the completion of the project. In May 2013, a grand opening took place off of Mass Ave to celebrate the 8 mile trail.

Another public-private partnership is the Indy Bike Hub. In talking with friends from other areas, it appears this is a fairly unique initiative. To encourage commuting by bike to the downtown area, the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis used part of the City Market to create indoor bike storage along with showering facilities for bike commuters. The City of Indianapolis invested $3.5 million for this idea to become a reality. 
I suppose there is room for debate on whether this is the best use of space. Maybe people should park their bikes outside? But, as someone who owns a nice road bike, I would argue it would be nice to ride that bike (instead of acquiring a 2nd cheaper bike) to work and have someplace safe to store it. In my experience, many places are reluctant to have employees bring bikes into the work space for a variety of reasons.  

Finally, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful  (KIB) is a great example of the volunteer initiative policy instrument. KIB's self proclaimed vision is to help Indianapolis become a city with "strong neighborhoods, inspired places, and a clean, flourishing environment." They engage neighborhoods and communities and businesses in many ways including planting trees, cleaning up and revitalizing neighborhoods, and providing youth programming. This organization is very visible in the community, particularly because one of Indy's flagship companies, Eli Lilly & Company, takes a day in the spring to participate in a city-wide beautification project. 

A couple of other interesting initiatives are the bike share program and the EV car share program. I'll leave the policy instrument analysis up to you guys for these two. 

So, I hope you weren't too put off by the Indianapolis love-fest! I would love to hear how cities that you love with use policy instruments to encourage sustainable communities.

~Katie      

 

my dirty little secret

Personal Project Blog 1

I like to think I'm fairly conscious of my impact on the environment. And, I like to think I'm fairly good at minimizing those impacts. A few easy tricks I use to minimize my impacts include showering every other day, not washing my hair every day and often times, not blow-drying or straightening my hair. (Caveat: If I'm working out a lot, that frequency must increase...). I also switched to cloth napkins over paper ones and have drastically reduced the rolls of paper towels I use annually. Since moving to Bloomington, I use public transit or ride my bike more frequently. In general, I have reduced my purchases of unnecessary items. I don't really buy trinkets anymore just for the sake of buying and displaying them, and I borrow books and rent movies rather than purchasing them. One of the upsides of this decision is I no longer wander aimlessly around Target snatching up everything except what I actually need. 

A couple of years ago a few different things spurred me to take the actions listed above and do more than simply recycle. One night on Netflix, I stumbled across the documentary, No Impact Man. Shortly after that, I devoured a blog and then a book written by Bea Johnson, both titled Zero Waste Home. These two sources single-handedly changed my perspective on our materialistic life styles. I've definitely heard some critical comments regarding both ventures, especially the fact that they both at one point lived a fairly typical American lifestyle -that is consuming at levels way beyond their needs. Additionally, I suppose they both take the idea of living green to an extreme that many of us might resist. Regardless, if you haven't heard of these two before, I would very much recommend checking them out!

So, I have tried to implement some of the ideas they presented. But, there is always room for improvement. As the name of this blog suggests...here is my dirty little secret. I am not really as green or environmentally conscious as I like to think. One peek at my grocery purchases will easily confirm this problem. 

   
 

my dirty little secret

Some of you may be thinking, what's the problem, looks pretty typical. Others might immediately see what I'm thinking. 

Plastic. So many of our food items are in plastic. Or bags (like the chips) which can't be recycled. 

And so begins my personal project. I am going to decrease the amount of unnecessary plastic in my life. This might spill over into decreasing unnecessary packaging which cannot be recycled (ie the chip bag).

Why do I want to decrease my plastic use? Well, Professor Brown eluded to my motivations in class last Thursday. Since this blog is getting fairly lengthy, I will simply list a few links with information about the plastic problem in our world.  Of note, I am certainly not the first person to give this a whirl. As such, a plastic free blog is also listed below.  Most likely I will use this one in particular as a resource in the coming weeks.

Midway Film (WARNING: This trailer is very graphic & upsetting. But if you only click on one link in this blog, this should be the one.)
Brief Midway Island Info
5 Gyres 
My Plastic Free Life Blog 

In my next blog, I'll examine the groceries pictured above and some other areas of my life (we all know plastic isn't just a grocery problem) and go into details about how this will work. Also, I imagine my future personal project blogs will be shorter. However, today I wanted to give you an idea of how sustainability became important to me and introduce you to my project. 

It should have a name, right?  How about Project Plastic Overhaul.

Until next time,
Katie