Going to school at the University of Michigan, it’s hard not to see a plethora of recycling bins and containers for various paper, plastic, and glass products. Go into any lecture hall, dormitory, or union and one is instantly greeted with a place to recycle products and help contribute to the growing desire to “Go Green.” Out of the University’s 20 program departments, one is dedicated to Natural Resources and the Environment with fields of study including environmental information, justice, policy & planning, sustainable systems, and terrestrial systems. A handful of outside student organizations including the Michigan Sustainable Foods Initiative, RePower America, Student Environmental Action Coalition, and cUltivating community also permeate the campus and allow students with other study concentrations to become involved in environmental action. While students at the University of Michigan are exceedingly advantaged in the possible areas of “Green” participation, our retail sites are still lacking in their conservation contribution. Perhaps it’s an indolence or an embodiment of the, “one person won’t make a difference,’ attitude…or perhaps it’s just a lack of knowledge and awareness of the simple people and places that can make a difference with a small amount of change…
Aside from lecture halls and dormitories—coffee shops are probably the most visited places on a college campus (or any city for that matter) with a constant flow of incoming and outgoing traffic. While most people don’t think about the products being used and consumed at a coffee shop—all of the utensils needed to prepare one beverage from the cup, to the sugar packets, to the stirrer are all paper and/or plastic products that can easily be recycled but instead are aimlessly thrown away. On a campus of nearly 50,000 students, if everyone consumed just one cup of coffee per day, that’s 50,000 cups and stirrers, and an average of 100,000 sugar packets. Per week those numbers multiply by seven, per month by 30, and per year 365. Imagine if those paper products that were aimlessly thrown away were recycled and re-used.
That’s why we started the “Coffee Goes Green” program—to conduct research and attempt to implement a change in the way that coffee shops are operated. Sure, many coffee shops have started offering discounts to those who bring their own mugs—but with the busy and bustling nature of students and city dwellers, bringing a travel mug or thermos is not always the easiest option.
As students, we can appreciate the attempt to recycle and re-use products (as re-consumption supports the budgeted lifestyle that most of us are living). As art students, we can appreciate the attempt to recycle and re-use products for our artwork. These “found objects,” (which are simply one man’s trash) can be the basis for an installation or found piece of artwork that otherwise could cost upward of $50 if we had purchased the supplies in a store. That’s why we encourage you to join the “Coffee Goes Green” effort and help recycle the paper products that you would normally throw away during a routine visit to the Coffee Shop. Your actions will not only benefit the environment, but also contribute to the Green Revolution that is captivating our world.
A Coffee Filled World
How much coffee do we drink?...
The United States loves coffee. In fact the United States is the largest consumer of coffee with about 100 million people who drink it. That number will only increase with our growing population. According to a website called Coffee Statistics, 400 millions cups of coffee are consumed each day in the United States making it about 146 billion cups per year. An individual can spend at least $1350 if they were to buy a cup of coffee a day for one year.
With the great amount of coffee we consume each year, there is also a lot of waste. We forget about all the coffee cups, stirrers, sleeves, sugar packets and straw wrappers that we use to make the perfect cup of coffee. All of these materials can be recycled but are not. What are we doing with these 100 of millions of coffee materials? Well, they are being transferred to landfills. It makes us wonder how we are forgetting about one of the easiest ways to take part in the recycling efforts; by recycling these little, forgettable everyday coffee drinking supplies. So why is that huge corporations such as Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts fail to provide recycling bins in all of their stores? It seems like an easy step to take to change the way millions of people recycle, so why is it that these corporations don’t promote recycling? The fact of the matter is the massive amounts of recyclable materials that are used everyday are being put in landfills, which can only be negative to our economy in the long run. The growing debt in the American economy is very similar to the growing piles of waste in our recycling centers and landfills.
Recycling and The Economy
The United States is dealing with a significant decline in our economy. In fact, our constant obsession with helping our economy has hurt our recycling efforts as we have failed to pay attention to it. The wasteful spending in the economy has certainly had an impact on the real waste on our environment. According to an article in the New York Times called Recycling Offers Real Economy, “Municipalities that make recycling the key component of waste management can prolong the life of existing nonpolluting landfills in rural areas and reduce the high cost of incinerator use and municipal solid-waste-composting facilities.” While this article was published over 17 years ago, it still applies to today because of our current economical struggles. The recent recession throughout the world is hurting the global environmental efforts and the recycling industry, in particular, but that does not mean we should slow down our goal to be green. Corporations like Starbucks are focusing on their growing business rather than on ways to recycle. Starbucks took an especially hard hit during the 2008 economic decline because their overpriced coffee caused people to cut down. While Starbucks was ignoring the recycling efforts in order to focus on ways to increase revenue, they were hurting the economy. Our recycling efforts can positively affect our economy; therefore Coffee industries should make the effort to put recycling bins in their stores and encourage their consumers to take part in the efforts.
Employment
According to Pennsylvania’s department of environmental protection, “by converting waste into valuable products, recycling creates jobs, contributes to manufacturing and adds significant value to the entire U.S. economy.” The Coffee Industry, being as large as it is increases employment alone but it is the recycling industry that creates job and will require more jobs as people recycle. According to an article called Can Recycling save the Economy, the recycling industry is about $236 billion and that employs about 1.1 million people. By recycling our stirrers, sugar packets, straw wrappers etc. in coffee shops, we are allowing the recycling industries to prosper as well as help the environment. The Integrated Waste Management Board of California states, “recycling one additional ton of waste will pay $101 more in salaries and wages, produce $275 more in goods and services and generate $135 more in sales than disposing of it in a landfill.” As recycling industries become more significant, the economy will take a turn for the better. Nevertheless, promoting Recycling in coffee shops is one of the many ways to contribute to these industries.
Environmental Benefits
If we allow recycling to diminish in importance, we will then continue to ignore recycling and ignore all that we have strived for to make our environment as clean as possible. As the economy recovers, we still need to be living in a healthy environment. There are a number of ways recycling can help our environment, and not just our economy. For one, it reduces the amount of waste we are putting into our landfills. Imagine the millions of sugar packets, stirrers and everything else used in coffee shops being put in a landfill and only adding tons of unnecessary waste. When we do not use our recycled materials, landfills increase in size, which can be toxic to our atmosphere. By recycling more, we are also reducing the amount of water pollution. Possibly the biggest aspect to recycling is saving our trees. The amount of trees being cut down each day to supply these small supplies for drinking coffee could be so much less. The EPA reported that 900,000,000 trees are cut down every year for American paper and pulp mills. Finally, recycling reduces air pollution by reducing the amount of waste that is incinerated.
Conclusion
People don’t think to recycle straw wrappers or sugar packets due to their small size therefore they are not always looking for a recycling bin. What were to happen though, if separate bins for recyclable materials were placed in all existing coffee shops? If everyone were to recycle these materials, it would make the world of difference. We have massive amounts of waste and yet corporations don’t consider encouraging their consumers to recycle in their shops. Over a 100 million people drink coffee, and that is millions of people who are not recycling when they should be. Our economy can benefit exponentially from recycling within the coffee industry so it is time to take the initiative and see what would happen if all the coffee drinkers of the world stopped putting their coffee cups, stirrers, coffee sleeves, sugar packets and straw wrappers into landfills.
Bibliography
"Coffee Facts and Statistics." Professor's House – Reliable advice regarding home and family. Web. 12 Dec. 2009..
"Coffee Statistics Report - 2009 Edition." Top 100 Espresso Awards Main. 2009. Web. 12 Dec. 2009..
Jackson, Sarah. "HeraldNet: Can recycling save the economy?" HeraldNet - Snohomish County's Online News Source. 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 12 Dec. 2009..
"Landrecwaste: Benefits of Recycling - Economic Benefits." PA Department of Environmental Protection. 2009. Web. 10 Dec. 2009..
"Recycling: Good for the Environment, Good for the Economy." California Integrated Waste Management Board. Nov. 2005. Web. 10 Dec. 2009..
"Recycling Offers Real Economy - Letter - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 2 Feb. 1992. Web. 12 Dec. 2009..
"Report 2008." Coffee Statistics. Web. 10 Dec. 2009..
The United States loves coffee. In fact the United States is the largest consumer of coffee with about 100 million people who drink it. That number will only increase with our growing population. According to a website called Coffee Statistics, 400 millions cups of coffee are consumed each day in the United States making it about 146 billion cups per year. An individual can spend at least $1350 if they were to buy a cup of coffee a day for one year.
With the great amount of coffee we consume each year, there is also a lot of waste. We forget about all the coffee cups, stirrers, sleeves, sugar packets and straw wrappers that we use to make the perfect cup of coffee. All of these materials can be recycled but are not. What are we doing with these 100 of millions of coffee materials? Well, they are being transferred to landfills. It makes us wonder how we are forgetting about one of the easiest ways to take part in the recycling efforts; by recycling these little, forgettable everyday coffee drinking supplies. So why is that huge corporations such as Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts fail to provide recycling bins in all of their stores? It seems like an easy step to take to change the way millions of people recycle, so why is it that these corporations don’t promote recycling? The fact of the matter is the massive amounts of recyclable materials that are used everyday are being put in landfills, which can only be negative to our economy in the long run. The growing debt in the American economy is very similar to the growing piles of waste in our recycling centers and landfills.
Recycling and The Economy
The United States is dealing with a significant decline in our economy. In fact, our constant obsession with helping our economy has hurt our recycling efforts as we have failed to pay attention to it. The wasteful spending in the economy has certainly had an impact on the real waste on our environment. According to an article in the New York Times called Recycling Offers Real Economy, “Municipalities that make recycling the key component of waste management can prolong the life of existing nonpolluting landfills in rural areas and reduce the high cost of incinerator use and municipal solid-waste-composting facilities.” While this article was published over 17 years ago, it still applies to today because of our current economical struggles. The recent recession throughout the world is hurting the global environmental efforts and the recycling industry, in particular, but that does not mean we should slow down our goal to be green. Corporations like Starbucks are focusing on their growing business rather than on ways to recycle. Starbucks took an especially hard hit during the 2008 economic decline because their overpriced coffee caused people to cut down. While Starbucks was ignoring the recycling efforts in order to focus on ways to increase revenue, they were hurting the economy. Our recycling efforts can positively affect our economy; therefore Coffee industries should make the effort to put recycling bins in their stores and encourage their consumers to take part in the efforts.
Employment
According to Pennsylvania’s department of environmental protection, “by converting waste into valuable products, recycling creates jobs, contributes to manufacturing and adds significant value to the entire U.S. economy.” The Coffee Industry, being as large as it is increases employment alone but it is the recycling industry that creates job and will require more jobs as people recycle. According to an article called Can Recycling save the Economy, the recycling industry is about $236 billion and that employs about 1.1 million people. By recycling our stirrers, sugar packets, straw wrappers etc. in coffee shops, we are allowing the recycling industries to prosper as well as help the environment. The Integrated Waste Management Board of California states, “recycling one additional ton of waste will pay $101 more in salaries and wages, produce $275 more in goods and services and generate $135 more in sales than disposing of it in a landfill.” As recycling industries become more significant, the economy will take a turn for the better. Nevertheless, promoting Recycling in coffee shops is one of the many ways to contribute to these industries.
Environmental Benefits
If we allow recycling to diminish in importance, we will then continue to ignore recycling and ignore all that we have strived for to make our environment as clean as possible. As the economy recovers, we still need to be living in a healthy environment. There are a number of ways recycling can help our environment, and not just our economy. For one, it reduces the amount of waste we are putting into our landfills. Imagine the millions of sugar packets, stirrers and everything else used in coffee shops being put in a landfill and only adding tons of unnecessary waste. When we do not use our recycled materials, landfills increase in size, which can be toxic to our atmosphere. By recycling more, we are also reducing the amount of water pollution. Possibly the biggest aspect to recycling is saving our trees. The amount of trees being cut down each day to supply these small supplies for drinking coffee could be so much less. The EPA reported that 900,000,000 trees are cut down every year for American paper and pulp mills. Finally, recycling reduces air pollution by reducing the amount of waste that is incinerated.
Conclusion
People don’t think to recycle straw wrappers or sugar packets due to their small size therefore they are not always looking for a recycling bin. What were to happen though, if separate bins for recyclable materials were placed in all existing coffee shops? If everyone were to recycle these materials, it would make the world of difference. We have massive amounts of waste and yet corporations don’t consider encouraging their consumers to recycle in their shops. Over a 100 million people drink coffee, and that is millions of people who are not recycling when they should be. Our economy can benefit exponentially from recycling within the coffee industry so it is time to take the initiative and see what would happen if all the coffee drinkers of the world stopped putting their coffee cups, stirrers, coffee sleeves, sugar packets and straw wrappers into landfills.
Bibliography
"Coffee Facts and Statistics." Professor's House – Reliable advice regarding home and family. Web. 12 Dec. 2009.
"Coffee Statistics Report - 2009 Edition." Top 100 Espresso Awards Main. 2009. Web. 12 Dec. 2009.
Jackson, Sarah. "HeraldNet: Can recycling save the economy?" HeraldNet - Snohomish County's Online News Source. 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 12 Dec. 2009.
"Landrecwaste: Benefits of Recycling - Economic Benefits." PA Department of Environmental Protection. 2009. Web. 10 Dec. 2009.
"Recycling: Good for the Environment, Good for the Economy." California Integrated Waste Management Board. Nov. 2005. Web. 10 Dec. 2009.
"Recycling Offers Real Economy - Letter - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 2 Feb. 1992. Web. 12 Dec. 2009.
"Report 2008." Coffee Statistics. Web. 10 Dec. 2009.
They did what?!
After traveling to a local coffee shop, I observed various reactions from patrons who observed our efforts to increase recycling within the confines of the coffee shop itself. It was very interesting to note that while many customers noticed the box that we had placed by the trashcan, they didn’t exactly make use of it. I watched as many people read the box, looked into the hole, in efforts to see if anyone else had participated, and then throw their trash away in the garbage can. This may in fact have to do with our very detailed requests of what should be placed in the box. We had originally asked patrons to dispose of straw wrappers and sugar packets, not realizing that during the colder seasons there would be less of a need for straws. (In later trials we decided to add napkins as well.)
Before we sat down, to watch what people would do, we had asked the employees of the coffee shop if it were ok to place the box in their stores for observational purposes. After they inquired what its purpose was, they graciously allowed us to conduct our little experiment. We noticed that when these employees later had some “trash” of their own, they utilized the box, after being made aware of what its actual purpose was. This made me believe that if we vocally announced our efforts to conserve even the smallest of recyclable goods, more people would be inclined to participate. Out of the 20-25 customers that we watched most of them acknowledged the box, yet many didn’t use it. The few who did notice it, made a conscious effort to dispose of the recyclable materials in the box instead of using the regular trashcan.
After simply observing the actions of people who used to coffee shop, we started talking to people, asking if we had made the public more aware of our conservation efforts, would it have sparked more of a reaction. The general consensus was yes.
Its important to realize that change can not be made without observation, and while looking at how people acted in public, it was easy to see that people don’t go out of their way to look for recycling opportunities. I believe this has to do with the fact that public restaurants and coffee shops don’t provide the right materials for recycling, Even though we are all aware that this could help our environment in many ways no one is really taking a stand and trying to make a more global difference. We are all aware of recycling when it comes to our own homes why not implement it in public areas as well, increasing the recycling efforts all over? Even if every coffee shop placed recycling receptacles near their trash bins, even more paper goods would be able to be recycled and reused, helping our society and most importantly our environment.
Here is a video of one customer during our research.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm96b8GeuEI
Before we sat down, to watch what people would do, we had asked the employees of the coffee shop if it were ok to place the box in their stores for observational purposes. After they inquired what its purpose was, they graciously allowed us to conduct our little experiment. We noticed that when these employees later had some “trash” of their own, they utilized the box, after being made aware of what its actual purpose was. This made me believe that if we vocally announced our efforts to conserve even the smallest of recyclable goods, more people would be inclined to participate. Out of the 20-25 customers that we watched most of them acknowledged the box, yet many didn’t use it. The few who did notice it, made a conscious effort to dispose of the recyclable materials in the box instead of using the regular trashcan.
After simply observing the actions of people who used to coffee shop, we started talking to people, asking if we had made the public more aware of our conservation efforts, would it have sparked more of a reaction. The general consensus was yes.
Its important to realize that change can not be made without observation, and while looking at how people acted in public, it was easy to see that people don’t go out of their way to look for recycling opportunities. I believe this has to do with the fact that public restaurants and coffee shops don’t provide the right materials for recycling, Even though we are all aware that this could help our environment in many ways no one is really taking a stand and trying to make a more global difference. We are all aware of recycling when it comes to our own homes why not implement it in public areas as well, increasing the recycling efforts all over? Even if every coffee shop placed recycling receptacles near their trash bins, even more paper goods would be able to be recycled and reused, helping our society and most importantly our environment.
Here is a video of one customer during our research.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm96b8GeuEI
Act Now!
Don’t use being a student in college as an excuse to not go green. Colleges around the country have implemented programs to inform and keep up with the environmentally friendly society we are living in. Therefore, I’ve compiled a guide to going green for the typical college student. Read and learn!
Of course, Coffee Goes Green’s favorite way to be environmentally friendly…
RECYCLE!
@ The University of Michigan:
If you live in a Campus Residence Hall…
All student rooms are equipped with a blue M recycling tote.
So Students- it is up to you to move the recyclables to the recycling closet; but Waste Management Services & University Housing gives you the bare bones to get going.
Recycling Closets are scattered among floors of Residence Halls.
Cans are labeled for Paper or Container Recycling, along with clear instructions on how to categorize your recyclables.
Don’t know what goes where? Don’t want to embarrass yourself? Check out this chart. It should help.
If you live off Campus in Ann Arbor….
City provided recycling bins or carts could be placed curbside to be picked up on a weekly basis. These bins are free of charge, so make sure you get them!
Drop-Off Recycling Stations are available to sell items you can’t put in the bins.
To read more on where the recyclable materials go after you sort them, go to http://www.plantops.umich.edu/grounds/recycle/residence_hall_recycling.html.
Other Recycling on Campus…
Campus Envelope Recycling- Redistribution of used campus envelopes
Using 55 envelops as many times as possible saves 1 tree.
If we used all 500,000 new campus envelopes purchased in a year to the fullest extent, we could save almost 9,100 trees!
Check out the Recycling Cans scattered all throughout campus. Take advantage of them!
Buying Green: The University encourages buying goods locally to support our local Ann Arbor environment. Check out http://www.procurement.umich.edu/greenpurchasing.html to support the cause!
These are only some of the initiatives MICHIGAN is taking to go green. Read up on everything that U of M is doing at www.recycle.umich.edu.
Off Campus Alternatives:
The ReUse Center- Operated by Recycle Ann Arbor to encourage economic growth through reuse of resources.
www.recycleannarbor.org
The Green Fair- Ann Arbor’s Mayor hosts an annual fair held on Main Street featuring free information on protecting our environment, environmental nonprofits, a clean energy expo, alternative fuel vehicle showcases, along with live music and refreshments.
Read up on 2009’s Green fair at http://www.a2gov.org/government/publicservices/systems_planning/Environment/Pages/GreenFair2009.aspx
And check back for the date of the 2010 Fair! Support A2 and get information on keeping our environment safe.
Earth Day – April 22nd, 2010. (40th Anniversary this year!)
Earth Day is one day per year that is dedicated to implementing change. This one-day has the potential to bring about historic changes in climate policy, renewable energy and green jobs; all of which can inspire change among our entire community. By taking small steps in our homes, our schools and our businesses, we should be able to make a huge difference.
So check out: http://earthday.net/earthday2010
For all of the opportunities to get involved on Earth Day!
BEING GREEN ON THE SOCIAL SCENE:
Green Partying = Sustainable and Renewable energy-powered breweries + environmentally conscious drinkers.
Before planning your next party, think about these ways to keep it more environmentally friendly!
Organic Beer!
Choose organic ale instead of a Bud light.
Same good taste – but no toxic-pesticides, artificial fertilizers, chemical preservatives.
Some choices are: Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada, and Cascade Green.
If you aren’t daring enough to go for the Organic Beer, you can still go green by drinking less from kegs, bottles and cans, and more from the tap!
If you do buy bottles, buy without paper labels.
52 % of alcoholic beverages purchased in the U.S. are beers. Each of those bottles, of the 52 %, has two paper labels on it. The paper just goes to the trash- so save the planet and go paperless!
Avoid disposable “Red” cups. Reusable cups are a small way to help out. Encourage your party guests to bring them; or provide them yourself. But Disposable cups cannot be recycled; so choose the alternative!
It takes a significantly larger amount of energy to manufacture and dispose of disposable cups than reusable’s. 15 uses of a glass, reusable cup, equal the use of one paper cup. Choose wisely.
GREEN DATING:
“Going Green” is probably not the first thing on your mind when you are going on a date. But, you can be environmentally friendly; while dating!
Choose green restaurants that serve locally grown food, organic drinks, and use reusable materials.
Find an Organic Restaurant near you:
http://www.localharvest.org/restaurants/
Skip the flowers and go for chocolates.
Spare our environment the use of carbon, gallons of water, and shipping costs to bloom the flowers that your hometown doesn’t have in the winter. Chocolate’s the way to go!
http://www.nicobellaorganics.com/
BE TECH-SAAVY WHILE SAVING OUR PLANET:
Being a college student requires lots of technology. Laptops. iPods, Cameras, Thumb Drives, CD ROMs, Cell phones, etc. These items are essential for us college students, so why not make a change by looking out for more environmentally friendly technology?
Buy used gadgets!
Re-using is a great way to lower its carbon footprint, but also to extend the lifecycle of the product. A lot of times we get rid of things that still have a little more life in them. Give them another shot, buy used!
If you don’t want to buy used, but still need some new gadgets, recycle yours! You may not want to buy used, but someone else will.
Buy back programs exist in many stores, so that your items can be refurbished and brought back to life for another use.
Check out the materials used to make your gadgets before purchase. Though it is not that easy yet; companies are building more environmentally friendly products. Research before you buy!
Don’t want to give up your cool gadgets? You don’t have to.
Check out http://www.envirogadget.com/ and read about all the new technologies that are helping our planet while they help you!
POST-COLLEGE LIFE:
College seniors: Before finding a place to live out in the real world, find a property that comes with running water or has room for wind turbines. Take advantage of sun, build with solar materials, and use day lighting technology to make use of natural lighting.
Switch to GREEN POWER!
Call your provider, and see if they offer a “green alternative”, such as solar, wind, geothermal or hydropower. Don’t know your local providers? Check out http://apps3.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/markets/pricing.shtml?page=1
Doing all of these at once may be a bit overwhelming. So pick a few that are manageable for you, and take small steps at a time. Every effort makes a difference!
Resources:
Books
Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century
By Alex Steffen, Albert Gore (Foreword by), Sagmeister Inc.
Going Green
By Harvard Business School Publishing
No Impact Man
The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the process
By Colin Beavan
An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It
By Al Gore
Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying
By David Bach with Hillary Rosner
It’s Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living
By Crissy Trask
Silent Spring
By Rachel Carson
The Lazy Environmentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, Green Living
By Josh Dorfman
Web
http://www.thegreenguide.com/
http://planetgreen.discovery.com
www.treehugger.com
http://www.nrc-recycle.org/localresources.aspx
http://www.recycle.com/
Of course, Coffee Goes Green’s favorite way to be environmentally friendly…
RECYCLE!
@ The University of Michigan:
If you live in a Campus Residence Hall…
All student rooms are equipped with a blue M recycling tote.
So Students- it is up to you to move the recyclables to the recycling closet; but Waste Management Services & University Housing gives you the bare bones to get going.
Recycling Closets are scattered among floors of Residence Halls.
Cans are labeled for Paper or Container Recycling, along with clear instructions on how to categorize your recyclables.
Don’t know what goes where? Don’t want to embarrass yourself? Check out this chart. It should help.
If you live off Campus in Ann Arbor….
City provided recycling bins or carts could be placed curbside to be picked up on a weekly basis. These bins are free of charge, so make sure you get them!
Drop-Off Recycling Stations are available to sell items you can’t put in the bins.
To read more on where the recyclable materials go after you sort them, go to http://www.plantops.umich.edu/grounds/recycle/residence_hall_recycling.html.
Other Recycling on Campus…
Campus Envelope Recycling- Redistribution of used campus envelopes
Using 55 envelops as many times as possible saves 1 tree.
If we used all 500,000 new campus envelopes purchased in a year to the fullest extent, we could save almost 9,100 trees!
Check out the Recycling Cans scattered all throughout campus. Take advantage of them!
Buying Green: The University encourages buying goods locally to support our local Ann Arbor environment. Check out http://www.procurement.umich.edu/greenpurchasing.html to support the cause!
These are only some of the initiatives MICHIGAN is taking to go green. Read up on everything that U of M is doing at www.recycle.umich.edu.
Off Campus Alternatives:
The ReUse Center- Operated by Recycle Ann Arbor to encourage economic growth through reuse of resources.
www.recycleannarbor.org
The Green Fair- Ann Arbor’s Mayor hosts an annual fair held on Main Street featuring free information on protecting our environment, environmental nonprofits, a clean energy expo, alternative fuel vehicle showcases, along with live music and refreshments.
Read up on 2009’s Green fair at http://www.a2gov.org/government/publicservices/systems_planning/Environment/Pages/GreenFair2009.aspx
And check back for the date of the 2010 Fair! Support A2 and get information on keeping our environment safe.
Earth Day – April 22nd, 2010. (40th Anniversary this year!)
Earth Day is one day per year that is dedicated to implementing change. This one-day has the potential to bring about historic changes in climate policy, renewable energy and green jobs; all of which can inspire change among our entire community. By taking small steps in our homes, our schools and our businesses, we should be able to make a huge difference.
So check out: http://earthday.net/earthday2010
For all of the opportunities to get involved on Earth Day!
BEING GREEN ON THE SOCIAL SCENE:
Green Partying = Sustainable and Renewable energy-powered breweries + environmentally conscious drinkers.
Before planning your next party, think about these ways to keep it more environmentally friendly!
Organic Beer!
Choose organic ale instead of a Bud light.
Same good taste – but no toxic-pesticides, artificial fertilizers, chemical preservatives.
Some choices are: Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada, and Cascade Green.
If you aren’t daring enough to go for the Organic Beer, you can still go green by drinking less from kegs, bottles and cans, and more from the tap!
If you do buy bottles, buy without paper labels.
52 % of alcoholic beverages purchased in the U.S. are beers. Each of those bottles, of the 52 %, has two paper labels on it. The paper just goes to the trash- so save the planet and go paperless!
Avoid disposable “Red” cups. Reusable cups are a small way to help out. Encourage your party guests to bring them; or provide them yourself. But Disposable cups cannot be recycled; so choose the alternative!
It takes a significantly larger amount of energy to manufacture and dispose of disposable cups than reusable’s. 15 uses of a glass, reusable cup, equal the use of one paper cup. Choose wisely.
GREEN DATING:
“Going Green” is probably not the first thing on your mind when you are going on a date. But, you can be environmentally friendly; while dating!
Choose green restaurants that serve locally grown food, organic drinks, and use reusable materials.
Find an Organic Restaurant near you:
http://www.localharvest.org/restaurants/
Skip the flowers and go for chocolates.
Spare our environment the use of carbon, gallons of water, and shipping costs to bloom the flowers that your hometown doesn’t have in the winter. Chocolate’s the way to go!
http://www.nicobellaorganics.com/
BE TECH-SAAVY WHILE SAVING OUR PLANET:
Being a college student requires lots of technology. Laptops. iPods, Cameras, Thumb Drives, CD ROMs, Cell phones, etc. These items are essential for us college students, so why not make a change by looking out for more environmentally friendly technology?
Buy used gadgets!
Re-using is a great way to lower its carbon footprint, but also to extend the lifecycle of the product. A lot of times we get rid of things that still have a little more life in them. Give them another shot, buy used!
If you don’t want to buy used, but still need some new gadgets, recycle yours! You may not want to buy used, but someone else will.
Buy back programs exist in many stores, so that your items can be refurbished and brought back to life for another use.
Check out the materials used to make your gadgets before purchase. Though it is not that easy yet; companies are building more environmentally friendly products. Research before you buy!
Don’t want to give up your cool gadgets? You don’t have to.
Check out http://www.envirogadget.com/ and read about all the new technologies that are helping our planet while they help you!
POST-COLLEGE LIFE:
College seniors: Before finding a place to live out in the real world, find a property that comes with running water or has room for wind turbines. Take advantage of sun, build with solar materials, and use day lighting technology to make use of natural lighting.
Switch to GREEN POWER!
Call your provider, and see if they offer a “green alternative”, such as solar, wind, geothermal or hydropower. Don’t know your local providers? Check out http://apps3.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/markets/pricing.shtml?page=1
Doing all of these at once may be a bit overwhelming. So pick a few that are manageable for you, and take small steps at a time. Every effort makes a difference!
Resources:
Books
Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century
By Alex Steffen, Albert Gore (Foreword by), Sagmeister Inc.
Going Green
By Harvard Business School Publishing
No Impact Man
The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the process
By Colin Beavan
An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It
By Al Gore
Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying
By David Bach with Hillary Rosner
It’s Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living
By Crissy Trask
Silent Spring
By Rachel Carson
The Lazy Environmentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, Green Living
By Josh Dorfman
Web
http://www.thegreenguide.com/
http://planetgreen.discovery.com
www.treehugger.com
http://www.nrc-recycle.org/localresources.aspx
http://www.recycle.com/
"You Can Call me the Eco-Art Guru"
In high school, my art career consisted of painting and drawing—what some may consider the “finer arts.” When I first started making projects, I was basically drawing in a sketchbook with number two pencils that I found around my house. However, as my skills progressed and I got older, my materials transformed from loose sheets of printer paper and school pencils into thick canvas, Farber-Castel pencils, Prismacolor markers, and oil paint. Along with my greater materials came a greater price. The brushes alone I needed for one painting had the potential to run upwards of $50, while the simple canvas could be hundreds depending on the size and material. As a college student—fees as high as these are prohibitive when it comes to creating a project, especially when students have to balance numerous studio fees along with living fees and spending money.
The University of Michigan offers classes that use alternate materials such as found objects, but finding a surplus of one material to create a piece of work isn’t always the easiest matter. That’s why “Coffee Goes Green,” is a great experiment to help not only the environment but students as well. Aside from recycling paper that was once aimlessly thrown away—the collection of such stable and copious products is a prime way to gain a valuable resource to create a piece of artwork. We decided to use the found sugar packets, stirrers, and napkins to create a sign that is representative of our mission. On my last studio project—I spent nearly $100 on glue, foam board, spray paint, and cutting utensils. As for Coffee Goes Green? Priceless.
The University of Michigan offers classes that use alternate materials such as found objects, but finding a surplus of one material to create a piece of work isn’t always the easiest matter. That’s why “Coffee Goes Green,” is a great experiment to help not only the environment but students as well. Aside from recycling paper that was once aimlessly thrown away—the collection of such stable and copious products is a prime way to gain a valuable resource to create a piece of artwork. We decided to use the found sugar packets, stirrers, and napkins to create a sign that is representative of our mission. On my last studio project—I spent nearly $100 on glue, foam board, spray paint, and cutting utensils. As for Coffee Goes Green? Priceless.
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