Our Low Carbon Diet

Our Low-Carbon Diet
Issue 143 - July/August 2007
by Peggy O'Mara

Until recently, I'd been depressed about global warming. Like many of us, I felt helpless. The media reports are ?sensational, the feature films apocalyptic. We lack national leadership on the issue, and yet I am determined to take individual action. But what do I do? What is most effective? Where do I begin?

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Recently, I was uplifted by reading Bill McKibben's book Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future (Henry Holt, 2007). He writes about many effective responses to global warming, and suggests focusing more on our local economies.

One of the ways that I focus on my local economy is to shop at the Santa Fe Farmers' Market, which was named among the top ten in the country by Sunset. Not only do I get high-quality food there at bargain-basement prices, I also get community. I always leave the Farmers' Market feeling joyous. It makes sense to be buying vegetables, grass-fed meats, fruit, cheese, cider, honey, jam, bread, green chile, and bedding plants from my neighbors. It makes me feel part of a larger family. Since reading McKibben's book, I've decided to begin an inquiry into my own personal habits, and have been examining and observing everything I do. I now question take-out food. I reuse a glass bottle for carrying water. I've begun to bring my own plastic bags to the Farmers' Market and the grocery store, along with my own paper bags and baskets. I've been inspired recently by Wendy Gordon and the folks at The Green Guide—they're going on a carbon diet. With the same end in mind, we at Mothering held a staff meeting last week to review areas in which we, as a business, could reduce our carbon load. We're going on a carbon diet too. We'll report back to you in each issue with a scorecard of our progress. Here are the areas in which we'll begin our inquiry. Thanks to The Green Guide for the figures in their March/April 2007 issue, on which I've based my calculations. Get that issue and figure out yours.

1. Lighting
Replacing one 75-watt incandescent bulb with a 19-watt compact fluorescent (CFL) can cut 55 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year. We have more than 75 incandescent bulbs in our office. By changing to CFLs, we could reduce our annual CO2 emissions by approximately 4,500 pounds—over two tons! We will count exactly how many incandescent bulbs we have, find out what type of CFLs would replace them, where we can get them, and how much they cost. We also want to look for mercury-free CFLs, which may not be available until the end of the year. At our meeting, we asked ourselves if we even need to use our track lighting. Perhaps those who need more light could simply have CFL lamps on their desks. This would eliminate a lot of bulbs.

2. Appliances
Our office refrigerator is old. Fridges made before 2001 are much less efficient than today's Energy Star models, which annually can save 500 pounds of CO2 from being emitted. Energy Star appliances meet strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and the US Department of Energy. They incorporate advanced technologies that use 10 to 50 percent less energy and water than standard models. We also have a coffeemaker, hot plate, and toaster oven. By replacing what we have with more energy-efficient appliances, we will reduce CO2 emissions.

3. Power Strips
Leaving computers in "sleep" or "standby" mode still results in CO2 emissions because they are plugged in and are therefore using electricity. Even when computers are off, if they remain plugged in, CO2 can be emitted because of "always on" features such as clocks. But plugging computers into a power strip that is turned off when the machines are not in use will result in an annual reduction in CO2 emissions of 240 pounds per computer. We have 16 computers in use in the office. We could save 3,840 pounds of CO2 from being emitted each year—nearly two tons! Some of our staff have been told by computer techs that it is best to leave their computers in "sleep" mode at all times. We want to find out how this reconciles with turning off the power strips, and if local network backups will be affected.

4. Heating and Cooling
With natural-gas heating, we can save up to 320 pounds of CO2 per year from being emitted for every degree below 70°F that we lower our thermostat setting. With electric heat, we can save 236 pounds. With air-conditioning, we can save 121 pounds for every degree above 72° that we set our thermostat.

It won't be a hardship to adjust the thermostat—just a ?good-natured challenge agreeing on the temperature. An anonymous Internet survey last summer said that the number-one complaint in most offices is that the office is too cold. The number-two complaint is that it is too hot.

We talked about whether or not we need air-conditioning, which is seldom a necessity in Santa Fe. We should be able to reduce our use of air-conditioning as well as turn up the thermostat when we do use it.

5. Travel
Transportation is one of the biggest causes of CO2 emissions. A 500-mile plane flight, for example, emits 310 pounds of CO2 per person. The 3,000-mile round trip that Lally, Kathleen, and I plan to make to the La Leche League conference in Chicago in July will be responsible for the emission of 5,580 pounds of CO2—nearly three tons.

Travel poses a challenge. Mothering sends staff members to conferences three to five times a year. Recently, we've noticed a big difference in waste management between those conferences that use traditional exhibit services and those that use green services. At each conference with traditional services, for example, we "buy" a rug for the floor by our booth, only to have it be destroyed afterward. With the green services, the rug is recycled. In the future, we want to attend only those conferences that offer green exhibit services. And we may set an annual limit on travel, whether that limit is measured in number of trips, miles traveled, or total CO2 emissions. The staff has also been talking about doing more carpooling to and from work.

6. Paper and Printing
Producing a ton of recycled paper uses 3,000 to 4,000 fewer kilowatt-hours of electricity than a ton of virgin-fiber paper. Mothering is printed on paper that contains 30 percent post-consumer waste, 70 percent certified Sustainable Forest Management; we're looking for a paper that contains more post-consumer waste. We print the magazine at Quad Graphics, in Milwaukee. Our reprints, postcards, renewals, bills, promotions, and books are printed at various printers around the US. In addition, we print some of our own reprints here at the office, and we print out our own material from our individual computers. Our goal is to review all of our paper use, and find sources for paper that is processed chlorine-free (PCF) and at least 80 percent post-consumer waste. We're also going to use cloth where we can—for example, dishtowels instead of paper towels. And we hope to bring back handkerchiefs. The printing business has historically generated a lot of waste. By using a paper that has high post-consumer waste content and working with a printer with strong environmental standards, we can feel a little better, but there is more to be done. We have just launched a digital edition of Mothering, so we now have a tree-free version of the magazine. We have also made our reprints available in digital form, and we now send subscription renewal notices, invoices, and solicitations digitally to those subscribers for whom we have e-mail addresses. We intend to become more consistent in our use of recycled paper, with a high percentage of post-consumer waste for the printing of our books, reprints, postcards, invoices, renewals, and stationery, and will choose printers who offer such paper. Overall, we want to reduce and eventually eliminate waste in our business.

7. Recycling
We currently recycle paper, plastic, cardboard, and glass. However, we intend to redouble our efforts to do so. These are our first areas of inquiry for the business. We discussed these topics at our staff meeting last week, and volunteers formed committees to investigate each area and make policy recommendations for the magazine. By the time you get this issue, we will have met again to set the goals for our carbon-reduction plan.

How do we eliminate waste in our own lives? The individual looks at all of the same things that a business does, as well as a few others. For example, we can reduce the length of our daily shower to eight or even six minutes, or take one less often. Eating grass-fed instead of feedlot beef greatly reduces CO2 emissions, as does replacing red meat with poultry, cheese, and eggs—or we can become vegetarians, if we're not already.

Using less packaging, as well as reusing and reducing the number of plastic bags we use, is another thing that individuals can do. Bangladesh, Rwanda, and Zanzibar have banned the use of plastic bags entirely because they clog landfills and drainage systems and endanger marine environments.

And there is more, of course. Buying Energy Star appliances is a good move. Look into the cost of a solar hot-water heater, a solar electric system, and solar heating. Federal and state tax credits are available for alternative energy systems. Find out what your state offers by going to www.eere.energy.gov/states.

We can also wash our clothes less often, wash them in cold water when we do, and hang them on the line rather than using a dryer all the time. Even if you have Energy Star appliances, fresh air remains the dryer of choice.

Some folks seek to reduce their consumption to next to nothing. Members of The Compact, named after the Mayflower pledge at Plymouth Rock, agree not to buy anything new for one year. Except for food, health, safety items, and underwear, they buy second-hand goods or do without. The group has a blog, a Yahoo group, and holds monthly meetings. There are currently 8,000 members and 55 subgroups worldwide. Visit the San Francisco blog, which links to the worldwide groups: http://sfcompact.blogspot.com.

So there is hope, a lot of hope. In his new book, Blessed Unrest (Viking, 2007), Paul Hawken estimates that there are currently between one and two million groups worldwide that are working for ecological sustainability and social justice. Hawken calls these groups "the largest social movement in all of human history."

We'll keep you posted on Mothering's progress in reducing our business's CO2 emissions. Watch for regular updates in the magazine and online. Let us know what you are doing to reduce yours.

Green Travel

What's the most efficient way to travel?
1. bike and walk
2. mass transit (vehicle 3/4 full)
3. carpool (3 people, 21.5 mpg)
4. intercity train (average occupancy)
5. economy car (1 driver, 40 mpg)
6. mass transit (vehicle 1/4 full)
7. jet travel (US average occupancy)
8. average car (1 driver, 21.5 mpg)
9. SUV (1 driver, 15 mpg)

Sightline Institute; www.sightline.org

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