Question:  All this environmental information is hard to process.  Is there any way to learn about the big picture without years of study?

Answer: Yes. Here’s a new book, at a reasonable price, that supplies the knowledge we all need.

Wouldn’t you know it!  Al Gore is leading the way again.  His sequel to An Inconvenient Truth has just come out.  It’s entitled Our Choice.

I’m going to buy this book for an intelligent overview of knowledge and smart environmental actions, to supplement my week-by-week piecemeal blog.  Perhaps I can persuade Mr. Reluctant to read it also?

Praise and Information about Our Choice:

Bill McKibben, head of the worldwide 350 organization to influence the Copenhagen talks in December (referenced in the last few green tips!) gives Our Choice his highest praise.

McKibben says in part:  “Gore has been engaged in that truth-telling for more than two decades, and one mark of his greatness is that he’s kept up with the science.. . . . Gore’s new volume is the indispensable one-stop shop for the cutting edge thinking about how we’re going to solve this problem.”

Click here to read McKibben’s entire review.  McKibben’s opinions reinforce this product description on amazon.com:  “Our Choice gathers in one place all of the most effective solutions that are available now and that, together, will solve this crisis. It is meant to depoliticize the issue as much as possible and inspire readers to take action—not only on an individual basis but as participants in the political processes by which every country, and the world as a whole, makes the choice that now confronts us.”

One-stop shopping for environmental knowledge.  I like that.

The Daily Green says that profits from Our Choice go to the Allance for Climate Protection, founded by Gore, which works to influence global warming legislation in Congress.

Easiest and Cheapest Ways to Buy This Book:

Gore’s new book is on sale all over the place, good for a holiday gift if you’re shopping early.  It’s in CD, audiobook, and hard copy versions.  Here are the lowest prices I’ve found so far, from $29.99 down to less than $16.00.

Our Choice is on compact disk (6 CDs) from Simon & Schuster for $29.99.  Click here. It’s read by Cynthia Nixon, John Slattery, and Al Gore.  Sample the sound here.

Our Choice is available on audiobook, read by Linda Edmond, for $20.98.  Click here.

The book form of Our Choice has great pictures and graphs.  I’m a visual learner, so it’s tempting to buy the book on amazon.com for less than $16.00.   Here.

Enjoy reading.

Question:  I’m sympathetic with the 350 movement to reduce carbon emissions, but I’m too busy with schoolwork now to help.

Answer:  If you have 5 minutes and a computer, you can take a meaningful action to reduce our atmosphere’s CO2 equivalents.

Here are two 5-minute tasks we can each do–either or both–to help reduce greenhouse gases.  Free.

Task One: We can sign the Sierra Club’s petition to support the Environmental Protection Association and the Department of Transportation—to require our nation’s cars and light trucks will average 35.5 miles per gallon.

This will save 950 metric tons of CO2e from reaching the atmosphere for vehicles sold in 2012-2016.

Worthy?  Here’s the link.  They just want our names, email, zip, and so forth.  Every signature makes a difference.

Task Two: We can go to the 350 action site itself and petition the Obama administration to stop the blasting at Coal River Mountain, West Virginia, in Appalachia, where they practice mountaintop removal coal mining.

The blasting puts more CO2e in the atmosphere, contaminates the residents’ drinking water with toxic coal slurry, and could even breach the impoundment and flood 1,000 residents with a 50-foot wall of coal slurry.  If they weren’t busy blasting, they have the potential to create a big wind farm.

Worthy of 5 minutes of our time?    Here’s our link.  Signing matters.

Once we have the links, signing an internet petition takes only a few minutes more than worrying, “I should really do something about this.”

Internet petitions create national support and do good.  The more petitions we sign, the more we are emailed to sign.  That’s a plus.  For the small price of a signature, we become part of the solution.

Who wants to become part of my “tell a friend” list for the environmental petitions I sign?  Just send me your email, to msregan@fairfield.edu

Question:  What else can I do, just by myself, to bring worldwide carbon emissions down to that 350 parts per million number?

Answer:  Spend 10 additional minutes after washing your clothes.

Background and Explanation:

Remember last week, we discovered each kilowatt of electric energy puts 1.5 pounds of CO2e (carbond dioxide equivalents) into the atmosphere?

Well, each time we run a clothes dryer, we send 5.3 pounds of CO2e upwards. Those emissions are the environmental cost of electric energy for dryers.

If 400 of us hang-dry a load clothes, one time, we spare the atmosphere a ton of CO2e (to be exact, that’s more than a metric ton, which is .91 of a ton).

Why did we think up clothes dryers in the first place?  People outsmarted themselves, looking for convenience.  Remember (or not) the old slogan “live better electrically”?  This 5-minute video, “Drying for Freedom,” gives some good info about what we’ve learned since the old days.

Clothes dryers use the second most electric energy of any appliance.

What to Do?

Last week, the New York Times published a great blog debate, called “Rethinking Laundry in the 21st century.”
Check it out for fascinating bits.  Like our right to hang clothes outside–states are now prohibiting anti-clothesline rules (snobs think clotheslines are tacky).  Like how not using dryers will save 10 to 20% of a household’s electricity.  Like how other countries aren’t addicted to clothes dryers like we are (only 4% of Italian households own a dryer).  Like how good your clothes smell when you dry them outside.

Colleges are starting to catch on.  Chelsea Hodge ’09 of Pomona College got her alma mater to put drying racks in all residence hall laundry rooms, as she writes in “Rethinking Laundry.”  She also persuaded the college to loan racks to students each semester. (Note: they cost as little as $12.99 on Amazon.com.)

Give yourself the treat of watching the Allegheny College students performing and talking about their Action Day 350 clothes-hanging on this “Underwear Project” video.

They rigged up an outdoor clothesline, in the snow, and hung out 350 pieces of their underwear for Action Day, October 24th.  Since they assumed spectators would walk up and inspect the underwear, they taped informational notes about carbon emissions to the bras and thongs and shorts and socks.  An educational day.

As for me, I’m planning to buy an inside laundry rack for the winter.  They say rack-drying puts good moisture in the air.  Then next summer, maybe Mr. Reluctant Environmentalist and I will find a clothesline contraption for the porch.

Anyone have ideas for student residence halls at Fairfield?

Question: I know we’re trying to reduce CO2 in the entire atmosphere – as in last week’s worldwide 350 movement –  but small places like Fairfield can’t help much, can we?

Answer:  We each can do more than you’d think.

Background and Explanation:

Note:  This seems like a harder subject than it really is.  So I’ve tried to pare it down to a takeaway for everyone.  Just the basics.

Remember how the 350 movement is trying to reduce the current 390 parts per million of CO2 in our atmosphere down to 350?  Well, Fairfield University helped put that 390 up there.  If we helped raise it, we can help bring it down.

(Helpful hint:  CO2 in the atmosphere really means CO2e, where “e” means “equivalents,” including other greenhouse gases. CO2e is the key concept here.)

Here’s the first big news:  Fairfield University just had its carbon footprint measured.  That means a Consultant helped us calculate how many tons of CO2e we put into the atmosphere each year.  His report came out in May, 2009.

Why did we have a consultant?  Because President von Arx signed on to the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).  So now we’re committed to reducing our annual CO2e emissions.

Dana August, President of the Student Environmental Association, is one of those studying the numbers.  She’s working to suggest a base line from which we can measure our in annual CO2e emissions, because we’re planning to bring them down.

Simply, here are our CO2e emissions for 2008.  Dana first shared them with me, and then I read the report myself:

Direct energy consumption on campus:  13,779 metric tons of CO2e
Purchased electricity:                                    6,289 metric tons of CO2e
Faculty, staff, and student commuting:     6,972 metric tons of CO2e

Total CO2e emissions for 2008:                27,040 metric tons of CO2e

According to Dana, this amounts to 6.1 metric tons per full-time student.  Oh, my.

So What Can We Each Do?

One answer:  When we are using greener cars, in the near future, our CO2e will decrease.

Another answer:  We can get by with less electricity.

But how will using less electricity make a dent in all those tons?  A ton is 2000 pounds!.

It will make a big dent. Saving one kilowatt saves 1.5 pounds of CO2e.  Now that’s tangible.  And one good website called Green Living Tips spells out how to save many pounds.   Even tons.

Here are some samples:

•    Laptop computers save about half a ton of CO2e per year over desktops. (That’s for coal-fired electricity – check out their numbers yourself.)

•    We can save 10% of our total electricity use—the “standby” or “phantom” power–just by unplugging our devices from the power outlet, or switching them off at the wall, when we’re not using them.  Many more pounds of CO2e.

There’s a lot more advice on this site about saving electricity.  Apparently a single person can save tons of CO2e emissions each year.  That’s a significant dent in the tons of CO2e surging skyward.

When first I read this website, it was late at night.  I walked over and unplugged my laptop charger.  Then I unplugged my cell phone charger.

Typically I charge my laptop and cell phone overnight, but why?  I wondered.  They’re already fully charged when I go to bed, so what am I doing?   Answer:  I’m throwing a few more pounds of CO2e into the atmosphere.

Time to stop.

Question:  Why is the number 350 all over Fairfield campus?  And what’s happening on the School of Business roof?

Answer:  We’re joining an international team urging world leaders to keep the planet from melting.

Why 350?

The safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere is 350 ppm (parts per million).

Uh-oh.  Today CO2 (carbon dioxide) in our atmosphere is around 390 ppm and rising.  Way too high.  Danger zone.  We need to return quickly to below 350ppm, or the planet will melt.

Well, OK, climate experts don’t exactly say “melt” plain and simple.  They say,“We risk reaching tipping points and irreversible impacts such as the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and major methane releases from increased permafrost melt,” according to 350.org.

That’s a lot of complex melting that feeds on itself and spirals out of control.

Here’s a nice clear article by Bill McKibben on Treehugger.   He calls 350 “the most important number on the planet.”

What’s The 350 Movement Supposed to Do?

Heighten global awareness, big-time.  Put worldwide pressure on the crucial United Nations Climate Negotiations in Copenhagen this December, 2009.

In Copenhagen, these world leaders will decide on a global treaty to cut carbon emissions, but their current draft treaty is too weak to reduce our CO2 to 350 ppm.  We need a treaty that will get the planet out of the climate crisis before those “tipping points” of melting are reached. The 350 Movement plans to push world leaders to act.

The International Day of Climate Action is October 24th. It will be the biggest public demonstration ever, as the 350 website explains:

Rallies and community events will spread across nearly every country on the planet.  There will be “ mountain climbers on our highest peaks with banners, underwater demonstrations in island nations threatened by sea level rise, churches and mosques and synagogues and ashrams engaged in symbolic action, star athletes organizing mass bike rides.”

Every event will emphasize the number 350.  The team website 350.org will assemble all the photos for a gigantic visual petition to the world leaders at Copenhagen.

This four-minute video shows some typical participants in this world movement.  Take a look.  It’s inspiring.

What Is Fairfield Doing?  What Can We Each Do?

We can donate our old bed sheets, rugs, blankets, and tarps in the next few days at the InfoDesk of the BCC.  Students and others on campus will be using them (and recycled materials) to build a network of art projects by October 21st, on top of the School of Business roof.

This art-project network will create the number 350, big enough for an aerial photograph.

This photograph, “The Bird’s Eye View,” will be taken on October 21st and delivered to the 350 team organizers on October 24th.

That means Fairfield will be part of the giant visual international petition on the Day of Action.

What else is being done on campus?  Draping dorm windows with “350” signs, writing 350 in washable chalk on campus sidewalks, and increasing everyone’s awareness of global warming in any imaginative way we can dream up.

We are grateful to Fairfield alumna Laura Marciano ’08, who brought this project to the university’s attention.  The Student Environmental Association (SEA) and the Green Campus Initiative (CGI) are sponsoring this project here.

By the way:

What about Fairfield University’s own greenhouse-gas emissions, which contribute to CO2 levels in the atmosphere?  Dana August, President of the SEA, is now working on the impressive job of cataloguing those emissions.  The results are notable.  More news about that in the next post.

Question:  Should I buy those new “green” laundry detergents that cost so much?

Answer:   You don’t have to.  You can put together laundry detergent that’s just as “green” for much, much less.

Simple.   One small shopping trip, 15 minutes to mix, and you’re good for the semester.

First, buy the following at a large grocery store like Stop & Shop:
•    A box of Ivory Snow (flakes, not liquid).  54 ounces for $4.99**
•    A box of 20-mule-team Borax.  Over 4 pounds for $3.79
•    A big box of washing soda.  $2.79 for Arm & Hammer Washing Soda.
•    A box of quart-sized plastic bags with zip seals.  Not expensive.
(or a quart-sized plastic food storage container)
•    A ring of teaspoon-tablespoon measures.  Not expensive.
•    A measuring cup.  Not expensive.

**If you can’t find Ivory Snow, just get a few bars of Ivory soap – or Castille soap—and a cheese grater that includes the little holes.  Soap grates really fast.

Next, make your detergent:
Open one of the quart-sized plastic bags (or the plastic storage container)
Pour into it 2 cups of the Ivory Snow flakes.
Add 1 cup of the Borax.
Add 1 cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda.

Seal the bag and shake to mix, then put the teaspoon-tablespoon measures into the bag and re-seal.

That’s it. You’re ready.

You now have a quart (32 tablespoons) of good laundry detergent, just as “green” as any of those “green” brands on the market.  At 2 tablespoons per load (1 tablespoon for small loads), you have enough for 16 full loads of laundry.

To make more detergent, just return to your original boxes of Ivory Snow, Borax, and Washing Soda.  They will last a long time.

Caution:  Not for silk, wool, or vinyl.

WHY SHOULD I DO THIS?

1.    It’s simple.  It’s green.  It’s easy.

The site Green America has more advice about making “green” detergent from  inexpensive basic ingredients.

2.    Commercial laundry detergents routinely include harmful chemicals (harmful to our respiratory and endocrine systems), and these chemicals don’t biodegrade – they enter our water supply.

Notice:  The big companies that make detergents like Tide or All don’t list their ingredients on the box.  Aha!
Women’s Voices for the Earth has been pressuring these companies to list their ingredients, and the companies now offer fragrance-free and dye-free detergents.  But there are still other harmful chemicals that remain unlisted.  In the meantime, many people are hosting WVE green-cleaning parties to learn how to make their own safe household cleaners.  Party instructions are on the website.

3.    The new “green” laundry detergents usually cost $9.00 to $11.00 per jug.  You’re paying for the advertising, the trendy “green” label, and the packaging.

The new “green” detergents often do list their ingredients.  Such brands as Sun & Earth, Greenworks, Seventh Generation, Method, and Arm & Hammer Essentials are definitely an improvement over regular brands.
Here’s a review of six new “green” laundry detergents, by Grist.  Their surfactants are usually biodegradable.

Here’s a site that explains surfactants–the stuff that actually cleans.

So it’s fine to cut to the chase and make your laundry detergent yourself.

Be smart.  Go green.  Save money.

P.  S.  You want fabric softener?   Add a quarter cup of white vinegar.  Don’t worry,
your clothes won’t smell like vinegar.  They’ll smell like cloth, like themselves.

Questions?  Comments?  Experiences?