Eco-friendly Dorm Tips Countdown to the Hilltop

For the next few days, I have decided that I am going to go through some good tips to start off the new semester for all you new and returning Hoyas.

Tip #1: Think outside the bottle.

When sitting through class, trekking across campus (up and down hills), or just being outside (DC is humid, you know), you will probably want to have water on hand. Rather than stocking up on water bottles (which will cost you not only cost you a lot of money over time but also produce a lot of waste), invest in a reusable water bottle. This way, you can fill up wherever you are on campus: each building has its fair share of water fountains, and I can attest to the fact that the water is clean.

There are a variety of styles of water bottle that you can get to suit your personal interest:


Nalgenes (now BPA-free): These are most commonly associated with the plastic reusable bottles, but they make other products as well. You can get these at Whole Foods, Target, sporting goods stores, and other places as well.

SIGG (BPA-free liners): These are made from aluminum, and you will probably recognize them from their colorful styles. Check out the website or a local store to get a taste for the wide selection that exists.

Klean Kanteen (BPA-free from the start): These are made from stainless steel.

It's been a hot and humid summer, so stay hydrated and stay green.

Where's Georgetown?: Parte Deux

I came across a great piece from Auden Schendler at Grist talking about the Sierra Magazine rankings. He puts the value of sustainability for colleges in a blunt but truthful way:

"And the reason I’m pissed [His alma mater wasn't on the list either] is that it seems to me that even if you didn’t care one little tiny bit about climate or environment—if all you cared about was endowment, physical plant, and US News ranking—as an undergraduate institution you’d create a killer Enviornmental Studies program with a climate focus simply to recruit students and make money as a business.

Why? Because people are banging down the doors, almost literally, to study the interface between climate, politics and business so they can be part of the great challenge of our lives. And schools that train people well in that field will not only do well as both businesses and schools, they will also meet the needs of their students."

So, moral and ethical reasons aside (although they should matter to a university, especially a Jesuit one with a global focus), we have here a strictly practical and image-based reason to emphasize sustainability. Money and image are essential to any large-scale institution (keeping up with the Joneses, so to speak).

Your global reputation should have to do with how you help the globe, no?

Photo taken from Flickr.

Where's Georgetown?

Today, right as the US News & World Report unveiled its annual college rankings, the Sierra Club unveiled its "cool schools" list, ranking the top universities.

The top three were the University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Washington at Seattle, and Middlebury College.

However, more interesting to note here is that in this list of 135 schools (that is right, one hundred and thirty-five), Georgetown wasn't even there. Was there a reason why we weren't ranked? Were we not even considered, or did we just fail that badly?

George Washington was ranked #81; however, AU and Catholic weren't on the list either.

Whole Foods: What's the Whole Story?

Last Wednesday, John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods, wrote an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal on health care reform. His piece, entitled "The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare" has caused a lot of buzz over liberal blogs over the past week.

Mackey, a self-professed libertarian, began his piece by quoting Margaret Thatcher: "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." He, as noted, accuses the Democrats' plan of socialism and avers that health care is not a right.

The end of his piece is heavy on the logic of individual empowerment/fault, i.e. if you aren't healthy, it is your fault.



He writes,
"Recent scientific and medical evidence shows that a diet consisting of foods that are plant-based, nutrient dense and low-fat will help prevent and often reverse most degenerative diseases that kill us and are expensive to treat. We should be able to live largely disease-free lives until we are well into our 90s and even past 100 years of age."

Although this point is true, it completely ignores the issue of access to such food (as discussed in Food, Inc., Fresh, and many other documentaries), and it also ignores the expansive array of health problems (from injuries to inherent conditions) that cannot be reduced as easily. Believe me, I am all for advocating dietary habits (I can go on for hours about the needed reform of the "American diet"); however, not everyone can afford Whole Foods, a farmer's market, or other such options. We at Georgetown are lucky to have a 4 Whole Foods stores within 3 miles, over 5 Farmer's markets in that same range, a Trader Joe's, and a few small natural markets. However, this is not the case everywhere.

Mackey's critique--especially the use of the misnomer "Obamacare"--has brought about much negative attention for Whole Foods. You can read about some of the blogging rage here. Many are calling for a boycott of Whole Foods because of Mackey's talking out of line and out of touch.

Moreover, Whole Foods has been called out in the past for its troubled relationship with labor issues, having forbidden its workers to unionize.

However, one point that I think is important not to ignore is this simple fact: Mackey's salary is only $1. Back in 2007, he decided to reduce his salary and donate his stock to charity because he didn't feel that he truly needed the money.

A boycott on Whole Foods, thus, would not be hurting John Mackey's bank account.

Whole Foods also has been one of the biggest champions of green power purchasing, animal cruelty prevention, an array of community organizations, and organic farming. Whole Foods, with its branding, has attracted many people to organic and all-natural foods, improving their health and the soil at the same time.

Whole Foods has founded the Animal Compassion Foundation and the Whole Planet Foundation to expand our notions of community, and it donates 5% of its net profits to charitable causes every year.

So, whoever out there has also been following the Whole Foods controversy, what are your thoughts? I don't think that the op-ed is reason for a full-out boycott. However, trying to buy more of your produce locally is always a good idea--if that's what you decide to do (which I have been trying to get myself to do).

Regardless of what you do, always remember to think before you buy an think before you bite.

Bill Clinton (SFS'68) encourages colleges to go green

Bill Clinton (SFS'68) spoke yesterday at the 2009 Climate Leadership Summit in Chicago, which was sponsored by the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment.

In front of a group of 250 college administrators, Clinton spoke about our need to ramp up action around climate change.

He said, "Every time somebody sees a project on one of your campuses, fixing a building, you are having an impact, even beyond the fight to produce climate change and lower your utility bills."

He also encouraged college students to call into their senators and representatives to advocate for reform.

Bill Clinton is always welcome to come to his alma mater to speak about college sustainability. I think that would be a powerful statement---one that would bear meaning to the campus on multiple levels. Maybe he can speak in the beginning of 2010---42nd for the 42nd, anyone?

I think we learned from his speech that, as is the case with all of us, renewable energy "turns him on," so to speak.

The photo comes from TreeHugger. I chose this over a fantastic but out-of-context photo of me with Clinton from a rally last year.

Preventive Medicine

All of this talk about health care is making me hungry for some preventive medicine...or..however you want to say that creatively.

Anyways, preventive medicine is a great way to include principles of sustainability in the health care reform because what is good for your health and what's good for the planet often coincide.

Take, for example, your food and beverage. New York talked about passing a tax on sugared soft drinks to much outrage from conservative talk radio. However, the Center for Science in the Public Interest presents this calculator that shows how much revenue could be gained from placing a small tax on sugared beverages. Getting people to eat a more healthful diet (less high-sugar, high-fat, high-sodium, highly processed food in favor of more whole foods) benefits the environment because of the energy savings from the production process--the bottling, packaging, high-fructose-corn-syrup making process that characterizes our food industry.

What else would be a part of preventive medicine?

Also valuable to both people and planet would be an increased sin tax on cigarettes, another possible source of revenue. Cigarettes, unlike other drugs, have a direct health effect on those around the user (not just the user him/herself). Smoke pollutes the air and your lungs, releasing toxins into both. If we want clean air and healthy people, smoking needs to go down.

It would not be politically feasible to levy too high of taxes on these goods; HOWEVER, the volume of the purchases produces the revenue. Money can be reinvested in healthful school lunches and anti-smoking campaigns (and the people-friendly cities noted below), and overall consumption would go down a bit (maybe just slightly--but every bit makes a difference). Food companies would be able to innovate their way out of the problem if need be--finding ways to offer healthier options to the American public. (How nice would it be to see fewer--and more prounounceable--items on the ingredients of your food!)

However, the energy you take in is not the entirety of preventive medicine; one must also think about the energy put out, i.e. exercise. Making cities and suburbs more friendly to walking and biking as alternative means of transportation keeps waistlines thinner and emissions levels thinner as well.

Healthy people, healthy planet, healthy budget, healthy reform.

The photo comes from the CSPI's site (linked above), where you should go to take action!

Book Review: Cheap by Ellen Ruppel Shell

Ellen Ruppel Shell's book Cheap: the High Cost of Discount Culture is an expose on the inner workings of the world of consumerism: the designs, the psychology, the travels, the boardroom ideas that make us buy what we buy and expect to buy it for dirt cheap. Cheap is, I would say, the Fast Food Nation-equivalent for Walmart and the rest of our bargain-based economy.

The prices that we pay are kept low by an unsustainable system of cheap labor and environmental exploitation, of cutting corners around regulation every chance available. They are a prime example of our failure to contextualize our actions (and especially our purchases) in an increasingly globalized world.

When you buy a snack or a T-shirt, how much do you really know about it? How far did it travel to get there? Where, in fact, was it really made? Who made it? How much were the laborers paid--if they were even paid? These types of questions will foment in your mind while reading this book, and you will get a better understanding of the system of subsidies (which make our food dirt cheap and destroy agrarian economies abroad) and marketing (why prices are what they are--both economically and psychologically).

The one shortcoming of this book, in my opinion, is its failure to provide a semblance of a solution at the end. For those of you that saw Food, Inc., even though you probably felt powerless at the end, the producers attempted to give you a glimmer of hope. Ruppel Shell discusses Wegman's as an example of good quality goods, ethical practices, and low prices---for real. (Just ask anyone who shops at Wegman's about this: you will listen to them extol the praises of Wegman's for hours on end. Just make sure you have enough time.) However, one does not feel as though one really has the power to effect change in the system. Sadly, it comes down to the idea that, as you have heard since elementary school, knowledge is power. You can't solve a problem unless you know what the problem is.

Recycling Survey of Campus

We have discussed the idea of a recycling survey at various points throughout the year, and by the end, we had some progress but nothing streamlined. With no internship and no interviews (just some research and reading to do) lined up (plus an aversion to traveling to far in 100 degree heat), I decided to go on a building-by-building journey of campus and check out the trash and recycling situation. I hit the following buildings: Walsh, Healy, ICC, Reiss, and Leavey.



I started out in Walsh, and when you enter Walsh, you feel as though you are off to a good start because of the presence of battery and cell phone recycling (Yes, it's there). However, there is no marked plastic recycling on the first floor of Walsh: only glass, newspaper, and cans. This brings me to RECYCLING POINT #1:

RECYCLING POINT #1: All recycling locations should have facilities to accommodate all recycling (paper, glass, plastic, aluminum) possible and should be paired with a trash can.

as well as RECYCLING POINT #2:

RECYCLING POINT #2: Mixed paper, white paper, newspaper: How about one for just "mixed paper" as a collective term for all? If not, then either 1) more education needs to be done about what the value to separation is (Money, in case you are wondering), or 2) all forms of paper recycling bins must be paired with each other at all locations.

From there, I continued on to the rest of my journey through Walsh, which has one of the most abysmal states of recycling.

1) No standardization: There is no set style of bin in Walsh. Bins range from ghetto, broken, lidded plastics recycling bins to Coca Cola "Give it Back" bottle recycling bins. It is haphazard, at best.
2) Rarely even there: Standardization aside, the main problem is that recycling, often, isn't even available.

RECYCLING POINT #3: Bins must be of standardized form and placement.

Recycling Points #1, #2, and #3 characterize the states in Healy, ICC, and Reiss as well, so there is no need to elaborate too much there. However, I must establish the following vital rule with regard to the Leavey Center. Hoya Court, home to mass consumption of bottles and mass food and wrapping waste, has no trace of recycling whatsoever:

RECYCLING POINT #4: Recycling facilities must be available wherever corresponding materials are being consumed (i.e. paper by a copying machine, plastic/aluminum by a vending machine or a food court).

So, as for public spaces on campus go, I think these four rules sum it up well so far. If you want to see all of my photos (I have 120 photos chronicling my journey), just ask--I'll send the Snapfish link to you!

CarbonFree DC: Showing Why Green Doesn't Have to Cost You Too Much Green

Today, I went to a meeting for CarbonFreeDC's "Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover." CarbonFreeDC won a $20,000 grant through the Green Effect competition, sponsored by National Geographic and Sun Chips. With this money, they plan to help 20 low-income families in DC make their homes more efficient and eco-friendly.

CarbonFreeDC will be reaching out to local businesses, government agencies, and community groups to get the most out of this money, and they will be featured in National Geographic Magazine (with possibly even a documentary sponsored by NG) and in an ad on Sun Chips bags.

Not only does this effort help low-income residents of DC, and not only does it help the environment, but it also helps to dispel the myth that you have to have a lot of greens (i.e. money) to go "green." They plan to track the savings of the 20 households over a few years to see how quickly the "Green Makeover" pays back.



CarbonFreeDC, a grassroots initiative to reduce the carbon footprint of our nation's capital, also has a number of seminars throughout the year on issues from composting to urban gardening, so they are worth checking out.

I would love to have some Georgetown representation in the Green Home Makeover project. It is a perfect example of the blend of sustainability and social justice, and it will help get us as a club more connected to the issues relevant to the residents of DC. You with me?

Who Says Mondays Can't Be Fun?

This summer, I have been reading a lot of HuffingtonPost Green, a site I would highly recommend to all of you environmental advocates out there. It is my top way of finding out about policy, analysis, trends, and fun stories connected to the environment.

In honor of today (everyone's favorite day of the week, Monday), I wanted to write about Meatless Mondays, a nonprofit initiative of The Mondays Campaign, in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, which is encouraging people to give up meat (at least) one day a week. Their ultimate goal is to reduce meat consumption 15%, a goal that would benefit both the health of the public and of the planet.



The Meatless Monday's website outlines a number of the health benefits from jumping on the bandwagon with this movement.

Health Benefits:

• Reduce Risk of Heart Disease: Plant-based foods have less saturated fat and cholesterol.
• Maintain a Healthy Weight: Most Americans don't get enough fiber, and fiber comes from the bounty of the Earth!
• Improve Overall Quality of Diet: The more (natural) colors, the healthful and vitamin-rich it will be.

Environmental Benefits:

• Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the meat industry emits about 1/5 of total greenhouse gases, putting it ahead of the transportation sector.
• Minimize Water Usage: From 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef (as opposed to 220 gallons per pound of tofu).
• Help Reduce Fossil Fuel Dependence: About 40 calories of fossil fuel energy go into every calorie of feed lot beef in the US. Plant-based protein, on the other hand, takes only 2.2 calories.

Meatless Mondays is something I would love to see brought to Leo's in the fall. Granted, it is hard to eliminate the meat options, but you could make the vegetarian options more attractive by getting some intriguing recipes.

Lost on what to eat for protein without your meat? There are plenty of options (and not just tofu), don't you worry?

• Tempeh: I like tempeh more than tofu becuase it has a more pleasant texture and a slightly nutty flavor; it's great for stir-frys.
• Edamame: the soybean itself
• Chickpeas: Do you love Middle Eastern food? Try falafel with some hummus.
• Lentils: How about some Indian food? You could try a lentil curry.
• Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt (Fage, Oikos) is delicious and very protein-dense.
• Eggs: Have breakfast for dinner, and make an omelette!
• Cheese: Make a pizza!

These are just some basic thoughts, but I'd suggest going to site above and searching for recipes. You might find something you like!