Brighter Future

To provide an education initiative which raises awareness on the impact of our actions on the environment

Activity 1: Research how to be eco-friendly in your day to day life, share with the group and decide how to implement those practices

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To maintain an eco-friendly lifestyle, one must be very conscious of the rules in place which govern the game. While certain actions, such as recycling, avoiding vampire power, and making use of mass transit, are relatively universal, minor variations to sustainably-minded actions exist simply based off where one is living. As a cohort, A Brighter Future hopes to promote eco-friendly lifestyles amongst ourselves and our peers. We believe that the best way to start affecting change at the global level is to promote certain decisions at the local scale. As a result, the sum of the whole will stop jeopardizing the environment mankind has long imposed on. Before we can do that, though, we need to be educated ourselves. Our first activity is therefore to research how to be eco-friendly in our day to day lives, share with the group and decide how to implement those practices.

Our discussion centered on research we had conducted independently, on sustainability topics we noted were relevant within our workplaces or home life. Each of us shared our findings with the rest of the cohort. Not only did we identify new practices that each of us could implement in our lives, but also we looked at similarities and differences in enacting those practices in our respective geographic regions. From this discussion we have a greater arsenal of techniques to support eco-friendly behavior, additional knowledge we can now share with our peers, in different aspects of our lives such as food, recycling, transportation and home/office, to start moving towards a brighter future.

 

FOOD

Food-buying strategies

Many people see food waste as a social issue when in fact it is also an environmental issue because it negatively affects the environment. According to Jane Nishida, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), food waste remains a critical topic on EPA’s agenda both domestically and internationally because uneaten food takes up tremendous space in landfills, adding to the trash that have to be disposed. Furthermore, many cities, such as Houston, do not practice composting, which is the environmental way to dispose food. Food waste also negatively impacts water resources: water that are used to grow these wasted food can be used to relieve droughts in places such as California and North Texas.

There are many ways to be eco-friendly to address food waste. In serveries, people can take small portions of things to decide on what they like. If they like a specific thing, they can go back for seconds. Instead of over-stacking their plates, people can figure out how much they usually eat and take appropriate portions. If they are still hungry, then they can always go back for more. Current interns at D.C. can help alleviate food waste as well. Instead of buying too much vegetables and fruits that do not last very long, they can buy smaller portions to not only help the environment but also save money. Also interns can cook in smaller portions too so they don’t have to choose between stuffing one’s stomach or throwing the food away. If they do end up with leftovers, they can use reusable containers and refrigerate the food, saving it for another meal. By doing these small cost-efficient things, students and interns can help address not only a social issue but also an environmental one, killing two birds with one stone.

 

Meat consumption

Sometimes small changes in our daily habits can go a long way. And sometimes it’s not just about how much you eat, but also what you eat. So here’s an eco-friendly goal: cut down on amount of meat you eat. Just think about it – if you eat one pound of meat every day, how much meat will you have consumed in one year? And what will that do to the environment? That’s exactly what the producers of the video “The Hidden Costs of Hamburgers” set out to explain. Taking the all-American food as the case in point, they analyze the resources needed to meet Americans’ demand for burgers, which they guesstimate to be 48 billion per year. As the video reveals, when you take every stage of meat preparation (raising cattle, cleaning, transporting, packaging) into account, an astonishing amount of land, water and grain is consumed to produce a relatively small amount of beef – when it could have been used to generate a much greater amount of plant food. To make matters worse, cattle’s’ excrements emit a large volume of methane and nitrogen oxides, two of the greenhouse gases that trap heat exponentially better than carbon dioxide (read: exponentially more dangerous for humans).

So what are we to do, in an era where climate change and hunger are some of the most pressing global issues, but also where we are so used to enjoying cheap meat? While vegetarianism is probably the ultimate ideal solution, a sudden transition is neither healthy nor realistic. I struggle with that personally too, wavering between enjoyment and guilt. A friend has once explained her approach to me, which I’d like to share here: just try not to contribute financially to the development of the meat production industry. This translates into eating meat that is already prepared and would go to waste otherwise, but trying to stay away from meat in her own cooking. That’s what I’ve been trying to do. And if you find it hard to give up animal flesh entirely, remember this: chicken and pork are less harmful to the environment than beef is.

 

Composting

Composting is another one of the amazing ways we can keep waste away from landfills and put it to good use. When one composts, they are letting mother nature break down certain kinds of waste and turn it into nutrient rich soil. To compost, all one has to do is mix in waste with leaves and dirt, then let this mixture sit inside a ventilated bin in a sunny spot. Over time, the waste will mix in with the plant matter. A natural question to ask about composting is: what types of waste can one compost? The answer: a lot more than one might originally think. Most people know that wastes like natural food scraps and coffee grounds can be composted, but the list is far longer than that. Some of the most interesting compostable items are cardboard, shredded paper, and dryer lint.

Geographically, composting can look different depending on where you live. Many cities are beginning to have curbside compost pick up. It is also starting to become more popular for universities to have compost bins in their dining halls and to include a poster of what items can be composted. If neither of these options are available, one can always purchase their own bin, which does cost money but only in the form of an upfront cost. An added bonus of having your own bin is that you can take advantage of the soil produced if you like gardening.

RECYCLING

Differentiation between plastics

If possible, the best approach to conservation and recycling is to avoid the use of plastics. Unfortunately, plastics are so pervasive that the task is seemingly impossible. Fortunately, there is a relatively simple way to know which products are relatively worse than the rest…recycling symbols.

If you look at the bottom of a plastic product, you’ll most likely see a recycling symbol with a number at the center. The number describes the chemistry of the plastic — 1 means it is made from Polyethylene Terephthalate, 2 is a High Density Polyethylene, and so on. While the actual composition of the plastic is not essential to know, their relative impact on our health and the environment is. The general rule is to avoid recycling symbols 3, 6, and 7. Symbol 1 is safe for use, but should also be avoided. Conversely, symbols 2, 4, and 5 are the safer of the bunch. But the best bet is to invest in environmentally friendly alternatives, like reusable bottles instead of water bottles.

 

Single stream recycling in Washington D.C.

When recycling, it remains rather important to keep in mind what can and cannot be recycled. Knowing the recycling rules within one’s community, especially related to sorting waste properly, becomes crucial. It serves little good to recycle a plastic bottle in a paper wastes bin, as one might potentially damage the processing equipment; the very notion of being eco-friendly is mitigated! That being said, new technology, being used in Washington D.C. among other places, has been developed which trumps this need for sorting.

Single-stream recycling is a process which allows for separation of materials that are to be recycled. Essentially a universal bin can be used for collecting recyclables, and an automated system, of magnets, lasers, and a whole array of other gizmos, separates materials so they can be recycled properly. Nonetheless, remaining aware of what even qualifies as a recyclable material remains important to ensure proper disposal of all waste. Being aware of this whether or not this process is used in one’s local area is rather important. For example, while George Washington University, in Washington D.C., features differentiated recycling bins around campus, in truth single-stream recycling is used on the collected materials. Lazy folk can rejoice knowing that they do not have to walk three or more blocks down the road to properly recycle! Innovation truly is a beautiful thing.

 

Recycling policies in Houston

Obviously, most of the (recyclable) trash that we produce is domestic. Tossing plastic bottles into curbside recycling bins is good, but the scale is negligible when compared with the amount of things that we can recycle at home. But after we pile them up, where do we dispose of them? One thing that residents of Houstonian apartments may have noticed is this: many of these complexes don’t offer any recycling facilities. Confused and annoyed by this notion, I conducted some research on the city’s recycling laws. Apparently, while the city has a decent automated recycling system, it provides service only to single-family homes, eight units or less. Larger multi-family units would need to solicit service contract for solid waste. Yet because it is not mandated by city ordinance, a lot of apartments just opt out of it. But that doesn’t have to be the case. There are things that people can do about it. In Chicago, since 1995, buildings with five units or more have been required by city law to contract recycling services with private haulers. While the law has not always been enforced strictly, it does give stakeholders legitimate grounds to prompt action on the property owner’s part.

So campaigning for the city to make new laws seems to be the way to go. But meanwhile for environmentally-conscious apartment dwellers who don’t mind going the extra mile, here are two tips for recycling: firstly, recyclables may be collected and taken to one of the seven City of Houston drop-off locations. Secondly (and probably even better), Habitat for Humanity has offered to pick up recycling in area apartments. We can contact them to figure out area-specific arrangements.

 

HOME/OFFICE

Vampire energy

One way to be eco-friendly at home is to conserve energy and avoid “energy vampires.” These are devices or chargers that are left plugged into an electrical outlet when they are not being used. They are named “vampires” because they continue to suck energy even when they are turned off. In fact, they consume enough energy annually to power up to 26 power plants! Besides wasting energy, energy vampires can also increase your electric bill by as much as 10% per month.

Shredded paper

Another way to be eco-friendly at home and in the office is to recycle paper without shredding it. It is important to remember that shredding paper significantly reduces the chance of it getting recycled. Many recycling centers do not take shredded paper because shredding the paper shortens the fibers in the paper which makes them less valuable. Shredded papers with small fibers are more likely to pass through the filters and get mixed in with other recyclables. Consider shredding only the sections of the paper that contain sensitive information and recycling the rest of it. If you must shred papers at your office in order to protect confidential information, find out if your company can find a recycler that will take shredded papers.

 

TRANSPORTATION

Public Transportation

A great alternative to driving in many cities is public transportation. Some places like Boston, New York, and Washington D.C. have robust public transportation systems that are easy and affordable to access. A little less known, is that Houston great options as well!

Personally, when I was deciding how I would get to my workplace from Sugar Land to downtown Houston, I considered many factors – cost, effort, and time. From my research, Houston’s public transportation system beat driving in all of those categories. Often, taking the bus, metro, or train is a much more affordable option, and in the case of the Houston bus system, taking the HOV lane allows commuters to bypass daily traffic…all without having to do the driving themselves.

In addition to all of these benefits, taking public transportation allows you to reduce your carbon footprint. While it is easy to think this is the least important benefit of the four, it results in the greatest impact.

 

Cars

Sometimes, public transportation just isn’t available and one has no choice but to drive. But don’t think there aren’t ways to make driving as eco-friendly as possible. Even if one has an old car that gets terrible gas mileage, he or she can still optimize its fuel efficiency. Making sure one’s car is well tuned can go a long way in having the car use less gas. Additionally, removing excess weight from the car can have the same effect. And of course, if at all possible, having one car on the road is a much better scenario than having five cars on the road; carpool!

 

 

REFLECTION AND CONCLUSION

Over Google+ hangout sessions, each of us were able to share the ideas we had to become more eco-conscious in our respective cities. Since we are living as young professionals this summer, we were able to exchange realistic tips on how to become more an eco-friendly citizen in a practical and applicable manner. We discovered than even within our common interest group, we brought different ideas to the discussion that stemmed from the unique environments we live and work, ranging from transportation options to responsible electricity use.

Being able to meet “face-to-face” with one another, at least virtually, provided a much more enriching discussion versus if we had each just read facts off a website. Through discussion, we were able to engage in more critical thinking about the applications of the points brought up and encourage one another through our personal advocacy concerning the environment.

 

 

*****

Activity 2: Participate in one event that aids in the cleaning up or beautification of the natural environment by picking up waste.

A Brighter Future believes that each of us, regardless of where we are, can make a difference in our community by just changing small things around us. That said, each city has a unique landscape – in both the physical and figurative sense. The areas where intervention would be most needed or beneficial vary based on locations. For our second activity, therefore, we decided to go into our neighborhoods and try cleaning up parts of them. Through exploring our surroundings, we hope to achieve two things: firstly, make physical contribution to the environment by enhancing its appearance; secondly, identify the specific characteristics of our communities for more effective planning in the future.

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Evan

This activity was particularly rewarding to me because I was able to share it with two of my co-workers. I work a second job the weekend at a golf course and after work we walked down the street to a nature preserve to complete the activity. What we found is that since the preserve is on the water, a large amount of trash had washed up from the water onto the shore. This amazed me because it showed that even an area meant to showcase natural beauty was affected by improper disposal of waste. Even though we only picked up what was probably a small fraction of the trash in the preserve, the three of us were able to bond over the cause of environmental sustainability and learn that everywhere is affected by a disregard for the earth.

 

Chris

When we think of premier beaches, Galveston is usually last on the list. Regardless of the color of the water, the beaches are often filled with trash that washes up on shore, or trash that is tossed aside by tourists. When my friends and I made a trip to Galveston, I thought it would be a great idea to do our part and help keep the beach clean. It didn’t take much to make a significant impact — if everyone at the beach simply left the area they set up in better than they found it, the entire beach would be clean in no time. We decided to take that a step further and spent a good amount of time walking around the area, picking up any trash we found. I’m pretty sure that after our efforts Galveston jumped a few spots on the “Best Beaches to Visit this Summer” list on BuzzFeed.

 

Suzanne

This activity really brought to my attention how much neglected trash is found in the street. Each person that leaves behind some trash probably does not think they’re making any kind of impact on their surroundings. Especially along the roads of Cambridge, I noticed how much of the trash was food packaging. Things like drink containers and empty containers littered the sidewalks. A busy city like Boston is full of people on-the-go who are popping into these food establishments for a quick bite on their daily commute. That makes it all the more common for rushed people to accidentally drop trash or to not pause to take the time to clean up their mess and leave litter behind. I think it would make a noticeable impact on the environment and waste if restaurants were to be more conscious about their packaging. I have seen a couple restaurants in the Boston area who have sustainable, minimal food containers and think this would be a great trend to spread around the neighborhood, especially to popular chain establishments like Au Bon Pain and Dunkin Donuts.

 

Lori

One day after work, I decided to explore near the house I’m staying in for the summer and clean it up at the same time. As I walked through my neighborhood and its surrounding areas, I threw away any trash I found on the ground and collected anything that could be recycled for proper disposal. I walked past bus stops, a gas station, and restaurants before looping back to the park down the street. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was little trash for me to collect in the residential areas. The streets and the park was kept relatively clean with only a few water bottles for me to collect and recycle. I had to work harder in the more commercial areas, like the gas station. From this, I’ve realized that people have a tendency to keep the areas near their homes clean, but they don’t have the same mentality when they’re in other places, where they think it’s not their responsibility. It only takes a little bit of effort to pick up after ourselves when we’re not at home. If we could get more people thinking this way, then we could reduce a lot of the littering in our cities.

 

Aaron

During my time here in the George Washington University dorms, I realize one thing: people often forget to turn off their air conditioners when they are not in the room. Often, they’re so rushed to get to work in the morning that turning off their air conditioners is the last thing on their minds. Air conditioners end up running throughout the day, wasting energy for no one to enjoy. Not only do air conditioners use up an enormous amount of electricity, they are sizable contributors to the global greenhouse gas emissions, releasing more than 100 million tons of CO2 every year. Because of this, Sean and I decide to print out mini-slips of reminders saying, “if you can, try to turn off your air conditioner or turn it to low when you are not in your room! Thanks!” and distribute them to people’s doorsteps. Even though the effort is local and only targets the George Washington University residents, I feel like any work to reduce carbon footprint and “clean up” our atmosphere is important. It’s surprising how something so small (like turning off your AC) can really benefit our environment and slow the speed of global warming.

 

Sean

Education is a crucial tool for promoting sustainability at the local level. More often than not, people are unaware of the negative impact their routine behaviors have on the environment and how simple changes to those patterns can help fight climate change. So when Aaron told me of his idea to spread the word to our fellow residents at George Washington University of how much an impact air conditioners have on the atmosphere, I was all aboard for teaming up. While it was good to know that we were helping with educating the public on this important topic, the most difficult thing with the service is not knowing about accountability. It is beyond our ability to determine if others acted upon the information shared with them, something which was frustrating. Nonetheless simply sharing these facts with others causes them to pause and think critically on how habits can truly affect the environment.

 

Amber

Last Saturday night, I participated in Night Nation Run – “The World’s First Running Music Festival”. I went for fun and roommate bonding, but it turned out to also be an interesting occasion for clean-up activity and reflection. On top of the laser lights and music, glow sticks were handed out to runners to enhance the party scene. However, as soon as people started running, the loosely attached glow stick “necklaces” fell off. Most of them didn’t bother stopping abruptly just to pick the sticks up, so there were a number of them lying, dimly illuminant, on the ground. Recognizing that running is not our passion, my friend and I devoted our attention to spotting and collecting these little tubes of brightness. As I accumulated more and more (so many that my hands could barely hold them), I started thinking – how long must it take for event volunteers to pick these all up? The moment they dropped, these sticks became trash. Did littering become okay just because it was an event that people paid for and expected the organizing committee to take care of? More importantly – or relevant to our common interest – did I think about the environmental costs for this one night of excitement? I mean the answer is yes; I’ve heard bad things about the chemicals used in glow sticks, but when I signed up for the 5K I decided (consciously or unconsciously) that it is not as important as my relationship with friends. But doubt of that judgment began to really haunt me when one of the sticks leaked and covered my hand with a pungent gleaming liquid. Until now my feeling about the experience is still mixed. I definitely wouldn’t say I regretted going, but I don’t know what I will do if a similar occasion arises. On the brighter side, this activity showed me how environmental concerns can interact or even conflict with other aspects of life in quite troubling ways.

 

 

 

 

REFLECTION THREE:

Blog Post #3 – Due July 17

 

Activity 3: Engage two-three people at your placement/geographical region in a dialogue about renewable energy/use of plastics/environmental topic

 

For our third and final activity as a group we decided put the focus on those outside of the group. Our goal for this activity was to engage two to three people outside of the group in a dialogue about environmental sustainability. From these conversations, we were then tasked with following up with the people each of us originally engaged to provide them with at least two methods of advancing environmental sustainability in everyday life. This activity directly builds off of our first activity as the research we initially completed served as the primary method for developing suggestions.

 

Below are the individual reflections of individual members as well as a summary of common themes the group identified in completing this activity. Our hope is that readers will be able    to identify with both individual stories but also the larger theme of environmental sustainability.

 

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Chris

Spending a month working in a company that focuses on renewable energy made me think a lot about the impact office culture has on its employees. From experience, the years I’ve spent at a high school and college that promote sustainable living has caused me to re-evaluate my daily practices. I have no doubt in my mind that an office oriented toward that goal would achieve the same result with its employees.

I noticed that a lot of my co-workers exemplify an environmental lifestyle — they take public transportation to work, turn off the lights in their office when they leave, and recycle whenever possible. Still, there were less sustainable practices that I noticed and wanted to focus on, specifically the use of plastic water bottles in the work place. To get some perspective on this issue, I had a conversation with three co-workers to hear what practices they use, and what they think about the situation.

What I found was very reassuring. All three co-workers drank water from reusable bottles rather than plastic bottles while at work. They were also very conscientious about using plastic water bottles at home, opting to drink from the tap whenever possible. Plastic bottles were only used stocking up on them was necessary (during hurricane season), or when they wanted to provide a convenience for guests who were visiting their house.

The recommendations I would make to my co-workers are to communicate this way of thinking to their friends and family, and to promote reusable bottles whenever they see an employee take a plastic one from the fridge. Like my experience in high school and college, seeing those around you live sustainably is the easiest way to get involved yourself.

 

Aaron

After working for the EPA for about a month and a half, I had been exposed to many environmental issues, though not the conventional ones that people would usually think about, such as recycling, water conservation, and use of plastics. The environmental issues that I had encountered were issues with a more macro scope, such as children’s health protection, mercury disposal clean up, and air quality monitoring. Because of this, I was really interested to see the micro efforts that people at EPA were making to protect the environment and decided to speak with Rakhi, the South Asia desk manager at the Office of International and Tribal Affairs about her efforts.

What I found from talking with her was encouraging. Not only was she helping developing countries access the resources necessary to clean up their environment, she was using reusable water bottles, printing with scratch papers, and packing her own lunches to avoid plastic containers from stores. She would avoid using paper towels after washing her hands, turn off lights whenever she could, and pick up trash in the office when she would see them. She was in fact more environmentally friendly than I was, though I was able to talk to her about air conditioner use and how much carbon footprint one air conditioner could leave behind. I was happy that I brought up that topic because most of the time her family would just leave the air conditioner on auto and would let it run even though no one would be at home. I also talked to her about how fans were much more energy efficient and just as effective when there would only be one person at home.

Another person that I talked to was my friend Jocelyn from the George Washington University dorms and I was able to communicate with her on simple actions she could take to protect the environment. Like Rakhi, she was using reusable water bottles and packing her own lunches to avoid plastic containers. In addition, she would bring her own bag to get groceries to avoid plastic bags. On top of her many great environmental habits, I was able to share some information about sustainable dining habits. I talked to her about the harmful effects of food waste and styrofoams on the environment because she would often buy too much fresh groceries and use cheap styrofoam plates and bowls. I was also able to talk to her about the air conditioner issue and the proper way to recycle water bottles when she would have to use them.

The exercise was rewarding for me because not only was I able to share environmental information with others but I also learned so much from them. I would usually buy my lunches and would see it as a necessary evil because I thought the container usage was out of my control. Now, I hope to try and pack my own lunches so that I would not use as much plastic materials.

 

Sean

           From the myriad of sustainability topics I could address, I chose to focus myself on the question of water. This polar molecular features a novel set of properties that make it a universal solvent and essential to life. My experience as a chemical engineer, and by extension my inherent love of chemistry, has left me with a rather microscopic perspective on H₂O. By looking at water sustainability, I forced myself beyond my comfort zone to start looking at water at a macroscopic level, as a resource being used and depleted at a global level. Rather than being a compound whose properties enable a lot of chemistry to take place, I now viewed water as part of a larger system.

Working in the Geoscience Directorate at the National Science Foundation provided for me the opportunity to speak with my co-workers who look at water at this greater scale. Many of them have even dedicated their scientific endeavors to the study of water, leaving them far more knowledgeable about the topic than I could ever hope to be. While this certainly was an obstacle, I had to conquer my fear of not knowing enough to properly provide advice to my co-workers. I figured that I should maintain an open mind in the conversations I pursued, that they were not only learning opportunities for my co-workers but also for me. At the very least, it would be an excellent chance to start seeing how much they were willing to put into practice what they knew so much about.

Based on certain habits or behaviors of my co-workers, I was able to pinpoint ways they might be smarter about water use. For example, when speaking to a hydrologist he cited that watering one’s lawn on a daily basis puts a large, and rather unnecessary, strain on water resources. Brainstorming ways to circumvent this, we came up with the idea of collecting rainwater during storms in a vessel to be stored and used later on for watering plants. I believe both myself and the individuals I conversed with over the course of the last few days found it a very constructive conversation which went beyond the simple dispensing of basic environmental advice. Rather than myself taking the lead on telling people how to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle, we worked together to determine ways each of us could improve. Overall I found myself learning as much, if not more, from my co-workers as they did from me.

Oddly enough, one point I found myself reiterating in all three conversations mirrored the work A Brighter Future did when we engaged in our first project. Two of the three people I spoke to made use of disposable plastic water bottles, which ironically consume additional water than what they carry while being manufactured. This allowed me to make use of past knowledge acquired throughout the course of my time with A Brighter Future and convert more people to drinking reusable water bottles.

Of all three conversations, I found the most fruitful to be with my co-worker Jay. He is from Southern California which has been ravaged by drought in recent years. As a result, water sustainability has defined most of his life while back at home. I found myself learning several techniques, from taking quick showers to avoiding washing one’s car, that I could make use of. However we began discussing the need for people to be aware of not only their actions at impact sustainability at local level but also the bigger picture. Specifically, he cited the example of the excessive water use in California for crops that aren’t native to the climate there. I encouraged him to take action on that bit of knowledge, to not only advocate against companies engaging in this practice but to have others do the same. Rather than thinking at the local scale, Jay and I began discussing how we might have an even larger impact on advocating sustainability. We discussed higher level actions that we both could take to not only get ourselves involved with sustainability, but to also get others involved with promoting sustainability of water

 

Evan

The primary focus of my conversations with coworkers was on the use of non-renewable containers. I had already figured out through observation what the practices were of the people I talked to, my mission in engaging them was to find out the reasons behind these practices.

What I have observed in the seven weeks I have been in my internship is that almost everyone is content to use nonrenewable containers. This practice is put in place for almost everything: water, coffee, tea, and even food. This baffled me because it takes very little effort to own a water bottle, coffee mug, or bowl. However, I discovered from my conversations that it is even easier to use nonrenewable containers, especially when they are provided to you. Both people I talked with shared the common idea that there was simply no incentive to use bring in something like a coffee mug when paper coffee cups are readily available right next to the coffee maker. Even in the cafeteria where ceramic plates and bowls are readily available most people opt to use the single use plastic containers because it is easier to just “throw everything away.”

Coming up with a recommendation for both of these people (and the whole office) was more difficult than I thought. They weren’t the ones that made it so easy to use nonrenewable containers, they were just taking advantage of a situation they seemingly had no control over. Both people did understand the idea that they should use reusable containers but it is difficult to get people do change their behavior based on altruism alone. I wanted to give a recommendation that would aid in changing the office environment to one in which the only sensible option would be to use reusable containers.

My recommendation was a difficult one; be the example. For some things to change it does take a few people to act out of altruism so that others don’t have to. By setting an example and consciously choosing to exert a minimally extra amount of effort others will take notice. If enough people choose to not use nonrenewable containers they will be taken away and the “easy-out” environment will be changed to one where it doesn’t make sense to not use reusable containers.

 

Lori

Since my internship project is related to sustainability, I already spend most of my day discussing sustainability topics. However, I usually talk with my coworkers about how the company is being sustainable or what the company could do to be more sustainable. In the past week, I decided to discuss with three of them on how we could personally be more sustainable at home and in the workplace.

A great thing about the office I work in is that they have a refrigerator always fully stocked with various drinks for guests and employees. While I do enjoy this privilege, I have noticed that an entire shelf of the fridge is stocked with water bottles, and it is almost always empty by the end of the day. I brought up my observation in my conversations with my coworkers and found that most of them grabbed water bottles from the fridge for convenience rather than bringing their own bottle to fill up. In fact, one of them did not even realize that there was a place to fill up our water bottles.

I also wanted to tie in what I learned in my research from our first activity about “energy vampires.” These are devices or chargers that are left plugged into an electrical outlet when they are not being used. I found this especially interesting since it’s a habit that I was guilty of (until I learned about their impact). When I had my discussions with my coworkers, all of them realized that they also left chargers for their phones and other devices plugged into outlets even while they were not using them.

From my conversations with my coworkers, we were able to discuss different ways to be sustainable in our personal lives since we spend so much time talking about how to make the company more sustainable. Based on what we discussed, I was able to give them recommendations on how to reduce their impact on the environment in their everyday lives.

 

Suzanne

This activity was a challenge for me since I work at such a small company focused on medical devices, nowhere near the space of environmental sustainability. Thus, I really had to focus on those around me to pursue these conversations about environmental practices.

I first engaged my mentor in conversation when he asked what I loved about Boston. I noted that was the environmental consciousness here was so much more prominent than in Houston. I shared how fantastic I thought the public transportation here was, and he agreed as he also took it to work most of the time. In addition, I noted how Bostonians just seemed more “active” than the average person in Houston than just drives everywhere. We both wear FitBits, so we also discussed how the Boston culture of walking around to get to places ensured that meeting our daily goal of 10,000 steps was guaranteed. As a result of our conversation, I hope than he was able to appreciate the sustainability culture of Boston more and really take advantage of it since it isn’t accessible all around the country.

Over a sushi dinner, I conversed with my roommate about jobs we had as high school students, and I talked my experience as a checker and bagger at a grocery store. This naturally transitioned to a discussion about the use of plastic bags and the things I noticed when I held that job. I told her of my experiences with people who would be extremely particular about their groceries, such as asking for everything bagged separately or double-bagged. It astounded how casual these people were with using so much plastic and being so wasteful! I advocated for the use of reusable bags from the perspective of someone who bagged customer’s groceries. I informed her than they were much more sturdy and easier to carry as compared to plastic bags, so they were beneficial to the customer, the store, and the environment all at once. She seemed surprised at just how wasteful it is to use plastic bags, and I hope these things I shared with her will be remembered next time she goes to the grocery store!

Something I did notice when talking to my mentor and my roommate was that people here in Boston are much more open to discussing sustainability and more aware of it than Houstonians. It is possible that it is the large college population in Boston that brings in these ideas of being environmentally friendly, or it could be than Houston hosts an oil and gas based economy. After living here for a summer, I wish the environmental practices of the Bostonian culture could be brought into more areas of Texas.

 

Amber

To be honest, I had a much harder time completing this activity than previous ones. What I’ve come to realize is that while I am willing to spend time thinking and even writing about environmental issues, asserting my views requires a confidence that I’m still developing. I’m also not used to initiating conversations with an agenda in mind, so most of the time I would just try to steer the direction towards sustainability by asking related questions.

The first conversation I had began with some discussion about morning coffee. My supervisor at the marketing department noted how her espresso machine brought much convenient to her life. I thought about the environmental impact since it involves using pre-packaged coffee cups, but before I could articulate it she confessed that she was aware of the problems and just had to live with it. It was a good reminder that sometimes, it’s not that people don’t care about environmental issues, but that there are more important things to care about. Rather than trying to shift her priorities, I decided to seek “compensation” in other areas of her life. I noted that she was quite environmentally friendly in other regards, bringing her own mug for coffee and container for lunch, so I encouraged her to continue these practices.

My second conversation was quite educational to me personally. Since I did some research on the environmental impact of eating meat for the first activity, I have been quite conscious about the food that I prepare. One day when we’re all having lunch in the lobby I asked my co-workers what they are having. Katie, who had salad, made a point about cherishing her vegan diet “while she still can”. I inquired further and realized that’s because she will be travelling to Latin America for a project, where it is hard to avoid animal products. She explained how our bodies are not designed to digest animal protein and have merely been conditioned to do so, which means her diet actually restores her body to its natural state. I was determined to observe and ask about the food that she eats after she returns.

Lastly, I had a spontaneous conversation with this Taiwanese lady in my discipleship group at church about menstrual products. Probably not the most spiritual topic to discuss. To preface it a little bit, I have been experimenting with a reusable menstrual cup, which supposedly produces much less waste than pads or tampons (in fact zero waste) and is less harmful for the body. I shared with the group my frustration at not being able to insert the cup, despite many trials. The lady was initially very confused as to what it is and why I was doing it. As I gave my reasons, she gasped and said, “you are doing this for environmental reasons?” I was slightly embarrassed as I thought most people would see this as a legitimate cause, so on top of defending sustainability concerns I added that it’s better for my body. While I don’t think I convinced her to switch to menstrual cup, I have at least made her aware of some alternatives to pads and tampons. This is particularly significant because in Chinese culture, such private matters tend not to be talked about openly.

While I still need to be bolder about initiating conversations about sustainability, I think an advantage of my approach was that I could really address issues pertinent to people’s day to day lives – issues that would occur to them to bring up. I also thought more about how to convince people by appealing to their other concerns – efficiency and health, for example – and not just sustainability. The good news is a lot of sustainable practices are actually beneficial from multiple perspectives. It is often just a matter of conceptualization and phrasing.

 

Conclusion

All of us were able to successfully engage people in our work setting or larger geographical region about environmental sustainability. In addition, we were all met with positive responses as the people we talked with agreed with the points we made. By being an advocate for environmental sustainability and bringing the topics to the forefront of people’s minds, we really can make a difference in the community around us. As a result of just a few minutes of conversation, people may make a significant change in their behavior for life which accumulates to be a sizable reduction in each individual’s impact on the environment.