Energy conservation

Emission Reduction Program Grew State Economies

Some often assert that environmental regulations hurt the economy. A new study shows another case where the opposite was true. The numbers are in for the nine states that have been participating in the RGGI, or Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. After ten years of the program, the Acadia Center released a report that reveals Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont have seen significant both environmental and economic improvements. This is a signal that regional efforts among states and cities can be powerful drivers of change, and it also disproves the old line that “going green” would be too expensive and harm the economy.

Reduced Carbon Emissions

  • RGGI states have reduced their CO2 emissions from 133 million tons of CO2 in 2008 when the program began to 70 million tons in 2018.
  • Power Plants in RGGI states reduced CO2 emissions by 47%, which beat out the rest of the country by 90%.

Electricity Prices Fell

  • Not only did carbon emissions fall, so did these states’ electricity prices.
  • Electricity rates in RGGI states came down by 5.7%, while the rest of the country’s rates increased by 8.6%.

The Economy Benefited

  • The GDPs of these states actually grew by 47%, 30% more growth than the rest of the country.
  • Reducing air pollution from burning fossil fuels generated “…over $5.7 billion in health and productivity benefits.”

A decade of data from nine states provides solid environmental, health, and economic reasons to shift to a greener economy. They’ve also done the heavy lifting of designing and troubleshooting policy and programs that work, which the rest of the country should be able to copy and tweak. 

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Going Green for Back to School

Going back to school can be a stressful time. With expensive supply lists and hectic schedules, the first thing on most people’s mind is not the environment. There are easy ways to be green and also save some money this coming school year.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

See if any schoolwork can be done paperless, and for items that have to be printed try to print double sided. Check if there are any school supplies from last year that can be reused, and when purchasing more supplies look for items made from recycled content. For textbooks and reading, check if anyone that has taken the class before has old books you can use, or check the library. Many libraries now offer an option to borrow e-books, check with your local library to see what’s available. 

Environmentally Friendly Lunches

When we’re in a rush, it’s easy to throw things in sandwich bags or to rely on individually packaged snacks. Get ready for the packed-lunch season with reusable containers, and consider foods that don’t need to be packaged like apples. You can also buy some things in bulk to save money, and pack them in reusable Tupperware as you need them. Lunch meat is a common lunch staple; consider going meat-free for lunch, or cutting out red meat like beef, to reduce your carbon footprint. You can also take refillable water bottles, rather than plastic ones.

Take the Bus, or Carpool

Try to catch the school bus for the most efficient way to get to school, or consider if biking or walking in is an option. When the bus isn’t an option, see if you can arrange a neighborhood carpool. You can do the same for extracurricular activities to save on gas and time.

Buy Outfits Second Hand

Maybe your kid has outgrown their wardrobe, or some pieces just need replaced. Many “fast fashion” stores run sales for the fall rush, but clothing production has a high environmental cost: “Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of clean water globally, after agriculture.”  Before you buy consider if the purchase is necessary, and if it is see about buying a second hand or thrifted item instead.

Be Green, Save Green

School can be expensive, especially during the back to school rush. Making the above changes is not only good for the environment, it will save you money too.

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The Amazon Rainforest is Burning: What We Can do to Help

Fires in the Amazon Rainforest have gotten a lot of media coverage over the past several weeks. Some amount of forest fires are normal, but there was an 84% increase from this time in 2018, and the increase seems to be largely human driven. The issues feeding into the Amazon Rainforest fires are complicated, but there are still actions you can take to help.

Donate

One easy action is to donate to a conservation organization such as The Rainforest Action Network or The Rainforest Trust. If you are short on cash, there are also petitions you can sign onto to investigate the cause of the burns and hold them accountable.

Eat Chicken Instead of Beef

We’ve touched on this one before – not only are other meats more sustainable than beef, (beef production emits five times more greenhouse gases than other meats like chicken.)  It also takes twenty eight times more land. A leading cause of the deforestation that feeds into these fires is clearing land to raise cattle. 

Watch Your Paper Products

Another driver of deforestation is logging for paper products. Of course, we’ve all heard to “reduce, reuse, recycle,” but for those things that you can’t reuse, first check to see if it’s made from recycled materials.  This helps drive the demand for recycled, rather than virgin, paper. If that’s not possible, check for FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or Rainforest Alliance Certification on products to make sure they were ethically and sustainable produced.

Why We Need the Rainforests

Rainforests are a critical resource; they produce 20% of Earth’s oxygen, and have historically been an important sink for greenhouse gases. However, due to deforestation and a “thinning” of the forests, tropical forests have actually become a source of carbon rather than a sink. The good news is that this is reversible, and the first step to restoring and protecting the rainforests is awareness.

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Commuting for the Climate

Anyone who’s had to sit in rush hour traffic, or cram themselves onto public transportation, knows the pain of commuting. And it’s a big source of pollution – in 2014, the US transportation sector emitted 1,786 million metric tons of CO2, with over 85% of commuters traveling by car. Luckily, the tides seem to be turning, and there are more choices you can make to reduce your commute’s carbon footprint.

More People are Working Remotely

There’s no better way to reduce your commuting carbon footprint than to just eliminate your commute. The rise in technology has allowed more people to work remotely. According to a study from Zug, 70% of professionals work remotely at least some of the time, and 53% work remotely more than half the week. There are real benefits to this – besides reducing greenhouse gas emissions, higher productivity and/or satisfaction can result from less time spent commuting. In addition, more remote workers also means less strain on public transit and roads. State governments are pushing for this trend – in MA, governor Charlie Baker has proposed a tax credit for companies that allow employees to work remotely. Vermont also has an incentive program to attract new residents who can work remotely.

Ride Sharing and Bike Renting

Maybe the nature of your job doesn’t allow working remotely and thinking about the subway makes your blood pressure spike. Many people have turned to ride-hailing apps for their commute in recent years, but one person being driven around still has a big carbon footprint. If you can give yourself a few extra minutes, Lyft and Uber both have a carpooling option. The app will group you up with other riders heading the same way. You’ll save some money and reduce your environmental impact.

Another trend that’s been popping up is bike renting – many people ride their bikes to work, but it can be inconvenient to lug your bike around and find a place to lock it up securely. Bike sharing apps in certain cities let you check out a bike from a rack near you, and return it near your destination for someone else to use.

Of course, you can also help reduce our collective carbon footprint by joining a solar farm…

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A Toolkit to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Most people would like to be more environmentally friendly – according to Pew, 74% of Americans polled thought “the country should do whatever it takes to protect the environment,” and 55% thought the environment should be the top priority for policy in Washington. While policy is important, the environment is one area that individuals can make a big impact with their own choices. But it can be challenging to know where to start, or what changes are actually the most impactful to make. Here is a list of some great resources to get you started.

  1. Know Your Impact

The best place to start is to find out where you stand. The EPA has a calculator to find out your carbon footprint: epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator/ This is a great starting point because the calculator breaks things down by categories like transportation, housing, etc. so you’ll be able to tell what’s contributing most to your carbon footprint and where you can make adjustments for the best results.

  1. Get a Guide

The issues facing our planet are overwhelming and complicated, and sometimes the advice out there can seem contradictory. Is it better to use an old car as long as possible to avoid making a new one, or to get a hybrid or electric car to reduce gas? Should we stop shopping online to reduce packaging and shipping emissions, or is it more efficient to have things delivered to you rather than driving around for errands? There are guides out there for the consumer and lifestyle choices we make, for example “Cooler Smarter: Practical Steps for Low-Carbon Living,” published by the Union of Concerned Scientists: amzn.to/2Y0eqCj

  1. Find a Group

Joining an organization that shares your concern for the environment is a great way to stay motivated and make a difference. Sites like idealist.org will connect you to local volunteering opportunities. You can also join groups like the Sierra Club (sierraclub.org) that do meaningful work for the environment, host local events, and can connect you to more resources.

  1. Choose Clean Energy

Depending on where you live, there are many ways to choose cleaner energy. In Massachusetts and several other states, community or shared solar is a way to support clean energy locally while sharing in the financial and environmental benefits of solar. 

 

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Reducing Your Carbon “Pawprint”

Everyone loves their furry friends. What are some simple things we can do to lower their “pawprint?” The household cat or dog is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think about your carbon footprint, but producing the meat needed to feed the US’s cat and dog population puts out an estimated 64 million tons of greenhouse gas every year. There has also been a trend of heavy marketing and increased consumerism for pets; people are encouraged to treat them as a family member and services like monthly subscription boxes of toys and even caskets for pets have become trendy. Pet ownership can be done sustainably, as long as we stay mindful.

Consider What Kind of Pet to get and from where.

If you’re starting out on the path to pet ownership and haven’t decided what you want, consider a smaller pet or an herbivore. Small dogs and cats eat less than large dogs, and pets that are herbivores like rabbits or hamsters will have a lower carbon footprint than meat-eaters. If you opt for a dog or a cat, consider a “rescue” – one that needs to be adopted. Roughly six and a half million animals enter shelters each year.

Make Sure Your Pet is Fixed

This one is a good recommendation for any pet owner, even if you don’t have sustainability on your mind. Making sure that populations stay under control, and adopting rather than buying from a breeder, helps to keep the overall pet population and the resources they consume under control.

Feed Them Poultry

Eating chicken rather than red meat like beef can reduce the carbon footprint of a human by about 50%. Dogs and cats are carnivores and can’t eat plant-based diets, but you can reduce their carbon footprint by choosing less resource-intensive meats in their food. Also, watch how much you feed your pets – many in the US are overfed, which isn’t good for their health or for the planet. There’s a trend of pet owners are moving to more luxury types of foods – refrigerated meats, individually-packaged meals in disposable plastic single-use containers and the like.  Just like in our own lives, reducing the amount of packaging and energy-intensiveness is important.   

Pet Consumer Choices

Pets are becoming bigger consumers. We’re encouraged to buy everything from monthly toy and treat subscription boxes to elaborate burial services and caskets. Producing all of these things uses resources and generates carbon, so before you buy something for your pet consider if they really need it – just as we can for ourselves.

Pets in the Big Picture

Having a pet does not necessarily mean that someone’s carbon footprint is huge – the issue comes if having a pet is part of a larger consumer trend. If there’s a household with a big car, a big home, a large family and a big dog that eats beef and has similar consumer patterns to their owners, that magnifies the issue. Pet ownership is on the rise, but that may not be a bad thing for the planet. The birthrate in the US has been dropping, and 2019 marked the lowest point in 32 years. There are different reasons this could be happening; some blame the great recession and lingering economic instability. It could also be par for the course for a wealthier country. As birthrates have fallen, pet ownership has been on the rise, and it’s been suggested that many are filling their drive to nurture with “fur-babies,” which even when pampered have a lower carbon footprint than a human baby.

The bottom line when it comes to pets and the environment is to enjoy them, but keep them in mind when you’re considering your impact on the environment.

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