Greener Workplaces Can Help Us All

The movement to go green is not about individuals. It is great when you make a decision to go green in your family, but your family alone can’t make the big difference that we need as a society. What we need is every person to take the step to go green. One of the best ways to start a big movement and get everyone on board is by large companies setting the standards and showing people they are willing to make the changes needed to go green.

Large companies and corporations often set standards in society. When they start making changes they can influence individuals to change, too. This is true too of the government. When the government starts making changes, people take notice. They are more likely to make those same changes in their own home.

Changes on the Federal Level

One move that the federal government is making is a switch to federal buildings that are more environmentally friendly. Kevin Kampschroer, from the General Services Administration, is the person who is leading this change. He is hoping to help the environment and also those people who work in the federal buildings.

Kampschroer is the director for the Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings. This division of the General Services Administration is newly formed and aimed at helping Kampschroer with his green buildings mission. In 2007 Congress passed requirements for sustainable design and energy reduction for buildings. With the General Services Administration being the largest public real estate agency, it is Kampschroer’s mission to get them compliant with the regulations and to set an example for other real estate owners.

What Is Being Done

Through this new office many changes are being made. There is a project to transform the GSA’s headquarters into an environmentally friendly building. This building was built in 1918 and the renovations will be major to get it up to green standards.

The building will have extensive changes made to it. This includes an atrium that is lit with all natural light. There will also be a system installed to produce renewable energy right on site. To help reduce water consumption there will be a rain water collection system installed. New windows will also be installed that will help save energy and that include a special feature that turns off the air conditioning when the windows are opened.

In addition to all those renovations and additions there will also be vegetation planted on all rooms to help save energy. Vegetation of roofs can help to save on energy usage by keeping
buildings cooler. It also helps to reduce run off which contributes to water pollution.

Influencing Others

The hope with the GSA’s project is to influence others and start a movement in the private sector. By setting a good example about how going green can be beneficial in a variety of ways and that it is not that difficult to implement changes that allow you to convert buildings to be more environmentally friendly, Kampschroer hopes that all real estate owners will take the cue and start making changes in their buildings.

May 12, 2010 | 0 comments View Post

Green Family Projects – Compost

Many homeowners may feel that their efforts in reducing their collective household members’ carbon footprints are simply insufficient to make a positive impact on the environment. If you are one of these homeowners, don’t despair because it is possible to make a greater impact towards protecting the only planet we can live on.

The good news is that you do not even need to go far to look for these eco-friendly ways. Just go out into your backyard, look at your garden and the answer will come leaping right at you – compost! That is, if you have not adopted the methods of compost gardening yet.

As can be expected, there are many benefits to be had from making compost as your family’s next eco-friendly project. It will definitely make for a good time in terms of bonding with your children and educating them on eco-friendly issues in a more relaxed setting.

For one thing, you need not spend money on artificial fertilizers and pesticides as compost itself acts in these manners, one more than the other. Your household waste from your vegetable and fruit peelings to your own human waste – yes, we are talking about your poop – can be transformed into nutrient-rich compost.

For another thing, you are doing yourself and Mother Nature a favor by using compost in your garden. Your plants will not be exposed to chemical fertilizers and, hence, become organic produce. We all know by now the benefits of organic food.

Your soil, too, will benefit in the sense that its nutrient composition, resistance to pests, droughts and diseases as well as structure improves to significant degrees. Plus, there is also the fact that compost can hold as much as six times its own weight on water, which means that there is lesser need for irrigation.

So, how does one start making compost as a family project? Well, you have to make it a conscious decision amongst all the family members that composting will become a family activity from now on. In this way, everybody will make the conscious effort to segregate their wastes into ready-for-the-compost and ready-for-the-recycling-bin.

It will help your cause if you have already researched into the steps, tips and guidelines for making compost. Generally speaking, you should not place dairy products and meat of any kind into the rotting compost as these items will attract pests like flies and rodents.

Instead, newspaper print paper, wood shavings and plant clippings, fruit and vegetable peelings are the best materials to start on your compost heap. You may purchase a compost bin for the purpose although it is also advisable to make your own compost heap out of scrap materials like wood and chicken wire.

You must also educate yourself about the things like turning time, temperature and other matters related to making good compost. And if you do, you will always have a source of fertilizers and mulch for your garden without spending money on them. Think of it as saving the planet while saving your pocket.

Indeed, compost may seem yucky to your kids. It is up to you to educate them about the black gold that Mother Nature is giving us with to nourish ourselves and protect our planet from further harm.

May 12, 2010 | 0 comments View Post

Go Green, Go Zero Waste

Reduce, reuse and recycle – this is the mantra that most of us hear when it comes to adopting the green lifestyle. These steps are all well and good because of their positive impact on lessening the wastes being dumped into landfills, waterways and the seas. But there is a better way than reducing your consumption, reusing materials and recycling wastes. Ultimately, all of these ways will mean that the wastes after the materials cannot be reused and recycled any further still end up in the dumping grounds. If you truly want to go green, then look into the zero waste principles.

What exactly is zero waste? According to its proponents, it is a philosophy promoting the ideal of very minimal to zero waste being thrown in any way. Instead, material things are used and reused almost ad infinitum, a process used in nature where nothing goes to waste and everything has its purpose in the general scheme of things. The basic principle is that new inputs can be made from old inputs using processes that are as energy-efficient and eco-friendly as possible.

Let’s take the all-too-common glass milk bottle that ultimately finds its way into the dump after being emptied of its contents. Yes, the bottle can be placed in the recycle bin in your home. The problem begins when it ends up in the landfill, contrary to your initial purpose. And so, millions more of these bottles still litter the landfill. With zero waste, however, certain measures will ensure that said milk bottle will be reused by the consumer. For example, the milk bottle has a deposit attached to it, which you can redeem at selected outlets. The returned bottle is then washed, refilled and then resold, thus, repeating the cycle.

Well, of course, there will be waste in the form of the wash water but, then again, even that can be reused after certain cleaning processes. If dirty sewage water can be made potable, then water used to clean milk bottles can be, too. But zero waste is not just applicable to homes. It can also be applied to larger organizations like businesses, schools and industries. For example, in businesses, the principles of zero waste is applicable to the elimination of solid and hazardous wastes, efforts to improve efficiency, and even reduction in wastes generated in productions operations.

Zero waste has its benefits. Otherwise, we will not be promoting it as a better alternative to the "reduce, reuse and recycle" movement. These benefits include:

Reduction   in wastes often equal reduction in operating costs. Many companies like computer   manufacturers have benefited from zero waste, with savings running into   the millions. This, in turn, leads   to sustainable operations in the long-term period.
Production   processes benefit by way of faster progress, which means greater competitiveness   in the market while lessening negative environmental impact. Even the image of being an   environmentally responsible company creates an edge in the market.
Enhanced   environmental protection is given with zero waste management in place.

Nobody said that switching to zero waste is easy. Still, it is imperative that we try because of the worsening problems related to how wantonly we burden Mother Nature with our trash. Ultimately, it is humanity that will suffer from our own disregard for the wastes we leave behind.

May 12, 2010 | 0 comments View Post
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