Paper has two sides

Upon inspecting a piece of paper recently, I wondered how did they get it so impossibly thin?  I'm talking about your standard office paper: 8.5" by 11", 20 pound, bright white.  Very flat.  Sharp edges.  Smooth surface.  Careful investigation revealed something that is often overlooked:  paper has two sides, and you can use them both!

But seriously, it can be tough to find a double-sided printer, so you'll often end up with page after page of single-sidedness.  Though I'm a big fan of doing things electronically, there are times with printing is necessary.  In those cases, and in the cases when it's not possible to print on both sides, instead of throwing away (or recycling) the paper once you're done reading it, save it for scrap paper.  I've been doing this for about 10 years now.  In fact, in my stock pile of half-used paper, I have some documents from many years ago.  Whenever I need to do some quick scratching, I pull out one of these babies and use the unloved side.  Once the paper is completely filled, I toss it in the bin for recycling.

Another thought here is to force your printer to double-side.  Well, maybe force isn't the right word.  How about trick?  This takes some experimenting.  It works by printing all of the odd (or even) pages.  This can be found in the printer settings.  Once printed, put the pages back in the paper tray.  You got to figure out the correct orientation.  Then print all of the even pages (or odd if you did even first).  And viola!  Double-sided.

Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Lightmatter_paperwork.jpg

Rethinking sustainable design

People have often criticized me (rather, attacked me) in regards to sustainability and free enterprise. Take, for example, oil. If we all stopped driving and embraced solar energy and foot-power, what would happen to the employees of oil companies? They'd be out of jobs and a major pillar of our economy would collapse. Valid point. One rebuttal is the idea of adaption. Companies that have proven to be successful are able to adapt the changing times. They are willing to embrace new concepts and implement them.

Adaption and evolution of companies is the central idea in the book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. William McDonough and Michael Braungart suggest that we can maintain our current lifestyle with no ill consequences, given a little ingenuity. The book revolves around encouraging companies to consider the entire life of a product, from conception to consumer use to disposal to rebirth. They provide many tangible examples of companies that have embraced sustainable techniques, helped improve the environment, and saved money. One example is the waste water of a textile company. Initially, they were heavily polluting the surrounding environment with toxic chemicals from their dying process. After some careful thought and upgrades, their waste water is now as clean as or cleaner than the water that flows into the plant.

I found the book to be particularly refreshing. McDonough and Braungart reject the idea of choosing the least harmful alternative, rather they seek to find truly good solutions. They insist that recycling as we know it now is actually a bad thing. Even the "paper" of which the book is printed is unique. I urge you to read it to find out what I'm talking about. And don't forgot some of my favorite ways to get books!

Image: http://www.mcdonough.com/cradle_to_cradle.htm

Wash your hands clean of anti-bacterial soap

Antibacterial soap became quite popular within the past 10 or so years. Some people suggest that antibacterial hand soap can contribute to resistant strains of bacteria. The website of one popular brand even goes as far to state on their website:

The FDA and European Union, after extensive studies over 10 years, have concluded that there is no convincing evidence that the antibacterial ingredient used in _______ liquid soaps pose a risk to humans or to the environment by inducing or transmitting antibacterial resistance under current conditions of use. (Eu-SCCP, 2002, 2006).

A meta-study by Aiello, Larson and Levy (2007) reviewed papers from 1980 to 2006. They found two pertinent pieces of information.

• Soaps containing triclosan within the range of concentrations commonly used in the community setting... were no more effective than plain soap at preventing infectious illness symptoms and reducing bacterial levels on the hands.
• Several laboratory studies demonstrated evidence of triclosan-adapted cross-resistance to antibiotics among different species of bacteria.

As with most things, this is not a clear-cut situation. Regardless, it seems proper hand washing is best. The CDC offers tips of the best way to do it.

Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Soap_P1140887.jpg

Meat = oil

The New York Times published an article asserting that meat equals oil. While we are becoming aware of the issues surrounding fossil fuels, the meat industry poses some similar concerns.

Like oil, meat is subsidized by the federal government. Like oil, meat is subject to accelerating demand as nations become wealthier, and this, in turn, sends prices higher. Finally — like oil — meat is something people are encouraged to consume less of, as the toll exacted by industrial production increases, and becomes increasingly visible.

Here are some ideas to chew on:

• livestock production generates nearly a fifth of the world’s greenhouse gases — more than transportation
• 2.2 pounds of beef is responsible for the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the average European car every 155 miles, and burns enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for nearly 20 days
• it [routine antibiotic administration] can result in antibiotic-resistant bacteria that threaten the usefulness of medicines that treat people
• grain-fed animals, in turn, are contributing to health problems among the world’s wealthier citizens — heart disease, some types of cancer, diabetes
• as the horrors of raising meat in confinement become known, more animal lovers may start to react

And I could go on. But why don't you read the article for yourself, think carefully about it, then act. You might start acting by clicking here for your free vegetarian starter kit. There's no need to go 'cold turkey,' but each pound of meat you DON'T eat can mean big change.

Image: http://www.nytimes.com/

Visual pollution

I came across an interesting concept recently: visual pollution. A group known as Scenic America talks about it this way:

Throughout the country, our most cherished scenic resources and hometown assets are being obscured by a blizzard of monstrous billboards, badly sited telecommunications towers, a tangle of overhead lines, and a hodgepodge of visual clutter. Open space is being lost. Our natural and cultural heritage is being buried under unconstrained development and poorly designed transportation systems.
America's beauty and community character are being obliterated by a steel curtain of visual spam.

For the audio/visual learners among us, check out NY Times video on the topic.

You might be asking yourself (and rightfully so), what is this doing on a blog about sustainability? I think this is exactly the place for it. To me, visual pollution is one of the most poignant representations of America's obsession with disposable and replaceable junk. We are in the throws of a throw-away culture. While progress is human nature, we should be creating a legacy that will last generations, instead of disposing of each generations' identities.

"But what can we do?" one faithful and diligent reader asks. I suggest creating change with your dollars. Support businesses and neighborhoods that a committed to creating beautiful environments. Fast food chains and proprietors of junk (read: Wal-Mart) are, in my humble opinion, most guilty of visual pollution. Avoid them. I do.

The amazing mobile (cell) phone

A while back, I posted about using your computer for more than just computing. In that post, I discussed some of the issues of e-waste (a.k.a., unwanted electronic devices that end up in landfills or worse places). Mobile phones are another big player when it comes to e-waste. But don't just use your phone to make phone calls. Today's mobile phones do so much more. Depending on your exact model, you might be able to do the following:

1. Make phone calls (of course)


2. Take pictures


3. Record your appointments and contacts


4. Send notes to yourself


5. Listen to music


6. Watch videos and movies


7. And more

Each of these tasks could be completed by an individual electronic device. But why waste all that money? Get a good mobile phone and save yourself the hassle.

Idea #4 is one of the most interesting. I often send email reminders to myself via my cell phone. When I'm in the car and need to remember to send some thank you notes, I just type a quick message and email it to myself. If your phone is capable of sending a text message, simply send a test message to an email address (instead of a phone number). My phone is synced with all of my contacts (which includes myself), so there is no need to type in my email address. I just select it from the list. I save paper and time!

What else do you do with your phone?

Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Korean.culture-cellphone-01.jpg

Don't REcycle... FREEcycle

Though landfills are eye-sores and stink, some people are still sending perfectly good things to their final resting place prematurely. The town in which I grew up has a "free barn" at the dump. It's a place to leave items you no longer want that are still in working order. You are also welcome to take something if you like. Landfills are spared, and people often find things that they would not otherwise pay money for. This is a great idea, but it is probably unlikely that you could find a swap program like this near you... until now. FreeCycle combines this same idea with the power of the internet. By signing up for an email list in your area, you can connect with hundreds or thousands of other people willing to give and interested in receiving. Here's a little more about the program:

The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,205 groups with 4,211,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Membership is free.

So far, I have given a few things. One person flaked out on me and never showed up, but everyone else was quite reliable. I asked for a microwave, and almost immediately, a guy offered one that was nearly new, for free! I urge you to take the standard precautions before going to someone's house to get something (e.g. take a friend with you, meet in a public space). Otherwise, check it out and have fun!

Image: http://www.freecycle.org/