In recent years, the importance of sustainability and campus-greening here at Oxy has been on many people's minds. With overwhelming student support, a sustainability fund was created in order to provide funds for projects that will make Oxy more sustainable. Although student support was very high in establishing the fund, participation within the fund has not been so high. One very important reason for low participation rates is due to the structure of the fund. In order to participate, students have to fill out a form, otherwise, a donation will not be made. This is a problem because many people display what is known as status-quo bias. There have been many studies that have shown that often times people do not change options from the default settings. Therefore, something such as a sustainability fund, which has widespread campus support, may very well not receive high levels of participation simply because it is an opt-in program, requiring students to actively search and fill out the proper form. While this process is not a difficult one, students have shown, in reality, that they tend to not do it.
Students have shown that they are in favor of sustainability on campus, but they have not been given the best means available to achieve this. If the sustainability fund is structured as an opt-out fund, the participation rates of students would increase greatly. Students would still be able to opt-out if they desired, but the default option would be to participate. Furthermore, such a charge is minimal relative to the cost of attending Oxy. With total charges now above $50,000 per year, $20 represents only 0.04% of that. That is less than 1%! The gains from such a donation from a high proportion of the students would be immense. A little change in structure could make a big change on campus.
How can a campus go green if it doesn't have the green to fund it?
To make your donation, visit: http://www.oxy.edu/x8314.xml and click on the "Support the Renewable Energy & Sustainability Fund" link.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Campus Promotion
I agree with Adam and would like to build upon his idea. Before we can expect anyone to change the way they live, I think it’s important to educate them about how those changes can have a positive effect on not just their lives, but the school as a whole. In order to make the changes required to make Oxy a greener school, we need to do more promotion. However, I’m not sure that mass email is the most effective way to do it. I know a lot of kids that rarely read the Oxy Digest, so I don’t know if that will reach as many people as other mediums. Using recycled materials, we can put posters up around The Cooler, little placards on The Marketplace tables, or even provide information in the Oxy Weekly. If we can provide information to people in highly populated areas such as the Marketplace and Cooler, or a highly read publication like the Weekly, I think it will have more of an impact. Also, I think that the information that we provide should be more geared towards why we should care about making Oxy green. I remember my sophomore year, in the 246 version of this class, Prof. Vallianatos was able to translate some of the raw numbers that reflected Oxy’s carbon footprint, water waste, etc., to a level that the average student could understand. Instead of just stating the numbers, we should build on this and compare these raw numbers to real world, everyday things that students can comprehend and relate to. People love fun facts like those and if we were able to display some of those facts around campus, I think people might respond. Before we can expect the campus to get behind any of our potential projects, it’s important to show that they are necessary in the first place. In addition, we should try to estimate the potential effects that these projects will have on reducing these numbers. If we can show students that our projects will actually work, maybe we can get more people to participate in them.
Harvesting the Power of Rain
In 2006, my first year at OXY, it rained 2 days the entire school year. In just the first month of 2010, however, Los Angeles has accumulated 4.8 inches of rain, well above the average of 3.1. Typical conversation among Los Angelenos would have you believe that this rain was the Second Coming, but this is far from the truth. Largely due to the impermeability of Los Angeles's ground surfaces, a very small percentage of rainfall in Los Angeles is actually useful.
A new proposed law to go into effect in 2011 would require the use of several different methods to capture, reuse or redirect runoff from rainstorms. One of the main reasons rain water never has the chance to replenish the groundwater supply is that it lands on concrete and pavement, then rushes straight into storm drains that lead to the ocean. Not only will the new ordinance help to recycle our planet's most precious resource, it will also help to keep polluted urban water out of our increasingly acidic seas. The Board of Public Works Commissioner Paula Daniels, explained that the new requirements would "prevent over 104 million gallons of polluted urban runoff from ending up in the ocean".
In addition to encouraging the use of rain storage tanks, builders would be required to use other low-cost and sensible water management methods; these include simple measures, like diverting rainfall to gardens and permeable pavement. Any builders who are unable to manage 100% of a project's runoff on-site would be required to pay a penalty of $13 a gallon for the water that is not safely redirected.
Power of information
Of the many obstacles in the way of creating a more environmentally sustainable campus, none has as great an impact and is more widespread than laziness. The list of wasted resources due to lethargy and lack of interest is enormous. People leave electronics on when they are not using them. Food is half eaten and then discarded in the trash amongst other reusable products that should not end up in a landfill. Most people, including myself, don’t have the time, energy, awareness, or concern to make the more green choices and actions. Unfortunately, one of the most difficult things in life is to change people’s behavior.
Simple messages informing students how to sustainably go about their life without making many changes could have a huge impact on the “greenness” of our campus. For example, at the oxy store, the advantages of green products should be prominently displayed. Directions informing people how to print double sided papers should be posted by both computers and printers. In parking lots, signs can be displayed that inform drivers of how much gas is expended every time they start their cars. These are just a few examples of ways to inform the student body of ways they can make a difference without going out of their way too much to do so. And hopefully, over the course of time, people will adopt these habits on their own.
Not only should people be more aware of facts about green habits, but people need to know about ways the can get more deeply involved in the sustainable effort on campus. The most effective way to do this would be through email. For example, I don’t really know how to go about volunteering for the UEPI garden or any other campus efforts to green the school. The various organizations that support this movement could send out emails informing students of new events and activities that are fun ways to help the environment. And these emails don’t just have to go to UEP majors, but to the whole student body either through the Oxy Digest or as a mass email. Plus, who doesn’t like to get email?
While there has been an effort to do all of these things, I am skeptical as to how effectively this strategy is being done. Most of my friends haven’t even heard of any of UEPI’s efforts to green the campus. There are simple shock-value statistics that if they were wider known, could help change behavior. I think if we collectively spread information a little more, it can start to make a real difference for the college.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The Cold Trap
Kris Potts seems like an average college student, but his dorm room is far from ordinary. Upon entering, sights of welding torches, cut up refrigerators, and various other contraptions ensnare the curious mind and leave you searching for the method behind the madness. Kris, an Oxy freshman, has created an invention that may someday put a serious dent in the problem of global climate change. His new Cold Trap, is a slight modification on the classic dorm room mini-fridge which will save energy without changing students’ lifestyles. Instead of the door opening like normal, the door of the Cold Trap opens down, like a dishwasher with two pieces of cloth attached to each side of the door, which fold out as you open it.
When you open up a normal mini-fridge, since cool air sinks, the air in the fridge flows out into your room and some of the warmer air in your room flows into the fridge. When you then close the door, the cooling unit has to work more to get the temperature back down to the desired level. If you use a Cold Trap then the dishwasher-like door and side clothes keep the cool air from flowing out of the unit. Kris and his project partner Grey Kammerer have tested a mini-fridge by opening it every 5 minutes for 15 seconds and after one hour of testing, the same fridge with his modifications used 0.095 fewer KWH. This number is not all that staggering, but when extrapolated to a whole year, each dorm room mini-fridge will save about 34.6 KWH, approximately $5 at current energy prices. This is not a big number, but we are not yet talking about big refrigerators or large quantities of refrigerators. If he were to modify every mini-fridge on campus, in roughly 600 rooms, and each saved $5, the school could save $3,000 a year at current prices. There is potential for a significant impact on energy efficiency when this same concept is applied to large home refrigerators, fast food freezers, and coffee shop refrigerators (which are opened every time someone gets milk or ice in a drink).
The great thing about Kris’ idea is that you don’t need to buy a new refrigerator, because he can modify practically any make of mini-fridge out there. He charges $5 for modifications to a dorm room fridge, and you can choose any color fabric for the sides. He soon plans on talking to local restaurateurs about allowing him to make some modifications on their freezers and fridges. He also hopes to have invented a browsing friendly refrigerator with a clear plexiglass front to allow you to see inside without having to open up the unit. A long journey to energy efficiency begins with a single step in the right direction.
When you open up a normal mini-fridge, since cool air sinks, the air in the fridge flows out into your room and some of the warmer air in your room flows into the fridge. When you then close the door, the cooling unit has to work more to get the temperature back down to the desired level. If you use a Cold Trap then the dishwasher-like door and side clothes keep the cool air from flowing out of the unit. Kris and his project partner Grey Kammerer have tested a mini-fridge by opening it every 5 minutes for 15 seconds and after one hour of testing, the same fridge with his modifications used 0.095 fewer KWH. This number is not all that staggering, but when extrapolated to a whole year, each dorm room mini-fridge will save about 34.6 KWH, approximately $5 at current energy prices. This is not a big number, but we are not yet talking about big refrigerators or large quantities of refrigerators. If he were to modify every mini-fridge on campus, in roughly 600 rooms, and each saved $5, the school could save $3,000 a year at current prices. There is potential for a significant impact on energy efficiency when this same concept is applied to large home refrigerators, fast food freezers, and coffee shop refrigerators (which are opened every time someone gets milk or ice in a drink).
The great thing about Kris’ idea is that you don’t need to buy a new refrigerator, because he can modify practically any make of mini-fridge out there. He charges $5 for modifications to a dorm room fridge, and you can choose any color fabric for the sides. He soon plans on talking to local restaurateurs about allowing him to make some modifications on their freezers and fridges. He also hopes to have invented a browsing friendly refrigerator with a clear plexiglass front to allow you to see inside without having to open up the unit. A long journey to energy efficiency begins with a single step in the right direction.
Bike-day= car-free day?
Something cool I found when doing some research on transportation in Los Angeles. The idea is that individuals are the ones to take the initiative on getting things done with the city. The guy the article talks about is named Vinay Jayaswal, from India. He talks about thinking globally and acting individually. His main concerns, namely in India, are the environment, sanitation, and health within individual communities. This got me thinking about the bike share program (and biking in general as an alternative to driving) and how this directly addresses two of these issues, if not all three. It clearly helps the environment by redicung emissions and thus reducing pollution. And it also helps the health by giving those who do ride some excercise, which is still an issue for our over-eating, under-exercising American population.
The article continues to talk about certain efforts of cities to reduce car use. New York, where I am from, shut down Times Square, arguably the most busy area of America, during most hours of the day and making it a pedestrian zone only. Granted this makes it difficult to get around the city in a car at times, but it is pretty cool to be able to walk around manhattan in the streets with no worries of being run over by cabbies. Second, the most congested city in the world (according to the post) is Mumbai in India, and they have a "Car-Free Day" on February 21st. I say, if mumbai can do that, I think Eagle Rock could pull something off along those lines. Maybe once the bike-share program launches, we dedicate one day to those who work/study locally to walk or bike to work or school, rather than driving locally throughout Eagle Rock. Clearly some people have to drive to get places, but Eagle Rock is pretty managable on a bike or on foot; I did it all of last year.
Here is the link to the article: http://la.streetsblog.org/2010/02/09/individuals-can-make-a-difference-a-view-from-india/.
Just some food for thought.
The article continues to talk about certain efforts of cities to reduce car use. New York, where I am from, shut down Times Square, arguably the most busy area of America, during most hours of the day and making it a pedestrian zone only. Granted this makes it difficult to get around the city in a car at times, but it is pretty cool to be able to walk around manhattan in the streets with no worries of being run over by cabbies. Second, the most congested city in the world (according to the post) is Mumbai in India, and they have a "Car-Free Day" on February 21st. I say, if mumbai can do that, I think Eagle Rock could pull something off along those lines. Maybe once the bike-share program launches, we dedicate one day to those who work/study locally to walk or bike to work or school, rather than driving locally throughout Eagle Rock. Clearly some people have to drive to get places, but Eagle Rock is pretty managable on a bike or on foot; I did it all of last year.
Here is the link to the article: http://la.streetsblog.org/2010/02/09/individuals-can-make-a-difference-a-view-from-india/.
Just some food for thought.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Bottled Water
Between 07/01/2008 and 06/30/2009 Occidental's campus dining and hospitality services bought over 200,000 bottles of water.
In support of bottled water. Sparkletts wants you to sign an "IMPORTANT PETITION" in support of bottled water on this website.
Sparkletts:
"Most of our big water bottles are recycled at the end of their life cycle. The recycled plastic is used to make carpet, toys, tool handles, bird feeders and other items. You typically will not find large bottled water containers in landfills, because these bottles are returnable, reusable, refillable and recyclable."
Recycling is a business like any other. Curbside recyclers must find markets for the materials they collect. The biggest market for plastics is China, so most of our plastic is shipped overseas. Unfortunately, China doesn’t necessarily have the same standards of worker and community safety as we do, and towns like Lian Jiao have become toxic waste dumps for our plastic “recycling.” [CLICK THIS LINK] Sky News recently released a video showing the heartbreaking condition of this town that has become the waste bin of the western world. But with the recent downturn in the economy, the Chinese market has dried up, and as the New York Times reported in December 2008, much of our recycling is actually ending up in the landfill.
So what about the plastic that is recycled? Actually, plastic recycling is better referred to as “downcycling.” Plastic containers, for example, are not recycled into new containers but into other products like lumber or outdoor furniture. Even the plastic yogurt containers recycled by responsible companies likeRecycline into toothbrushes and cutting boards are actually downcycled, since the manufacturers of the yogurt containers continue to extract virgin materials for their disposable products.
What’s the solution? Reducing our consumption of disposable plastic! Switching to reusable bags, bottles and containers are first steps to solving the plastic problem. Find more solutions and plastic alternatives atwww.fakeplasticfish.com.
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