By the time you’re ten, you have most likely heard the phrase: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. But how effective is recycling?

When younger, you’re more likely to actually recycle because you have been taught that is the right thing to do. However, that quickly changes once children grow up because their apartment or house charges extra for recycling, or because recycling is too much of a hassle.

According to the Clean Air Council, “Only 30% of people in the Southern region of the United States had curbside recycling collection [recycling that is deposited by the residents outside of each house and picked up by recycling representatives] in 2008. Eighty-four percent of people in the Northeast had curbside recycling.” Especially since the percentage within the Southern region is so low, it certainly does not encourage people to recycle. “In 2008, only 23.1% of glass disposed of was recycled, and only 7.1% of plastics and 21.1% of aluminum.” Surprisingly, “the average American office worker uses about 500 disposable cups every year” and “every year, Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks, and spoons to circle the equator 300 times.”

The startling fact is that a lot of Americans do not recycle, “Over 7 billion pounds of PVC are thrown away in the U.S. each year. Only 18 million pounds of that, about one quarter of 1 percent, is recycled.”

Recycling is a huge deal on my college campus because we are trying to “Go Green” and leave less of a carbon footprint. Sure, there are still people who do not recycle and those who use a different plastic water bottle every day, but the majority of those on campus will at least recycle.

However, many times even “recycled” plastics cannot be reused, so why are so many of our items made from plastic? If you look around the room, you would be surprised at how many plastic items you own, ranging from food containers to shelves. Looking at the statistics for water bottles alone is sickening. The Clean Air Council claims that “827,000 to 1.3 million tons of plastic PET water bottles were produced in the U.S. in 2006, requiring the energy equivalent of 50 million barrels of oil. 76.5 percent of these bottles ended up in landfills.” In addition, “26 to 41 percent of the 2.4 million tons of PET plastic discarded every year is bottled water bottles” and “because plastic water bottles are shielded from sunlight in landfills, they will not decompose for thousands of years.”

It may not be feasible to believe that plastics can be eliminated entirely from our lives, but everyone can be more conscious about their plastic usage. You can reduce your own plastic consumption in several easy ways, such as bringing your own bags to the grocery store so you do not get more paper or plastic bags. “Every year, Americans use approximately 1 billion shopping bags, creating 300,000 tons of landfill waste.” In fact, “Less than 1 percent of plastic bags are recycled each year.” You can also buy a reusable water bottle rather than buying bottled water.

If everyone made an effort to use fewer plastics, everyone would be doing something better than recycling: they would be proactive about an issue, rather than simply throwing something away in the proper bin.

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London, England — Jetting off on holiday and being green is not a combination we would usually see as a match made in heaven. Now more than ever, we are being told why we should look for more eco-friendly ways of living, including how we travel. Recent years have seen the rise of carbon offsetting, which has given us a get-out clause for our guilt when flying across the globe. But with inventive ways to go green constantly being introduced, the summer holidays are the perfect time to take advantage of the greenest ways to travel, says Green Energy United Kingdom.

Unsurprisingly, airlines and motor vehicles burn fossil fuels the fastest, but many manufacturers are tailoring their designs to use alternative energy sources in order to become more environmentally sound. Green Energy is not asking you to ditch your exotic holiday and pitch a tent in the garden this summer, instead look for smart ways to off-set the less green modes of transport you are taking.

Douglas Stewart, CEO of Green Energy United Kingdom says: “The most earth-friendly ways to travel have always been by foot or by bike, but this is not always the most practical or even realistic way of getting around, especially when you want to flee the country for somewhere less rainy! Instead why not consider carbon offsetting against your holiday flight? There are plenty of websites that specialize in green travel, so make sure you have a good shop around to see what is going to benefit the planet more. Also consider public transport, not only is it better for the environment, but it will also put extra pennies in your pocket for ice creams and sticks of rock at the beach.

“Don’t forget even the small changes will help make a big difference, therefore put on your wellies and hit the garden with the kids and plant some trees. Or alternatively, switch your electricity provider to a  green tariff, which will help balance the not so green ways you are travelling this summer.”

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Milwaukee, U.S.A. – In celebration of Earth Day, Johnson Controls, the global leader in delivering solutions that increase energy efficiency in buildings, released its Top Earth Day Champions list to highlight organizations saving the carbon equivalent of 45,000 acres of pine forests through energy efficiency and renewable energy projects at their facilities.

Carbon emissions from building energy use are predicted to grow faster than any other sector in the next 25 years, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, making building efficiency critically important for the protection of the environment.

“These organizations have already made significant environmental improvements while at the same time attacking energy waste and reducing operational costs,” said Dave Myers, president of Johnson Controls Building Efficiency. “We recognize those who have committed to making their organizations more sustainable, their facilities more efficient, and their occupants more comfortable. Importantly, each one of these projects will also have strong financial paybacks.”

Here are the 2012 Top Earth Day Champions and the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide emissions they are saving annually through projects with Johnson Controls.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tenn. tops the list with its annual reduction of 49,135 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. In 2008, ORNL replaced a natural gas steam plant with a wood gasification biomass system, reducing its carbon footprint and cutting fossil fuel consumption by 80 percent.

The Champions earned a spot on the list by making their facilities more efficient using a variety of measures, including: utilizing building management systems to optimize energy and operational efficiency, installing distributed generation and renewable energy technology, using more efficient lighting, and updating heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

Since January, 2000, Johnson Controls energy performance contracting projects have saved nearly 18 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to that saved by 3.5 million acres of pine forests, and generated savings of $6.5 billion in North America alone. With performance contracting, savings in energy consumption from facility upgrades pay for the project over the term of the contract.

If the savings are not realized, Johnson Controls pays the difference between the value of the measured and verified consumption and the guaranteed consumption under the contract.

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Research from SRI International has identified a promising new way to produce liquid transportation fuels from coal without consuming water or generating carbon dioxide. Based on data from bench-scale tests, SRI engineers estimate that the capital cost for a full-scale plant using SRI’s process would be less than half that of a conventional coal-to-liquids plant that uses a process called Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. FTS produces only a small fraction of the hydrocarbons needed for fuel and requires extensive recycling.

SRI’s new process uses natural gas to provide the hydrogen needed to convert coal to syngas (a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen). Syngas is first converted into methanol, which can then be efficiently processed to make transportation fuels.

Using natural gas eliminates the need to add water as a source of hydrogen, reduces the need to add energy to drive the gasification reaction, and results in the use of a smaller gasifier. In conventional CTL approaches, energy is supplied by burning a portion of the coal feed, which then produces carbon dioxide. SRI’s approach makes it economical to use carbon neutral electricity, such as nuclear, hydro, or solar as a source of additional energy.

“The implications of this research are expansive, including enhancing U.S. energy security through the use of domestic carbon sources,” said Robert Wilson, Ph.D., director, Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory, SRI International. “The process can also dramatically reduce the environmental footprint associated with alternative transportation fuels.”

SRI performed a series of analyses to examine the environmental impact of the technology under several scenarios. Based on these analyses, if diesel were produced using biogas as the source of methane, the resulting product would qualify as an alternative fuel under the revised Renewable Fuels Standard of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The Act requires alternative fuels to meet a standard of 50 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions compared to other fuels.

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Traveling for many people means spending a lot of money for leisure and fun. It can also mean harming the environment. The fact is, it is entirely possible to travel in an environmentally responsible way while saving money. Walking is the simplest and easiest option to save money, improve your health, and help the environment.

By leaving the car behind and simply walking or riding a bicycle, you are doing both your health and the environment a favor. Of course, walking for long distances is not a good option for far away destinations. Renting a bicycle for those trips rather than renting a car can strengthen muscles, improve cardiovascular health, reduce congestion, and generate zero emissions.

Public transportation is widely considered to be the holy grail of environmentalism. Buses, trains, metros, subways, and trams are great ways of getting around. Most towns and cities have adequate coverage. Furthermore, the tourist will not get lost as easily because the driver knows where they are going.

It would be an adventure from buying tickets to finding a seat to knowing when to get off plus saving energy. Also, public transportation is the cheapest method to travel around the city compared renting a car or hiring a taxi during the trip. Tram and metro networks can be found in a lot of cities around the world such as Tokyo, Vancouver, Baku, Rome, Valparaíso, Paris, San Francisco, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, and Pittsburg.

Many airports have good public transportation links, which means getting a bus or train to reach to the airport instead of driving there is easy. In some countries, carrying a bicycle onto public transportation is accepted, especially in Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands. In cities that do not allow bicycles on their public transportation systems, using foldable bicycles is a good choice.

Simply choosing an electronic ticket rather than a paper ticket would reduce the wasted papers and inks. It can also help in reducing the number of trees cut. If you are flying, it is better to bring light luggage rather than a large suitcase. The more a package weighs, the more fuel the plane uses, which affects the surrounding enviornment.

Many airlines also have a weight limit, and will charge you for luggage that exceeds the limit. That might lead to unexpected charges to the travel budget you have planned. Selecting a green hotel during the trip is also a great way to save the environment. Tourists can find numerous environmentally friendly hotels, B&B’s, and lodges for different budgets and rates on the Internet.

While staying in the hotel, try not to waste resources. You can do this by turning off the TV, switching off all the lights off, and turning off the air-conditioner or heat down when no one is in the room. Opting for short showers and using your own toiletries instead of the small and usually over-priced toiletries provided by the hotel can also help reduce your carbon footprint.

Last, try to avoid disposable cameras and bring your own digital camera. Like other modern devices, which takes loads of energy to make and only get used once before being dumped, disposable cameras can be wasteful.

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The Royal Wedding captured the attention of billions, whether they were esteemed guests flying in or viewers watching from their homes. In an event so grandiose, its environmental impact often goes unnoticed as the attention is drawn toward the lavish fashions and ceremony. Indeed, the magnitude of the wedding’s carbon footprint remained somewhat of an afterthought.

Prince Charles is a known environmentalist, so every measure was taken to ensure a high level of “greenness” at the wedding. All of the flowers were seasonal and grown in the UK. Only local, organic food was served. All documents on were printed on recycled paper. William and Kate even asked that in lieu of gifts their guests make a donation to an environmental nonprofit. However, they still managed to release over 6,700 tons of carbon emissions.

However, one wonders how unavoidable it is to have such a large carbon footprint at a gathering of this size. Their guest list stretched to 1,900 VIPs worldwide, so the fuel from their round trip flights counted for much of the emissions. Add that to the millions of people watching it on television or perhaps listening to it the radio, plus the emissions from present media sources, and that is a hefty amount. Had the royal family not taken those steps to cut down their carbon footprint, it could have been much larger than 6,700 tons. Of course William and Kate could have chosen to have a simple wedding with a limited guest list, but they are royalty and as such their lives are surrounded by pomp and circumstance. And there’s nothing wrong with that, to be sure – but I think that the lesson everyone can learn from this is that the greater the event, the larger the environmental impact.

waynehowes / Shutterstock.com

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