While working on my Best Practices Report, I came across a link on the TAMU website that calculates your carbon footprint. I like to think that I'm below average on my carbon footprint, but I took the test to make sure! Turns out... I really am a little below the national average! What I thought was really cool about this site was that it showed you the state average and how you compared also. Also, I've been reading about the inconsistency on self reported surveys, and I found myself doing the very thing that I had been reading about...giving the answers that I thought were socially desired, not the what I was actually doing! So click go to the Nature Conservancy Website and see what your carbon footprint is! I challenge you to be brutally honest and don't over/underestimate your impact!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Identify Top Schools? Check!
I finally located the Visions 2020 Peer Institutions for Texas A&M! Using this information I came up with a list of the top schools that are similar to Texas A&M. I marked off all of the schools on the Vision 2020 list that appeared on the previous rankings that were posted. I then cross referenced the previous ranking against each other to determine which schools had appeared more than once. Once I had the top Vision 2020 schools and the repeating schools listed, I checked to see if the schools were public or private. I included only public schools that would have similar funding and opportunities to Texas A&M. My end ranking includes 8 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
TOP SCHOOLS
Arizona State University - Tempe, AZ
Georgia Institute of Technology - Atlanta, GA*
University of California - Berkley, CA*
University of California - Los Angeles, CA*
University of California - San Diego, CA*
University of Colorado - Boulder, CO
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, NC*
University of Washington - Seattle, WA
*Vision 2020 Peer Institutions
TOP SCHOOLS
Arizona State University - Tempe, AZ
Georgia Institute of Technology - Atlanta, GA*
University of California - Berkley, CA*
University of California - Los Angeles, CA*
University of California - San Diego, CA*
University of Colorado - Boulder, CO
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, NC*
University of Washington - Seattle, WA
*Vision 2020 Peer Institutions
Saturday, November 21, 2009
But it's MY choice!
It's not a secret that we don't move as much during our daily activities as we used to, the popular question is why not? Active Living Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, produced a summary of a portion of their research called Active Living Among Adults. Below, I cover the topics that pertain to my project.
Over the past five decades, people have begun to use less energy on work, transportation, and household activities. And in turn, sedentary habits, such as driving and screen entertainment, have become more prominent in today’s society. More that 95% of adults do not meet the recommended amount of daily physical activity, and 66% of American adults are overweight or obese.
Personal choice is not the only factor in the level of personal physical activity. Design of the built environment can either enhance or inhibit physical activity in a community. According to the CDC, “creating, improving and promoting places to be physically active can result in a 25 percent increase in the percentage of residents who exercise at least three times per week.”
In addition, if changes were made in zoning and development regulation and there was more of an investment in transportation, more walkable communities would be encouraged, despite social trends that have caused a decrease in physical activity. Communities with sidewalks, bike lanes, and trails have also seen a definite increase in physical activity than those without. Also, people are more likely to walk or bike to their destination if they have a variety of destinations close to their home. These connections are seen more often in low income areas than in areas with high socioeconomic standing.
Over the past five decades, people have begun to use less energy on work, transportation, and household activities. And in turn, sedentary habits, such as driving and screen entertainment, have become more prominent in today’s society. More that 95% of adults do not meet the recommended amount of daily physical activity, and 66% of American adults are overweight or obese.
Personal choice is not the only factor in the level of personal physical activity. Design of the built environment can either enhance or inhibit physical activity in a community. According to the CDC, “creating, improving and promoting places to be physically active can result in a 25 percent increase in the percentage of residents who exercise at least three times per week.”
In addition, if changes were made in zoning and development regulation and there was more of an investment in transportation, more walkable communities would be encouraged, despite social trends that have caused a decrease in physical activity. Communities with sidewalks, bike lanes, and trails have also seen a definite increase in physical activity than those without. Also, people are more likely to walk or bike to their destination if they have a variety of destinations close to their home. These connections are seen more often in low income areas than in areas with high socioeconomic standing.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The New 3 R's.
When I was younger I spent a lot of time at my grandparents. We would do all of the typical grandparent/grandchild activities like coloring, checkers, and reading. When my grandpa would read to me he would always throw out there that back in his day all he needed to know were the three r's, reading, riting, and rithmetic. I know it's a cliche and that everyone has heard it, but that memory got me thinking about how we have a new 3 R's in our society, reduce, reuse, and recycle. Reading, writing, and arithmetic have become the norm and being able to go above and beyond in your life now includes being conscious of your impact on the environment. Just a thought.
After the Texas Recycles Day event at Texas A&M, I was researching recycling in Bryan College Station to see if curbside recycling (super convenient...just my style!) was possible for my apartment complex. From what I can tell, it's not. There are recycling options in BCS though. Curbside recycling, drive in recycling, cash for trash, and multiple places to drop off used books are just a few examples around town. For more information, check out the Bryan or College Station websites!
After the Texas Recycles Day event at Texas A&M, I was researching recycling in Bryan College Station to see if curbside recycling (super convenient...just my style!) was possible for my apartment complex. From what I can tell, it's not. There are recycling options in BCS though. Curbside recycling, drive in recycling, cash for trash, and multiple places to drop off used books are just a few examples around town. For more information, check out the Bryan or College Station websites!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Kid Tested, Student Approved!
The green practices at the top ranked universities work because they are unique to the individual cultures. But how can we change the behavior of a culture that is not already in favor of environmental issues? The Fun Theory, created by Volkswagen, is an example of how communities all over the world are using fun to “change people’s behavior for the better.” A piano staircase to increase use of stairs, bottle bank arcade to increase recycling of glass bottles, and the World’s deepest trash bin to reduce littering are a few examples of how fun can change behaviors. These techniques could easily be implemented at Texas A&M to further promote green behavior in students. My research will explore what students require on a college campus to ensure environmentally responsible behaviors.
Currently on Campus
Texas A&M was among the schools that participated in the College Sustainability Report’s survey. This survey asks about the President’s Climate Commitment, but Texas A&M is currently not a part of it. At this time, Texas A&M diverts only about 10% of trash and only recycles paper, cardboard, aluminum, and some plastics. Although 99% of landscape waste is composted on campus, there are no other bins for combustibles. Single stream recycling is one way to improve this statistic. The three bin recycling collection system makes “recycling almost as easy as using the trash can”. One bin is for all recyclables, one is for combustibles, and the last one is for the remaining trash. By combining bins and reducing the amount of sorting, it increases the ease and convenience of recycling.
There are no sustainability themed residence halls, but there is a Residence Hall Energy Challenge in which resident halls attempt to decrease energy use by 5%. There are no internship positions available, but there are several student organizations that provide opportunities for students to take a stand for sustainability. They are: Association for Social Entrepreneurship, Environmental Issues Committee, One Love, Community Garden and Sustainability Council. Texas A&M has 727 buses in their transportation fleet, 79 of which operate on biofuels, 10 are hybrid, and 39 use Flex Fuel. While there is no bike-sharing program, there is a car sharing program that is made up of 10 cars, and 45% of people use environmentally friendly transportation to campus.
Overall we have improved our grade from a C+ in 2009 to a B- in the 2010 report. Two of the eight goals in Texas A&M’s master plan goals have to do with sustainability. They are to “establish an accessible, pedestrian campus” and to “promote sustainability by teaching and acting in an environmentally sustainable manner”. These goals are being worked toward, but based on the sustainability ratings, there is still a lot to be done before they are achieved.
The second annual Campus Sustainability Day is one step toward reaching them. Student organizations at Texas A&M came together to promote sustainability on campus. Many organizations passed out fliers and pamphlets to raise awareness about energy, water, and recycling efforts on campus among students. Students were also given the opportunity to purchase fresh produce at this event. In Ann Littmann's article in the Battallion, Campus Sustainability Officer Kelly Wellman said, "This is part of our culture and we have sustainability integrated into our curriculums. These issues are important and we are preparing our future leaders to address them." She also said "Sustainability is so much more than going green. It's about making choices that respect our resources and the financial impact of our decisions… Sustainability is about finding the balance between a healthy environment, social equity and economic growth”. This shows that there are people at Texas A&M that are dedicated to improving our environmental culture.
There are no sustainability themed residence halls, but there is a Residence Hall Energy Challenge in which resident halls attempt to decrease energy use by 5%. There are no internship positions available, but there are several student organizations that provide opportunities for students to take a stand for sustainability. They are: Association for Social Entrepreneurship, Environmental Issues Committee, One Love, Community Garden and Sustainability Council. Texas A&M has 727 buses in their transportation fleet, 79 of which operate on biofuels, 10 are hybrid, and 39 use Flex Fuel. While there is no bike-sharing program, there is a car sharing program that is made up of 10 cars, and 45% of people use environmentally friendly transportation to campus.
Overall we have improved our grade from a C+ in 2009 to a B- in the 2010 report. Two of the eight goals in Texas A&M’s master plan goals have to do with sustainability. They are to “establish an accessible, pedestrian campus” and to “promote sustainability by teaching and acting in an environmentally sustainable manner”. These goals are being worked toward, but based on the sustainability ratings, there is still a lot to be done before they are achieved.
The second annual Campus Sustainability Day is one step toward reaching them. Student organizations at Texas A&M came together to promote sustainability on campus. Many organizations passed out fliers and pamphlets to raise awareness about energy, water, and recycling efforts on campus among students. Students were also given the opportunity to purchase fresh produce at this event. In Ann Littmann's article in the Battallion, Campus Sustainability Officer Kelly Wellman said, "This is part of our culture and we have sustainability integrated into our curriculums. These issues are important and we are preparing our future leaders to address them." She also said "Sustainability is so much more than going green. It's about making choices that respect our resources and the financial impact of our decisions… Sustainability is about finding the balance between a healthy environment, social equity and economic growth”. This shows that there are people at Texas A&M that are dedicated to improving our environmental culture.
Accountability anyone?
Many of these schools are involved in national organizations that hold them accountable for their sustainabile practices. One of which is the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. This organization is dedicated to reducing or neutralizing greenhouse gas emissions at universities and colleges in America. The requirements for commitment are:
-an emissions inventory
-set a date for becoming climate neutral with in 2 years
-take immediate steps to reduce green house gas emissions by choosing from a list of short-termactions
-integrating sustainability into the curriculum and making it a part of the educational experience
-make an action plan.
Most relevant to my research is the commitment’s requirement of a university to prepare students to understand and deal with environmental issues in any line of work. The ACUPCC believes that universities are a role model in a community. Although they only make up “2-3% of our carbon footprint...they are 100% of our educational footprint”.
-an emissions inventory
-set a date for becoming climate neutral with in 2 years
-take immediate steps to reduce green house gas emissions by choosing from a list of short-termactions
-integrating sustainability into the curriculum and making it a part of the educational experience
-make an action plan.
Most relevant to my research is the commitment’s requirement of a university to prepare students to understand and deal with environmental issues in any line of work. The ACUPCC believes that universities are a role model in a community. Although they only make up “2-3% of our carbon footprint...they are 100% of our educational footprint”.
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