Posts Tagged 'sustainability'

One Planet Week – Understanding Your Eco Footprint

Published 23 February 2012 Steplight Leave a Comment
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I’ve been thinking about an initiative underway this week by OzGREEN (‘One Planet Week’) to motivate people toward living sustainably.

One Planet Week 2012

Many people are now familiar with the term ‘Ecological Footprint’ and the concept of needing several Earth’s worth of resources to sustain our current lifestyles. But what does this all mean?

Ecological Footprints and how they are measured

An Ecological Footprint is a measure of the resources used by a person based on their activities, lifestyle and levels of consumption. This is measured in global hectares (gha), being the amount of land and sea required to supply the resources and deal with the waste generated.

See our related blog post: Calculating Your Eco Footprint.

For most people approximately half their eco-footprint will be from food consumption, followed by energy use, transport and goods and services.

Average Ecological Footprint

The average Ecological Footprint for an Australian is about 7gha. If every one of the Earth’s 7 billion people consumed the resources that we do, it would take the biocapacity of 3 or more Earth’s to support their lifestyle. The Earth’s biocapacity is the amount of biologically productive land and sea that is available to meet humanity’s needs.

As it is now, the Earth’s population has exceeded the Earth’s ability to support our current rate of consumption. We are depleting finite resources faster than ever before.

What can we do to reduce our Ecological Footprint?

Quite a bit really, and it’s easy by taking lots of small, simple steps. The simplest and cheapest thing we can do first is to reduce the amount of waste we create in all our activities, for example:

  • Become energy and water efficient (a good starting point is to understand your current usage).
  • Become foodwise.
  • Choose less packaging and use reusable coffee cups, water bottles, shopping bags, etc.
  • Compost and wormfarm organic waste.
  • Walk, cycle and use public transport, carpool and consolidate car trips.

Collectively our actions add up to enormous change.

Steplight can deliver a Sustainability Workshop on this topic. See our sustainability events calendar for an upcoming workshop in Pittwater Council.

- Marta Lett

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11 tips to cut your food waste

Published 29 November 2011 Steplight 1 Comment
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The festive season is just around the corner and for the next few weeks many of us will be planning a gathering or two. There are Christmas dinners, summer barbeques and New Years parties and with that – plenty of food. Last year Steplight addressed the issue of e-waste, this year we’re focusing on wasted food.

Food waste is a major issue in Australia and around the world and during the festive season this waste increases. A national poll commissioned by ‘Do something’ found that 59% of Australians admitted to wasting more food than usual over Christmas. This is a lot of waste, especially when you consider that at any other time of the year we discard up to one in every 5 shopping bags of food.

In fact about 3 million tonnes of food is driven to landfill in Australia each year. This not only wastes our money (about $616 per household per year), it also wastes resources and generates methane (a greenhouse gas more potent than CO2) as it rots away in landfill.

Food waste per person per year in Australia

Perhaps the biggest waste of all is that good food is being thrown away while others in our community will not have enough food to share with their families and friends.  The good news is, if we all minimise our food waste it can add up to make a big difference and this festive season is a great time to start.

The Worldwatch Institute (USA) recently published an article addressing food waste and foodwise.com.au is a great resource for tips on how to reduce your impact. Below is a summary of some useful tips.

Shop smart

  • Plan out a menu and try to get an idea of how many guests to expect so that you can prepare the correct amount of food. There are a few online portion calculators such as ‘Perfect Portions’ that can help you with this.
  • Write out a shopping list and make sure you check for ingredients in your kitchen before you head to the shops to avoid doubling up. Make sure you stick to your list. Making a shopping list that corresponds to your menu also means you less likely to miss something which saves you from making several trips to the shops.
  • There are plenty of ‘2 for 1’ deals and offers at Christmas time that could lead to purchasing more than what you need. Only buy the quantity you need.
  • Never shop while hungry as you are more likely to make impulse buys.

Serve smaller

  • The look of all your delicious food presented on the dinner table can lead your guests to feast with their eyes and pile loads of food (unlikely to be finished) onto their plates. The simple solution is to use smaller plates and utensils. Guests are welcome to seconds and leftovers remain in the serving plates and are more likely to be reused.
  • Encourage guests to serve themselves. This reduces the amount of unwanted food on their plates.

Save leftovers

  • Store leftovers safely so that they can be preserved for future meals. Leftovers are also more likely to be eaten if stored in several small containers that are convenient for quick meals on the go.
  • Leftover meals and ingredients can also be used to make new meals. For example, Christmas eve ham and roasted vegetable leftovers can be turned into a delicious Christmas day cheesy bake.
  • Compost your food scraps. This will stop your food from filling landfill and will instead fill you gardens with nutrients and fertilisers – read our composting blogs for more information.
  • If your party is catered, donate leftovers to a food recovery program. There are several programs running throughout Australia such as ‘Oz Harvest’ that collect leftovers from catered events, restaurants and cafe’s and distribute it to those in the community that need it most. This service is usually free for the donor.
  • While raiding your  kitchen for ingredients for your party, take note of any non-perishables that you won’t need or use and donate them to your local charity. Those few forgotten cans of food can be donated to a charity that makes up Christmas hampers for the disadvantaged during Christmas. Contact your local charity for more information.

    OzHarvest logo and phone number

    Many options now exist to reduce food waste at a commercial level (such as OzHarvest 'food rescue')

- Alegria Alano

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Passive Cooling to reduce your dependence on Air Conditioning

Published 1 November 2011 Steplight 3 Comments
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Australian homes use up to one-third of their electricity on air conditioning. Of course, every home is different and statistics like this are merely a rough guide. If you want to understand more precisely how much your air conditioning is contributing, your best bet is to install a wireless energy monitor.

Assuming you do have air conditioning, why not consider other options to minimise electricity use without giving up your comfort?

Passive cooling is when the building ‘envelope’ and surroundings are used to cool a home instead of mechanical means. Examples include using the orientation of your home and shading to minimise heat gain from the sun as well as opening up your home to promote natural air flow.

In summer, the sun provides us with up to 1000 watts of energy per square metre. Letting the sun shine directly onto a small area in your home is like heating that area with an electric heater. So, to keep your home cool, it is essential to keep this direct sunlight out.

Priority #1 keep direct sunlight out

If you are designing or building your home it is worth considering its orientation. In summer, the sun shines at low angles (low enough to shine through windows) from the east and west. To avoid this heat gain, particularly from the hot afternoon sun, try to position living areas on the northern end of your home. Rooms such as the garage and laundry can occupy the western end of the home as they are used infrequently and can provide a heat barrier for the rest of the home.

If your home is already built and has living areas on the eastern or western sides, there are many ways to keep the sun out. Most of the sun’s heat enters homes through windows. Expensive measures like double glazing won’t actually achieve much in the way of keeping heat out (it’ll just keep it in). External shading, on the other hand, is a relatively cheap and effective solution (note: eaves do not provide adequate shading since the sun shines at low angles to the east and west).

Vertical external shading, such as external curtains, blinds and even vegetation can stop heat gain through these windows. Internal shading from curtains is not as effective as external shading. This is because the window glass still absorbs and radiates solar heat into your home.

Other approaches

Another way to keep your home cool is cross ventilation. Air movement increases evaporation which keeps us cool. Air movement also keeps the building cool, particularly in the evening when cool breezes set in. To maximise air flow, open up both ends of your home to allow for cross ventilation. Portable fans can also be used to supplement breezes particularly when the air is still.

Of course, the best approach will depend on the climate in your area and a range of other factors. For a comprehensive discussion on passive cooling options see the Your Home Technical Manual – Passive Cooling.

The following videos also provide more information on the principles of passive cooling and how to promote it in your home. They were created by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum who also collaborates with Steplight on the igreen and Y Green programs. Although these focus on building new homes, many of the ideas can be applied to existing homes.

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- Alegria Alano

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Fast recycling facts

Published 13 October 2011 Steplight 1 Comment
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Household recycling has been a common practice since the introduction of kerbside recycling schemes in the 80’s and 90’s. Planet Ark’s National Recycling week (November 7th – 13th) is a good chance to revisit some fast facts on how, what and why we should be recycling.

Plastics

Most plastics are not biodegradable so if they end up in landfill, or worse, in our natural environment, they will persist for many years. Not all plastics are recyclable either. Those that are can be identified by a number inside a triangle of arrows that is stamped somewhere on the product. Lids should be removed because they are usually made from different plastic and need to be separated for sorting. If you are not sure what is recyclable and what isn’t, check with your local council. Here are the various symbols used for recyclable plastics.

Plastic recycling codes

Paper and cardboard

Paper and cardboard are some of the most widely used consumer materials so it is important to recycle as much of it as possible if we are to reduce waste. Using recycled paper and cardboard to make new products not only saves trees, it uses up to 99% less water, 50% less energy and produces 90% fewer by-products (toxic chemical waste, for example). Almost all paper and cardboard can be recycled including writing paper, packaging, envelopes with and without plastic windows, telephone books, magazine, cereal boxes, cardboard packaging, toilet rolls and Manilla folders. Some councils also allow pizza boxes (check with your local council first and don’t forget to remove food chunks). A common non-recyclable is wax-coated cardboard e.g. some fruit boxes.

Glass

Glass is infinitely recyclable and a lot of energy has gone into its production so it is a waste to have it sitting in landfill. In Australia, most glass products contain a substantial proportion of recycled glass, so your used containers can be easily re-used. Using recycled glass to produce new glass uses 75% less energy as it lowers the required production temperature.

Like other recyclables, it’s important to recycle glass correctly to maintain environmental and economic effectiveness by avoiding contamination. For example, heat treated glass can contaminate recyclable glass. Examples of heat treated glass are drink ware, ceramics, window glass and Pyrex. All contaminated batches or recycled glass are sent to landfill, so it is important to separate glass products properly before recycling. You can recycle all glass jars and glass bottles but make sure you remove lids and caps. You should scrape out large food scraps but the label can be left on. Broken glass is not recyclable, so to dispose of it properly, wrap it in some newspaper and throw it in the regular bin.

Aluminium

Aluminium is not found in its metallic state in nature – it must be manufactured from another metal using a complicated and very high-energy process. Like glass, aluminium does not degrade through the recycling process, which means it can continually be recycled. The energy costs of recycling are far less than the energy costs of producing new aluminium. Aluminium drinking cans, foil and food trays are can usually be recycled by your local council, although it is always a good idea to check. Recycled aluminium is used for vehicle parts, bicycles, boats, computers, cookware, wire and many other things. Aluminium drinking are usually recycled into aluminium sheets for new drinking cans.

To find your council’s recycling requirements and you nearest drop points for non-kerbside items visit the Recycling Near You website.

Have you calculated your ecological footprint?

Published 29 August 2011 Steplight 3 Comments
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When facing environmental issues, it can be hard to know what you can do to help as an individual. Understanding your impact on the environment is important for knowing what actions you can take to reduce the strain on our environment. A simple way of doing this is by calculating your ecological footprint.

An ecological footprint is an estimate of how much productive land is required to provide all the resources consumed (and absorb all the waste created) by an individual or group.

Your footprint is measured in units of ‘global hectares’. A global hectare is the common unit used that includes the average productivity of the world’s productive land and ocean in a given year. Your ecological footprint is usually expressed in terms of how many planets we would be needed if everyone on earth lived the way you did. Knowing your ecological footprint will help you answer the simple question of ‘how many earth’s do I need to sustain my lifestyle?’ If it is more than one, then you are using more than the earth can afford.

Take the ecological footprint quiz below to discover which areas of your life contribute most to resource consumption and learn about what you can do to reduce your ecological footprint.

Steplight has a workshop on ‘Understanding your Eco Footprint.’ Click here to find out more.

Global Footprint Network – Footprint Calculator:

Global Footprint Network Calculator

Australian Conservation Foundation – Consumption Atlas:

ACF Consumption Atlas Australia

- Alegria Alano

Sustainable Spring Clean

Published 29 August 2011 Steplight Leave a Comment
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For many people, the beginning of spring means a big ‘spring clean’. While overhauling the clutter that may have accumulated over the cooler months, keep in mind these sustainable cleaning tips.

Think before you throw

In 2006 – 2007, Australian’s generated approximately 43.8 million tonnes of waste and almost half of this was sent to landfill.

Before you send your things to the tip, consider one of the many other more sustainable means of disposal. One of these is ‘upcycling’ which is turning your old products into something that is new and useful. There are countless blogs available that talk about and share upcycling ideas such as turning old clothes into a patchwork quilt, using an old bed-frame for your no-dig garden or using old camera lenses, tins and even floppy disks to make creative pots and pencil holders.

If you don’t have the time to upcycle, you could give your old clothes, furniture and bric-a-brac to a friend or second-hand shops or even try selling them yourself by having a garage sale or a market stand.

Selling or swapping will work well for things that are still in good condition but you are still likely to be left with some waste that will have to be thrown out. Make sure to dispose of these things thoughtfully. Check with your local council to see what materials can be recycled and make sure you recycle your electronic waste.

Clean with fewer chemicals

Many chemicals commonly found in household cleaners such as detergents, soaps waxes and sprays are toxic to humans and the environment. Cleaning with fewer chemicals doesn’t mean lowering your standard of cleanliness. Organic and environmentally friendly cleaning products are now available from some supermarkets. Just be sure to do a little bit of research to find out what products will work for you without putting your health or the environment at risk.

See our related post on reusing your ‘greywater’.

Furnish for the future

If you’re thinking about re-decorating your space consider more sustainable options. Have a look for second-hand goods on the internet, at garage sales, markets and second-hand or antique shops. If you can’t find a second-hand option, keep in mind the product’s footprint. If possible, buy well-made products that won’t need to be constantly replaced, that are made locally or from sustainable materials.

- Alegria Alano

Course in Sustainability: Enrollments Open

Published 5 May 2011 Steplight Leave a Comment
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Australia Map Sustainability VictoriaIs it time that you or your team completed a nationally recognised Course in Sustainability Assessment?

The Course in Home Sustainability Assessment (course code 21854VIC) enables graduates to provide advice on reducing environmental impact. The training covers the key topic areas of: sustainability assessments, energy consumption, water use, waste and recycling, garden and environs, and lifestyle choices.

It’s a nominal 80 hour course which Steplight has delivered to over 50 participants in eight separate groups over the past two years.

We first delivered the course to a small group at Newleaf Communities. Then came the igreen train-the-trainer in June last year. Since then, Marta Lett and Ian Moxon have assisted in the delivery of several training intakes for the Y Green Western Sydney Project.

We thinks it’s a great course for those interested in furthering their sustainability knowledge. Although the course is focused around ‘home assessments’ the knowledge gained can be applied far beyond the home.

Steplight is now offering this course for either on-line (Australia wide) or in-person (Sydney) delivery in July/August 2011.

Click here to find out more and register your interest.

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A guide to sustainable product labels in Australia

Published 28 March 2011 Steplight Leave a Comment
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A trip to the supermarket often costs much more than what you pay at the checkout. Hidden costs are found in products made using unsustainable ingredients and practices that leave it to our environment, producers and even our bodies to pay the price.

As consumers we can make the decision to buy products that are good for us, good for others and good for the environment. But finding these products can easily turn into a daunting task. Anyone who has tried to make a conscious choice has probably faced the myriad of labels which aim to inform but often leave shoppers confused.

We take a quick look at some useful ‘eco labels’ that can help you make the right choice. Try switching a few products at a time so you don’t get too overwhelmed. Just remember, it’s near impossible to get a perfect product and be a perfect shopper, but getting to know the meaning behind a few labels is a good place to start.

Product of Australia

Product of Australia label logoAll of the significant ingredients in this product come from Australia and all or almost all of the processing and manufacturing occurs in Australia.

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Australian Made

Australian Made label logoAt least 50% of the cost of production has been incurred in Australia and the product is substantially transformed in Australia. If a business is Australian owned, they can have ‘Australian Made & Owned’ on the logo. If the business is Australian owned their products are manufactured overseas then they cannot use this logo.

Forest Stewardship Council

Forest Stewardship Council FSC label logoThis label ensures that the forest products used in the item are from responsibly harvested and verified sources. In other words, the forests that they come from have met the FSCs standards of management.


Carbon Reduction Label

Carbon Trust CO2 label logoA product with the carbon reduction label is committed to reducing its carbon emissions. This means that the product’s carbon footprint (for its entire life cycle) is calculated and evaluated every two years. If the carbon footprint of the product hasn’t been reduced in two years, the label is removed. The label also tells you the volume of greenhouse emissions emitted and what greenhouse gasses are associated with the product.


Fair Trade

Fairtrade label logoFor a product to display the Fairtrade label it must meet the international Fairtrade standards which are set by the international certification body, Fairtrade International (FLO). These standards are set after research and consultation is undertaken with key participants in the Fairtrade scheme such as producers, traders, NGOs, academic institutions and labeling organisations.

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)

Marine Stewardship Council label logoIf a product displays the MSC ecolabel it means that the seafood product comes from a sustainable fishery that has met the MSC environmental standard for sustainable fishing. The three basic principles for the MSC standard are:

1. Fishing activity must be at a level that will maintain a healthy fish stock indefinitely.

2. Fishing activity should be managed to maintain the ecosystem on which the fishery depends.

3. The fishery must meet all local, national and international laws and must have a management plan to respond to changing circumstances and maintain sustainability.

Rainforest Alliance Certified

Rainforest Alliance Certified label logoItems that have a Rainforest Alliance Certified mark have been grown and harvested using environmentally and socially responsible practices. This means that and agricultural or forestry products in an item are sourced from farms and forests that meet the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) Standard and the FSC Forest Management Standards.

Australian Certified Organic

Australian Certified Organic label logoItems which display the Australian Certified Organic logo have been made using methods that comply with national or international standards for organic farming and processing.

Soil Association Organic Standard

Soil Association Organic Standard label logoThe Soil Association (UK) symbol insures that the product has met the minimum UK government requirements for organic labelling. The standards cover every stage of production and are continually developed to raise the quality of organic food.

- Alegria Alano

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E-waste this festive season – what you can do about it

Published 16 December 2010 Steplight 4 Comments
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Electronic waste or ‘e-waste’ is a huge disposal problem as mobile phones, computers, TVs and other electronics contain many dangerous heavy metals. When dumped into landfill, they contaminate soils, poison waterways and waste precious resources.

With the 2010 festive season upon us let’s also think about all the extra waste created – and how to dispose of it responsibly.

We are all familiar with the practice of recycling materials such as paper, glass, aluminium and some plastics. This is a great start, but we need to make good use of this and other recycling services this Christmas and New Year holiday season.

43 million tonnes of waste generated in one year

According to the National Waste Report, for the year 2006-07 Australia generated a total of 43,777,000 tonnes of waste. Only a small portion of this was e-waste, but the number reminds us of the scale of our waste problem.

Only 4% of e-waste is recycled

It was reported by the ABC in 2009 that e-waste is growing at three times the amount of other types of waste, with as little as 4 per cent being recycled.

Computers contain heavy metals such as Lead (in solder) and Cadmium (in batteries). In fact, the old style CRT computer monitors contain over 1 kg of lead.

In 2003 Australians, on average, were replacing their mobile phones every 12 to 18 months. Now this has escalated to about every 6 to 12 months as technology changes at an ever increasing rate. Mobile phones can be reclaimed or recycled, saving our environment from being contaminated by these toxic metals: Arsenic, Antimony, Beryllium, Cadmium, Copper, Lead, Nickel, and Zinc.

Your e-waste action plan

So, what can we do to reduce our e-waste and make sure our old phones, computers, TVs, etc. are reclaimed for reuse or recycled into other useful materials and products?

  • Firstly, think about whether or not you really need to buy the latest version of mobile phone, computer or TV, or will your current version still meet your needs.
  • Next, recycle printer cartridges at your local Australia Post, and mobile phones with the extensive Mobile Muster recycling program.

And, year round when you have older electronic equipment which needs to be disposed of you can also:

  • Contact your local council about their e-waste reclaim and recycle services (many councils now run annual or more frequent e-waste drop-off services).
  • Check out the Computer Recycling Guide or Recycling Near You websites for specific services in your area.

With warm wishes for a safe, clean, green, and very happy Festive Season 2010.

- Marta Lett

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Behaviour Change for Sustainability Congress

Published 21 October 2010 Steplight 1 Comment
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This month I attended the Behaviour Change for Sustainability Congress 2010, organised by 3 Pillars, in Sydney. What a timely round of presentations and interactive sessions held over two days. We were painfully reminded of the dire predicament we, humanity, have got ourselves into and exhilaratingly inspired by the irresistible futures we can create together as one human family to save ourselves and our home this precious Earth.

In a nutshell the following is what I got out of it.

We are our biggest obstacle and our greatest hope

Changing our own human behaviour is a gradual process and takes the will of people working together to make it successful. There are many opportunities for us to work together to create a sustainable future, and these are just a few:

  • Talking with each other and sharing our success stories. The changes we are making in our own personal and work lives to reduce energy and water consumption; to use more sustainable transport options; to recycle and use recycled products; to grow our own vegies, etc.
  • Join a community group supporting environmentally sustainable activities.
  • Lobby all levels of government to: put a price on carbon; support development of the renewable energy industry; invest in public transport for all; put freight back on the rail; invest in safe cycle ways; keep our farming land and forests free from further development, etc.
  • Work with local communities to empower them to achieve environmental sustainability.
  • Develop collaborative work practices, sharing ideas and resources to aid more efficient and reliable delivery of environmentally sustainable initiatives.
  • Inspire each other with vision/s of irresistible futures and share our passion and motivations working towards an environmentally sustainable world.

We have responded rapidly before, together as a global community…

When our emissions of CFCs into the atmosphere were causing the hole in the ozone layer the global community regulated the refrigeration and air conditioning industry. CFCs were banned and they changed the gases they were using. Now, 30 years later, evidence is showing the hole in the ozone layer is decreasing. We need that same commitment and global cooperation to make our human activities sustainable now and for future generations to come.

Jeremy Rifkin’s presentation was fantastic!

I was moved to tears equally from being scared-to-death and inspired by the possibilities of what we can create. We are living in the most extraordinary of times and I am excited to be working in the area of inspiring, motivating and empowering behavioural change for sustainability with communities. One household at a time and one group of students at a time.

Some of the books referenced at the Congress that I have read or still want to read:

“Sustainable Growth” by Jon Dee. Available here for free download.

“The Empathic Civilization” by Jeremy Rifkin.

“Prosperity Without Growth” by Tim Jackson.

- Marta Lett.

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