Green has become so much more than separating your plastics, aluminum, glass and paper. I don’t know about you, but I get
confused about what plastics can be recycled and what they are turned into. As well as, what happens to my trash? How many plastic bottles we use and what happens to that? What about water, will we run out? What can I do to conserve and sustain so that the world is a better place for my son? There’s so much that can be done and easily; it’s just a matter of educating
yourself and making small lifestyle adjustments. By no means are we covering everything here, look at it as a 101 green guide.
If you have any tips you want to share,
email me at c.valencia@002mag.com.
We’d like to share a few throughout the year.
TALKIN’ TRASH AND CASH
On average, each Houstonian produces 6.2 pounds of solid waste each day adding up to more than a ton of trash per person, per year. Most of the trash gets hauled away to landfills where it’s buried. To build a landfill, a huge hole is dug and then lined with clay or huge sheets of plastic. When a landfill is full of trash, layers of soil and clay seal it inside. “It costs the city $26 a ton to dispose of trash at a landfill,” says Marina Coryat, Public Information Manager at Houston Solid Waste Management Department. Not to mention the years it takes for trash to decompose and the toxins that seep into the ground.
Diverting trash to recycling facilities saves the city money. “During Fiscal Year 2011, the department received $1,301,789 in revenue from recycling commodities and avoided $2,707,250 in disposal costs,” Coryat explains. That’s because the Solid Waste Management Department receives a profit from the sale of items such as paper and plastics.
A whopping 36 percent of solid waste in Texas comes from paper. Approximately 20 percent comes from lawn/yard clippings. Plastics only make up eight percent and metals make up five percent.
Houston, the largest city in Texas (by population), only recycles 2.6 percent of its waste. In contrast, the city of San Francisco (CA) recycles approximately 69 percent. (Based on a 2008 study by Waste News cited in The New York Times July 29, 2008.) Efforts are being made to catch up.
The Texas recycling industry employs about 20,000 workers statewide. The recycling industry adds approximately $2.9 billion to the Texas economy each year.
TIP Why not use compostable bags for all your non-recyclable, non-compostable trash?
PLASTIC FACTS
• Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour.
Most of them are thrown away.
• Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into
the ocean kill as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures every year!
Number 1 Plastics= PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate)
Found in: Soft drink, water and beer bottles; mouthwash bottles; peanut butter containers; salad dressing and vegetable oil containers; ovenable food trays.
Recycled into: Polar fleece, fiber, tote bags, furniture, carpet, paneling, straps,
(occasionally) new containers.
Number 2 Plastics= HDPE (high-density polyethylene)
Found in: Milk jugs, juice bottles; bleach, detergent and household cleaner bottles; shampoo bottles; some trash and shopping bags; motor oil bottles; butter and yogurt tubs; cereal box liners.
Recycled into: Laundry detergent bottles, oil bottles, pens, recycling containers, floor tile, drainage pipe, lumber, benches, doghouses, picnic tables, fencing.
HDPE is a versatile plastic with many uses, especially for packaging. It carries low risk of leaching and is readily recyclable into many goods.
Number 3 Plastics= Vinyl or PVC
Found in: Window cleaner and detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, cooking oil bottles, clear food packaging, wire jacketing, medical equipment, siding, windows, piping.
Recycled into: Decks, paneling, mudflaps, roadway gutters, flooring, cables, speed bumps, mats.
PVC is tough and weathers well, so it is commonly used for piping, siding and similar applications. PVC contains chlorine, so its manufacture can release highly dangerous dioxins. If you must cook with PVC, don’t let the plastic touch food and never burn PVC, because it releases toxins.
Number 4 Plastics= LDPE (low-density polyethylene)
Found in: Squeezable bottles; bread, frozen food, dry cleaning and shopping bags; tote bags; clothing; furniture; carpet.
Recycling: LDPE is not often recycled through curbside programs, but some communities will accept it. Plastic shopping bags can be returned to many stores for recycling.
Recycled into: Trash can liners and cans, compost bins, shipping envelopes, paneling, lumber, landscaping ties, floor tile.
LDPE is a flexible plastic with many applications. Historically it has not been accepted through most American curbside recycling programs, but more and more communities are starting to accept it.
Number 5 Plastics= PP (polypropylene)
Found in: Some yogurt containers, syrup bottles, ketchup bottles, caps, straws, medicine bottles.
Recycling: Number 5 plastics can be recycled through some curbside programs.
Recycled into: Signal lights, battery cables, brooms, brushes, auto battery cases, ice scrapers, landscape borders, bicycle racks, rakes, bins, pallets, trays.
Polypropylene has a high melting point, and so is often chosen for containers that must accept hot liquid. It is gradually becoming more accepted by recyclers.
Number 6 Plastics= PS (polystyrene)
Found in: Disposable plates and cups, meat trays, egg cartons, carry-out containers, aspirin bottles, compact disc cases.
Recycled into: Insulation, light switch plates, egg cartons, vents, rulers, foam packing, carry-out containers.
Polystyrene can be made into rigid or foam products — popularly known as Styrofoam™. Evidence suggests polystyrene can leach potential toxins into foods and has long been on environmentalists’ hit lists for being notoriously difficult to recycle. Most places still don’t accept it, though it is gradually gaining traction.
Number 7 Plastics= Miscellaneous
Found in: Three- and five-gallon water bottles, “bullet-proof” materials, sunglasses, DVDs, iPod and computer cases, signs and displays, certain food containers, nylon.
Recycled into: Plastic lumber, custom-made products.
A wide variety of plastic resins that don’t fit into the
previous categories are lumped into number 7. A few are even made from plants (polyactide) and are compostable. Polycarbonate is number 7 and is the hard plastic that has parents worried these days, after studies have shown it can leach potential hormone disruptors.
PLASTIC BAGS
Avoid using new plastic bags by using reusable totes. Used plastic bags can be used for trash or other household needs. If you still have some you need to dispose of, look for special containers at your local grocery store. Most of them offer a bag recycling service.
CAN FACTS
Every 3 seconds a baby is born. In that time, 140 cans were born.
• The average employee
consumes 2.5 beverages a day while at work.
• Aluminum can be recycled and reused indefinitely without a decline in material performance or quality.
• Every day, Americans use more than 100 million steel cans.
• About 566 steel cans are recycled every second.
• Recycling steel cans saves 74 percent of the energy that would be used to produce from virgin materials.
Rinse and sort cans by type of metal. Drink cans are usually aluminum while food cans are most often steel or “tin.”
GLASS FACTS
• Glass is 100 percent recyclable in a true closed-loop system; there are no waste by-products.
• By recycling one ton of glass, we save the energy equivalent of nine gallons of fuel oil.
• Glass manufacturers plan to use fifty percent of recycled material in the production of new glass bottles by the end of 2013. This step will save enough energy to power 45,000 households for a year, and keep 181,550 tons of waste from landfills each month.
Keep it clean. Be sure to keep out any contaminants, such as metal caps, lids or neck rings, ceramic and wire caps from beer bottles, and light bulbs. Contaminants damage furnaces during the recycling process.
Rinse with water, but don’t worry about labels; those will burn off in the recycling process.
Know your local glass recycling rules. Most glass that is collected at the curb allows for all colors of glass bottles to be recycled mixed. At a drop-off center, however, glass may be separated by color for collection.
Recycle glass containers only. Check to make sure it’s a glass bottle or jar, such as food jars, tea and soda bottles, and beer and wine bottles. Do not include for recycling any non-container glass such as drinking glasses, ceramic coffee cups, Pyrex, mirrors, etc.
WATER FACTS
It may seem like the sweltering heat of summer is nothing but a sticky, distant memory, but water is still a scarce resource. “Even though temps are cooler, we should not let our guards down. Because climatologists have predicted we are not out of a drought, water conservation is still in effect. We are some two feet below normal rainfall. Most folks water less, but we still want folks to use the water conservation schedule for other activities,” says Alvin Wright, Public Information Officer for City of Houston Public Works & Engineering Department.
That means turning on the hose or sprinkler before 8am or after 10pm on Sundays and Thursdays (even-numbered addresses) or Saturdays and Wednesdays (odd-numbered addresses).
The average Houston household uses between three to six thousand gallons of water a month. “If we all do a little bit, we can save about 200 gallons of water per day,” says Wright. “One of my favorite things we have at our Water Conservation Center is a rain barrel made from a trash can fitted with a spigot at the bottom and a drain pipe hole on top. Now is the time to do that kind of thing because of the rainy season,” Wright says.
TIPS
• Keep showers under five minutes.
• Remember to turn water off while brushing your teeth.
• Wash only full loads of dishes or clothes.
• Replace older model showerheads and older faucet aerators with new low-flow ones, and install water conservative toilets.
• Inspect toilets for silent leaks by putting food coloring in the toilet tank. If colored water leaks into the toilet bowl before it is flushed, water is being lost due to a worn flapper. Changing the rubber flapper can save you significant $$$.
“And make sure you are not watering the sidewalk!” says Wright.
Building GREEN
by Susan M. Bynam
What is meant by Green Building and how
does it impact our environment?
Green Building, aka green construction or sustainable building, refers to a structure and using a process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life cycle, from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and demolition.
Green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by:
-Efficiently using energy, water and other resources
-Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity and
-Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation
Green building practices aim to reduce the environmental impact of buildings, so it is key not to build in sprawl, i.e., build by spreading in a disordered fashion.
Buildings account for a large amount of land. According to the International Energy Agency, existing buildings are responsible
for more than an estimated 40% of the world’s total primary energy consumption and for an estimated 24% of global carbon dioxide emissions. So, regardless of the amount of grass you might put on your roof and the amount of energy-efficient windows you use, if you build in sprawl, you’ve just defeated your purpose.
Goals of Green Building and Protecting Our Environment
Green Building takes advantage of renewable
resources, such as by:
• Using sunlight through passive solar, active solar and
photovoltaic techniques
• Using plants and trees through green roofs, rain gardens and for
reduction of rainwater run-off
• Using packed gravel or permeable concrete instead of
conventional concrete or asphalt to enhance replenishment of groundwater.
Although the practices employed with Green Building are constantly evolving and differ from region to region, there are fundamental practices that tend to prevail:
• Energy Efficiency: To reduce operating energy use, high-efficiency windows, insulation in walls, ceilings and floors, and implementing passive solar building design increase the efficiency of the building design.
• Water Efficiency: The protection and conservation of water throughout a building’s life can be accomplished by designing for dual plumbing that recycles water in toilet flushing. Wastewater may be minimized by utilizing water conserving fixtures such as ultra-low flush toilets and low-flow showerheads.
• Materials Efficiency: Building materials typically considered to be green include lumber from forests that have been certified, renewable plant materials like bamboo and straw, and other products that are non-toxic such as baked earth, clay, flax, linen and seagrass.
• Indoor Environmental Quality Enhancement: Buildings rely on properly designed ventilation systems. Choosing construction materials and interior finish products with zero or low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) improves indoor air quality (IAQ).
• Operations & Maintenance Optimization: Ensuring operations and maintenance personnel are part of the project’s planning and development process will assist in retaining the green criteria designed at the onset of the project.
• Waste & Toxics Reduction: During the construction process, one goal should be to reduce the amount of material going to landfills.
Green Certification and LEED
• A certified green structure is one that is built specifically to help save the environment and is certified by one of the “green” organizations such as the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).
• Homes and buildings that are green-certified use eco-friendly materials that are efficient in the consumption of energy, such as solar panels, recyclable materials and even composting toilets.
• Although the cost of building a certified green home is 20-30% more than building a regular home, a certified green home saves energy and money, is durable and good for overall health, and will likely sell for more if placed on the market.
• LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized green building certification system, developed by the USGBC in March 2000.
• LEED provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operation and maintenance solutions.
• LEED promotes sustainable building and development through a set of rating systems that recognize projects that implement strategies for better environmental and health performance.
• LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in five key areas:
1. sustainable site development
2. water savings
3. energy efficiency
4. materials selection
5. indoor environmental quality
• LEED is flexible enough to apply to all building types –
commercial and residential.
Although not immensely popular in Houston, local food (aka the local food movement) is clearly not a new concept and is gaining momentum here. Houstonians are growing local, buying local and selling local on a much larger scale. The interest in Houston has grown as more and more chefs and restaurants have begun to prominently feature and use local foods.
Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram, founder of Rawfully Organic, a nonprofit organic, raw and local produce co-operative in Houston, feeds over 350 families each week and focuses on the benefits of eating diets high in raw fruits and vegetables while making organic food affordable for all. Kristina answers a few of our most pressing questions.
WHAT EXACTLY IS LOCAL FOOD?
“Eating local can mean something different to everyone. For some, eating local can mean eating from a food source grown not more than 2 hours away from where you live. For others, it simply means seasonal food that comes from a community source such as a farmer, neighbor or even your backyard. Eating local doesn’t always mean that you are eating organic, Kosher or sustainable; however, it supports the local economy in which one resides.”
• Local food is a collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies, such that sustainable food production, processing, distribution and consumption is integrated to enhance the economic, environmental and social health of a particular place.
• Eating locally benefits people because it not only saves on fuel costs from having items imported from other states or countries, but it also allows one to eat fresh, be creative, while preserving community connections.
• Local grown food may include the use of harmful chemical fertilizers, pesticides and commercial factory farming methods. Sustainable agriculture involves healthy food production that does not harm the environment, provides fair wages to farmers and uses methods that support farming communities. Organic produce is free of chemicals, pesticides and antibiotics.
• It is best to search for food that is all local, sustainable and organic; if you can’t find all of these options together, the next best options are sustainable and/or organic.
What is the Farm-to-Table concept?
“Farm-to-table means that the food that you consume goes straight from the farm where it is picked to your kitchen table. This typically means the food is picked the same day that you bring it to your kitchen to prepare it. This becomes critical because the second that you pick a fruit or a vegetable from its bed or from a tree, it begins to lose its vitality. You want to eat the food at its peak of life so that you can reap its benefits. Fresh food not only tastes better, but it also provides nutritional benefits that are not found in processed foods that are packaged and distributed months later.”
• Farm-to-table refers to a movement concerned with producing locally and delivering that food to local consumers.
• The Farm-to-Table Movement, by ensuring that food stays in the area in which it was grown or made, reduces the carbon footprint of restaurants and individuals who buy local, but it also has a positive impact on the local economy; by cutting out the middlemen, restaurants are more likely to be able to pay farmers a fair wage.
• The farm-to-table concept encourages one to “know thy farmer.” A farm-to-table chef is likely to have visited the land where produce, for example, has been grown.
• It is through the connection to the land and the people who work the land, that the Farm-to-Table Movement is able to provide a sustainable outlook for the future of food.
“More and more people are seeing the benefit of eating locally, organically and sustainably in Houston! Farmers Markets are not only seeing more involvement from their local communities, but also community co-operatives that directly source a variety of local, organic and bulk items at wholesale prices, like Rawfully Organic (www.rawfullyorganic.com). People are beginning to see that buying seasonal items is not only healthier, but they’re exciting purchases that give them more variety in their diets throughout the year! Individuals get to interact with their food sources and they get to meet others who are interested in the same lifestyle. The benefits are endless!”
by Susan M. Bynam | Photography by Jack Potts
HEY! THAT MIGHT NOT BE TRASH AFTER ALL!
Christmas Tree
So long, Yuletide. The City offers a Christmas tree recycling service. Just remove tinsel, lights, ornaments, plastic tree stands and plastic water bowls from the trees. The mulch from the chopped-up trees is used in City landscaping projects. Tree donors receive a free tree seedling. Find your local drop-off site or collection date at www.houstontx.gov/solidwaste/christmastree_recycling.html.
Your old Yoga mat
Got a fancy new mat for Christmas? Recycle Your Mat turns old mats into lining material for laptop bags or donates them to a community yoga program. (www.recycleyourmat.com)
Computers and Electronics
CompuCycle has partnered with the City to recycle electronics equipment to be refurbished, components re-used and any
e-waste environmentally responsibly recycled. (www.compucycle.net)
Old Refrigerator
ACO Environmental will pick up your old fridge, freezer or room air conditioner FREE of charge even if it’s not working, and will recycle 95% of its components. Recycling your old fridge or freezer helps keep harmful materials out of landfills, and you won’t have to remove the Freon, which some other programs require.
(800.414.5072 or www.jacoinc.net)
Yard trimming recycling
The City encourages citizens to reuse grass clippings as composting or mulching material. Grass clippings, small branches and leaves must be put in compostable bags, not weighing more than 50 pounds, and placed at the curb 3 feet away from the automated container for separate yard trimming collection. Small branches may be put in bundles as long as each bundle is less than 4 feet in length, 18 inches in diameter and not weighing more than 50 pounds. Yard trimmings mixed with paper, plastic or any other type of waste will not be collected.
Wood waste
As part of its regular heavy trash pickup, wood waste is sorted from the heavy trash and converted into usable products such as compost, soil amendments and boiler fuel.
Construction materials
The City of Houston Building Materials Reuse Warehouse accepts donated construction materials from builders, supply companies, remodelers, contractors and individuals. These materials are made available at no charge for use by any nonprofit organization. The Warehouse benefits the community by providing storage space for excess building material that would otherwise be dumped in local landfills. (281.814.3324 or reuse.warehouse@houstontx.gov)
Hazardous waste
Drop off your household hazardous waste (leftover paint, anti-freeze, fluorescent lights, batteries) at one of Houston’s two Environmental Service Centers. Also, a new program has been put in place to give away any still-usable product (paint, chemicals, etc.) to Houston residents on Fridays. So if you’re not too picky about that new paint color…(713.551.7355)
ALL ABOUT RECYCLING
Even the EPA encourages consumers to reduce consumption of goods that require waste disposal! This saves natural resources, reduces toxic waste from production and disposal, and saves money for communities, businesses and consumers. Stainless steel water bottles are recommended as alternatives to disposable plastic containers. They are durable, do not leach into the water and eliminate the problem of waste. Using reusable totes and choosing unpackaged, fresh produce are all good ways to reduce waste. If you MUST dispose of that Costco apple container – which could also double as impromptu Christmas ornament storage – this guide will help you do it right.
Co-Op’s
Rawfully Organic Co-Op
Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram
kristina@rawfullyorganic.com
www.rawfullyorganic.com | 713.898.2689
Tuesday’s Location Houston Arboretum, 4501 Woodway, 77024 – Pick-Up Time: 4pm to 7pm • Thursday’s Location, Nottingham Forest Club, 325 Kickerillo Drive, 77079 – Pick-Up Time: 4pm to 7pm • Saturday’s Location, 3400 Bissonnet, 77005 – Pick-Up Time: 10am to 12:30pm
Sugar Land SweetCity Co-op
Sweetcity_co-op@yahoo.com
Ann, 832.788.9068
Wednesdays 4-6:30pm
Central City Co-op and
Partner Co-ops
www.centralcityco-op.com
Wednesday, 2515 Waugh Dr.
9am-6:30pm
Farmer’s Markets
Rice Houston Farmer’s Market
www.houstonfarmersmarket.org – Tuesdays, 3:30-7pm, Rice University Campus off University Blvd.
Urban Harvest Farmer’s Market
www.urbanharvest.org – Wednesdays, 11am-2pm, City Hall, 901 Bagby.
Spring Branch Farmers Market
www.springbranchfarmersmarket.com – Wednesdays, 2:30-6:30pm
at the corner of Wirt and Westview.
Kingwood Farmer’s Market
bob@kingwoodgardencenter.com
3-7pm in Kingwood’s Town Center Park.
Eco-Farmers’ Market
Thursdays, 4-8pm
at CityCentre central plaza,
801 Town & Country Blvd.
LaStrada’s Farmers’ Market
Thursdays, 10am-2pm,
322 Westheimer.
Georgia’s Local Farmer’s Market www.georgiasmarket.com,
Saturdays, 1:30-3:30pm,
12171 Katy Freeway.
Midtown Saturday Market
www.tafia.com/mfm.html
8am-noon,
Tafia Restaurant, 3701 Travis.
Urban Harvest Farmer’s Market
www.urbanharvest.org – Saturdays, 8am-noon, 3000 Richmond at Eastside.
Sugar Land Saturday Farmers Market
alicef@firstcolony.org,
8am-noon, 4350 Austin Parkway.
Onion Creek Saturday
Heights Farmers’ Market www.whiteoakfarmersmarket.com
8am-noon, 3106 White Oak Blvd.
Discovery Green Farmer’s Market www.discoverygreen.com
Sunday, Noon-4pm.
Urban Harvest Farmers Market
at Highland Village,
Sunday, 9am-1pm, 2706 Suffolk.
