Little changes really DO make a big difference: Farewell and keep the green movement going

With “green” cemented as this year’s buzz word I am confident that Americans are growing to be more aware of the environment and what we are doing to it. The past 12 weeks or so have given me a unique opportunity to be curious and explore various green technologies, government strategies to be more environmentally friendly and re-evaluate the way I choose to live my own life. Although I have not yet received any comments on this blog from outside readers, I am confident that it was well worth the effort. At the very least I have learned about myself and how I can lead a more environmentally friendly and sustainable life. My family and friends have also been influenced by my experience.

Whenever I see one of my friends of family members toss a recyclable in the trash…it sparks a conversation. I throw facts and figures at them about how long it takes that particular item to decompose in a landfill. Although I’ve had the privilege of spending an entire semester getting closer to our earth…I still feel like there is a wealth of information I have not yet been exposed to. I cant help but think about the rest of our population. It is crucial that we as a nation take notice of what we are doing to our environment and make changes in our everyday lives to live more sustainably.

I’d like to think that each and everyone of us can make a difference, but deep down I still don’t think the individual is that powerful. Of course, when we take those extra steps to be more environmentally friendly, we will also become more aware of our environment. But, alone those little things really just make a small, maybe even miniscule, dent in the problem. However, the individual changes help educate people about the issues at hand and together we, as a society, can call more attention to the issues and really make a big impact. The plastic water bottle you recycle is not going to change the world, the conversations you have attempting to educate others about recycling and the environment as a whole will foster education and will move us forward.

The first day of the semester when fellow catscanners were choosing their blog topics I began to think about how the class will actually help make a difference. Several blogs aimed to investigate organic foods and green travel…I couldn’t grasp how these mini-changes would really have an influence. After reading countless articles and educating myself about the issues I slowly began to grasp the importance of these mini changes. They facilitate the bigger changes and are the catalyst for big change.

I am excited to see what happens in the future and thank my readers for their interest and hope they go on to make small changes, have those conversations and be a part of the larger movement towards a more sustainable nation and healthier world. Hopefully I will be able to continue blogging in the future…maybe not every week…but I will definitely try to keep up with it if only for myself.

And, if this entire blog is not enough to convince you that doing something good for the environment is the right thing to do and well worth the effort...mabe these cute cuddly animals will change your mind.

Sweetwater Wetlands...not so sweet

TUCSON, Ariz. – Driving from Phoenix to Tucson is not the most pleasant or serene drive and the smell of sewage that fills your car once you hit Prince Rd. lets you know you’ve arrived in Tucson.


trust me it stunk!

This past weekend I found where that awful smell originates; the Sweetwater Wetland. Located between the I-10 and the Santa Cruz River just north of Prince Rd, the wetlands actually serve an environmental function. The Roger Road Wastewater Treatment Plant down the street feeds the wetlands its secondary effluent which includes shower and sink water. At first glance you wouldn’t guess that the water in the relaxing ponds is actually effluent, it’s the change in the wind that wafts the awful smell back to your nose that gives it away. Aside form the occasional stinky moments, the facility is actually one of the city’s greenest ventures yet.







The wetlands primary function is to treat the secondary effluent and leftovers from the water treatment plant’s reclaimed water system. You might be wondering why the water treatment plant doesn’t take care of this problem. Well they do but the wetlands can do it in a more eco-friendly, and not to mention, more aesthetically pleasing manner.

The City of Tucson’s explains:

”As a water treatment facility, the wetlands are designed to be one of Tucson's most important facets of the City's Reclaimed Water System. Water treated at the wetlands filters through sediments beneath the recharged basins and replenishes the local aquifer. This reclaimed wastewater is recovered by extraction wells during periods of high water demand and is distributed for reuse throughout the City's golf courses, parks, schools and other large turf irrigations areas. Using this reclaimed water means that we can have a "greener" community without using our drinking water to keep the grass and other plants alive.”

The Wetlands also serve as a nice green retreat from the expansive brown desert landscape that surrounds Tucson. It is like an oasis in the middle of the desert, a stinky oasis…but an oasis. Tucsonans come to the Sweetwater Wetlands to walk along the gravel paths and look for wildlife. Bird watchers can often be found here. Animals use the wetlands as a retreat from the hot and arid desert surroundings.


Check it out: Desert oasis fills a need Sweetwater wetlands Tucson Audubon Society Tucson Water

You can do it too.

As editor for the CatScan, an online eco-magazine run by senior journalism students at the University of Arizona, I come across a lot of interesting story ideas. Last week I heard about an online carbon footprint calculator. Some of the reporters plan to use the calculator to measure their footprints for an upcoming story and semi-experiment. I decided to see what my carbon footprint was like.

After entering the Web site I found the calculator hiding at the bottom of the page. With a few clicks and drop down menus I quickly determined my 'secondary' carbon footprint in less than 8 minutes. 5.528 tonnes. First of all, I dont know what a "tonne" is. Secondly, what am I supossed to do with that? Well, the Web site provides a link at the bottom of the results page that give you ways to reduce your carbon footprint based on your responses to the questions above.

As a poor college student I can hardly afford to feed myself let alone spend a lot of money to offset my carbon output. Being that I couldn't really answer all of the questions related to the regular carbon footprint, I answered the secondary footprint questions. It would cost me $84.74 to the Clean Energy Fund to offset JUST my secondary footprint. Unfortunately that's a little pricey for me. And the prices only go up from there. I could pay $114.45 towards reforestation in Kenya or $192.12 towards tree planting in the UK.

Feeling more guilty by the click I decided to just try to buy locally grown foods with less packaging, reduce the amount of driving and focus on encouraging others to do the same. That way I can maintain my routine without sending money halfway around the world. Maybe I'll plant my own tree.

Check it out!




The UK seems to be doing a lot to encourage its residents to reduce their carbon footprints.

EnviroSwim sinks with local government

As the summer months rapidly approach, Tucson, Ariz., is already feeling the heat. With the temperatures in the high 80’s I find myself coming up with excuses to study next to the pool. During this time of year I frequent the pool at the University of Arizona Recreation Center. But recently after a refreshing dip in the pool I noticed my skin began to itch. The strong chemicals used to clean the pool actually affected my skin. Well, I found a company trying to make its mark in Ariz., taking away the sting of harmful chemicals one pool at a time.

EnviroSwim is a company that uses alternative cleaning methods for pools. I know what you’re thinking, alternative cleaning methods…? Well, after talking with Kirs Newkirk one of the EnviroSwim owners working to bring the product to the US I learned more about how ‘alternative cleaning’ really works.

The product uses Copper and Silver to ionize the water, killing bacteria faster and more effectively than chlorine and chemicals. So, after a long conversation with Kris about the system and attempting to decipher a lot of technical jargon about ionization and electrodes, I gave up. Kris told me about government run facilities in Australia that use the system but also said that Maricopa County here in Arizona won’t use the system despite it being safer and cheaper than its chlorine alternative.

Apparently Maricopa County has laws regulating the amount of chlorine is used in public pools. After looking into it myself, the laws seem to talk only about Ph levels in the pool. So, why isn't Maricopa County jumping on board. The benefits seem to be pretty great:

• Reduces pump running times - some of our customers have reported a 50% saving in power consumption.
• Increases life of plant and equipment.
• Highlights water consumption and determine actual leakage.
• Reduces chlorine odour and corrosion indoor pools especially.
• Reduces the consumption of Chlorine and pH controlling chemicals whilst still maintaining Health Department guidelines.
• Highlights inefficient heaters, pumps etc and advise on most cost effective remedy (High cost centre)
• Eliminates the use of Aluminium sulphate and Stabiliser
• Improves water quality
• Improves safety for swimmers and staff.

Kris told me that the system pays for itself within the first two years. EnviroSwim is planning on opening offices in Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas and other cities in the Southwest. It is likely that this green technology will be heading our way soon, even if it isn't at our public pools.

Recyclemania losing its luster?

Ok, so after several weeks blogging about ‘green issues’ this is the first week when I actually struggled to find blogging material. To be honest, I thought this moment would have happened much sooner. So, I took a look around me and tried to think of a blog idea.

A corner in my tiny dorm room was overflowing with recyclables. As part of recyclemania, “a friendly competition among college and university recycling programs in the United States that provides the campus community with a fun, proactive activity in waste reduction,” I have been hording my recyclables to try and earn points for my building at the University of Arizona. But, recyclemania or not I usually hoard my recyclables until I get the chance to take them downstairs to the recycle bins. That thought prompted a different thought…how much does recyclemania actually help?

Based on the numbers, it doesn’t seem like recyclemania is doing much good. Compared to last year, the UA as a whole is recycling less. Check out the results.

The recyclemania program measures three different types of recyclables, paper, corrugated cardboard and bottles/cans. The results for paper this year are slightly above the results from last year…but the numbers in cardboard and bottles/cans are way down. How is this possible, especially after the University of Arizona department of Residence Life has hired a full-time coordinator of sustainability education.

"I have no idea what is going on," said Liz Zavodsky, coordinator of sustainability education for the department of residence life at the University of Arizona. "I know there is a ton of recycling material that is going into the trash. This makes me very sad to see." But despite the disappointing performance in recyclemania this year, Zavodsky remains positive. "This is the first year we have had my position and have taken the education piece to new levels other than just recycling," said Zavodsky. "So I might not have given (recyclemaina) the attention it needs."

Compared to the leader in recyclemania, Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the UA is far behind. Last week, the eighth week in the ten week competition, Kalamazoo recycled 7.36 pounds per person where as the UA recycled a measly .69 pounds per person.

At least we’re beating Arizona State University. They don’t seem to be participating this year, or last year…there are no scores recorded for our big rivals. At least we beat them at something this year, even if it is recycling.

Check out this video made by recyclemania advocates at the University of Arizona.

Green beer...but not really

San Diego, Cali. - This week was spring break for University of Arizona students and I took the opportunity to get out of Arizona. I packed my bags and headed for San Diego, Cali. A trip to a local brewery is the inspiration for this week’s blog.

Located about 40 minutes from San Diego, Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens is paving the way in green technologies. But, you wouldn’t necessarily know it at first glance. The reviews all rave about the brewery’s world famous beers brewed on site, the gourmet dishes and impressive structure but few talk about the brewery’s green practices.

“Everything we use is all natural,” said general manager Jim Hurley. The property is home to an impressive a one-acre beer garden used for water reclamation and purification and the occasional after dinner stroll.

From the outdoor beer garden to the bathrooms, Stone is thinking green. “We done use any paper towels,” said Hurley. The waterless urinals in the men’s bathroom also help conserve water and surprisingly do not smell, according to my boyfriend who was quite impressed.

The food was delicious and all organic and locally grown. There are even local farmers that grow specifically for Stone Brewery.

The restaurant and brewery offers the queen of all green dinners once a month. “We do ‘Fresh’ dinners where everything is fresh to us the day of the dinner,” said Hurley.

As my friends and I stood in the garden after our meal we looked from the beer garden towards the massive glass and concrete structure offering a view of the silver brewing vats in the background. It’s looked like an adult equivalent of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, the only thing that was missing was a beer waterfall.

Give me a break...green sports?

The CatScan is an online eco-magazine and reports about anything from how to recycle your newspapers to policy change and environmental sustainability. My role working with The CatScan has increased my awareness about ‘green’ issues but has also reduced the amount of material I will accept as true.

Going green or organic or eco-friendly or carbon neutral seems to be used as a marketing ploy stuck on just about every product, political campaign or even sports team. But, what does ‘going green” mean, especially in the sports arena? Well, this week I decided to find out. This week my blog is inspired by an interview I did for an article I am working on for another journalism class.

The Global Sports Alliance or GSA is a company based out of Tokyo, Japan focusing on changing the sports arena to be more environmentally aware. Their philosophy has been to focus on sports enthusiasts as role models and supporters of environmentally friendly practices. At first I was skeptical; no I was actually cynical about a program that uses sports to reduce the carbon footprint of an entire nation let alone the world. It seems like that lack of a sports community would be the best way to reduce negative environmental effects. I mean, c’mon, does it really matter how many napkins you throw away when you’re eating your hot dog at a ball park? Well, it turns out that GSA is not all that interested in the actual effects that sports have on the environment; they’re looking at the common ethic between sportsmanship and environmental sustainability. It’s like ‘fair play’ but with the environment. The GSA philosophy is:

“The fundamental cause of environmental problems is our failure to apply the basic scientific knowledge we learn in school, such as photosynthesis, the heat of evaporation, and the second law of thermodynamics, in society as a whole, widening the gap between ‘what we know’ and ‘what we do.’ Experiencing nature and developing a true consciousness are essential to understanding and applying this knowledge.

If we can promote action in over one billion sport enthusiasts that are truly aware of the importance of clean air and water through personal experience, then we will surely be able to tackle global environmental problems.”

This week I interviewed Jane Poynter made famous through her previous work as a TV host, Biosphere 2 crewmember, sustainability consultant, author, speaker, and technology company president. You might be curious as to how Poynter fits into this whole picture. Well, she says all of her life experiences have a common thread that has led her to join GSA. Jane Poynter is the president of GSA-USA whose headquarters will be located in Tucson, Ariz. My interview with Poynter revealed her goals for GSA-USA and how she’s going to make it successful in the states.

After coming to the realization that many other industries and organizations had or were in the process of tackling environmental issues, Poynter saw a need in the sports arena.

“Who doesn’t love sports?” said Poynter. “If you’re a lover of sports you already think about the air you breathe.”

Through harboring the sportsmanship ethic present in virtually every sport, Poynter and GSA-USA hope to promote the idea of ‘eco-play’. “It’s really very akin to the core of sustainability,” said Poynter.

GSA-USA plans on having ‘teams’ in every major city in the United States by 2010. The teams will be led by team captains and will work on contacting sports teams, sports enthusiasts and community members to foster awareness about environmental issues as well as ask what more can be done?

Although the exact plans for GSA starting up here in the US are still pretty vague, it’s obvious that their voice has been heard elsewhere with a thriving GSA presence in 29 countries. Keep your eye out for GSA in Tucson and around the nation in the near future.