Thursday’s Focus is Energy in the Fort Collins No Impact Project!

Continue your efforts to avoid unnecessary purchases, minimize trash, using green transportation, and eating sustainably, while adding in energy conservation. If you haven’t started yet, it’s not too late to jump in!

If you haven’t registered, you can go to http://noimpactproject.org/experiment/ and click on the City of Fort Collins link on the left. You will not be able to open the link to the guide that they email you from work, so I’ve attached the section for Tuesday (transportation). You should be able to access the guide from a home computer, or you can forward this message to your personal email if you want access to it from home. Please don’t print it unless you really need to. 

Energy Conservation Tips:

• Turn off the lights when you aren’t in the room. This is simple, but it makes a difference!
• Wash clothes on cold and use a detergent that works well on cold.
• Dry clothes on a line or drying rack instead of using the dryer.
• Prevent energy loss in your house. Check for leaks around windows, doors and from your fire place if you have one. Make sure your house is well insulated. Having a home energy audit is a great way to find problem areas.
• Purchase energy efficient appliances when older models die.
• Plug multiple appliances into a single power strip and turn it off when they are not in use.
• Home Energy Tip: Try a programmable thermostat
  Heating and cooling accounts for almost half your energy bill – about $1,000 a year! A programmable thermostat is one of the easiest ways you can save energy in your home and help reduce carbon pollution. An Energy Star qualified programmable thermostat helps make it easy for you to save by offering four pre-programmed settings to regulate your home’s temperature in both summer and winter – when you are asleep or away.
  Learn more about saving energy at home: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_save_energy_at_home
• Check Out Energy Star’s Save Energy at Home tool to save money and reduce carbon pollution
  Energy Star’s Save Energy at Home Tool can guide you in making your home more energy efficient — whether you do it yourself or hire a qualified professional. The online tool has tips for saving energy all around your home and targets each room individually. Remember, when you save energy, you’re saving money and cutting carbon pollution.
  Try the tool: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=popuptool.atHome

Below are links to additional information on Energy Conservation and Green Energy.

• The City of Fort Collins Utilities has great information on efficiency and rebates! http://www.fcgov.com/utilities/residential/conserve There is a lot of information about the rebates and discounted price of energy efficient lighting on the website and on the Energy poster (attached)
• Request that your home electricity come from Windsource (Excel Energy Customers): http://www.xcelenergy.com/Save_Money_&_Energy/Residential/Renewable_Energy_Programs/Windsource_for_Residences_-_CO
• Have a home efficiency audit subsidized by the City of Fort Collins: http://www.fcgov.com/utilities/residential/conserve/energy-efficiency/home-efficiency-program/audits (there are generally coupons for $10 off the audit in the Valpak coupon mailers or online). Once you have had an audit, you can receive rebates from the City on certain energy efficiency improvements if you use one of their participating contractors.
• EPA: How can I reduce my impact: http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/reduce.html
• Find out where your power comes from with EPAs Power Profiler: http://oaspub.epa.gov/powpro/ept_pack.charts

Wednesday’s Focus is Sustainable Eating in the Fort Collins No Impact Project!

Continue your efforts to avoid unnecessary purchases, minimize trash, and using green transportation, while adding in Green Eating. If you haven’t started yet, it’s not too late to jump in!

If you haven’t registered, you can go to http://noimpactproject.org/experiment/ and click on the City of Fort Collins link on the left. You will not be able to open the link to the guide that they email you from work, so I’ve attached the section for Tuesday (transportation). You should be able to access the guide from a home computer, or you can forward this message to your personal email if you want access to it from home. Please don’t print it unless you really need to. 

Sustainable Eating Tips:

• There are lots of different ways to begin eating sustainably: Eating local food, seasonal Food (which is generally also more local), organic Food, and minimizing or eliminating meat and/or other animal products from the diet.
• For local food, the energy needed to store and transport the products is removed from the equation. There is a decrease in greenhouse gasses emitted because locally grown goods do not need to be transported across the country, or constantly cooled in large refrigerators.
• Seasonal food means that it was at least grown in the same hemisphere as you. Foods that are out of season have come from the southern hemisphere or were grown in greenhouses. Thus foods that are out of season require additional energy for growth, transport, or storage.
• Organic food is produced in a way that complies with organic standards set by national governments and international organizations. Organic farming responds to site-specific farming and crop conditions by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.
• Reduce food waste:  Thirteen percent of carbon pollution emissions in the United States are associated with the growing, manufacturing, transporting, and disposing of food. More food reaches landfills and incinerators than any other single material in municipal solid waste. In 2012 alone, more than 36 million tons of food waste was generated, with only five percent diverted from landfills and incinerators for composting. Reducing the amount of food wasted has significant economic, social & environmental benefits — including the reduction of carbon pollution. Reducing food waste reduces methane and other greenhouse gas emissions and improves sanitation, public safety, and overall health. By reducing the amount of food we waste, we can reduce carbon pollution and improve quality of life for Americans.
  Learn more: http://www2.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-wasted-food-basics

Below are links to additional information on Sustainable Eating.
Videos:

• What’s Wrong with What we Eat: https://www.ted.com/talks/mark_bittman_on_what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat#t-1182848 A great talk about food and environmental & physical health (but he does not have a very good view of USDA)
• Weekday Vegetarian: http://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_weekday_vegetarian#t-223429
• A Plant’s-Eye View: http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_pollan_gives_a_plant_s_eye_view#t-1029212 You might not see the connection to green eating till the end.
• The Global Food Waste Scandal: http://www.ted.com/talks/tristram_stuart_the_global_food_waste_scandal
• A Garden in my Apartment: http://www.ted.com/talks/britta_riley_a_garden_in_my_apartment#t-73815

Other information on sustainable eating:

• Colorado Fruits and Vegetables: http://localfoods.about.com/od/searchbyregion/a/coloradoseasons.htm
• Reasons why you should eat local foods: http://localfoods.about.com/od/finduselocalfoods/tp/5-Reasons-to-Eat-Local-Foods.htm
• Local Foods 101: http://localfoods.about.com/od/finduselocalfoods/u/BuyLocal.htm
• Organic Foods – Are they safer? More nutritious? http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/organic-food/art-20043880
• Sustainable livestock husbandry: http://www.sustainabletable.org/248/sustainable-livestock-husbandry
• The Meat to Eat: http://www.sustainabletable.org/1649/the-meat-to-eat
• Find a source of local grass-fed meat: http://www.eatwild.com/
• Find, Cook, and Eat Sustainable Meat: http://www.takepart.com/article/2011/03/03/find-cook-and-eat-sustainable-meat-interview-author-deborah-krasner
• Seafood recommendations from Seafood Watch (Monterrey Bay Aquarium) including links to a phone app: http://www.seafoodwatch.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_recommendations.aspx

Tuesday’s Focus is Green Transportation in the Fort Collins No Impact Project!

Continue your efforts to avoid unnecessary purchases and minimize trash, while adding green transportation.  If you haven’t started yet, it’s not too late to jump in!

If you haven’t registered yet, you can go to http://noimpactproject.org/experiment/ and click on the City of Fort Collins link on the left.  You will not be able to open the link to the guide that they email you from work, so I’ve attached the section for Tuesday (transportation).  You should be able to access the guide from a home computer, or you can forward this message to your personal email if you want access to it from home.  Please don’t print it unless you really need to.

Green Transportation Fair at Bldg B!

Building B will be hosting a Green Transportation Fair on Wednesday April 23 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. as part of their Earth Week activities.  Everyone on the NRRC campus (plus NCGRP and CRL) is invited to attend and a flyer with details is attached.  They will be having a representative from Transfort giving a presentation about The MAX, a representative from the Bicycle Ambassador program giving a presentation about biking to work/safe cycling, and a representative from SmartTrips giving a presentation about the different programs they offer, including Vango.  Each organization will be at an information table after their presentations and available to answer questions and share information.  They will be serving light refreshments (cookies and tap water) and are encouraging everyone to bring their reusable water bottles.

 

Smokey can be counted on to use Alternative Transportation!

 

Transportation Tips:

• Eliminate your car’s carbon emissions by using human-powered transportation: bike, walk, skateboard, rollerblade, etc.
• Teleworking is just as good as using human-powered transportation since your car doesn’t leave the driveway!
• Use public transportation.  Take the bus to work, but give yourself extra time if you are new to this mode of transport.  Chances are good it won’t go perfectly the first few times as you figure out the details.
  • If you use public transportation regularly for your commute, you can apply for a federal government subsidy to pay for it!  Details are here: http://www.afm.ars.usda.gov/hrd/worklife/transit_subsidy_contacts.htm (NCGRP employees: You can’t get a subsidy and a paid parking permit.  You must choose one or the other.
• Carpool.
• If you must drive, consolidate your trips.  Do all your errands at the same time and plan the most efficient route among the places you must go.
• Use the most efficient car available to you.
• Check your tire pressure –

You can improve your gas mileage by up to 3.3% by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflation increases tire wear, reduces your fuel economy, and leads to higher carbon pollution emissions. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.

Check your tire pressure regularly. If you don’t know the correct tire pressure for your vehicle, you can find it listed on the door to your vehicle’s glove compartment, or on the driver’s-side door pillar. Do not use the maximum pressure printed on the tire’s sidewall. When it’s time for new tires, consider purchasing tires with “low rolling resistance,” an energy-saving feature.

Learn more tips to improve your fuel economy: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.jsp

 

Below are links to additional information on Green Transportation.

Videos:

NHTSA Bike Safety Tips for Adults: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdrrxIpQpt4

How to Bike to Work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekq_uQKWijE

I’d Bike to Work if Only…: Rob Cotter at TEDxAtlanta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhey6x8CRe8 (About the Elf – a hybrid bicycle vehicle that runs on solar electric and pedal power, and it’s suitable for commuting, short-haul deliveries and other local transportation needs.)

Ridekick electric motorized trailer – a Fort Collins company! http://vimeo.com/44699474

CrossCurrents – MAX: Is It For You? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9unyuiciGw&feature=share&list=UU9yI7q_1fhS4KpfQp74mokQ&index=31

Non-Video Information on Cycling Safety and CO Cycling Regulations:

**Rules of the Road (From CO Bicycling Manual): http://www.fcgov.com/bicycling/pdf/cbm-rulesofroad-2006.pdf  If you look at only one link, make it this one!

Colorado Bicycle Laws: http://bicyclecolorado.org/learn/colorado-bicycle-laws/

Details of the CO bike laws: http://colobikelaw.com/law.php

CO Bike Safety Tips: http://colobikelaw.com/tips.php

City of Fort Collins Bike Rules and Regulations: http://www.fcgov.com/bicycling/rules.php

FC Bikes (including CO Bicycling Manual): http://www.fcgov.com/bicycling/links-resources.php#cbm

No Impact Project – Decrease your Consumption and Trash starting Today

How to Register

If you haven’t registered for the Earth Week No Impact Project yet, you can go to http://noimpactproject.org/experiment/ and click on the City of Fort Collins link on the left.  You will not be able to open the link to the guide that they email you from work, but you should be able to access the guide from a home computer.  You can also obtain a copy via email from your building’s Green Team Chairperson.  Please don’t print it unless you really need to.

Tips:

Consumption: Don’t buy anything new during the week (consumables excepted).

• If you need something, can you borrow it, rent it, or find it used somewhere?
• If you have to buy something new, can you buy it from a local business?

 

Trash:Make no trash (or as little as possible). Can you go without packaging?

• If you eat out and think you might have leftovers, bring a plastic container.
• Avoid takeout food.
• Buy food in bulk if possible, preferably filling your own containers where allowed.
• Get things from a farmer’s market, using a reusable bag. (The Drake Road Farmer’s Market opens this weekend!) – This will also help with Wed’s topic: Food!
• If you have to buy prepared food that comes with packaging, purchase the brand with the least packaging or with packaging that is recyclable.
• Use a hankie instead of tissues.  Bring several and wash your hands to maintain hygiene.

 

Videos that Provide Additional Information

Consumption

• Story of Stuff – a must see if you haven’t seen it before! http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-stuff/
• How to stop impulse shopping habits (in the context of grocery store, but should work for other types of shopping as well) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaxNtYrQRso
• Less Stuff, More Happiness http://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_less_stuff_more_happiness
• Wear Nothing New http://www.ted.com/talks/jessi_arrington_wearing_nothing_new

 

Trash

• ABC Nightline – Greening Garbage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNIoyhhHyYA
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle [In that order] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWxjFLDoIDA
• How to reduce your garbage output https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T62vuaxN7SU
• Full Circle – Recycling & Waste Reduction (City of Fort Collins) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNN-C_eaH7o&feature=share&list=UU9yI7q_1fhS4KpfQp74mokQ

The City of Fort Collins is hosting No Impact Week for Earth Week 2014!

The NRRC Green Teams challenge YOU to participate.

No Impact Week is described as a “Carbon Cleanse.” Each day of the week you add a new focus while continuing to the do the previous sustainable activities. The challenge will run from April 20 to April 26. To register, go to: http://noimpactproject.org/experiment/. The “City of Fort Collins, CO No Impact Week” can be selected from the bar on the left of the web page. Once you register, you will receive links to a pre-survey and a guide. The survey link works, but unfortunately the website hosting the pdf Guide is blocked by USDA. Instead, your green team will be emailing it to you.

This Challenge is based on the movie No Impact Man that ARS Fort Collins viewed on Earth Day two years ago. ARS Fort Collins’ EMS (green) Team will re-show the movie at each ARS building at noon over the next 2 weeks. Bring your lunch! Feel free to attend whichever building’s showing you want.

• Today (4/10) – Bldg. D, Eagle conf room
• Next Wed (4/16) – Bldg B – check with Bldg B green team for time and place!
• Next Thurs (4/17) – NCGRP main conf room
• Next Fri (4/18) – CRL conf room

Some employees will have limitations to participation during the week, depending on their personal and work situations. For example, if you live in Greeley it may not be feasible to use human-powered transportation to get to work, but you might be able to take public transportation or carpool. Or perhaps you can do all of your errands on the way home instead of making a separate trip, thus cutting back on your driving. The point is, challenge yourself and do the best you can.

USDA ARS Fort Collins’ goal is to have at least 50 of our employees participate in this challenge (~25%).

Here’s the plan for No Impact Week (Note that themes are celebrated in a different order at Bldg B):

• On Sunday (April 20), stop buying things you don’t need.
• On Monday (April 21), decrease your trash generation, and don’t buy things you don’t need.
• On Tuesday (April 22), use sustainable transportation while practicing decreased consumption and trash generation.
• On Wednesday (April 23), start eating sustainably while continuing to use sustainable transportation and decreasing your trash and consumption.
• On Thursday (April 24), cut your energy use while continuing to eat sustainably, use sustainable transportation, and decreasing your trash and consumption.
• On Friday (April 25), cut your water use while continuing to minimize your energy use, eat sustainably, use sustainable
• On Saturday (April 26), give back to the community while continuing your sustainable activities from the week.

Details and suggestions are in the guide.  Watch for daily posters in your building focusing on that day’s theme.

Additional activities going on during the week will be announced in upcoming emails and posts!

Earth Day Talk at Bldg D – All Bldgs Invited!

For Earth Day, Monday, April 22 at 11:30 am, Bldg D is hosting a speaker from Colorado State University’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences.  Dr. A Scott Denning is a Montfort Professor and is Director of Education for the Center of Multiscale Modeling of Atmospheric Processes (CMMAP).  His talk is titled:

Climate Change: Simple, Serious, and Solvable

 

Please join us!

The talk will be about 30 min and goodies will be served.

Stop Unwanted Junk Mail!

Do you get junk mail and catalogs you don’t want?  You can stop this mail both at home and at work to decrease your junk mail clutter and save paper in the process!  There are two ways to do this. 

DIY: First, each time you get a catalog, credit card offer, or phone book you don’t want, you can call the sender and ask them to take you off their mailing list.  Many companies will honor this request.  If you have taken the time to call them, you obviously don’t want their correspondence, so no longer sending you items will save them money.  I have used this somewhat labor intensive method successfully in the past.

Catalog Choice: The second way involves signing up with Catalog Choice, a free program through the City of Fort Collins.  This still requires you to do some work – you need to input the companies from whom you want to opt out.  If you continue to get mail from them after 90 days, they will follow up on it.  This seems to be the more efficient choice for stopping junk mail since it takes less time to log in and enter companies than to call each one yourself.  Use the link above to access the website (shown below).

Bldg D gets ClimateWise Platinum!

USDA ARS (Building D, NCGRP, and CRL) received the Platinum Partner level for the 2012 reporting year!  This is the highest level of achievement currently available from the Fort Collins recognition program, and we are one of only a dozen organizations that reached Platinum this past year. Thank you all for your efforts to increasingly “green” your jobs.  Your outstanding work has really paid off.

Results from 2012

Utility Data:

Electrical consumption for all 3 buildings combined = 6.8 million KWh (up by 0.8%)

Natural Gas for CRL and Bldg D = 237,000 therms (up by 5%)

Steam for NCGRP = 3,575 million BTU (down by 1.5%)

Domestic water for all buildings = 3.2 million gallons (down by 8.2%)

Raw water for irrigation at Sugarbeet Farm and LIRF = 36 million gallons (up by 320% due to drought and research needs)

 

GOV transportation:

147,000 miles driven (down by 13.3%)

11,200 gallons of gasoline, diesel, and biodiesel purchased (combined) (down by 20%)

 

Air travel:

585,000 miles traveled by air (up by 28.3%)

 

Solid Waste:

49,000 lbs of waste landfilled from Bldg D and NCGRP (down by 62% – I’m guessing there must be an error in the data I received from CSU, but I don’t know for which year)

320 gallons of food waste vermicomposted at Bldg D (up by 237%)

12,600 gallons of research (including some food and paper towel waste) and germination waste composted commercially by CRL and NCGRP (down by 33.7%; but the vast majority of this is dictated by SBRU research needs)

13,100 lbs + 50.6 cubic yds of comingled materials recycled from all 3 buildings (different units make comparison to last year impossible)

 

Commute Travel:

52,148 commuter miles saved!!  (up by 44%) The breakdown of car travel saved can be seen in the graph below.  Numbers are likely an underestimate since not all users of alternative transportation report mileage.  Because the level of reporting varies each year, the difference in miles saved could reflect, at least in part, this reporting difference.  However, the increase in teleworking between 2011 and 2012 is real.