Green Week, Earth Hour, and Earth Day

Welcome back to a new blog.

We hope you enjoyed Green Week at MCC and learned at least one new thing during the week. We will still do something to celebrate Earth Day on April 22, of course, but we thought it might be too hot to have too many outdoor activities going on that day, which is why we celebrated early.

We are coming up on Earth Hour this Saturday, March 27, at 8:30pm regardless of your time zone. The website for Earth Hour (http://www.myearthhour.org/home) describes it like this: "On Earth Hour, hundreds of millions of people around the world will come together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. The movement symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in this fight, protecting our future and that of future generations." Some people think, "Who cares if we all turn off the lights for one hour?". But just remember, the concept is just a symbol of how each of us, all working together, can bring about change.

Mother Nature has two big anniversaries this year to celebrate. One of them is the 50th Anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge is a 20 million acre area (the largest protected area in America) in northern Alaska that was set aside in 1960 to protect arctic ecosystems and wildlife. But as many of you know, even more oil and gas development is desired that will infringe upon the refuge, which will in turn threaten the ecosystems. There are already oil wells and the Trans-Alaska pipeline in that area, and with that comes 'incidents'. Like what? Well, according to the Northern Alaska Environmental Center (http://www.northern.org/), "Each year, there is a toxic spill a day -- and over 453 spills each year -- on average, from the oil and gas industry on Alaska’s North Slope, according to a new analysis and map derived from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation’s spill database for 1996 to 2008. There were a total of 5,895 spills with 2.7 million gallons spilled of 40 hazardous and toxic substances caused by operations of the North Slope oil fields, pipelines, and exploratory activities during the past 13 years. Over 500 spills were recorded for each of the two most recent years. Hundreds of toxic spills took place in offshore fields and exploration in the Beaufort Sea, including at Endicott (109 spills) and Northstar (148 spills)." So, let's look at the size of just one of the five oil fields in the North Slope of Alaska. Prudhoe Bay Oil Field is just over 213,000 acres; it is the largest in America, the other four in northern Alaska are much smaller. So in that few hundred thousand acres, they have that many oil spills. Now, consider that the government wants to take 1.5 million acres away from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in order to drill for more oil. Imagine how many more oil spills the wildlife and ecosystem will have to deal with! And for what? A small amount of oil (compared to what they get from Alaska now) that won't even be available to access or use for another 20 years. I would hope that in 20 years we have found a RENEWABLE resource to use for fuel and we no longer rely on the limited oil the world has to offer.

Due to the 50th Anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, there is a push to urge the Department of the Interior to continue protecting the area, ecosystem, native people, and wildlife from further infringement of the polluting and toxic oil and gas industry. Please take a moment to check out this website for more information about the refuge and how you can help protect it: http://www.sierraclub.org/arctic/.

The other celebration this year is the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. Earthday.net describes the history of Earth Day: "On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment. Denis Hayes, the national coordinator, and his youthful staff organized massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values. Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts." Clearly, Earth Day has left a huge mark on the history of America, and since our first Earth Day, 184 other countries have also joined in the celebration to protect the planet.

This year, as April 22 rolls around, please take a moment to reflect on how you can make small changes in your life that will protect the earth for generations to come. Let's live today as if we plan to stay.

Where is 'away'?

What do you think about this:
The city is considering canceling all waste pickup services. Now, you will have to dig a giant hole in your yard and put all your waste in there. Sounds ridiculous, right? Your yard is only so big, and you have so much trash it would fill the hole pretty quick. Not to mention the smell and the bugs/rodents it would attract.

Well, this is what we all do everyday. It's just that you don't see the hole, or smell the smell, or deal with the bugs. You throw your trash 'away', and someone comes to take it 'away'. But where is 'away'? And why does society deem it acceptable to have that exact same ridiculous hole somewhere else on a much larger scale?  That hole is your local landfill. Organized city dumps have only been around since the 1920's. Guess what that timeframe corresponds with? It's about the same time as when people started inventing disposables and using plastic. That pretty much explains what those giant holes in the ground have been filling up with for the past 90 years. Click this link http://www.bfi-salinas.com/kids_trash_timeline-printer.cfm to read a really interesting "Timeline of Trash".

There are often cities that realize the need to build a new landfill, but when they make the public announcement and solicit feedback, no one wants the landfill near them. That phenomenon even has its own phrase called NIMBY...not in my backyard. So where do you put it? You find some far away 'empty' spot that the public doesn't have to look at, and you put it there. Why is that any better? Those landfills are HUGE. Someone has to clear all of the natural plant and animal habitat out of an area just so humans can put their trash there. Here are some stats we obtained about the landfill where the MCC trash goes:

• The Salt River Landfill receives trash only from Mesa, Scottsdale, Gilbert, and two nearby Indian communities.
• It is approximately 145 acres in land area. To put that into perspective, a football field is about an acre.
• In that space, the trash will be piled 180 feet deep. 100 feet of that will be below ground, and 80 feet above ground.
• It started being filled in 1993 and is expected to be full around 2020.
• 1,900 tons of waste is put into the landfill each day.
• Once any landfill is 'full', it must be closed and then monitored for dangerous emissions and water contamination for THIRTY YEARS before the land can be reused.
• MCC is facilitating a tour of that landfill and its adjoining recycling facility...visit our Facebook Event page for MCC Recycle or contact recycle@mcmail.maricopa.edu for details.

So what can we do?

Well, for starters, we only need landfills because of our own actions. Take a look at your lifestyle and what you throw 'away' each day. You will find that most of the things you throw away were just packages for something else. And, look at what that something else was...you will probably find it was one of two things...something disposable or food.

Packaging waste is a large and unnecessary part of our waste stream. According to the EPA, packaging is approximately 1/3 of our household waste stream. EPA also says that 28 countries have laws designed to help reduce packaging waste. But guess what? The US is NOT one of them. How can that be? We are the biggest consumers in the world!!

By now you are probably thinking, "I do my part...I recycle.". But did you know that recycling is the LEAST preferred method to handle the waste problem in our country? Think of the phrase "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle". That phrase is worded that way for a reason...your first goal should always be to REDUCE the amount of waste you create in the first place. This will save natural resources. Everytime you buy something, consider buying it used (this automatically also covers the second part of the phrase...REUSE). That way, you reduced the resources used to make a new item, plus reduced the packaging waste that comes with a new item. If you must buy new, look at how it is packaged. Check the label and make sure packaging is both made from recycled materials and is itself recyclable. Check into the company that makes the products. Your purchases keep them in business. Take a stand and encourage them to be more environmentally responsible. This can be for something as cheap as gum or pencils to something as expensive as plasma TVs. Most companies will follow the consumer dollars.

Another way to REDUCE your waste: buy large sizes, and don't buy disposables. Don't buy paper towels to wipe off your kitchen counter...use a wet rag or sponge that you can wash and reuse. Don't grab a new fork and spoon in the cafe every time you go in there...bring your own metal ones, or wash and reuse your disposables until they break. Don't buy a few of the small bottles of shampoo, buy the biggest one. Don't buy the individual sized bag of chips...buy the biggest bag you can find and then portion it out into small reusable containers to bring with you. Or better yet, get healthy! Eat lots of fruits and veggies as snacks instead of the greasy chips...there is usually no packaging for fruits and veggies. (Read the previous blog post about Gardens for more details about that.)

Do everything you can to REDUCE your waste. REUSE things as much as you can. And then, finally, when there are no other options, RECYCLE. Compete with friends or family members to see who can generate the least amount of trash in a week. But no matter what, try your best to reduce the amount of trash you generate, because one day, that landfill might end up in your own backyard.

MCC Community Children's Garden

Hello again! The blog today is dedicated to gardening. Why? Because MCC is in the running for a $250,000 grant to put together our Community Children's Garden! Click the green heading above to link to the voting page. There, you will find information about the garden and how we want to use the grant money. Please take this opportunity to check it out and vote.

So, what's 'wrong' with veggies at the store? Well, for one thing, all of things you see there are not in season all year long, so they are being shipped in from all over the world or grown out of season, requiring pesticides(contaminates groundwater), geting picked early (less flavor) to allow shipping time, then packaged for shipping (waste created). Then they get shipped (use fuel), sit at the store until ready (waste electricity/space), and then put out on the shelves. You then go to the store (use fuel), find what you want, put it in a bag (waste packaging), and take it home. (Whatever the store doesn't sell gets thrown out in the dumpster!). When you prep the veggies for dinner, you throw out the dead edges, wilted parts, and extra leaves (wasted organic matter) and then you cook it, essentially killing all the nutritious vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.

So, what's so great about a garden? You can grow your own veggies without pesticides by using companion planting to benefit the soil and reduce pests naturally. You can just go out and pick them for use right away instead of going to the store and packaging them up to bring them home. Just think, fresh munchies that are always at your doorstep! You can prep them and save the food waste for your compost bin, which will later provide you with fresh and nutrient-filled soil for continued gardening, creating no wasted food matter. You will also get a lot of personal satisfaction from seeing the literal 'fruits' of your efforts, and when you have too much to use yourself, you can share them with friends and family.

It's not hard to garden, even for those that are unfamiliar or those that don't have space. Start small! Plant an herb or two that you like, and if you aren't sure of your gardening skills, plant one veggie that is easy to grow, like zuccini or cucumber. Once you see that you can grow it and you pick one, it will boost your confidence significantly and encourage you to add more variety. And use the Internet...you will find lots of useful information to get you started.

Very important in Arizona: do NOT use the package guidelines on seeds. We have a very specialized climate; when a package says 'full sun', it does not mean 'full Arizona summer sun', because then you just get a burned and dead plant. Check out the Phoenix Permaculture Guild. This place is amazing! They run on volunteers and donations, and they offer lots of free classes, all specific to Arizona climate issues. Their website is http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/. They have a wonderful 4-part veggie gardening class for beginners, herb classes, tree classes, and even classes to learn to harvest rainwater for your gardens. They have a FREE specialized planting calendar available, with details specific to Arizona. You will even find out from that calendar that you can grow veggies in Arizona all year long, unlike most other states that have frosts and freezes. (here's the link to the calendar: http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/forum/topics/2008067:Topic:6683)

If you can't do your own garden, please consider buying all your produce (and some other great items) at your local farmer's markets instead of big box grocery stores. This will support your local farmers, and you will enjoy knowing the people that grow your foods and being able to see where your food is coming from. You may even get to mingle with a few of your neighbors and make some new friends. See all the local farmer's markets here: http://www.arizonafarmersmarkets.com/azfmcalendar.htm.

Watch the movie "Food, Inc." to learn more about the importance of knowing where your food comes from.

And finally, don't forget to click the green heading at the top of the blog to go and vote for the MCC Community Children's Garden grant!

Thanks for your interest, and happy gardening!!

Climate Action Plan

MCC has submitted the Climate Action Plan for the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. Click the words Climate Action Plan above to read our plans for a greener MCC in the future.

MCC CAN'T WAIT FOR EARTH DAY!!

MCC CAN'T WAIT to celebrate Earth Day, so we are having our own special Green Week. Starting Saturday March 6 and continuing through Friday March 12, MCC will have lots of 'green' events going on. We hope that you will take part so that you can learn or teach what you know about being environmentally friendly. So far, we have a trip to the Arboretum planned for 3/6 to do some Service Learning work. On 3/10 we will have Science Day, and on 3/12 we will have a Plant Sale. We will also spend some time focusing on alternative modes of transportation, energy and water conservation, maybe have a contest or two, and we are still trying to plan some other fun stuff.
Keep an eye out for more information as that week approaches...

Drastic Plastic

Hi greenies! Hope your 2010 is going well and you are staying strong with your resolutions.

It's time to get serious about plastic bags. This article will tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly about plastic bags. **Just a note: when we refer to plastic bags, this also includes plastic wraps, such as bread bags, newspaper bags, produce bags, ziplock bags, trash bags, air-pillows (the kind used for shipping), dry cleaning bags, shrink wrap, cereal bags, wrapping around diapers, wrappers for toilet paper/paper towels, and bottled water wrapping. But to make things easier to read here, we will put all of this nasty plastic under the term 'plastic bags'.

There are very few good things to say about plastic bags. One good thing: almost every type of plastic bag is recyclable. That being said, almost every single curbside recycling program in the country, including the MCC barrels from City of Mesa, do NOT allow plastic bags.
WHY?
They jam up the machinery at the recycling facility. MCC Recycle will be arranging a tour of a recycling facility and landfill, hopefully for February, and if you take the tour you will see why. But for now, a simple explanation is this: the automated equipment at the recycling facility has the ability to filter things in different ways: they have fans that blow paper to one area, and they have other specialized conveyor belts that allow plastics to be sorted from cans. However, plastic bags are extremely lightweight, and as you have seen from littered public areas, they blow around like crazy. At the recycling facility, the bags will blow into the paper areas during the sorting by fans, and then they jam the paper machines. It's not unusual that the entire recycling line has to be shut down several times a day to remove plastic bags that jam equipment. They also have to hire people to stand at the conveyor and try to remove plastic bags as they enter the processing area. All bags filtered out are sent to landfill (NOT recycled). Obviously, these types of things slow the process when a facility is processing several tons of recycled materials per day, and ultimately this ends up raising the cost of recycling. There is one exception: shredded paper can go into the containers if it is inside a CLEAR plastic bag. This allows the manual sorters at the facility to see that it is paper, remove it from the production area, and then dump it into the paper recycling.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? You have 2 options:
Option 1: Never, ever, EVER put plastic bags in curbside recycling containers. Since all of your bags are recyclable, just save them up and take them to the grocery store next time you go. Almost every grocery store in town has a bin at the front where you can put plastic bags and plastic wrap. Also, you can reuse them for other things. Take your lunch to work in one until it tears (then recycle it at the store!). Line a trash can. Clean up dog poop. Use it as a shower cap. Reuse it the next time you go to the store (and they'll usually deduct a few cents per bag from your total bill if you do that). Heck, you can even 'knit' them in to a purse or a rug (check out this link for craft ideas: http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/138/1/Recycled-plastic-bag-crafts.html).
Option 2: Stop using them! Do you really need a bag to carry a soda, chips, and gum out of the store? Buy reusable bags and always have one with you. If you buy them at grocery stores, they are usually around $1 each. Ladies, they even have some that fold or zip up small to fit in your purse. Every time you go the store, USE THEM. If you don't have one with you and you are just picking up one or two things, just refuse the bag. MCC students: You use a backpack or your arms to carry books all semester; you don't need a plastic bag to carry your books from the bookstore to the car after you buy them!! Please tell the bookstore "NO BAG NEEDED!!"

WHAT HAPPENS TO MY RECYCLED PLASTIC BAGS?
Here's the good news. Plastic bags that are recycled (the correct way, of course) are made into products such as materials used to build decking, fencing, and even playground equipment. (visit the website for this local company for details: http://www.pjsfuncrafters.com/)

And finally, a few dramatic statistics* to scare the plastic right out of your life:

• About 89 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are used each year in the U.S.
• In the United States alone, an estimated 12 million barrels of oil is used annually to make plastic bags that Americans consume. (How much do you think that 'costs' us?)
• According to the EPA, only about 12 percent of plastic bags and wraps were recycled in 2007.
• A five-year-long study by the Ocean Conservancy found that small plastic bags made up about 9 percent of the debris found along various U.S. coasts.
• The average family accumulates 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store.
• Approximately 500 nautical miles off the California coast sits a growing "plastic island," a gargantuan patch of floating plastic trash held together by currents stretching across the northern Pacific almost as far as Japan. This "plastic island" is made up of about 7 billion pounds of plastic garbage, and measures about twice the size of Texas.
• Annual cost to US retailers alone is estimated at $4 billion. Since you don't pay for the bag when you check-out at the store, this cost is passed on to consumers via the cost of products they buy.

*all stats from reusablebags.com

So, the moral of this story: Stop using plastic bags!!! Even if you buy reusable bags for shopping, you will obviously sometimes still get plastic bags/wrap via other means. Please make sure to recycle it all at the front of most retail stores and NOT in the curbside barrels. And, please share this info with friends.

Thanks for listening!

A new year!

It's the start of a new year, and MCC Recycle is looking forward to helping MCC become a more sustainable campus. How? Here's a list of things for January 2010.

• On January 13, there will be a special eco-event for employees...details will be available later this week, but here's a preview: FREE STUFF!
• On January 15, our campus Climate Action Plan is due. This plan is part of the progress we anticipate as a signatory to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/). As soon as we post the Plan on the website, we'll let you know the link. You will be able to see exactly what MCC hopes to accomplish over the next 10 years or so with regard to greening the campus.
• We are currently recruiting volunteers to participate in a recycling event at the PF Chang Marathon on January 17. Details are posted on the Facebook Event page for MCC Recycle. You can also email recycle@mcmail.maricopa.edu if you would like more info.
• January 18th is MLK Day, and MCC celebrates with a Day of Service. This event brings together our campus and surrounding community to teach, learn, and share about the wonderful benefits of service and volunteer work. More details on that event will be posted when they become available.
• The new semester starts January 16, and with that comes an opportunity for clubs to recruit new members. Make sure to join the MCC Environmental Action Club. If your schedule doesn't allow you to participate regularly, consider supporting the club by purchasing one of many t-shirts they offer, and get on the email list to take part whenever you can.

Thanks for reading our new blog. Always feel free to comment, make suggestions, or just share what you know. Enjoy the new year!