Let's do a word association game. When I say "global warming", what do you think of? Personally, one of the first things that comes to mind is gas-guzzling SUV's. Oh, here's another one - why is cutting carbon emissions in the US so hard? Another one with lots of answers, but one for me would be because Americans have a love affair with their cars, and we basically have to drive to get from place to place.
Because of these pre-conceived ideas of mine, I found it shocking that 48% of US energy consumption is from our buildings - heating, cooling, building and remodeling them. Transportation, including air travel, makes up 27% of the consumption (this was according to Metropolis Magazine. I tried to get the article online but it was available only to subscribers. I think it is "Turning Down the Global Thermostat", Oct. 2003). One-sixth of this electricity is used for cooling buildings.
Luckily, green building is becoming more and more prevalent. In general, green buildings use 30% less energy, 35% less carbon, 30-50% less water, and 50-90% less waste! And it's not just about being environmentally friendly. Fossil Ridge High School, a recently constructed green building in Fort Collins, saved more than $100,000 on electricity bills its first year of operation, and it didn't cost any more to make than a non-green building. Amazing!
CMMAP, the center I'm a part of, is going to be building a multi-million dollar facility and I think it would be terrible if it wasn't green.
Ok, I've got to go to another talk, but I want to give my list of things I want to do around the house to reduce my energy consumption. Some I could even do this weekend!
1. change our lightbulbs to CFL's - they use about 1/4-1/3 less energy than regular bulbs and last up to 10 years. The only thing is, I don't know if I should just throw away some perfectly working bulbs ...
2. change the air filter, it has been way too long!
3. put more insulation in the attic ... I think we are running a little thin
4. check out the water flow in some of our faucets - particularly our shower since it is used daily
5. call our trash collecters and tell them just to come every other week. it will save us money!
6. sign up for some wind power with our utilities, this is a wonderful option in Colorado!
7. maybe Chris and I should start setting aside some money each month so we can buy a hybrid car. If we do $200 a month for 4 years, we could put down $10,000. :)
Ok that is it! Thanks for reading!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Carbon footprint
My mom has been on my blog and asked how to calculate a carbon footprint. So I decided to finally calculate mine. Wow ... I am depressed. For comparison, the national average is 53 Tons of Carbon per year per two-person household. The world-wide average is only 11 Tons.
Here are some sites where you can do the same and the results I got ...
http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/ - 77 tons!!!!!! (for Chris and I)
53% of that is home energy, and 36% is driving and flying (between the two of us we flew 8 times last year).
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html - 30 tons (for Chris and I)
Wow, much different!! This one takes into account how much you spend each month on heating your home. But ... it didn't ask about flights. So I am probably somewhere between the two above.
there are a lot more - just google carbon footprint.
I like this one, too
http://www.greenprogress.com/carbon_footprint.php - 9.16 tons (just me) and this included flights. If I pulled out my gas and electric bills, I could probably get something more accurate. I think another day I will do this again but be as precise as possible (exactly how many miles did I drive/fly last year?).
Overall I like the last one the most. They all give you tips at the end on how to reduce your footprint. Check it out - and join me in trying to reduce your footprint in 2008!!
Thanks for reading!
Here are some sites where you can do the same and the results I got ...
http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/ - 77 tons!!!!!! (for Chris and I)
53% of that is home energy, and 36% is driving and flying (between the two of us we flew 8 times last year).
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html - 30 tons (for Chris and I)
Wow, much different!! This one takes into account how much you spend each month on heating your home. But ... it didn't ask about flights. So I am probably somewhere between the two above.
there are a lot more - just google carbon footprint.
I like this one, too
http://www.greenprogress.com/carbon_footprint.php - 9.16 tons (just me) and this included flights. If I pulled out my gas and electric bills, I could probably get something more accurate. I think another day I will do this again but be as precise as possible (exactly how many miles did I drive/fly last year?).
Overall I like the last one the most. They all give you tips at the end on how to reduce your footprint. Check it out - and join me in trying to reduce your footprint in 2008!!
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Focus the Nation
I don't have many new thoughts tonight but I want to direct your (whoever you are) attention to Focus the Nation, a national event to increase awareness and knowledge about global warming. It is taking place at over 1600 institutions nationwide, so you can probably find one near you - www.focusthenation.org. It is this Wed and Thurs, Jan 30 and 31.
I think it's going to be very interesting and I'll be attending a handful of talks on the Colorado State campus. I am also going to work at the "Ask a Scientist" booth. I'm sure there will be lots of interesting dialog, which is the whole idea. Not really much more to say but you should check out the website! I'm sure I will have a lot to write about later this week!
Thanks for reading!
I think it's going to be very interesting and I'll be attending a handful of talks on the Colorado State campus. I am also going to work at the "Ask a Scientist" booth. I'm sure there will be lots of interesting dialog, which is the whole idea. Not really much more to say but you should check out the website! I'm sure I will have a lot to write about later this week!
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Climate Policy, Equity and Ethics
Here it is, the long-awaited article I wrote about a talk I attended last week. This is still the first draft ...
Darwinian evolution, DNA stem cell research, and climate research all involve the issues of ethics and fairness, and force the scientists involved to decide if they should have any part in advocacy or policy in addition to the pure science that they do. Dr. Richard Somerville made this point during a talk on the UCLA campus on Wednesday, January 16, during a three-day conference of the Center for Multiscale Modeling of Atmospheric Processes. His talk was entitled “The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Challenges of Climate Policy, Equity and Ethics.” Somerville is a theoretical meteorologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and served as a Coordinating Lead Author in Working Group I for the Fourth Assessment report of the IPCC.
During the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, a primary objective was to avoid dangerous anthropogenic climate change, but did not expand upon how much climate change is considered “dangerous.” The nations of the UN have since created their own definitions of the word, and they also have different ideas of what is fair in mitigating climate change.
What exactly constitutes fairness? The December 2007 Bali negotiations were infused with disagreements on the differentiated rights and responsibilities of developed versus developing countries. Also, in terms of geoengineering, Somerville asked who has the moral (or legal) right to decide to intentionally modify the planet, and who pays for unintended consequences. A final issue he brought up was the obligations that the current generation has to our descendants.
Somerville said that it is the job of policymakers to decide what actions to take, and that our job as scientists is to predict how climate will respond to these actions. He listed three guidelines and principles for climate policy, which can be summarized as:
1. Scientific uncertainty should not be used as an excuse to prevent all action.
2. Win-win policies, or policies that have collateral benefits, are preferable (for example, energy efficiency and conservation).
3. Scientists should not make policy, but wise policy should be informed by sound science (for example, halting stratospheric ozone depletion).
4. Do no harm (beware of unintended consequences).
Besides the ethical questions involved in deciding how involved one should be in policy and advocacy, scientists seem to have problems effectively communicating with the public. Somerville said the IPCC AR4 Working Group I decided to answer some frequently asked questions and write them for a high school teacher audience. However, they soon realized that this was easier said than done, and they ultimately had to hire a professional science writer. This experience convinced him that communicating with the public is an area with much room for improvement among climate scientists.
Progress is being made in deciding what constitutes “dangerous” anthropogenic climate change. Earlier last year, the European Union Commission effectively defined dangerous levels of climate change as anything greater than 2C above pre-industrial levels (See AS Newsletter Vol. 1, Issue 2 article by Juan A. Anel for more information). The goal of 2C was also decided upon in the Bali Climate Declaration.
Somerville included a thought-provoking quote from the 1995 Nobel Prize winner F. Sherwood Rowland in his talk. Concerning the ozone hole, Rowland was quoted by New Yorker journalist Paul Brodeur as saying, “What's the use of having developed a science well enough to make predictions, if in the end, all we're willing to do is stand around and wait for them to come true!” This statement is relevant to our current quest to understand and communicate the possibilities of future climate change.
Darwinian evolution, DNA stem cell research, and climate research all involve the issues of ethics and fairness, and force the scientists involved to decide if they should have any part in advocacy or policy in addition to the pure science that they do. Dr. Richard Somerville made this point during a talk on the UCLA campus on Wednesday, January 16, during a three-day conference of the Center for Multiscale Modeling of Atmospheric Processes. His talk was entitled “The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Challenges of Climate Policy, Equity and Ethics.” Somerville is a theoretical meteorologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and served as a Coordinating Lead Author in Working Group I for the Fourth Assessment report of the IPCC.
During the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, a primary objective was to avoid dangerous anthropogenic climate change, but did not expand upon how much climate change is considered “dangerous.” The nations of the UN have since created their own definitions of the word, and they also have different ideas of what is fair in mitigating climate change.
What exactly constitutes fairness? The December 2007 Bali negotiations were infused with disagreements on the differentiated rights and responsibilities of developed versus developing countries. Also, in terms of geoengineering, Somerville asked who has the moral (or legal) right to decide to intentionally modify the planet, and who pays for unintended consequences. A final issue he brought up was the obligations that the current generation has to our descendants.
Somerville said that it is the job of policymakers to decide what actions to take, and that our job as scientists is to predict how climate will respond to these actions. He listed three guidelines and principles for climate policy, which can be summarized as:
1. Scientific uncertainty should not be used as an excuse to prevent all action.
2. Win-win policies, or policies that have collateral benefits, are preferable (for example, energy efficiency and conservation).
3. Scientists should not make policy, but wise policy should be informed by sound science (for example, halting stratospheric ozone depletion).
4. Do no harm (beware of unintended consequences).
Besides the ethical questions involved in deciding how involved one should be in policy and advocacy, scientists seem to have problems effectively communicating with the public. Somerville said the IPCC AR4 Working Group I decided to answer some frequently asked questions and write them for a high school teacher audience. However, they soon realized that this was easier said than done, and they ultimately had to hire a professional science writer. This experience convinced him that communicating with the public is an area with much room for improvement among climate scientists.
Progress is being made in deciding what constitutes “dangerous” anthropogenic climate change. Earlier last year, the European Union Commission effectively defined dangerous levels of climate change as anything greater than 2C above pre-industrial levels (See AS Newsletter Vol. 1, Issue 2 article by Juan A. Anel for more information). The goal of 2C was also decided upon in the Bali Climate Declaration.
Somerville included a thought-provoking quote from the 1995 Nobel Prize winner F. Sherwood Rowland in his talk. Concerning the ozone hole, Rowland was quoted by New Yorker journalist Paul Brodeur as saying, “What's the use of having developed a science well enough to make predictions, if in the end, all we're willing to do is stand around and wait for them to come true!” This statement is relevant to our current quest to understand and communicate the possibilities of future climate change.
Monday, January 21, 2008
A trip to Target and the grocery store
Trying to be a more responsible consumer made our trip to Target on Saturday a little longer and more expensive than usual (but only by about $5). Here is what I found:
- I found that most shampoos are biodegradable, but I only found one conditioner that is, made by Aussie. The shampoo and conditioner were both about $1 more than my usual Suave.
- Method makes hand soap that is biodegradable and they don't test on animals, and it smells really good and the bottles look kind of trendy. Also, they sell large refills that come in collapsible plastic bladders. Sweet.
- The one thing I felt I couldn't go green with were the swiffer dry mop thingies - you know the ones that use magical static power to pick up all the dust and hair you miss when you sweep. But, Method also makes these and theirs are compostable. Woohoo! I don't know much about this Method company but so far I like them!
Chris and I also decided that we are going to limit our meat consumption to twice a week. I have tried to go vegetarian before and it didn't go too well. Granted, it was in college when I didn't have as much time and money to devote to a healthy vegetarian lifestyle. But I went meatless for 6 months and got sick 6 times. Even recently, I had a really hard time maintaining the energy I needed for training for competitive cycling while eating very little red meat. I have been told that I am border-line anemic, and I have been turned away from donating blood before because of low iron. So I feel like sometimes I just need some meat! And, I like it! So, limiting meat to twice a week seems reasonable.
The two motivating factors for me are health and environmental impact. Like I said, I need the iron and protein from meat, but I also need to watch my cholesterol. On the environmental side, I've always known that raising livestock takes a heavy toll. But I've kind of shrugged it off until now. I read an article that quoted a University of Chicago study that found that the average American has a larger carbon footprint from what they eat than from driving. So what we eat does matter!
We had a delicious spinach and feta lasagna on Saturday night (also with some tofu) - the recipe was from The Grit cookbook. That is one of my favorite Athens restaurants and it is all vegetarian. Tonight we had tofu fajitas - yum! There are lots of meatless options, and I am excited about trying new recipes.
- I found that most shampoos are biodegradable, but I only found one conditioner that is, made by Aussie. The shampoo and conditioner were both about $1 more than my usual Suave.
- Method makes hand soap that is biodegradable and they don't test on animals, and it smells really good and the bottles look kind of trendy. Also, they sell large refills that come in collapsible plastic bladders. Sweet.
- The one thing I felt I couldn't go green with were the swiffer dry mop thingies - you know the ones that use magical static power to pick up all the dust and hair you miss when you sweep. But, Method also makes these and theirs are compostable. Woohoo! I don't know much about this Method company but so far I like them!
Chris and I also decided that we are going to limit our meat consumption to twice a week. I have tried to go vegetarian before and it didn't go too well. Granted, it was in college when I didn't have as much time and money to devote to a healthy vegetarian lifestyle. But I went meatless for 6 months and got sick 6 times. Even recently, I had a really hard time maintaining the energy I needed for training for competitive cycling while eating very little red meat. I have been told that I am border-line anemic, and I have been turned away from donating blood before because of low iron. So I feel like sometimes I just need some meat! And, I like it! So, limiting meat to twice a week seems reasonable.
The two motivating factors for me are health and environmental impact. Like I said, I need the iron and protein from meat, but I also need to watch my cholesterol. On the environmental side, I've always known that raising livestock takes a heavy toll. But I've kind of shrugged it off until now. I read an article that quoted a University of Chicago study that found that the average American has a larger carbon footprint from what they eat than from driving. So what we eat does matter!
We had a delicious spinach and feta lasagna on Saturday night (also with some tofu) - the recipe was from The Grit cookbook. That is one of my favorite Athens restaurants and it is all vegetarian. Tonight we had tofu fajitas - yum! There are lots of meatless options, and I am excited about trying new recipes.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Blogging Wish List
I have thought of so much I would like to write about in this blog over the past few days. I would like to start with an article I am writing for a newsletter I edit. I wrote it about a talk I went to on Wednesday on the UCLA campus called: "The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Challenges of Climate Policy, Equity & Ethics", given by Richard Somerville, a researcher from Scripps Oceanographic Institute and lead author of the most recent IPCC report. Unfortunately, now that I have gotten you all excited about my wonderful article, you will have to wait to read it because it is stored on my work computer and it is now the weekend.
But it was his talk and a few others at a conference I was at this week that got me inspired to make a conscious effort to live more responsibly. Well, honestly I think about this from time to time but I guess I received enough stimulation at this conference to finally take the plunge. The conference was for the Center of Multiscale Modeling of Atmospheric Processes (CMMAP) - it is a Science and Technology Center funded by the National Science Foundation. CMMAP's research aim is to improve the representation of clouds in climate and weather models, which would improve our simulations of future climates. I focus on land-atmosphere interactions in climate models. One of these days I will give a little summary of that, but not on a Friday night!
Now to the subject of this post ... there is a lot that I want to write about! Here are some things I have come across just in the past few days ...
- I want to decrease my food carbon emissions, for example by eating less meat and less food that is shipping and packaging intensive
- I read a shocking article in National Geographic regarding electronic waste that is shipped from the developed world to developing countries. The worst part about it is that people burn the parts (TV and computer monitors, hard drives, copper wires) so they can sell the metals but in doing so expose themselves to carcinogens and lead poisoning - there was a picture of a man melting lead in a pot that he also uses to cook dinner for his family. Anyway, more on that to come ...
- calculate my carbon footprint
- a friend of mine is looking into making her own household cleaners that are more environmentally friendly and safe (she is having a baby in June)
- well, maybe that is it but it felt like a lot when it was still in my head.
Thanks for reading! Goodnight :)
But it was his talk and a few others at a conference I was at this week that got me inspired to make a conscious effort to live more responsibly. Well, honestly I think about this from time to time but I guess I received enough stimulation at this conference to finally take the plunge. The conference was for the Center of Multiscale Modeling of Atmospheric Processes (CMMAP) - it is a Science and Technology Center funded by the National Science Foundation. CMMAP's research aim is to improve the representation of clouds in climate and weather models, which would improve our simulations of future climates. I focus on land-atmosphere interactions in climate models. One of these days I will give a little summary of that, but not on a Friday night!
Now to the subject of this post ... there is a lot that I want to write about! Here are some things I have come across just in the past few days ...
- I want to decrease my food carbon emissions, for example by eating less meat and less food that is shipping and packaging intensive
- I read a shocking article in National Geographic regarding electronic waste that is shipped from the developed world to developing countries. The worst part about it is that people burn the parts (TV and computer monitors, hard drives, copper wires) so they can sell the metals but in doing so expose themselves to carcinogens and lead poisoning - there was a picture of a man melting lead in a pot that he also uses to cook dinner for his family. Anyway, more on that to come ...
- calculate my carbon footprint
- a friend of mine is looking into making her own household cleaners that are more environmentally friendly and safe (she is having a baby in June)
- well, maybe that is it but it felt like a lot when it was still in my head.
Thanks for reading! Goodnight :)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Welcome!
I've decided to start this blog to document my attempt to be a more responsible and caring inhabitant of our planet. I feel the word stewardship is an appropriate description of this endeavor. Here is the definition of stewardship from Merriam-Webster's dictionary:
"the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care"
In my case, this "something" is two things. First, it is the Earth. We as humans need to take better care of our home. One thing I would really like to do is to reduce my carbon footprint. I think that I can personally make a slight difference in climate change by making adjustments in my lifestyle, but I also feel that this is not enough. For this reason, I would also like to be more involved with policy advocacy and correspondence with the people who represent me in the government. I am very interested in climate change as both a citizen of Earth and as a scientist. I would like my stewardship in this area to extend beyond climate impacts. I want to be more conscious of my choices as a consumer - especially when it comes to food. I am not going to change my life overnight, but I feel that this is sort of an experiment as to what small changes I can make.
Second, I need to be a more caring neighbor to my fellow men and women. This I can do in many ways, if I just get off my butt. I can volunteer with schools to help teach kids about science, I can volunteer through my church, I can give blood more regularly, I can tithe my time and money, or I can be more aware of people who need a helping hand in my daily life in both big and small ways.
More will come in the future. I want this to be a learning process, so I will try to post links that are relevant to my quest. And I will give updates on my successes and failures. I think the next post should be a little background as to why I am suddenly feeling the urge to do this. This blog should have an interesting mix between science and human interest.
"the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care"
In my case, this "something" is two things. First, it is the Earth. We as humans need to take better care of our home. One thing I would really like to do is to reduce my carbon footprint. I think that I can personally make a slight difference in climate change by making adjustments in my lifestyle, but I also feel that this is not enough. For this reason, I would also like to be more involved with policy advocacy and correspondence with the people who represent me in the government. I am very interested in climate change as both a citizen of Earth and as a scientist. I would like my stewardship in this area to extend beyond climate impacts. I want to be more conscious of my choices as a consumer - especially when it comes to food. I am not going to change my life overnight, but I feel that this is sort of an experiment as to what small changes I can make.
Second, I need to be a more caring neighbor to my fellow men and women. This I can do in many ways, if I just get off my butt. I can volunteer with schools to help teach kids about science, I can volunteer through my church, I can give blood more regularly, I can tithe my time and money, or I can be more aware of people who need a helping hand in my daily life in both big and small ways.
More will come in the future. I want this to be a learning process, so I will try to post links that are relevant to my quest. And I will give updates on my successes and failures. I think the next post should be a little background as to why I am suddenly feeling the urge to do this. This blog should have an interesting mix between science and human interest.
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