What your beginning of year surveys said

Thank you to all the students that completed the beginning of the year survey around sustainability.  This survey was designed to get a base line of knowledge of students prior to the course.  We hope to show in an end of year survey that knowledge is increased!  

1.  Definition of sustainability

There were lots of interesting definitions of sustainability - I think it is fair to say everyone who answered the question had a vague idea which is a great starting point, with one or 2 sticking out has having significant knowledge on the subject.  

What we would like to see now is that you transform your vague idea into a strong definition. Last week I blogged on the 4 system conditions.  This provides a strong definition for sustainability which also gives a point to measure the current situation and changes you make against.  Review the post here.  

2.  Your personal rating of your own knowledge of sustainability

Of all students who took the survey, most of you rated your knowledge at about 2.5 out of 5 - meaning you thought your have about some knowledge, and certainly not none, but you are aware that you are not experts. What we learnt from that question is that it isn't written well. We rate our level of knowledge against what we are aware of, not what we are unaware of. We will re-write this question so that it is clearer next time. 

It was interesting to compare your knowledge of sustainability to your actions around being sustainable - a higher personal rating on sustainability knowledge did not necessarily translate to more actions around acting sustainably.  The converse was also true - less perceived knowledge was not always associated with fewer actions.  

3.  Actions that you are taking

Out of 147 respondents, the following results were seen:

• 126 recycle
• 41 reuse or upcycle
• 32 walk or bike as a conscious alternative to driving
• 21 compost
• 20 try to save power by turning lights out, using fewer heaters and so on
• 18 use environmentally friendly products (cleaning/beauty)
• 18 grow your own vegetables
• 14 make conscious efforts to reduce water use/collect grey water
• 13 choose products with less plastic/packaging
• 12 try to practice conscious consumerism - thinking before they buy and making conscious choices for the environment
• 9 actively try to reduce their number of car trips
• 9 say that they 'reduce' but did not specify what it is that they are reducing
• 8 try to educate their children or other people about sustainability
• 8 reduce paper use
• 5 buy NZ made or local if at all possible
• 5 actively carpool

There were a number of other things identified that between 1 and 4 people did including: buying second hand, insulating, using public transport, reducing use of pesticides, growing own eggs/meat, planting trees and eating less meat.  

You can see how strongly the theme of reduce, reuse, recycle came through which have of course been the subject of heavy marketing campaigns - recycle and reuse coming up in the top 3 positions. If you add up the categories that are reduced within that list, it comes to approximately 105 actions.

While reduce, reuse and recycle are definitely good messages they only tell half the story. 

Using less is definitely a good action and should always apply.  I applaud all of you that are doing this.  To improve the effectiveness of this, set targets - look at the power units you used last May and then challenge yourself this year to use less.  Measure your rubbish going to general waste next week - set a target to reduce it for the following collection.  Lots of other ideas like that.  Setting measurable targets improves results.  

When it comes to reusing, again it is best to use common sense - we want to keep everything out of waste streams for as long as possible, so use them as much as you can and when you can't use them any more, see if somebody else can. 

We applaud you all for your recycling efforts and encourage you to continue to do so. Remember, it is important to be knowledgeable when recycling. Most recycling, (especially plastics which are probably the bulk of most people's recycling) is only down-cycling, in other words, the products created with recycled materials are often no longer recyclable themselves so they must be disposed of in the landfill.  

While recycling is better than nothing, and it allows us to delay the burden on the landfill, it is still a waste stream where virtually all materials will eventually end up in landfill.  We send most of our recycling to China, but recent changes in China mean that they are accepting less of what we send - much of what we think is being recycled, is simply going to the landfill anyway. So, the message here is reduce your purchases/use of products that have packaging, even if they are recyclable.  If you must purchase them, pick those with compostable packaging if you can and if that doesn't work, reuse and upcycle as much as possible before they end up in a waste stream.  Again set yourself targets - if you buy water, set yourself a target to stop doing it, same with supermarket plastic bags.  Both those could be achieved very quickly.  Look at other waste ending up in your recycling bin - especially the plastics....consider alternatives, set targets, achieve them and then set another!  

Take care with biodegradable products which several people mentioned - biodegradable does not always mean environmentally safe! Biodegradable things can sometimes break down into toxic by-products that poison the environment.  A classic example is the biodegradable plastic bags still made from oil based plastic.  These are a have.  If you put them in the landfill they won't break down - they need light.  If you leave them in the light they disintegrate into very small pieces because of the polymer inserted into the plastic.  This then leaves small fragments of plastic to float around in the environment, get in waterways, into food chains and back into us.   Be aware of green wash - ask questions.

Those of you that are actively walking/biking/taking public transport to reduce fuel use - how about setting yourself targets.  Maybe set a target to reduce annual fuel travel miles from 12,000km to 10,000 in the first year. Set a target to walk 500km and bike 1000km.  Imagine how good you would feel to be able to say you'd walked 500km this year and biked 1000km.  Otago Polytechnic have a target for 2014 to reduce air transport by 10%.  

Well done to everyone who grows their own food.  This is a pass time that seems to be growing in popularity which is really great.  Why not set some targets.  If you grow nothing, plan to harvest 10kg next season of produce, perhaps you could count the number of cucumbers or courgettes you pick as another way of measuring it.  It's fun to set targets, beat them and set them higher next year.  Challenge your neighbours or friends to beat what you are producing!

4. What is missing from the reduce, reuse, recycle message?

The first thing that is missing is an equal focus on the 4 system conditions. The reduce, reuse, recycle theme is just trying to minimise the impacts of the system we live in. However, as you have seen, the system is not perfect. The challenge now is to redesign the system.  Look at alternative ways of doing things to meet the 4 system conditions.  You can look at this personally, locally, in a specific business, or over a wider area.  

Another thing that is missing from this theme is the people. Interestingly, people were missing from everyone's actions in the survey too. Maybe this was just an oversight. We bet many of you are doing community work, giving locally, and so forth - you just don't see it as an integral part of sustainable practice - but it is vitally important. It's about making sure that in developing sustainable practices, that our human needs are also met.  Refer to the blog post on the 9 human needs.

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So, in summary, hats off to you, team. This was a really great starting platform and by doing it, we can see that a total of 373 actions towards improving sustainability were recorded by you all. Stick with us on this journey. Listen, learn, talk to others, set measurable targets, achieve them. Share your targets with others and let us know your thoughts on the process. What challenges did you come across? what ideas did you come up with?  Feel free to email me a blog post to share.  Lets take this journey together, making a more sustainable you, home, community, business, and world.  

Have a fabulous term break and I'll be back blogging in week one of term 2 - the subject: Creating a  vision of a sustainable future.  

4 system conditions - a definition for sustainability

Last week I related the 9 human needs to the model of strong sustainability, by showing that the environment is essential in all of this.

Now I'd like to explain how the 4 system conditions are a definition of sustainability and how they can be used to audit your own impact on the environment at home or at work.  They also help to give a baseline from which to improve and you can use them to show what a sustainable future would look like at work/home/the world - depending on what you audit against.

The funnel

Before we detail the 4 system conditions lets have a look at drivers for change globally.  Using the funnel metaphor we can present to a group the drivers of change.  A funnel shows that we are heading for a squeeze due to declining resources and increasing demand.  We need to find a way to navigate this squeeze and return to a place where the edges of the funnel are parallel lines when demand and supply are equal or potentially when demand is less than supply as shown by the dotted lines).  In this funnel it is showing some global drivers of change.

We can also do this for a given industry.  Here is an example of some drivers for change in a veterinary clinic:

You could also create a funnel for your own home or any other business.  At the end of the day there is no right or wrong here, its just a visual way of saying, look we need to make changes.

Four system conditions

In order to be sustainable we need to adhere to the 4 system conditions, as shown in the image below

Image from http://www.naturalstep.org/ 

In other words

• In system condition 1 we are not taking more from the earths crust that is being replaced (consider oil and minerals)
• In system condition 2 we are not making substances that poison the earth (consider chemicals and disinfectants
• In system condition 3 we are not breaking natures systems (consider deforestation for product production)
• In system condition 4 we are ensuring people are able to meet their needs (refer back to Max Neef's 9 Human Needs and consider whether this is being meet locally, nationally, internationally)

Now that you understand a definition of sustainability that is measurable, you can take an area of your life and audit it against these conditions.  Consider where you are meeting the system conditions and where you are violating them.
For example -

• You may always select paper from sources that use FSC paper (recognised as sustainable) which is a positive on system condition 3
• Perhaps you always select disinfecting products that have proven no effect on environment (and are VOC free)  which is a positive on system condition 2 
• Perhaps you drive a gas guzzling V8 - this is a violation on system condition 1, and so on

To review an example of a system conditions audit, you will find one embedded in this presentation relating to a generic veterinary clinic.  

Key message:

When we adhering to the four system conditions then our society will be sustainable.  The 4 system conditions are not taking more from the earth than can be replace, not making products that damage the environment, not breaking natural systems and making sure everyone's needs can be met.  

Challenge:

Audit your life or an aspect of it against the 4 system conditions and identify a measurable change you could make.
For example: you might want to reduce your driving miles from 12,000km to 10,000km over the next 12 months - this has an impact on improving your sustainability in terms of decreasing carbon outputs, but if you walk or bike instead of take the car, it can also have unexpected effects of increasing fitness and reducing stress. Your set target could be re-evaluated annually too.  

What other ones have you come up with? Please tell us! 

Next week: I will present a summary of your survey results, from the beginning of the year sustainability survey you completed.  

Relating the fundamental human needs to the environment

Image Source

Last week we reviewed the 9 fundamental human needs, pictured above, which we had introduced at the block course.  Hopefully many of you had a chance to take some time out to see that your needs were being met, or if they weren't to look at ways to allow them to be met.  

What I want to do this week is link those needs to the environment.  The human need of sustenance (food & water), shelter, mental and physical health cannot be met without a healthy environment.  And I think you will all agree that if we don't have good food, clean water, shelter and good health then the odds are very poor indeed.  

Many people currently think of sustainability like this model pictured below. This model puts equal emphasis on environment, social and economic factors and unless all three of these are balanced, then the result won't be sustainable.This is a weak model for sustainability because  it does not ensure that the need of sustenance will be met by a healthy environment. If the environment is not looked after, or similarly unhealthy economic can make sustenance more difficult to attain.  

Image Source

In order to really ensure that our needs can be met we should work on the model of strong sustainability.  In this model the environment is of most importance because if we don't have a strong and healthy environment or if we continue to not adhere to the 4 system conditions (which will be detailed in next weeks post) required to maintain a healthy environment, then the people on this planet will not be able to keep going, and as the money system is created by the people, this too will collapse.  

Image source

You can read more about weak and strong sustainability at this link

These are tools that you need to understand which you can use in conversations on this subject when you are wanting to implement change in your business (or any other area).  We will explore more tools in the coming weeks before looking at industry specific problems and working through potential solutions.  

Being what you want to be

I came across a quote this morning, doing the rounds on Facebook: "Never allow waiting to become a habit.  Live your dreams and take risks. Life is happening now."

I am unsure of the source of that quote but it certainly has a powerful message.  I think for many of you, you are out there living your dream, taking calculated risks, but for others of you, you may feel that you aren't living life to the fullest or that life doesn't feel balanced, or that something is missing or holding you back.  

Being what you want to be is all part of personal sustainability.  If you remember back to your first block course, you were introduced very briefly to the 9 fundamental human needs.  If you cant remember, here they are: 

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For those of you that feel like you are out there living the dream, if you review these 9 human needs, I would almost guarantee that you could look at all aspects of those and say yes those are being met in my life in a way that works for me.  For those that feel like you are not there yet, looking at your life in terms of these 9 human needs may be a helpful exercise in helping to work out what it is that needs to be included.   Remember we are all very different and each of these human needs may need to be met in different ways for each individual.  

At this link here you can read in more details about what each of these needs entails.  The link also reviews Maslow's hierarchy which came before Max Neefs research.  

If you want to share, we'd love to hear what insights you gained into your own life doing this exercise. 

Have a great week.

Costs of Travel

This week it has been made official at Otago Polytechnic, that each of our schools and service areas will be taxed for air travel.  This means every time a staff member travels, the school has to pay an additional fee equal to the Carbon Offset value calculated on the Carbon Zero website. This ‘tax’ will be charged internally and used to fund sustainability projects within OP.

Image source

This is a significant step for Otago Polytechnic in our quest to reduce its carbon footprint by encouraging staff to reduce non essential air travel, or to come up with alternatives. 

A recent issue of Green Ideas magazine (Feb-March 2014) did a comparison on the ecological impact of air travel vs personal car and train transport. It clearly shows for an equivalent trip, the amount of CO2 produced by a plane per passenger is more than for a car, and way more than for a train. For a trip from the same start point to the same destination this article came up with these figures of CO2 emissions:

• 166kg CO2 per passenger for plane
• 109kg CO2 per car with 1 passenger
• 36kg CO2 per passenger on a train.  

This indicates that a car with 4 passengers is actually the greenest option at approximately 28kg CO2 per passenger.  Of course make and model of plane and car will have some variation on these results but it still remains clear that the cost of flying on the environment is high.  

These figures indicate that it is timely for us all to evaluate our travel options. So, as a student or an employee in a veterinary clinic how does this relate to you? 

• If you are travelling to block course in the same island - is it better to drive than fly?  Could you pick up fellow classmates on the drive and share the carbon (and other) costs?  
• If you are travelling to a conference - is there an economical/time option to drive or take the train rather than fly?
• In your day to day work environment, could your business set up a competition to reduce the car trips/mileage to and from work by staff?  Car pooling, taking an electric powered bus or riding a push bike are all great forms of alternative transport.  Make it competitive and have prizes!
• If you are in a rural practice where the staff travel to farms using vehicles, this is an opportunity to look at energy efficient vehicles when the fleet needs to be replaced. In addition to this, look at reducing mileage travelled by setting up a more efficient booking and call system.   
• On a personal side, short car journeys are way more fuel inefficient and are very costly on the environment as we make lots of these trips.  Evaluate the trips you make in the car over a week or 2 and then look at ways to reduce them.  Could you combine trips so do more in one trip, could you walk a short distance (which also has the benefit of adding exercise)?  Set yourself a personal challenge and see how much you are able to accomplish.

My personal reflection: I have been considering the flights I take to Dunedin each year for work. Over the years I have reduced the number of times I travel to Dunedin, which is a plus.  Now I am thinking whether it would be better to drive: If I fly, it takes me about 3 hours (I have to leave home 1 hour before the flight leaves, the flight takes about 1 hour, then it takes about an hour to get off the plane, get a bag/or rental car and drive into Dunedin city). Driving to Dunedin takes about 4.5 hours so a little longer than flying but still not too bad. The financial costs are significant too, aside from the airfare, there is the transport to and from the airport which can be costly in some cases. If I shared transport with my CHCH colleagues who are often travelling down at the same time, we could reduce the environmental impact, and reduce costs as well, all for a slightly increased travel time.  

Of course what I have covered here is minimal.  I look forward to sharing more ideas on reducing your environmental impact through travel!

Have a great week. 

Rubbish

By the time you are reading this nearly all of you will have had your first block course, or at least a webinar on sustainability.  Here is the link to the presentation that was used for that.  

I hope that presentation has helped a penny drop in some way shape or form and you are starting to do some new thinking.  

If you haven't already, don't forget to look at the Fundamental Human Needs and see how they are being met in your life.  If you find things not being met, think about how you can make changes to help them be met.  

Today's topic is rubbish.  We talked about linear systems in the presentation above and if you have watched the Story of Stuff video you will have a bit more of an understanding on rubbish creation in the whole system. What I am going to focus on here is the rubbish you create and get you thinking about making changes

We have essentially 3 types of rubbish that we commonly deal with day to day (we'll forget about biohazard and known toxic wastes for now): 

• Landfill
• Recycling (with a subset of downcycling)
• Composting (Green waste)

Image source

Landfill is the end of the linear system - anything you send to landfill is a resource lost.  Things that are able to be composted or in some cases recycled (e.g. paper) that go to landfill release powerful greenhouses gases such as methane.  Yes it is true that methane is now harnessed off many landfills but not all are and the product is still a lost resource.  A landfill is designed to contain the waste and for breakdown not to occur, as if this happens there is the risk of leaching toxic chemicals into the waterways which then gets into the food cycle.  However as you are probably aware this is not without its problems and quality landfills are probably only found in countries with good waste disposal systems.  

Recycling - some products can be truly recycled. Paper for example is able to be recycled many times and then once the fibres become so weakened they cant be used anymore it can be composted.   So as long as everyone who puts their hands on the product does the right thing (Product Stewardship) then this is a cyclic system.  However for plastics the system is usually more one of downcycling.  When you put plastic in the recycling bin it is downcycled into another product which may or may not be recycable.  Eventually pretty much all the plastic going to recycling will end up in a non-recycable product and into landfill.  So while recycling allows reuse so does reduce waste it will still ultimately end up at the end of the linear chain.  Another point to be aware of here is mixed recycling (eg where the glass is not separated), results in only being able to make inferior glass products and if someone puts the wrong glass in the bin (eg pyrex) then it contaminates a whole load of glass which cant be reused.  

Composting - this is your organic and garden waste.  If composted properly this produces quality product which can then be used in your garden to improve soil and productivity.  Cotton and wool clothing that has reached the end of its useful life can be composted too.  

So that is common rubbish in a nutshell.  

So now you have a broader understanding on what is happening each time you put something out in the waste your challenge is to think about the products you are choosing to purchase/use in your business and what is happening with the waste.  

• Do you need that product (reduce), Can it and the packaging be reused? recycled?  composted?  What alternatives are available that have less or no waste?  Are the chemicals used (e.g. cleaning products) non toxic on the environment?
• Is all the waste we are producing at home going into the optimal waste stream?
• Consider targeting a certain waste stream - general waste would be the most obvious and measure what you produce in a week at home or in your business and set a target - e.g. reduce by 50% by the end of the year and then share ideas and make choices to achieve that.  If this is a business - use this as a marketing advantage!  Tell your clients what you are doing and give updates on your results.  This also improves success.  Reset the goal once it is reached.  

For you junior staff at a veterinary clinic who say I cant do this - for your boss landfill waste costs money to dispose of.  Reduce it - improve bottom line! and the marketing advantage - clients like companies that are trying to reduce their footprint.  

Tell us what your goals are to reduce the waste you produce.  

  

Being an upstanding citizen

I thought this topic was a good one to start with early in the year.  By now, a number of our student groups have had their first tutorial around sustainability so hopefully will have some ideas around this topic.  

For those who haven't, remember sustainability is not just about saving the environment - its about the personal/social, the financial, and governmental aspects as well.  This post relates to the personal/social aspects.

You will all be familiar with social media.  Many of you probably use it as a way to keep in touch with friends and what is going on in the world.  Most of you will also be posting comments online in these social networks.  

What impact do our comments have on others?

Have a look at this short clip where TVNZ reporters read out online feedback they have received

• How do you think that feedback made those people feel?
• Does anyone deserve feedback like that?
• Does doing this anonymously/on the internet make it ok?
• Do you always make an effort when posting online (and speaking to people face to face) to always ensure what you say is positive and constructive?  

With little effort, we can see all over the internet that comments are being made that denigrate others. In simple terms, people are passing judgement, often without the full story, and without thinking about the effect of their comments on other people.  These comments can have other effects too. Comments can last for a long time online and may be seen by someone influential, potentially affecting future employment or other opportunities. What you say online can affect not just the person you may be commenting about, but also yourself. 

Think before you post. 

Make sure you maintain a professional and beautiful presence online, when on the phone (both spoken word and texting and that also includes the answer phone messages you have recorded) and in person!  Keep comments positive and feedback constructive.  Behaving well in print, as in person will have positive effects on you, your happiness, and on the people you interact with.