water use archives - planet forward - 克罗地亚vs加拿大让球

fast fashion’s effects on the environment

fri, 07 feb 2020 17:31:31 +0000

fast fashion is one of the main contributors of waste, and about 8.9 million tons of clothing and footwear ended up in landfill in 2017, according to the epa. most clothing from these retailers goes unworn in people’s closets, but the amount to make, wash and to buy these clothing items damages the environment and takes away many natural resources. when considering to buy from fast fashion retailers consider will it go to good use and be worn well.

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sustainability and breweries

sun, 03 mar 2019 17:47:19 +0000

the brewery industry in the united states has seen an explosion of popularity within the past few years, but not many people understand the environmental waste that goes into beer. this video will highlight that waste, and provide some suggestions for how to drink sustainably.

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shower with sustainability

fri, 11 apr 2014 10:41:14 +0000

there are a few daily activities that people take more pleasure in than a nice, long, relaxing shower. i am without a doubt one of those people. but i recently found out just how much water i was wasting while standing there styling my hair with shampoo and singing 90s hits. standard showerheads use about 2.5 gallons per minute and some older ones use almost 5 gpm!

save our water, and save yourself some money.

check out these 8 things you should and shouldn’t do while you’re taking a shower.

take a morning power shower. a short five-minute morning shower just to wake you up is a perfect way to start the day. (if you really want a wake up jolt, just before getting out turn the water to cold for a few seconds.)

don’t

rig up your showerhead to double as a microphone. as awesome of an idea as this may seem at first, it leads to longer showers. a few years back, australians were encouraged to stop singing in the shower in an attempt to conserve water.

get yourself a low flow showerhead. you can save up to 15 gallons of water during a 10-minute shower.

don’t

definitely don’t do this.

take a navy shower. when you’re soaping up make sure to turn the water off and then turn it back on to rinse off.

don’t

don’t let the water go to waste while it is heating up. capture the cold water in a bucket and use it for other things around the garden.

find a shower buddy. nothing could be cuter than having a little friend with you in the shower.

don’t

don’t take baths. it generally takes about 70 gallons to fill a bathtub with water. it also leaves you powerless against an evil marmot being thrown in the tub with you. even if you are the dude.

how do you conserve water in your day to day routine? willing to shorten your shower, or shower with a friend? let us know in the comments.

leor reef and matt seedorff are seniors at the george washington university majoring in journalism.

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university of illinois at urbana-champaign: reducing energy usage by 19% in four years

tue, 13 mar 2012 13:47:29 +0000

this video is an entry in a contest we’ve launched with second nature’s climate leadership awards. see below for how you can vote for it. see more entries in this contest as the first big ten university to submit its climate action plan (icap) to the acupcc, illinois continues to set high standards with aggressive goals for reaching carbon neutrality. campus leadership is committed to exceeding these goals and is on target due to significant progress toward interim goals. on target to exceed goals with support of senior leadership, illinois’ energy reduction goal in the icap is a 20% reduction in energy consumption by 2015 using a fiscal year 2008 baseline. conservation efforts have led to a 19% reduction to date, only 1% shy of the 2015 goal. the energy use emissions reduction goal is 15% by fiscal year 2015, and campus has already achieved a 16% reduction; again exceeding our goals years in advance. illinois’ significant investments toward sustainability efforts in the past four years include more than $19 million in local funds and $6.5 million in grant funds. these investments have realized approximately $12 million in energy savings so far. through collaboration and contributions from both campus administration and the student sustainability committee (ssc), illinois created a revolving loan fund totaling $1.5 million. the campus’ water conservation goal is a 20% reduction by 2015. using a 2008 baseline, campus is well on its way with a 16% reduction with four years to go. the icap also committed illinois to higher building standards by increasing from leed silver to leed gold in 2010, and in 2015 our standard will be leed platinum. presently, the campus has one platinum building, one gold, and two silver. student commitment illinois is home to many passionate students. our students voted for the largest green student fees in america. the two fees equal $17 per student per semester providing more than $1 million annually for sustainability projects. the ssc is responsible for reviewing and recommending funding for campus projects from these fees. education sustainability education can be found across many disciplines at illinois; more than 250 courses related to sustainability are offered through 43 different departments on campus. the office of sustainability organizes an annual curriculum workshop. so far 35 instructors from many different disciplines have participated in these workshops. the modifications to their courses will reach 6,500 students per year. the campus goal is that every illinois graduate should know about sustainability.

vote now to help this idea win!

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keep money in your pockets and guilt off your conscience

thu, 10 nov 2011 08:00:35 +0000

the best way to save money and help planet earth? drink tap water.

most people don’t know that when you buy a bottle of water, the water accounts for only about $0.04 of the total cost. the rest of the cost of bottled water goes towards the packaging and transportation fees.

statistics show that coke — which produces the bottled water dasani — and pepsi — which produces aquafina — are responsible for 24 percent of u.s. bottled water purchases. these companies also allegedly just fill their extremely well marketed bottles with the very water we can get for free each day — tap water.

and it’s not just these brands that are accused of such travesties, these just so happen to be the big names. many brands including the most popular, poland spring, are believed to just be tap water hiding in a shiny plastic costume.

americans consume roughly 90 bottles a year per person. that translates to 28 billion water bottles per year as a nation which costs roughly $15 billion out of american’s pockets and only 24 percent of these actually get recycled.

approximately 8 out of every 10 plastic water bottles purchased ends up in a landfill after use and only about 13 percent are recycled. many of these bottles can be reused at least a few more times without any risk to health, however due to convenience and the availability of water in the u.s. this rarely happens.

the leading cause for purchasing bottled water is that people are so often in a rush and don’t think about carrying a re-usable water bottle. next time, take a little extra time before running out the door and try carrying something with you that will keep the money in your pocket and the plastic out of the landfills.

make a change. #thinkfwd.

-jen wolfe & melissa turley

looking to keep track of team thinkfwd?

team thinkfwd is a group of fifteen students from frank sesno’s class at the george washington university. see all of their videos here: visit the member page

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