Greenversations

By Brittney Gordon

For many, Halloween is one of the best holidays of the year. From the endless bags of candy to the costumes, it is the one night where adults and kids alike can pretend to be anyone they want to be, and have a lot of fun doing it. For weeks friends have asked me what I am going to dress up as, but to tell you the truth I haven’t the foggiest idea. I am kind of last minute when it comes to this holiday (okay, all holidays) and I will probably run to the costume store just in time to get the scraps leftover by the more time serious Halloween shoppers.

While I may be slow when it comes to picking out a costume, I am focused on being right on time when it comes to the energy efficient things I can do in my home this Halloween. Below is a simple list of things we can all do to save energy and protect the environment before and after we go trick-or-treating.

Trick for heat: When is the last time you checked your heating system’s air filter? You should do it every month and change it every three months. While you are at it, this is a great time to have a qualified professional tune up your system with a pre-season maintenance checkup. If it’s time to replace your system, look for the ENERGY STAR.

Protect Yourself from Vampires: No, I am not talking about the latest “Twilight” movie. Instead I am referring to “vampire power” or standby power. It is the electric power consumed by electronics and appliances while they are switched off or in a standby mode. ENERGY STAR qualified models use a lot less energy in standby mode. Looking for an easy way to remember to turn everything off? Plug all of your electronics into a power strip. Flipping the switch turns everything off at once.

Don’t Waste Your Heat on Ghosts: By properly using a programmable thermostat, you can ensure that you are not unnecessarily heating the home when you are away or sleep. Programming a lower temperature for when you go to work and go to sleep can save you up to $180 a year in energy costs—a pretty sweet treat!

Check for more energy-saving tips.

About the author: Brittney Gordon is a communications team member for EPA’s ENERGY STAR program. She came to EPA in 2010 after a career in Broadcast Journalism.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

By Doug Anderson

It’s October and here comes the cold weather and the high winter energy bills. I am in the middle of raking leaves and cleaning the gutters at my house and wanted to remind my fellow homeowners about other important projects to do in the fall to help keep your home comfortable and improve energy bills before the really cold weather hits. If you have not looked into your attic for a few years, then consider putting this near the top of your to-do list: check out what the insulation on your attic floor looks like.

There are two basic problems to look for: Air leaks and low levels of insulation. Why are these important? Holes that lead from your home up into your attic allow air to rise out the top of your house in the winter, wasting heat and energy. When it is cold outside, warm air in your house rises just like hot air in a hot air balloon. Sealing the leaks in the attic floor holds the warm air in, reduces cold drafts in the lower part of your house, and saves energy. Next, good levels of insulation prevent heat loss directly through the ceiling of your house into your attic.

Sealing air leaks and adding insulation in the attic is something I did a few years ago that really helped my energy bills and improved the comfort of my home, not to mention lowered my carbon foot print. Finding air leaks in your attic can be tricky, unless you know what to look for. ENERGY STAR has a Sealing and Insulating DIY Guide to help you available for free.

You also need to check how much attic insulation you have. Get a tape measure or yardstick and measure the depth of the insulation on your attic floor. Some home improvement stores actually give away cardboard rulers you can use in the insulation aisle. See the ENERGY STAR website or the side of an insulation bag or roll for details on how much insulation you should have for your part of the country.

The next question to ask is “should I fix this myself or hire a contractor?” If you do decide to do-it-yourself, you can save up to one-half to one-third in contractor costs. However, hiring a contractor is a great way to complete this project. Professionals have special tools to help spot problems you might miss, materials to seal holes quickly and completely, and equipment to install the insulation in a fraction of the time it would take you.

Again, to learn more about this project, to to www.energystar.gov under the home improvement topic “Air Seal and Insulate.”

About the author: Doug Anderson is an ENERGY STAR Project Manager and has been with EPA for 11 years. He works on issues related to energy efficient residential windows and insulation products.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

By David Sarokin

The theme of this year’s Pollution Prevention Week is P2: The Cornerstone of Sustainability.

Is it? Can P2 really take us to a future we can honestly say is more sustainable?

Becoming sustainable is about much more than just environmental improvement. When I was working on Agenda 21 – the sustainable development action plan that grew out of the 1992 U.N. Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro – we had the habit of talking about sustainability as a three-legged stool: environmental, economic and social progress, simultaneously, without improvements in one area interfering with progress in the others. I find that old image still aptly sums up what sustainability is about.

P2’s contribution to environmental progress is pretty straightforward. Use fewer material and energy resources and substitute safer chemicals and processes, and there’s less pollution, less toxic exposure, less mess across the board.

But P2 is also about — and has always been about — greater efficiency too, which is a boon to economic sustainability. Another phrase I’ve used innumerable times over the years (well…decades!) is pollution prevention pays, a message still worth repeating. Less waste means more material goes into finished products instead of into the air, water and landfills, resulting in lower costs for production, waste management and environmental compliance. Energy efficiency not only reduces greenhouse gases, but saves oodles of money during manufacture as well during the useful life of our cars, computers and other energy-consuming products. Energy Star led to $18 billion in savings last year (and I suspect that’s a conservative estimate). Commercial estimates have pegged the market in green chemistry at close to $100 billion!

Lastly, P2 builds more sustainable communities in ways both obvious and subtle. This, too, was part of our Agenda 21 focus, as we worked to add tools for community engagement into the sustainability toolbox. There are very few P2 programs that operate with a you-have-to-do-this-or-else mentality. Most of the accomplishments of P2 are built from a cooperative framework with government bureaucrats (and I use that word proudly) working with industry managers, workers on the plant floor, community representatives and environmental organizations to identify concerns, set goals, find at-the-source P2 solutions and monitor progress. The results improve local environmental and economic circumstances, to be sure. But pollution prevention also builds community relations (PDF) that didn’t exist previously, in an air of trust that, over time, becomes self-evidently effective.

This is sustainability at its best. Pollution prevention is at its foundation. The cornerstone, if you will.

About the author: David Sarokin is a proud EPA bureaucrat with a l-o-o-o-n-g history of working in pollution prevention and sustainability, beginning with his 1986 book, Cutting Chemical Wastes.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

By: Brittney Gordon

These days just about everybody wants their 15 minutes of fame. And in 2011, you don’t have to be a movie star to get there. With over 2 billion views per day on YouTube, it is obvious that regular, everyday people are picking up their home video cameras and sharing their world with the online universe—and people are watching. As a former TV reporter, one would think that I would be all about posting personal videos on YouTube. But I must admit, taking random videos of myself and sharing them with the world has never been my thing. I guess I don’t think I have anything that interesting to share with millions of strangers. But this summer EPA is hosting a challenge that promises to give us all a taste of stardom—with a positive purpose. It’s called the Be an ENERGY STAR Video Challenge.

Are you one of millions of Americans who make choices every day to use less energy? Using less energy means fewer greenhouse gas emissions, which helps protect our climate. This challenge is EPA’s way of thanking you and showing off the great things that you do. The hope is that by showcasing what you are doing, YOU can inspire others to change the world too.

So, what will your video feature? Are you changing out all of the lights at your home, school, church or business? Did you switch to washing clothes in cold water? We are looking for stories across the board, so pick up a camera and show us what you are doing!

This challenge is for people of all ages, so get the whole family involved. You can also feature what you are doing at your place of worship, your job or in your community. Just keep your video under 2 minutes long and upload it using the Share Your Story option. If you need a little inspiration, first click through the videos in the carousel. You will find examples from ENERGY STAR and great entries from regular people just like you.

All approved videos will be featured on Energy Star’s Change the World, and ENERGY STAR’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages. Starting September 17, 2011 we will have the online world vote for their favorite videos on Facebook and (drum roll please) those people will become the STARs of an EPA produced video released in October! We will release this video nationwide and we want it to go viral online! If you want to become one of the STARs of that video, you just need to send in an informative and unique video about your energy efficient feats. The deadline for submission is September 16, 2011.

About the author: Brittney Gordon has been a member of the communications team for the ENERGY STAR Labeling Branch since September 2010. The former television reporter manages ENERGY STAR’s social media pages.

By Larry Teller

What temperature do you set on your house thermostat during these sultry summer days? (To clarify, I’m asking about the times of the day and week when you’re home but don’t have guests.)

I believe in 78 degree, and here’s why:

• It feels fine to me, especially when coming into the house on a hot, muggy day (Contrast is often what counts in life),
• The other day, when the air conditioner maintenance guy was leaving, and resetting the thermostat, he asked, simply, “78 degree?” He has no incentive to make me sweat, right?
• My own agency offers energy-saving/pollution reduction tips for the cooling season, including

1. Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs
2. Use ceiling fans instead of, or when needed, to supplement air conditioning,
3. Close shade and blinds when you can,
4. Check and replace air conditioner filters,
5. Plug duct leaks, and (here comes my favorite),
6. Set your thermostat higher when no one is home, and program it around your schedule

• The paragon of common sense and virtuous, energy-saving, living is also on my side: Consumer Reports boldly recommends a 78 degree setting

Unfortunately, I’m often the only one in the house who agrees that 78 degree is about right. (Could it be because I pay the bills each month, and $400+ gas and electric bills in the summer make me cry?) You can imagine how righteous-but-weird I feel when I’m moved to sneak a hand around a living room wall corner, or do a tip-toe walk down the stairs at night, to raise the thermostat a degree or two. Logic and charm haven’t (yet?)helped in my house and, so, stealth is often the only approach available.

How do you handle this in your house? Advice is welcome.

About the author: Larry Teller joined EPA’s Philadelphia office in its early months and has worked in environmental assessment, state and congressional liaison, enforcement, and communications. His 28 years with the U.S. Air Force, most as a reservist, give him a different look at government service.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action; and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog post.

By Administrator Lisa P. Jackson

Yesterday I was in Warwick Township and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a rural community that has been a model for resource conservation and sustainable economic growth. This was one of many visits EPA officials have made to connect with rural communities. I have had the chance to sit down with growers in Georgia, visited California’s Central Valley and toured farming operations with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in Iowa. Along with my fellow EPA officials, we have connected with hundreds of farmers, business owners, local leaders and rural residents to talk about commonsense efforts to strengthen their economies and protect their health and the environment.

American farmers and ranchers depend on clean air, safe and abundant sources of water and healthy lands. That’s why farming communities have taken incredible steps to steward the environment their jobs and economy thrive on.

In the last 30 years, agricultural producers have worked with government officials and local conservation groups to reduce soil erosion by more than 40 percent. At the same time, agriculture has gone from being the leading contributor to wetland loss to leading the entire nation in wetland restoration efforts. In Lancaster, local efforts have managed to preserve upwards of 80,000 acres of farmland, and Warwick Township was named Conservationist of the Year by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for its work to prevent runoff from polluting the watershed.

These are just a few of the examples I’ve seen. In California’s Central Valley — an area responsible for some $24 billion in agricultural activity — I visited a farmer who re-vamped his irrigation system to reduce water use and save money, while another grower who was transitioning to new irrigation pump motors that reduced air emissions on his farm.

In Iowa, I joined Secretary Vilsack at a cattle operation where a rotational grazing system helps protect soil and water quality, and met a farmer who has used no-till farming and a precision sprayer for years to minimize pesticide use and runoff from his soybean fields.

America’s rural communities have also been part of innovative solutions for our entire economy. The Renewable Fuel Standard EPA finalized last year will encourage farmers to continue to work with industry to innovate and produce clean renewable fuel. It will help secure our nation’s energy future, replacing our dependence on foreign oil with clean, homegrown fuels produced by America’s farmers. At the same time, it will create jobs, and is expected to increase farmers’ income by an estimated $13 billion annually.

These meetings with farmers on their land are also a great opportunity to get outside the Washington, DC echo chamber and address myths and other inaccuracies they might be hearing about the EPA. For example, months ago rumors flew around that, under a law passed by Congress, EPA was considering treating spilled milk like an oil spill. This was never the case; in fact, our efforts were focused on exempting dairy producers from regulations that should not apply to them. Thanks to work with the dairy industry and the agricultural community, we obtained a formal exemption for all milk and milk products, a change that could save farmers up to $140 million.

As we confront the major environmental challenges of our time — combating climate change, reducing soil erosion, and ensuring an ample supply of clean water for our families and food production — farmers have an important opportunity to lead the way. That is why I will continue to visit with communities like Lancaster to see the best practices at work and speak directly with the local residents.

Each week we write about the science behind environmental protection. Previous Science Wednesdays.

By Aaron Ferster

“Green Jobs. Green Economy. Innovation.”

That’s how EPA’s Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe summed up his overall feeling of optimism and appreciation for the students behind the sustainable designs displayed this past weekend at the National Sustainable Design Expo featuring the 8th Annual P3 Competition.

The P3—People, Prosperity and the Planet—competition is an annual event for college and graduate school teams. The competition taps the creative energy of students from across the country to spark innovation and engage them to design, build, and test prototype technologies that offer sustainable, real-world solutions to human health and environmental challenges.

Teams display their work to compete for the P3 Award and funding—up to $75,000—to advance their winning ideas from the design phase to the marketplace or community. Previous winning P3 teams have turned their ideas into successful small businesses and nonprofit organizations.

“Whether your team heads back to school with a P3 Award or not” Perciasepe noted, “everyone here has a great future to look forward to.”

He shared how his sense of optimism stemmed from a look both backward and forward. Looking at recent history, he recalled his own student days: a time when there was still lead in our gasoline, cities were all too often shrouded in smog, and river’s smelled of sewage.

But these challenges have now largely been met. And while today’s environmental and related human health challenges seem even more daunting, the P3 teams show us that there is a new generation of scientists, engineers, architects, and others ready to tackle them.

After an initial peer review process, this year winners were selected from 55 competing teams following two days of judging by a panel of national experts convened by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Want to develop your own sense of optimism? Check out this year’s P3 Award Winners:

• University of Massachusetts-Lowell for novel greener routes to halogen-free flame retardant material
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for solar powered water collection, containment and self regulating distribution system
• Purdue University for development of community power from sustainable small hydro power systems

• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Oglala Lakota College for use of bone char for the removal of arsenic and uranium from groundwater at the Pine Ridge Reservation

• Drexel University for lightweight green roof systems
• Stanford University for innovative university-school partnerships for renewable energy projects and education

About the author: EPA science writer Aaron Ferster is a frequent Greenversations contributor.

By Lina Younes

I’m glad to have been contributing to Greenversations since it was launched back in April, 2008. For the past three years, I’ve been part of the effort to produce bilingual blog posts every Thursday. I’ve covered a wide variety of environmental health issues during that time. My goal has been to increase environmental awareness to English and Spanish-speaking audiences in the U.S. and worldwide. Essentially, I have wanted to convey one central message: the steps we take in our daily lives, whether at home, at school, in the office, or our community, have a direct impact on our health and the environment as a whole.

I’ve truly enjoyed writing about the debate over the Puerto Rican tree frog in Hawaii. In fact, I have learned a lot during the process from over 120 comments received from residents from both sets of Islands.

Environmental issues such as the proper use of pesticides, waste reduction,  recycling, saving energy, environmental education activities have been very popular. I’ve also used my blog posts to give further insight to EPA’s regulatory process.

However, what I have enjoyed the most during this time has been the opportunity to share my experiences with my youngest daughter. She has truly been an inspiration for many of my blog entries. While I’ve tried to educate her about the importance of the environment, I have learned a lot from her as well. Many times she seems to have wisdom beyond her years.  Either I’m doing something right or she gets it. I couldn’t be happier.

So, while I am glad to have been given the opportunity to participate in this environmental exchange, I will have to go on hiatus for a while. My current responsibilities in the Office of Environmental Education help me to continue working in favor of environmental literacy, but limit the time I have available to write weekly blogposts. At this point, I will not be able to fulfill a weekly commitment to Greenversations. Nonetheless, I hope to resume the conversation or at least contribute from time to time. As always, I would like to hear from you.

About the author: Lina Younes has been working for EPA since 2002 and currently serves as Acting Associate Director for Environmental Education. Prior to joining EPA, she was the Washington bureau chief for two Puerto Rican newspapers and she has worked for several government agencies.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

By Brenda Foos

How did I become a woman in science? In third grade I got an “A” in science class, and I have been hooked ever since! Why environmental science? That lesson came when I was in high school and I participated in a field studies course in Acadia National Park. Growing up in Wisconsin, this was the first time I had ever seen the ocean. We spent time each day observing the tide pool ecology of the shoreline; this was a study of the complex interactions of the rocky geology, the physics of wave and tidal action, and the transient plant and animal communities that live at this high energy intersection. It was all new and incredibly interesting.

The work I do at EPA is very different from this first environmental lesson, but it is the unlimited number of fascinating science topics to learn about (biology, chemistry, toxicology, medicine, etc.) and how they all interrelate that continue to keep me challenged. Integrating the application of so many different types of science to help protect human health and the environment is what makes my work so interesting.

I don’t work in the laboratory, studying one subject in depth; I’m in EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection, where we help the Agency apply the best science to protect children from the effects of pollution. Among other things, we interpret studies on the effect of the air pollutant ozone on human disease, estimate children’s exposures to drinking water contaminants that may be regulated in the future, and work on new methods for how EPA assesses risks to children.

I enjoy studying such complex health and environmental science issues and applying the science in ways that ultimately helps to protect children and their families from environmental health hazards.

I hope you share my concern for children’s health and will join me in working to protect it.

About the author: Brenda Foos works in EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection where she is the Director for Regulatory Support and Science Policy. She is also dedicated to sharing the environment with her own family and to protecting them from environmental hazards.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

By Lina Younes

At home, recharging our mobile phones, MP3 players, portable game systems, and digital cameras seems to be part of our family daily ritual. We usually charge them right before going to bed. But when you come to think about it, these electronics stay in their respective chargers for hours after being fully charged. What a waste of energy.

Did you know that on average these portable electronics consume about 4 percent of the electricity in the home? When you add other household appliances, all these products account for more than 15 percent of household energy use. Did you know that these small electronics and other consumer appliances continue to use energy even when they are turned off? So, what are some simple ways to save energy in the home?

• Well for starters, unplugging chargers while not in use can go a long way to saving energy!
• If you are not going to be using your computer for over 20 minutes, turn it off.
• Plug computers and other electronics to power strips. Switch the power strip off when not in use.

Becoming aware of these so called energy vampires is a good start to saving energy. So, what have you been doing to reduce energy consumption? We would like to hear from you.

About the author: Lina Younes has been working for EPA since 2002 and currently serves as Acting Associate Director for Environmental Education. Prior to joining EPA, she was the Washington bureau chief for two Puerto Rican newspapers and she has worked for several government agencies.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.