Archive for the ‘sustainability’ Category

Recycling electronics and proper E-waste disposal

Thursday, August 28th, 2008

Most everyone is on board with recycling these days. But there are some items that we know we should recycle but don’t know how or where to. And then there are others that we know we shouldn’t be throwing in the trash, but we just don’t know how to dispose of them responsibly.

Batteries are one thing that many of us throw away. Electronic waste, or e-waste, is another. And I will admit, properly disposing of these items can be perplexing. I have tried to sift through some information and pass it along to you regarding these things. What I generally do with batteries is save them until I have a bunch of old ones and then bring them to Best Buy or something like that, where they usually have a bin near the front.

But here are a few links that should help you […]

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Airport security takes your stuff, but do they recycle it?

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

After another episode during my recent travels of seeing airport security take a brand new unsealed bottle of water and throw it in the trash, I was livid. Not only at the sheer ridiculousness of what they do and why they do it, but also my assumption that none of it is recycled. A quick google search led me to find others who agree with me.

First of all, throwing out an unopened bottle of water isn’t protecting anyone. Ok, so maybe I understand the logic if it’s already open, but if the seal is unbroken it just defies logic. And then to throw it straight into the trash is absurd. Not only is it crazy, but it also is environmentally unfriendly in many ways. Here are two:

It could easily be recycled, but from the sounds of it it goes straight to […] Read More…
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Sustainable and renewable energy

Wednesday, January 24th, 2007

Let me know your thoughts on renewable and sustainable energy. In your city do you have the option of purchasing sustainable energy? Last time I checked, here in San Diego we do not. I know that my mom, who lives in Connecticut, pays an extra $5 per month to have her energy allocated from renewable resources. If I could find that program here, I would gladly do it. I get my electricity from SDGE, and I can’t find any other provider, nor the option to pay for alternative options. I suppose there is the possibility to pay to offset the carbon, though I’d rather just pay to have my energy generated cleanly.

Woes of public transportation

Friday, July 21st, 2006

A while back on one of the blogs I read, Siel wondered what can be done to make public transportation more popular, or “sexier” in a sense. Her first post posing the question, and then in a follow up she pretty much sums it up. The two big problems are 1) reliability and 2) ease of use. I can vouch for both being a problem.

Many a morning while walking to the bus, I see two of my buses go by, one behind the other, only then to go to the stop and wait 20 minutes for the next one. This seems to be utterly foolish. The other problem, ease of use, is a big one too. Luckily it’s easy for me, I only take one bus with no transfers to work, but whenever I try to map a route to some other place I want […]

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Apartment recycling

Saturday, July 8th, 2006

Here in San Diego, there is a problem with trash. I keep hearing that the landfills are filling up much to fast, and that they will be at capacity soon. Ok, so recycling is the quickest way to lessen the burden on the landfills.

The problem is that approximately 80-90% of people in San Diego rent. If you’re renting a house in a neighborhood, the chances are probably pretty good that you’ll have a recycle bin provided, however if you’re like me and you live in a complex, you’ll more than likely have a dumpster only.

So once again, the city misses the boat. Recycling isn’t mandatory, and apartment owners probably choose to have only a dumpster because it’s the cheapest solution. So yet again, a place where you could make a fairly big difference, where the population density is highest, they’re not doing it.

I myself keep […]

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Are business ethics gone these days?

Saturday, July 8th, 2006

I know there are some business owners who take their responsibility seriously. Meaning they are interested in more than making a quick buck.

There are many people who want to make a difference, people who recycle, people who make environmentally responsible decisions, etc. But businesses are where the real difference can be made. Unfortunately, most business decisions are based on dollars and cents. Meaning buying things for the cheapest cost, regardless of how they were produced, where they were made, if they are sustainable, etc.

It is frustrating, because if big business (or even small business) got behind these ideas, a real positive change could occur. Unfortunately, it’s only a very small percentage who think like this. And even more unfortunately, small business owners who may make the “right” decision, have to make the wrong one because cost is truly a major concern.

More people of power need to start thinking in a sustainable way.

Riding the city bus in San Diego – mixed feelings

Thursday, June 22nd, 2006

I have been meaning to write about this for a while now. About the mixed feelings I have about my past month of being semi car free. I have been both riding my bike to work and taking the city bus. And I feel great about both. The thing that is a little weird is that I feel like I am one of a very small percentage of people that ride the bus by choice. Taking a city bus here in the US, especially in Southern California is sort of a taboo thing, something reserved for the poor or those with less money. And I am pretty sure that most of the people on the bus, if given a chance, would probably love to be driving a car. So even though I really like taking the bus, for all the right reasons, I feel a little strange, since I don’t have to be, and if the people I ride with knew I had a car, they would probably feel weird too.

Get involved in Community Supported Agriculture

Wednesday, June 7th, 2006

If you’re not familiar with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), it’s definitely something worth familiarizing yourself with. A CSA is basically where you pay a set amount to a local farm, and you then theoretically become a stake holder in the farm’s operations. In return you get a portion of the farm’s harvest each week or every two weeks. Here in San Diego I’m a member of Be Wise Ranch, and I pay $20 (updated 2008) $25 for a box of organic produce every two weeks. It’s the small box, but it’s plenty for me for actually more than the 2 weeks. The farm delivers to a pick up location each week, and it’s up to you to go retrieve your goodies. Each day of the week are different locations, so all of the country ends up getting a chance to have it delivered to their […]

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