Lincoln Place Green Guide
We’re all encouraged to think globally and act locally, but it’s sometimes hard to know how to make an impact. Each of the 14 actions below represents a small but significant change. And although green is the symbolic color of a more environmentally conscious way of living, it’s also the color of money. Almost every suggestion here will benefit your pocketbook as well as the Earth.
1. Change your bulbs
If each apartment in our building replaced just two incandescent bulbs with CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps or Lightbulbs), we would prevent 35 tons of greenhouse gases from being released into the atmosphere each year. That’s because CFL’s use two-thirds less energy than traditional bulbs, and can last up to 15 times longer. Greenhouse gases aside, you’ll save money on both your energy bill and your hardware costs.
If fluorescent lighting makes you think of dim, flickering light, think again: a new generation of CFLs designed for home use provides warm, steady and inviting light.
Ø Visit www.fightglobalwarming.com to search and order bulbs by style, color, size and strength.
Ø Other good resources are www.1000bulbs.com and www.bulbs.com
Note: CFLs contain minute amounts of mercury. The presence of mercury in the bulb is mediated by the fact that the amount in one bulb is less than one third the amount of mercury that coal-fired power plants actually produce to illuminate one standard incandescent bulb, so there is an overall net reduction in environmental mercury. Nonetheless, improper disposal is a serious concern. Our solution: when your CFL does burn out in a few years’ time, leave it in the designated box in the basement. Bulbs left here will be brought to Sanitation Department centers for environmentally sound disposal.
2. Check your thermostat
If you have an old thermostat, chances are you’re spending more on energy than you need to, and burning precioius fossil fuels in the meantime. Consider replacing your old analog thermostat with a digital one that you can program to run only when you’re home. Any HVAC service provider can do this for you. Or you can have Con Edison install a programmable thermostat absolutely free. Con Ed provides the equipment; you give them the ability to adjust your usage during peak summer hours from a centralized computer. To learn more about Con Edison's free programmable thermostat, you can also call 1-866-521-8600.
While we’re talking about heating and cooling, consider adjusting your “comfort zone” by a few degrees during summer and winter to reduce your energy use. Change your blower filter regularly to reduce the strain on your system and save more energy.
3. Switch to Green Power
New York energy consumers now have a choice about the source of their energy. ConEdison Solutions, a subsidiary of ConEdison, offers pollution-free electricity in the form of Wind and Green Power, both of which come from 100% renewable sources. Regional wind and low-impact hydropower sources replace traditional power sources, such as nuclear power and fossil fuel sources.
4. Unplug, unplug, unplug
Appliances like TVs, toasters, and radios are like little electrical vampires: they draw a small current even when they’re switched off. Bundled together, the “standby” energy use is the equivalent of a 75- to 100-watt bulb shining constantly. Unplug extra appliances you don’t use very often, like that television in the guest room or the fan sitting in the corner waiting for summer. Unplug phone or PDA chargers unless you’re actively using them, and use power strips to switch off a line of equipment more easily. Always unplug everything if you go on a trip. You’ll save up to 5% on your electric bill and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
5. Save Water
Report leaks
Even the smallest drip in your kitchen or bath faucet can add up to hundreds or thousands of gallons a year. Please report all faucet leaks to the super immediately.
Buy a tap filter rather than bottled water
Avoiding bottled water not only prevents the addition of harmful toxins to the environment but also saves water. The most common plastic used in water bottle manufacturing is PET (polyethylene terephthalate) an environmentally unfriendly substance. In addition, it takes 17.5kg of water to produce only 1kg of PET. More water is used to make the PET water bottle than is actually put in them!
A 2002 study by the Container Recycling Institute reported that of the 14 billion water bottles sold that year, only 10% were recycled, leaving 12.6 billion plastic bottles in landfills. So, instead of repeatedly buying bottled water, buy one metal Thermos, stainless steel or durable glass bottle and refill it with clean filtered tap water. If you must buy bottled water, please make sure to recycle (see below).
Install low-flow showerheads
Two excellent models to consider include the Kohler “MasterShower Eco” and the Delta “H2Okinetic Technology (Model No. RP46384).
6. Recycle, recycle, recycle
New York City has a strong recycling program, but its success depends on everyone’s cooperation. Recycling is mandatory because it’s critical to saving precious resources: it gives a second or third life to glass, metal, paper and certain plastics, reducing landfill use and keeping these materials in the production cycle. Please take recycling to heart and do your part.
7. Buy less, use Freecycle
Even with recycling, New Yorkers still produce enough trash to fill the Empire State Building in less than a week. Freecycle is a grassroots movement that challenges our habit of buying everything new and throwing out items that are barely used. By creating a community of people who need things and people who want to get rid of things, Freecycle aims to reduce our production and consumption of new things as well as slow down the mounds of trash our society creates every day. Freecycle is organized into local groups, which are moderated by a local volunteer. Membership is free.
8. Computers are toxic: dispose of them with care
Our building provides a Technotrash box in the basement for the safe and environmentally-sound disposal of small electronics, cell phones, disks, and other peripherals. These materials, which are usually thrown out and end up polluting landfills with dangerous chemicals and heavy metals, are safely recycled at Greendisk’s headquarters in Sammamish, Washington. Greendisk takes technotrash, securely and confidentially disposes of the information on phones, computers, disks, cassettes and CD-ROMS, and then reuses these raw materials to create their own line of office products.
But what about larger things like computers, fax machines or printers? They may look innocuous from the outside, but improper disposal releases dozens of toxic chemicals into the environment. We ask that you leave larger items like computers downstairs on the bookshelf with an identifying note that reads “For Recycling”. Several times a year, volunteers from the building’s recycling action team will deliver this equipment to the Department of Sanitation for proper disposal.
9. Order your take out “Eco To Go”
We all appreciate the convenience of take out, but let’s face it: all that plastic and paper is a small environmental disaster and a waste of precious resources. Thirty percent of the waste generated in the U.S. is from packaging; in this country, we toss out enough paper and plastic cups, forks and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times. So the next time you’re placing a take-away order, request it “Eco To Go” and explain that this means you would like them to remove napkins, utensils, and those little packets of sauce from your order.
The Eco To Go campaign is the brainchild of Ecoagents, a New York-based group of volunteers that’s started contacting delicatessens, restaurants and other food service establishments about the need to reduce the amount of paper and plastic that becomes trash and pollution. Although this campaign is catching on at many delis on the Upper East Side, it will need a proactive introduction here in Brooklyn. Keep using the phrase so restaurants get the message that waste reduction matters to you.
10. Eat locally grown and seasonal foodsChoosing locally grown foods is an opportunity to support small-scale farmers who often farm without the use of pesticides and practice sustainable agriculture, while also reducing the pollution caused by excessive food shipping and packaging.
Ø Join Prospect Heights Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). For a reasonable price, from June through November, the CSA farmer delivers the week's share of vegetables, fruit, and/or flowers. Each delivery typically consists of 7-10 types of vegetables, enough for a family of 2-3 people. Over the course of a season members get at least 40 different types of vegetables, usually organic, always fresh-picked and changing with the seasons.
Ø Join the Park Slope Food Co-op. The Co-op carries a wide variety of products, including local, organic and conventionally grown produce; pasture-raised and grass-fed meat; free-range, organic and kosher poultry; fair-traded chocolate and coffee; wild and sustainably farmed fish; supplements and vitamins; imported and artisan cheese; freshly baked bread; bulk grains and spices; environmentally safe cleaning supplies, and much more. All of this, plus a large selection of standard supermarket items, makes for one-stop shopping. (718) 622-0560
Ø Support the Green Market at Grand Army Plaza open year-round on Saturdays from 8am – 4pm. For more about Green Markets visit the Council on the Environment of NYC (CENYC)
11. Choose Green Interiors
Consider making choices in paint, furniture and cleaning products that make a smaller impact on the earth and reduce the overall toxicity of your home. Keep in mind that traditional paint, new furniture, carpeting and common household cleaners contribute to indoor air pollution and use toxic chemicals as part of the manufacturing process. Green Home Guide provides a good overview of safe home products, or you can ask Ryan, our resident "green" architect, for more information and ideas on any aspect of green design anytime.
Ø Many paint brands offer low-VOC paints that look good and are much safer for you, your children and the environment. Benjamin Moore’s Eco-Spec is available at Pintchik's at the corner of Flatbush Ave and Bergen. AFM Safecoat offers a variety of environmentally-friendly paints and varnishes, available at Go Green (485 Atlantic Ave between 3rd and Nevins).
Ø Consider finding used furniture instead of buying new. Or choose a company that produces sustainable, non-toxic furniture. Consider Crate and Barrel’s Bento line, made of sustainably grown bamboo, or check out the Q Collection or South Cone. A good starting point for modern green design is Inhabitat.
Ø Look for carpeting made from sisal, wool, or other minimally-treated sustainable material. If the carpeting has any adhesives, investigate the product’s Indoor Air Quality Carpet Testing Green Label from the Carpet and Rug Institute.
Ø Environmentally-friendly cleaning products are perfectly effective, non-toxic, fairly priced and widely available. There are now green alternatives for nearly every conventional, toxic household cleaner including dishwashing liquid and powder, laundry detergent and bleach, wood polish, drain cleaner, window, toilet and tile cleaner. Key Food on Flatbush Avenue and Yaba, at the intersection of Flatbush and 6th Ave, both have good selections of eco- and human-friendly cleaning products.
12. Refuse or reduce the use of plastic bags
As the global climate crisis deepens, consumers are starting to take responsibility for their actions by using cloth bags, backpacks, mesh bags, and other reusable carriers in place of the one-time use plastic shopping bag. Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that U.S. consumers throw away 100 billion plastic bags a year. So the next time you are shopping consider if you really need the bag (or the double bag) and simply say, “no bag needed thanks,” or bring a bag that you can reuse.
13. Compost
The green thumbs in the building will find that the hummus left from composting food scraps makes a clean, wonderful soil for gardening that is far superior to what can be purchased in stores, all the while reducing the tremendous volume of food waste which is carted to a landfill every year. This saves both landfill space and the ecological cost of the transportation. And those with outdoor spaces can purchase small, self-contained compost bins to make their own. Free compost is available from the city at certain times of the year, and our own Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a great source of information, as is the Lower East Side Ecology Center. You might check out Composters.com to purchase bins and other equipment.
14. Purchase Carbon Offsets
One of the most direct ways you can change the course of global warming is to offset your own carbon footprint through the Carbon Fund. This organization helps you compute your annual carbon footprint, converts this amount into a suggested contribution, and then puts your tax deductible contribution toward renewable energy, energy efficiency, and reforestation.
We hope you find this information useful. Please let us know if you have any additional suggestions or comments about sustainable living.
—David Leventhal(3B), Diana Koepfer(3H), Ryan Enschede (4C)
Lincoln Place Green Guide