Tag Archives: sustainability

Sustainable Fishing

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When it comes to the fishing industry there are a lot of issues of sustainability. Whether it is in the catch size, techniques used, areas fished in, or bycatch. Bycatch is the accidental catching of the not target species. In most cases, these marine life forms are often killed before they can be released back into the ocean. Bycatch poses another major issue within the already difficult overfishing problem.

This graph is based on data from the FOA regarding catch sizes between the years 1950 and 2018. This graph shows the growth trend of the fishing industry and as more sustainable attitudes developed a slower decrease in catch size in the more recent years. The lowest catch was in 1950 with about 250,000, the highest being in 2002 with catch sizes around 850,000. The size eventually drops down to about 680,000 in 2018. Based on this larger drop in 2018 and information from the NOAA and FOA this number aims to be lowered even more. Protecting marine populations will increase the likelihood that these populations can survive and repopulate in order to sustain future generations.

.https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/collection/capture

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/bulletin/noaa-fisheries-announces-changes-catch-levels-sector-allocations-accountability

Food Waste management in the U.S.

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Food waste is a massive problem in the United States.  Currently, a large portion of food is wasted in the United States and this wasted food ends up in various places.  These charts document the pathways in where wasted food ends up after it goes unused in 2018.  The column chart on the left depicts the weight in US tons of wasted food and approximately how many tons of wasted food end up in each place.  As you can see, the largest number of wasted food ends up in landfills with 35,277,543 tons of wasted food managed by landfills.  This massive number dwarfs any other pathway for wasted food.  For instance, wasted food used on land application is only 259,448.  The amount of wasted food that ends up in landfills is 135.97 times greater than the amount of wasted food used for land application.  The pie chart on the left details the same numbers however this chart gives the percentages of where wasted food ends up. As you can see more clearly, all other pathways for wasted food combined are less than the percentage of wasted food that goes to landfills.  In 2018, 55.9% of all wasted food was sent to landfills and not used in any other constructive way.  Out of the 63,132,123 tons of food wasted in 2018, 35,277,543 tons of that food ended up in landfills.  Not only is it horribly unsustainable to waste  food, but the methods in which wasted food is used afterwards is even more unsustainable and is contributing to the problems that we are seeing today.

Works Cited:

https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/food-material-specific-data#:~:text=The%20estimated%2035.3%20million%20tons,percent%20of%20all%20MSW%20landfilled.

ESG Scores

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I had never heard of an ESG score in my life. An ESG score stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance score. These are ratings that measure a company’s exposure to environmental, social, and governance risks. These risks include worker safety, energy efficiency, and board independence and all of these have financial implications. ESG scores/ratings can influence investors and may sway them for or against a specific company. What is interesting is that recent studies are showing that a 10 percent increase in corporate disclosure is associated with a 1.3 to 2 percent increase in ESG score variation among major ratings providers, which all interpret and process disclosures differently. More importantly, they are showing that the more information a company discloses about its ESG practices, the more rating agencies disagree on how well that company is performing along these dimensions. By being transparent about their ESG scores, companies are actually disadvantaging themselves! This seems contradictory but that is why the latest research is shocking. These companies have a lot to lose with more than $30 trillion in sustainable investment capital on the line…Investors are dumping massive savings into companies they believe will help provide sustainable futures, so if their transparency is allowing the rating agencies to hurt the company, then the investors will hurt financially as well. If these investors pull out on their investments, many promising companies looking to change the world by preaching sustainability may go out of existence. This newest research raises questions on the effectiveness of the rating system and if the rating agencies need further regulation. I think most people would agree that all companies and corporations in the United States need some oversight to make sure they are not harming the environment, but maybe the rating agencies need additional oversight as well.

Fast Fashion and It’s Consequences

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Many companies involved in fast fashion and unsustainable practices use outdated and less eco-friendly processes to produce their goods. A a result of these outdated manufacturing practices, the carbon footprint of many clothing brands are alarmingly high. Fast fashion caters to increasingly high levels of supply and demand, so the products are over produced, and then retailers buy them at exceedingly high prices. Whatever is left over are usually disposed of unethically, rather than being donated or up-cycled. Brands like Aerie, She-in, and the like are some of the biggest contributors to this issue. However, there are viable, and fun alternative solutions to this issue that not only are sustainable, they’re also very much within current fashion trends and practices. As mentioned earlier, up cycling is not only an alternative option, it’s also affordable. Thrifting is also a popular alternative, and it’s also way more affordable than buying at full price in-store. Savers, Goodwill, and the Salvation Army are all large and fairly well known companies that utilize thrifting practices. There are several benefits to thrifting and buying clothes which include, but are not limited too, lesser levels of air pollution, less waste production, and healthier oceans. It turns out that polyester, which is used in many fabrics, doesn’t decompose in water, and instead just adds to the pollution of our oceans. Strikingly enough, people throw away 60-80 pounds, on average, of unwanted clothing over the course of their lifetimes. The fashion industry also contributes to ~10% of global carbon emissions. So, it is not unfair to state that thrifting is, in fact, good for the environment, and it’s also wicked fun.

 

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/01/31/sustainability-in-fast-fashion-how-tech-can-minimize-waste/?sh=2f5be76331e6

https://www.swiftfit.net/blog/sustainable-thrift-shopping

Food Waste: A Major Problem

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Often when we throw out leftovers, or walk through a grocery store with many unsold items set to expire the next day, we don’t think anything of it.  To many people, food waste is just another part of life; however, it is actually a major problem which is growing every year.  Wasted food is defined as food not used for its intended purpose; common examples include uneaten prepared food and plate waste.  While some uneaten food is donated to feed people, much of it ends up in landfills.  The amount of food wasted each year is great, as according to the EPA, “ about 63 million tons of wasted food were generated in the commercial, institutional, and residential sectors, with about 32 percent being managed by animal feed, bio-based materials/biochemical processing, codigestion/anaerobic digestion, composting, donation, land application, and sewer/wastewater treatment” in 2018.  So, just how much food is 63 million tons? According to an estimate from The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2011, about ⅓ of all food produced for human consumption is wasted.  Food waste is a large global issue and continues to be pervasive to today.

In order to combat the issue of food waste, there are some methods that can be employed in our day-to-day lives.  For instance, to help quell food waste at home, you can pay extra attention to what you buy in the grocery store; do not buy in bulk unless you know you can consume all of the items before they go bad.  Learn how to store produce correctly, so it lasts longer and less food has to be thrown away. Plan what you are going to eat during the week before you go shopping, so none of your food goes to waste.  If we all try to employ these habits in our daily lives and are a little more conscious when it comes to food waste, we can help to minimize a major sustainability issue.

 

https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/sustainable-management-food-basics

https://www.epa.gov/recycle/preventing-wasted-food-home

 

Vegetable Oil as a Fuel Source for Cars

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Believe it or not, there are ways to run a car on energy sources that are not diesel or petroleum. As fossil fuel emissions have become the object of concern in the past few decades due to due climate change, people have been eager to find energy sources that are more sustainable than basic petroleum. They have recently discovered that it is possible to power a car on vegetable oil, which is a much more sustainable energy source than petroleum. Burning vegetable oil is known to be less toxic, and it “produces up to 75% fewer greenhouse gas emissions and particulates” (Choosesq.com). While vegetable oil is not a perfect solution to climate change, it makes you wonder what other renewable energy sources are possible. This is why we need to invest more money into innovation and invention, so that the brightest minds in the world can figure out ways to save the planet.

 

Works Cited:

https://choosesq.com/blog/how-to-run-a-car-on-vegetable-oil/#:~:text=It%20is%20possible%20to%20run,SeQuential%20for%20your%20biodiesel%20needs.

 

The Sustainability of Electric Cars

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Emissions from cars and transportation are undoubtedly some of the largest producers of CO2 emissions that we can see today.  However not all hope is lost as companies such as Tesla have attempted to become more sustainable and limit CO2 emissions.  These are seen with electric cars that have become very widespread today.  Tesla was founded with long term sustainability efforts in mind as opposed to the current trend of trying to lessen environmental pollution but not get at the source of the problem.  Electric cars charged on a power grid emit 4,000 lbs of CO2 as opposed to gasoline vehicles which emit 11,000 lbs of CO2.  Better yet, electric cars that are charged on renewable forms of energy such as wind and solar emit 0 lbs of CO2.  Despite the fact that batteries for electric vehicles create more pollution during construction than combustion-engine vehicles, because of the lower emissions over the entire life of the electric vehicle, the pollution is less overall than combustion-engine vehicles.  With the average commute to work being 28 minutes, driving an electric vehicle as opposed to a gasoline powered vehicle is the more sustainable choice.  Tesla also states in its website that end-of-life products such as electronics with a size of up to 25cm can be returned to be recycled at Tesla locations at no cost.  To return other products an appointment can be scheduled for the take-back.  Electric cars seem to be a very important step towards a more sustainable future.

Works Cited:

https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/resources/earth-day-ff.pdf

https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air/electric-vehicles#:~:text=Much%20like%20with%20greenhouse%20gases,operating%20and%20during%20power%20generation.

https://www.tesla.com/en_IE/support/sustainability-recycling

https://www.imd.org/research-knowledge/articles/tesla-becomes-a-model-for-sustainable-leadership-david-and-goliath-revisited/

How Much Water Do We Waste Daily?

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Only about 0.3% of Earth’s water is safe/accessible to drink, and still we waste so much of it with simple, everyday tasks (NGWA). Turning the faucet off when brushing your teeth has become common practice among the general population, but what else could be wasting water? In his article, Adam Hadhazy seeks out the least wasteful option when it comes to household chores. For example, he writes that hand-washing dishes (while it may seem like the more sustainable choice) can use anywhere between 20 – 40 gallons of water, while most dishwashers only use about 10 gallons per load. He also explains that going to a professional car wash wastes less water than washing it yourself, with car wash garages using up to 45 gallons of water per car and doing it yourself using between 80 and 140 gallons (more than triple going to a garage) (Hadhazy). Additionally, car wash garages are more sustainable and environmentally friendly, as they recycle water and are under a U.S. mandate to direct wastewater to treatment plants to avoid polluting nearby water sources. Spreading more knowledge about how much water we actually use in our day to day lives could make such a difference in when it comes to changing the general populations’ attitude regarding climate change. When you understand just how much water you’re wasting while washing the dishes or doing laundry, the problem becomes real and more relevant.

 

Hadhazy, A. 2008. Top 10 Water Wasters: From Washing Dishes to Watering the Desert. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/top-10-water-wasters/

 

Mullen, K. 2021. Information on Earth’s Water. National Groundwater Association. https://www.ngwa.org/what-is-groundwater/About-groundwater/information-on-earths-water

Bottled Water

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This week’s theme of water had me thinking about bottled water and the growing popularity of reusable water bottles within my generation. It got me thinking about the waste produced by bottled waters–how much CO2 would it take to produce enough bottles of water for each student on campus to get their necessary daily intake of water?

The average human needs to drink 3.7L of water per day, and each plastic water bottle is around 1L of water. There are 2,050 students at Union, and if everyone drank the recommended amount of water per day, that would total 7,585L of water, and 7,585 plastic water bottles. According to Luqel, to produce 500ml of a single use plastic water bottle it takes 82.9g of CO2. How much CO2 would be produced to create 7, 585L of plastic water bottles, then?

Well, 500ml is equivalent to .5L. .5L produces 82.9g of CO2. .5L doubled is 1L, and 82.9g doubled is 165.8g of CO2. To produce one 1L plastic water bottle, it takes 165.8g of CO2. For all of the 2,050 students of Union to drink 3.7L of water per day, it would take 1,257,593g of CO2(7585 x 165.8).

That is just for one day of water. For a year of water? It would take 459,021,445g of CO2.

This is just something to think about when considering reusable vs. one use plastic water bottles. Not to mention the microplastics!

Water Waste and How to Combat it

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When people consider waste in regards to sustainability, they often consider physical garbage far before they consider water waste.  Water waste, however, is a major sustainability issue as, even though it doesn’t take the water out of the water cycle, but instead removes the water from being accessible and usable by humans.  It is also wasteful since it overly expends the energy used to deliver the water, such as in the overuse of the dishwasher or washing machine.   On the whole, water waste could lead to humans having less usable water readily available and can also take such water away from the environment.  As per the DOH, the average person wastes 30 gallons of water every day; some of this waste is due to human tasks, such as overly long showers and leaving faucets on while they are not being used.  Other reasons for water waste include issues such as unrepaired household leaks.  According to the EPA, the average household can waste 180 gallons of water a week from household leaks alone, which is 9,200 gallons of water wasted every year.  While this waste is very common, there are many methods that people can implement in their day to day life to combat this issue.  First and foremost would be to check their households for the aforementioned leaks and have them repaired to prevent any further issue.  Other simple tasks include turning off the tap when brushing teeth, which would save 8 gallons of water a day, and therefore 2,290 gallons of water a year.  One last common occurrence that would save water in the average household is running the dishwasher only when completely full; this alone would save 320 gallons of water per household per year.  Water waste is a common, overlooked issue, but by changing the way we implement some household tasks, we can save many gallons of water from being wasted every year.

 

https://www.epa.gov/watersense/how-we-use-water

https://www.epa.gov/watersense/statistics-and-facts

https://www.wtamu.edu/~cbaird/sq/2014/09/23/does-wasting-household-water-remove-it-from-the-water-cycle/#:~:text=Rather%2C%20wasting%20water%20hurts%20humans,away%20from%20the%20natural%20ecosystem.