My Green Life

How does one decide where to live? There are so many amazing and beautiful landscapes across the globe so how does one possibly choose a place to call home. For some it is the economy that paves the way, others the sports teams, but for some the choice may be dependent on the “green-ness” of a city. After living in St. Louis for my whole life, it became very obvious that environmental sustainability is not a top priority in that city. This led me to wonder… which is the greenest city in the U.S? I chose to move to Portland, in part, due to their environmental reputation. It was not until I stumbled across this article that I realized how well Portland,OR ranked nationally. Not too shabby Portland.

3. Portland, OR (score 8.24, pop. 529,121)

Portland also returns from last year’s list, not a surprise, perhaps, for this evergreen city which has directed all of its departments and agencies according to its Sustainable City Principles since 1994. The principles, which cover the protection of natural resources, habitat and ecosystem conservation and minimizing human impacts on the environment both locally and worldwide, haven’t languished on paper these last 12 years. The first U.S. city to have a plan to reduce the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, Portland gains 44% of its energy from hydroelectric sources and encouraging the installation of solar power through municipal tax incentives. Light rail, bicycle lanes and buses help keep residents out of their cars, with 13% relying on public transportation for their commute to work, 2% bicycling and 11% carpooling. Portland not only recycles the standard glass, metal and plastics, but also composts residential yard waste and food scraps from businesses. To enjoy their green city, residents have over 92,000 acres of green space (over 11% of the total city area) ranging from waterfront areas to trails, athletic fields, parks and public gardens.

Note: St. Louis was ranked last in air quality. Sorry everyone at home!

For little over a year now, I’ve been trying to choose my favorite English Premier League soccer team. Arsenal, Liverpool, Man. U., all made the list. They have great records, great reputations, and great players (except for Christian Ronaldo). But now I have realized there is yet another factor to choosing which team’s scarf or flag to buy. Teams such as Manchester City, Arsenal, and Dartford FC (Ryman Football League) have taken steps to be more eco-friendly. Completed in November 2006, Dartford’s home turf, Prince’s Park, was the world’s first custom-built eco-friendly football stadium. Run-off water from the roof was recycled back onto the pitch, solar panels supplied energy for most of the hot water and clubhouse heating, and the stadium is designed to blend into the landscape with a sunken field and curved roof. Manchester City’s stadium generates all its energy from wind turbines and distributes the remaining power back into the community. Arsenal is not to be forgotten either with their skylights and windows that minimize lighting and heating bills and green roofs that were installed to insulate the building as well as providing some much needed greenery in London. So, in the life-altering process of claiming a team as my own, a team’s commitment to eco-friendly facilities now further complicates this crucial decision.

This weekend, instead of adding green to my lifestyle, I decided to remove some greenery from my life! It put up quite the fight, but after three hours of pulling ivy, we were all able to reflect on the manual labor we endured with a sigh of great satisfaction and accomplishment. Satisfaction?! Accomplishment?! Three hours of my life were spent pulling up the invasive English Ivy that grows faster than we could ever possibly remove it! Looking back on the portion we had removed revealed to us that we hardly made the slightest dent in removing this species that is rapidly spreading throughout the Pacific Northwest. Regardless of this fact, I felt content knowing that even though it may have been a small step, it was still a step, and one that I plan to take again!

English Ivy: (noun) a pest; known to engulf and kill native trees by blocking them from sunlight; grows as ground cover and as vines which weigh down the tree branches causing them to be more susceptible to wind storms; a very obnoxious species introduced by settlers; host for pathogens; a nasty little plant.

I find it difficult to keep an optimistic disposition while being bombarded by the media’s warning about global warming, melting glaciers, rising water levels, and a worldwide elimination of species. Forecasters predict that 2008 will be one of the warmest years despite the fact that the La Nina effect will be more prevalent. La Nina brings colder waters from the depth of the oceans to the surface which would hypothetically produce a cooler climate. Scientists warn that sea levels could rise 7-23 inches by 2100. Droughts will become more widespread . Hurricanes will intensify. People will be displaced from their homes. These warnings are not meant to cast a shadow of fear on the reader. Instead, it is hoped that this article will shed a light of “cautious enthusiasm” on the subject at hand…

Click here to read more.

Growing up, burning wood to heat the house was a sustainable practice because we owned 120 acres of wooded land. We cut down the dead trees and planted others in their place. However, when I moved to a new home I was faced with two options: natural gas or an older model wood burning stove. I have to admit, I jumped at the thought of a wood burning stove, and I did not compose an appropriate 30-page environmental impact statement on the issue. We have been burning wood now for several weeks, but some recent conversations have led me to conduct some research on the issue at hand.

According to National Geographic, burning wood (especially when it is harvested using sustainable practices) is far more eco-friendly than gas, oil, or electricity. A log burning in your fireplace will release the same amount of CO2 that it would release if it were to decompose on the forest floor. Burning wood is “carbon neutral” and does not create more greenhouse gas emissions (CO2) than it absorbs. Using renewable resources also mitigates our dependence on foreign oil trade. Wood burning does produce more particulates into the air that can potentially be harmful, but with an updated stove secondary burn systems minimize this factor.

In a large 2,400 square foot home where the living area is limited to a much smaller area, wood burning seems to be a practical solution. My advice to readers facing the same dilemma is 1) Buy wood that is harvested in a sustainable manner. 2) Be sure that the wood is seasoned and dry or starting a fire is nearly impossible!

During a recent visit to Seattle, I stumbled upon Tully’s, a coffee shop that has the best hot chocolate I’ve had in a long time! While this fact excited me, it would not be especially noteworthy. What is worthy of comment, however, is the fact that the hot chocolate was served in a cup that is completely compostable!!! This breakthrough in technology inspired me to investigate this feature further, and I have discovered that the cup contains a bio-plastic, corn-based lining that makes it completely renewable. Starbucks, I hope you are writing this down.

This blog contains sustainable practices noticed in my daily life. It is simply my reflection on a green way of living, and it displays any environmentally sound activities I have witnessed that inspire me and others hopefully. It is just a casual, fun way to get involved in the “green” community as well as challenging myself to think more deeply about my impact in the world. Hope you enjoy!