Creative and sustainable biking February 26, 2008

I have been an avid bike rider for years now, and I have used my bike to commute to work for the last several years. Last week I got several flat tires and realized that it was time for me to invest in some new tires that would be flat resistant. In trying to determine my options for what product to buy as well as what to do with my old tires, I couldn’t help thinking that this shouldn’t be any different than any other purchase I make or how I dispose of typical items.

Biking is considered a sustainable transportation option, but I wanted to know if there was a way to make the bicycle industry more sustainable as well. Typically bike frames and major components are made of metal and rubber, both of which aren’t sustainable materials because they incorporate non renewable natural resources and are very energy intensive to mold into bicycle parts.

I was pleased to find that there are other people out there that are thinking of this same issue, and one company that is leading the way is Calfee Design out of Europe. They produce bike frames out of bamboo, that’s right bamboo! They are each hand crafted and offer hemp joints as an alternative to the traditional carbon fiber. The first bamboo bikes were built in the 1890’s but the technology has advanced so much that the newer bamboo bikes have even won awards for best road bike and are used by some professional triathletes. Calfee Design has teamed up with Columbia University to create the Bamboo Bike Project which aims to create sustainable transportation for people in Africa. Carry Freedom is another company that is using bamboo for bicycle products, and has a website that shows you how to build your own bamboo bicycle trailer.

As for maintenance of bicycles, most greases, lubricants, and cleaners that are used are not very environmentally friendly. If we can come up with eco-friendly cleaners for our house, why not for our bikes? Well sure enough, there are several companies that offer alternative greases, lubricants, and cleaners that are derived from natural materials. Two such companies are Soy Clean, which offers a soy-based multipurpose lubricant, and Pedros, which offers a biodegradeable degreaser made form citrus extracts.

As anybody who frequently rides a bike knows, you tend to pile up a large quantity of bike parts and accessories that are no longer usable. So what should we do with all of our old bike tubes, tires, helmets, non compatible parts, old models, etc? Although it is still difficult to find a place to recycle many of these bike parts, the options continue to grow every day. Some of the unique and creative uses that people are finding for old bike parts now include:

- using bike tubes to make bags, belts, and wallets.

- using gears to make wall clocks, and tea light holders

- using chains to make bottle openers and picture frames (Resource Revival)

- using wheels, frames, and seats to make furniture (Frida Ottemo Kallstrom, Andrew Gregg, Bike Furniture Design) as well as pot racks

The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute has good information and resources if you are wondering what your options are for recycling your old bicycle helmets. Repurposing items we buy is a great way to be more sustainable, so why not find some Maybe other uses for our bicycles than just for transportation purposes. Well, someone has even come up with a bicycle powered washing machine. Now that’s what I would call getting the most out of your bicycle.

Of course there are also many programs in the country for recycling bicycles that either take unwanted bikes and give them to others who want bicycles, or disassemble the bikes and reuse the parts to create new bikes. When purchasing a bicycle, consider buying a used bike instead of a new one. I myself bought a used bike and was able to get a cheaper price, a good quality bike, and a good feeling about keeping an older bike out of the landfill.

Happy biking!

The Eco Village Trend February 18, 2008

In January, the United Arab Emirates unveiled its plans for the future Masdar City, a completely carbon-neutral town. The plan calls for a new kind of city, one that is totally sustainable. The project consists in a total reorganization of urbanism, a rethinking of the interaction between the city dwellers and their environment. In the future Masdar City, the inhabitants won’t use cars and efforts will be put on public transportation (an electric light-rail system will be built to connect the population of the city to the center of Abu Dhabi); the inhabitants will be provided with organic food (cultivated locally); a recycling plan will be organized (taking into account garbage and waste water – a solar-powered desalination plant will be used to make water drinkable and waste will be purified and recycled to grow plants that could be converted as biofuels); and the energy will be generated by solar power (the buildings will be provided in energy by a solar-photovoltaic power plant). Masdar City is supposed to host 50, 000 people and 1, 500 companies which will form a new “Silicon Valley for renewable energy sector” said Khaled Awad, development director for Masdar. People are scheduled to move there by 2009 and the project will be completed around 2015.

Masdar City is not the first initiative of this kind. Somewhat similar projects exist all around the world. The existence and progressive proliferation of “ecovillages” originates from the 1992 Rio Summit, which raised awareness about sustainable development issues and environmental problems. Some organizations, companies and individuals trying to implement the famous Agenda 21, decided to work in collaboration to build “Eco Villages”. The Global Ecovillage Network, born in that period, has never stopped expanding. Mont Radar (Quebec), Vegan Ecovillage (France), Bedzed (England), Auroville (India), Crystal Waters (Australia), The Farm (United States), Findhorn (Scotland), HuehueCoyoti (Mexico), Thlolego (South Africa) are some of those villages which share the same principle: “integrating a supportive social environment with a low-impact way of life” by integrating “various aspects of ecological design, permaculture, ecological building, green production, alternative energy, community building practices, and much more” (Global Ecovillage Network’s definition of “Ecovillage”).

It is important to keep in mind that these villages are exceptional. They are concrete examples that another way of life is possible, that is more respectful of the environment. Indeed, they have to be considered as inspirational and must guide the other cities in the world toward more eco-friendly destinations, so to speak. It is impossible to “rebuild” every town in the world, and we can’t rely on the existence of few carbon-zero cities to stop global warming. However we can hope that those initiatives will give us and community officials some ideas to rethink urbanism! But, if you are thinking about changing your way of life and (why not!), think about moving to an Eco-Village!

Water: Use Less and Reuse More February 11, 2008

Companies can play a significant role in reducing water consumption. Though this may vary by the industry the company is in and products/service provided, two principles are common: Use Less and Reuse More! Let’s consider some basic areas that most companies can focus on or think about improving their performance when it comes to water:

The Bathroom

• Mind the water: What is eco-friendly at home is eco-friendly at work: when you wash your hands, you are not obliged to use the faucet’s maximum pressure. Run it at a lower pressure and turn it off while soaping your hands.
• Install aerators: Just like at home, aerators in the office significantly lower the amount of water consumed. It is easy to do, cheap, and cost-effective.
• Consider low-flow toilets: You can save between 50 to 70% of water per flush with a dual flush toilet. And, of course, using less water means less pressure on the city’s sewers!

Case in point: McDonald’s
One of the French McDonald restaurants has replaced their classical urinals with waterless ones, which led to significant money saving. Within 4 months, their recouped their investment:

Basic Investment (in USD) ———————————–Annual Cost (in USD):

	Conventional Urinal	Waterless Urinal
Investment in the urinal	207	300
Electricity (detection)	138	138
Plumbing	345	345
TOTAL	586	783

	Conventional Urinal	Waterless Urinal
Water	200m3/year = 421	Special cartridges: 9/year = 136
Maintenance Cost	70	Bactericide: 31/year = 28
TOTAL	491	164

The Kitchen

• Get rid of plastic bottles: Provide staff with glasses and mugs, and encourage them to purchase a reusable bottle to carry with them instead of buying bottled water.
• Use a water filter: As a company, you can favor the consumption of filtered water instead of buying huge amounts of plastic bottles for your employees or purchasing from a water company that supplies reusable water containers. Those still get dumped in the landfill when they are at the end of their life span.

Air Conditioning

• Consider investing: Some air conditioners use water to work. An investment in a more energy-efficient air conditioning unit will save water and energy.
• Use outdoor air: Where possible, open windows instead of turning on the AC. Likewise, don’t keep the windows open too long in the winter if the heat is on.

These are just some basic ideas, to get you started. You can also look into greywater recycling if your business owns some outdoor space, and plant native or adapted species to minimize the need for watering. And of course, don’t forget to do the same at home. Check out previous blogs on water filters and other steps you can take around the house to reduce your water consumption.

Green Motivation: Educate and Engage Your Staff February 2, 2008

You’ve formed a ‘Green Team’, and have asked your colleagues to make some changes: recycle those Coke cans, think twice before printing, and turn off the lights when you leave for the day. But not everyone is listening and jumping on board as you would have expected.

As many (not most) know, a key component of a more eco-friendly business is an eco-friendly staff. To achieve significant sustainability goals, employees must be aware, eager and active in the pursuit of a green outcome. There are many ways to inspire your colleagues and employees. Here are some tips on how to get started:

1. Communicate the change: It is important to be clear that ‘being green’ will require some behavior changes, some which may be easier than others. Be sure to appropriately communicate the sustainability mission and vision (or goals, if you do not have a vision and mission) and the expected changes that may come with it.
2. Listen to grievances: With change comes discomfort for some. Many times, the only action that is needed is to show that you are listening and taking into account your colleague/employees’ concerns. Different people have different learning styles and speed — this shows that you respect each person’s pace.
3. Set goals: These may be at the departmental or individual level. Clear goals will provide individuals will something to strive for. Make sure that these are appropriate to the individual’s position and that you provide him/her with the tools to achieve these.
4. Monitor progress: As I’m sure you’ve heard, what gets measured gets managed(and done, hopefully!), so develop some simple metrics to track progress.
5. Acknowledge achievements: When goals have been met, reward the person/persons who have met them. This can be a verbal acknowledgment, a small (green!) gift, or something else that recognizes their efforts.

And above all, don’t forget to have fun (and to make it fun)!!