New, Green Product vs. Used, Traditional Product? You Decide.

I'm stumped, and I need your opinion. "You" being the loyal followers of my blog!

Thankfully, this isn't a picture of my phone, but some days I feel it might as well be. For the past two and a half years, I've been using a cell phone that features a large touch screen, like the one depicted here. Before I adopted the phone, it belonged to my father, who has the tendency to pass down electronics to me when he's ready for the next model. Did he realize he was doing something environmentally friendly when he gave me his old laptop in 2003, his digital camera in 2005, his handheld video camera in 2007, and his cell phone in 2009? Probably not, though I'm always grateful for the gifts. Either way, I'm glad my footprint is small when I don't have to buy new electronics.

To get back to why I feel like my phone reminds me of the one in the picture, you need to know that the touch screen on my phone is showing signs of its age. Crazy, I didn't realize two-and-a-half was so old! The phone has lost its (warning: pun!) touch when I try to send a text message. The keyboard appears on the screen, I begin typing, and some of the letters don't show up, or one letter is mistaken for the one next to it on the keyboard. This, despite the fact that my fingers have not significantly increased in size over the past few years. Once I realized that the space bar fails to insert a space one out of every three times I touch it, I knew for sure that I was nearing the point where I would have to retire my little radiation-emitting friend.

But what do I replace it with? Unlike tablet PCs, e-readers, and Apple products - which I haven't been tempted to buy -  I can't function very effectively without a cell phone (if you had to take public transit in Toronto as often as I do, you'd understand how vital it is for me to be able to update friends about how late my arrival will be). I know how to safely dispose of the old phone, I just don't know which of the following two options to go for:

A. The new, green cell phone

• greener materials: some use plant-based plastics, others are free of flame retardants and PVC, and many newer models contain a great number of recyclable parts than before


• reduced energy use: power-saving mode and solar panels to help with recharging, and one model even has an alarm that notifies you when the battery has fully charged, so that you can unplug it right away and avoid drawing phantom power


• eco-friendly companies: green production practices, take-back recycling programs, and supply chains free of unfair labour or minerals tainted by conflict

B. The used, traditional cell phone

• no new materials: avoiding the production and processing of toxic products for use in circuit boards, screens, batteries, and casings (and the packaging that new phones are sold in)


• reduced manufacturing- and transportation-related energy use: all of the power that went into producing the phone and moving the raw materials and parts around the globe is spread out over two users and a longer lifespan


• lower demand for new phones: if I don't buy a new phone, I'm not contributing to the never-ending demand for new products, the kind of demand that prompts companies to make more and more each year

Those are some good arguments for both sides! There are counter-arguments, too. For example, new cell phone models are not nearly green enough to be considered eco-friendly, not unless the manufacturers avoid heavy metals and petroleum-based compounds altogether. On the flip side, giving a used phone a second home doesn't do anything to encourage cell phone companies to keep developing and improving on their green models.

Your turn: what would you do in my place? What is the biggest factor for you? Does my decision even carry consequences when in China and India, over 1 billion phones are in use?


Photo of broken cell phone used under Creative Commons from Ninja M. (flickr)
Photo of rotary phone used under Creative Commons from Stephen Mitchell (Fotopedia).

Friday Feel Good News

It's Friday, and in my books, that means it's time to feel good. Let's set aside the doom-and-gloom stories for a moment and focus on some good news!

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A few weeks ago I finally got to check out the new food court at Toronto's Eaton Centre mall. The name, Urban Eatery, is a little cheesy, but I guess the idea is to encourage mallgoers to think of a hip, modern foodie destination - rather than the greasy, littered, last-resort dining option usually associated with the term "mall food court". And modern it was, with the layout and decor envisioned by Canadian designers as part of a $120 million revitalization of the basement level's north end. The glass, stainless steel, marble, and wood impressed me, as did the variety of seating options that are much easier on the eye than the uniform beige chairs and tables typically seen in food courts. I was also appreciative of the array of vendors: alongside a small number of fast food joints were take-out versions of some of Toronto's better restaurants featuring much healthier menus than I was expecting. But what actually made me smile was this:

Real cutlery! There are, in fact, over 100,000 pieces of reusable tableware in circulation at Urban Eatery, and somewhere on the order of 20,000 drinking glasses, too. As you can tell from the photo, plastic cutlery is available, but instead of automatically being handed your meal in a polystyrene foam container with single-use forks and spoons, you get to inform your server that you will be staying in to eat... and out come the real dishes! I'm not happy that the plates and bowls are made of sturdy plastic, but at least they're reusable.

This is what one of five collection stations looks like. Urban Eatery staff take the trays and separate food waste and dishes, bringing the reusable tableware to what I've been told is a giant, but energy-efficient, dishwasher hidden away in some back room somewhere. With 24 restaurants in the food court, I was surprised to see the stacks of clean dishes never run low, but then again, I also didn't see any of the staff slacking off. They just kept coming out with freshly washed plates, cups, and cutlery, and the whole system seemed to be running smoothly.

Three cheers for smart design: this is one of two hand-washing stations located right in the food court itself, i.e., not tucked away in a washroom. The soap dispenser, faucet, and paper towel dispenser are all motion-activated, which reduces waste and helps prevent the spread of germs. In fact, having a hand-washing station at all helps stop bacteria from getting around; I can imagine there are people who feel they're too busy to stop and walk all the way over to a washroom to wash their hands after eating. Those lazy fools have no excuse now!

That's right, help us preserve our environment. Looking around, I noticed only very few instances of trays being abandoned on tables. Whether that's due to efficient staff walking around to tidy up or due to a sense of shared responsibility, I do not know. What I can say with some certainty is that when a space is clean, tidy, and easy on the eyes, the people using the space are more likely to keep it in that condition. I hope this model is replicated all across the country!

Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other

What's better: thin plastic shopping bags or reusable sturdy plastic bags? Uhh... neither?

A little part of me dies on the inside every time I see someone at the grocery store not only ask for plastic shopping bags, but also ask to have the bags doubled up because the contents are so heavy. I can't really blame them: the plastic seems to get thinner and thinner every year, but a sack of potatoes still weighs as much as it ever did! The question is, why do some people refuse to get with the program and use those sturdy plastic reusable shopping bags?

There are, sadly, many impediments. For one, reusable bags don't fit into briefcases and purses - forget spontaneous visits to the grocery store on the way home from work, except to amass more thin plastic bags. Those who drive don't fare any better, with reusable bags often forgotten in the backseat or trunk. I've also heard that some people like thin plastic bags because they can use them to line their household garbage bins, thereby avoiding the purchase of brand new bags for that singular purpose. And at least here in Toronto, traditional shopping bags are recyclable with our blue bin program, provided you use one bag to hold all of the others so they don't get lost in the shuffle - literally.

I can think of a few other, less common reasons for disliking reusable sturdy plastic bags, such as the fact that they are made in China. We ship our plastic items around the world to be recycled into reusable bags, then ship the final product around the world again to sell them here at home. Wow. That's one helluva carbon footprint. True, one container ship can hold millions of bags, so each individual bag doesn't carry much of the blame, but we still believe it's important to use CFL bulbs despite their minimal impact when examined individually!

And then there's, for me, the kicker: reusable sturdy plastic bags pile up just like everything else. Ironically, because it seems so wrong to throw them away, I hoard the little buggers and stash them like I'm secretly ashamed of them. The same fate awaits not only reusable grocery store bags, but also the ones that you can get at the book shop, clothing boutique, and shoe store. These days, I don't leave home without one of these purse-friendly reusable bags, so I have a clear conscience, but of course the old bags from years ago are still sitting, barely used, in my closet. Occasionally, new ones are added to the collection when friends bring food and drink with them when visiting me and refuse to take the empty bags back home with them upon leaving. And so the plastic accumulates in one form or another, even in an eco-friendly household, and in trying to generate less waste, the Western world still manages to create waste.

How many reusable sturdy plastic bags are collecting dust in your home, despite your best intentions?


Photo of plastic bag recycling station used under Creative Commons from Sam Felder (flickr).
Photo of plastic bag caught in tree used under Creative Commons from zen Sutherland (flickr).

From Waste Generation to Waste Reduction This Holiday Season

As promised, here are some tips for greening the holidays just a day shy of December - hope I'm not already too late to curb some bad habits! In the spirit of the 4Rs (that's the standard 3Rs, with Refuse added to the front as the best waste reduction / energy conservation method), I've provided four options for each topic.


Decorations

1. Create your own decorations - refuse to buy more each year. These days you can easily find DIY instructions with a quick internet search.
2. As I mentioned in my post about the light exchange, be selective about how many seasonal lights you use - reduce. Cheerful holiday design doesn't have to involve large amounts of decorations.
3. Focus on decorations that can be easily stored for many years to come - reuse.
4. Popcorn and cranberry garlands belong in your green bin/compost, not the trash - recycle food waste back into the soil it came from.
   

Entertaining

1. Buy local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients - refuse to contribute to our unjust food system.
2. Turn down the thermostat just before guests arrive - reduce. It's amazing how warm a room gets when people get together in good spirits.
3. Invest in cloth napkins - reuse. If you must use disposable ones, compost them.
4. Feed those wine bottles to your blue bin - recycle.
   

Greeting Cards

1. Send electronic greetings - refuse to waste paper. In this digital age, it is completely acceptable to choose e-cards over their paper counterparts.
2. Send cards only to your closest family and friends - reduce. One year I received a card addressed to the previous tenants who moved out almost one and a half years earlier! If you never talk to 'em, don't send 'em a card.
3. Cut off the image side of cards to make your own for next year, and use any blank sides as note paper - reuse.
4. Don't trash cards and envelopes, they go in the blue bin - recycle.

(Not) Buying Gifts

1. Make something - refuse to buy more stuff. A selection of holiday cookies (provided you're a half-decent baker) would be appreciated by pretty much anyone on your list.
2. Pick gifts with less or no packaging - reduce. If you know someone is really passionate about a certain cause, make a charitable donation towards that cause in their name. Or why not give "two tickets to that thing you love", like the Old Spice man on a horse says?**
3. One person's trash is another's treasure - reuse. Let's face the ugly truth: our planet is drowning in garbage, so there is no shame in regifting items you just don't want.
4. Got a fancy tech gadget a few years ago that is now broken/obsolete? Dispose of it properly - recycle electronic waste according to your municipality's guidelines.
   

Wrapping Gifts

1. Not all gifts need to be wrapped - refuse to waste gift wrap. Place small items inside of larger ones, or if you're gifting fabrics (tea towels, clothing), use those as wrapping for other gifts.
2. Find creative alternatives to use less gift wrap - reduce. For example, large items or those too cumbersome to wrap look just fine with a bow on top instead of a mess of wrapping.
3. Choose sturdier wrapping options - reuse. Years ago my mom invested in cloth gift wrap that she has been using within the family ever since. Gift bags are useful, too, but make sure to reuse the tissue paper as well!
4. Your blue bin is happy to accept paper-based gift wrap and cardboard packaging - recycle.

At this time of year I urge you to remember what's important about the holidays: the people. No unnecessary packaging there. Unless you indulge in too many sweets...

**NB: While I love that commercial, I do not endorse Old Spice products because they are full of toxins and other harmful chemicals!


Photo credits: string of popcorn and cranberries - Gare and Kitty; greeting card - hartboy; gift bags - jmackinnell (all via flickr)

Learn the 3Rs again, for the first time.

You know what sucks? There are people out there who feel good about themselves for recycling only a fraction of the items they bring into their homes, and stop there. Recycling was never meant to be used as an easy way to be environmentally-friendly. Technically speaking, it's the second worst thing to do with garbage besides dumping it on a landfill (with the exception of burning it, I guess). But I guess it's appealing to take the relatively easy step of separating paper, glass, (some) plastics, and (some) metals from the rest of the trash. For many people, once it's in a blue bin, it's out of mind, and it's "job well done".

But the well-done job has unsavoury side-effects. How much water is used to turn paper back into pulp? Or to clean a glass bottle well enough to be refilled? How much energy is used to melt down plastics and metals? How clean is the energy powering the plant? There are different reports out there, some claiming recycling is more energy-efficient than manufacturing products from raw materials, but there are so many factors that need to be taken into account (type of material, process used, fuel efficiency of vehicles used in weekly curbside pickups, etc.) that it's almost impossible to decide which option is better. The bottom line is that both are wasteful compared to reducing consumption and reusing items within the home.

I'm sure this is all old hat to everyone. What really prompted me to write about the downsides of recycling is the unsettling news that the city I live in sells a significant amount of its recycling to China, where the local cheap labour force sorts and recycles it into things like shoes, which are then shipped back across the ocean and sold to us (because last year's styles are so... last year). What a convenient little system that supports poverty halfway across the world - perhaps I need to start a second blog that comments on the intersection of environmental issues and social injustice? Back to my point: I realize building a brand new recycling plant here is no small matter and probably quite expensive, but I tend to be the kind of person who hopes that creating jobs and supporting the local economy is more important. There I go being idealistic again...

My hope is that we can educate each other on recycling and realize that it's not the solution. I hate hearing people say, "at least I can recycle it" when they buy a bottle of water, as though that makes everything better. Of course, at the end of the day, I'd rather see an empty soft drink can in a blue bin than a trash can! But that's mainly because we know conclusively that recycling aluminum is much less energy-intensive that refining it from scratch. Not so for many other products. I'm just hoping we continually remind ourselves that recycling is the last and least beneficial of the 3Rs. It's a good starting point, but that's all it is.

So, to recap: first, reduce consumption. Buy less, and when you do buy, choose products with less packaging and carry them home in reusable bags (preferably not the ones made in China). Second, reuse items, whether for the same function (travel mug) or a new one (repurposing clothing as rags for cleaning). You can also regift and even upcycle useless scraps of material into higher quality products. Then, once you run out of clever and creative ideas, by all means, recycle instead of trashing your stuff!