chelsea@recycleutah.org

A letter, the second in a four-part series…

My Kin, I think often about your quality of life and health as I live my own with joy. What we do now will affect you, and I’m trying to be aware and choose my actions with this knowledge. I hope your energy systems are cleaner and more efficient than what we use now for heat, electricity, transportation, and more. It’s contradictory that AC demand grows as our planet warms and more people need it. And now we have Artificial Intelligence, which only adds to our dirty demand.

My Kin, our cars are slowly improving, with more electric and hybrids on the road, in addition to electric bikes. Years ago, I used my own energy to bike everywhere, but we humans have become lazy and desire convenience. I know I should take the bus more–especially when they’re all electric and sun-powered. Maybe you have returned to horse and buggies for transportation? It would be cleaner. 

My Kin, I sometimes wonder about how airplanes fit into your generation. Humans today scoot themselves around the globe for work and pleasure, though they can’t be good for our planet long-term. They’re trying to improve airplanes by making them lighter and using sustainable fuels, but we’re constantly in the air. I try hard, my kin, to fly minimally and take more road trips, but flying is just so convenient. 

My Kin, our homes are gas hogs as we wait for electricity (powered by renewable energy) to reduce in price. Many people cook food with gas ovens and wash clothes and dishes using gas connections. We know this isn’t clean… we’re trying to change. Some people have ‘smart’ thermostats for their homes, driveways, roofs, and more. I’ve adjusted to keeping my heat low when it’s cold and wearing slippers and sweaters, in addition to only washing dishes and clothing when the loads are full. Then there’s bathing. We understand that both water and natural gas are used for our excessive bathing habits, including hot tubs. We have so many luxuries–I hope you do too?

My Kin, I think often about what I have now–clean water and air, trees, wild animals, land, and food–and I can only hope you’re experiencing the same. Please know we are all trying… 

By Mary Closser

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, online video streaming for work has become increasingly popular. Since the conclusion of the pandemic, the popularity of Zoom and video conferences has continued steadily on, bringing with it the bonus of carbon reductions for travel to meetings. While Zoom meetings do typically mean less carbon emissions from people driving or flying to meet with coworkers, video conferencing is not completely free of carbon cost. 

A 2021 study by Purdue University found that one hour of video conferencing produced anywhere from 150-1,000 grams of CO2 per hour. In comparison, the average mid-size car burns about 400-500 grams of CO2 per mile of driving. Conservatively calculated, this means that if you drive more than 5 miles for an in-person meeting, it’s typically more beneficial to participate in a Zoom call. While these numbers indicate that it is still most environmentally friendly to participate in Zoom meetings for conferences that require travel, they do indicate that the carbon and energy savings from unnecessary Zoom meetings leave something to consider. 

This same study found that turning off your camera during conference meetings could reduce the energy consumption of the call by up to 96%. “Turning off your camera” requires no special action when setting up the Zoom call. The energy consumption rates will decrease according to how many participants have their cameras turned off. If all participants have their cameras off, the call will stream via audio only–similar to a phone call–putting less strain on data centers. 

Researchers also estimated that streaming in regular definition, rather than high definition, reduced energy consumption by up to 85%. This estimation holds true not only for video streaming from Zoom, but also Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, and all other forms of active video streaming.  

In addition to energy consumption, streaming services also consume a significant amount of water. The data centers that process streaming services use water to cool processing rooms. Increased strain on these data centers means more heat generation, and thus more water required for the cooling process. If possible, turning off your camera during meetings and encouraging co-workers to do the same is a great way to reduce your personal and professional ecological footprint! 

By Mia Moore

Nowadays, I often hear people say, “What’s the point of recycling, it all ends up in the trash anyway!” While waste processing is not perfect, this statement destroys faith in environmental protection systems. It is becoming increasingly clear that myths about plastic need to be addressed to restore people’s hope not only in recycling but in the various institutions that do critical work to keep the planet clean. 

While it is true that a high amount of plastic cannot be reused, the act of recycling is valuable because of the amount of plastic that we can save–and the positive, sustainable habits that recycling reaffirms. Unlike recycled plastic, plastic that is thrown in the trash will undeniably end up in landfills, taking hundreds of years to break down. As many know, plastic is incredibly harmful to the environment when it sits in landfills. It degrades ecosystems, increases massive amounts of microplastics into our food and water (and bodies!), and even piles up in extreme scenarios like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Here are some friendly reminders to reduce your plastic disposal:

• Reduce! Get creative with alternatives to plastic (reusable bags, metal and glass containers, straws, cups, and more).
• Buy in bulk to minimize packaging.
• Say no to any one-time use items if you have the option.
• Recycle! Not only is it a conscious, sustainable habit, but it also diverts plastic from landfills and creates new products.

By Grayson Rae

In the United States, an estimated 66% of people own a cat and/or dog. Pets can have a huge carbon output and impact on their environment, and as sustainable pet ownership becomes easier with the introduction of new practices and products, it becomes easier than ever to ensure our furry friends put as little strain on the earth as possible.

Cat and dog food accounts for approximately 25%-30% of the meat industry in the US alone. While some pet food utilizes meat by-products that would not be otherwise consumed, a substantial amount of livestock is raised and processed for pet food alone. Two major organizations–Aquaculture Stewardship Council and Marine Stewardship Council–have provided certifications for pet food to ensure that all meat used for the food was ethically and sustainably sourced. Additionally, insect proteins are on the rise for pet foods, which provides an extremely low-carbon cost protein source. Look out for organic, wild-caught, or sustainably-sourced meat options when shopping for your pet food!

Pet waste also has a significant impact on the environment; dog waste is high in bacteria and viruses, which can contaminate waterways and infect humans and wildlife. Picking up after your dog is a critical way to ensure that your pet doesn’t contaminate any drinking or stream water. Additionally, when selecting dog waste bags, non-plastic or decomposable options mean less space taken up in the landfill by harmful plastics that will never break down. When it comes to cats, naturally derived litter, such as walnut or paper litter, is environmentally preferable to clay litter, which will not break down in the landfill and can leach toxic chemicals.

There are lots of unique ways to ensure you are sustainably caring for your pet–doing research and ensuring products are ethically and sustainably sourced is always a great first step to ensuring you are making the cleanest and greenest decisions possible!

By Mia Moore

Our community knows a lot about sustainability at this point. Many of us compost, thanks to increasingly convenient composting options. No matter your composting experience, it can always be helpful to get a quick refresher on the rules & importance of composting!

Composting is separating your organic waste (like food scraps, shells, bones, and yard waste) from the rest of your trash and recycling so that it doesn’t end up in the landfill. Composting is important for several reasons. First of all, it repurposes food waste into nutrient-rich soil, which is re-implemented into the earth, creating new life. Additionally, around 50% of the volume of our landfill is food waste, which has long-term impacts on the environment. Food waste in landfills is not able to biodegrade and instead emits methane, a greenhouse gas around 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide, exponentially increasing global warming. 

When composting, there are many things you can do with your organic waste; you can compost it on your own (which entails breaking it down and repurposing it) or you can have a composting company haul it from you. Unfortunately, the state of Utah does not mandate composting, so households have to rely on businesses to take care of composting. Luckily, in Park City we have the Zero Food Waste Initiative. This initiative, run by Park City Community Foundation, is trying to achieve zero food waste in Summit County by 2030 through the use of curbside composting. To participate, you can sign up for you’re own compost bin and weekly pickups from Momentum Recycling on the PCCF website. Let’s keep our land green and clean! 

By Grayson Rae