Category: Your Impact

The other day, I received an email invitation to participate in a campaign called, “My blog is carbon neutral.” I’m aware of the arguments pro and con for carbon offsets, and chose not to get too riled up about it. I just think it’s a fun idea, so — I’m in! Here is some information from the sponsor’s website. . . .

How much carbon dioxide does a blog create?

According to a study by Alexander Wissner-Gross, PhD, physicist at Harvard University and environmental activist, an average website causes about 0.02g (0,0008oz.) of carbon dioxide for each visit. Assuming an average blog gets 15,000 visits a month, it has yearly carbon dioxide emissions of 3,6kg (8lb.). This can mainly be tracked back to the immense energy usage from (mainframe) computers, servers, and their cooling systems.

How much carbon dioxide does a tree absorb?

Unfortunately, no precise answer is possible. The carbon dioxide absorption of a tree can differ a lot. The amount of carbon dioxide that a tree can absorb depends on the type of tree, light exposure, length of the vegetation period, latitude, water balance, and the soil conditions.

There are many different calculations for the saving potential of a tree. The assumed values vary between 10 and 30kg (20 and 70lb.) for a tree each year. It is certain however, that in its first two to three years a tree absorbs relatively little carbon dioxide. In the growth phase following this, the absorption rate increases rapidly. During this time, the tree safes a considerable amount of carbon dioxide. The absorption rate decrease again from the age of 18.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) assumes a yearly absorption of one tree of approximately 10kg (20lb.) carbon dioxide emissions. “Make it green”, the environmental programme of kaufDA, is using a yearly absorption value of 5kg (11lb.) for its “My blog is carbon neutral” initiative. This is a very conservative calculation, ensuring that the neutralisation of each blog is achieved.

How and where are the trees planted?

The trees are planted in Plumas National Forest in Northern California by “Arbor Day Foundation” the US partner for the “My blog is carbon neutral” initiative. “Arbor Day Foundation” is a non-profit conservation and education organization with the goal helping reforest 5,500 acres of Plumas National Forest with 792,000 trees.

Want to get your blog signed up?

Head on over to their website and check out the instructions. It’s really easy!

A question I hear a lot from my clients is, what else can I be doing to go green? In addition to helping them to organize what they are already doing in a more systematic way, I always have suggestions of how to take it further. (For a first-hand experience of organizing your thoughts in a systematic way, tune into my special FR*EE call this Thursday, 11/12 at 4:00 p.m. EST, “How to Overcome Green Overload in Your Small Business: 5 Steps for Cutting Through the Clutter.” Follow this link for more info, and to register.)

So. . . .on the topic of taking green a little further. . . .You’re probably aware of studies that have been done on the links between eating animal protein and human health. But have you heard that commercial meat production is a major contributor to climate change? The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates the global meat industry generates 18% of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide . . . far more than transportation.

Why not try going meatless one day a week? Since everything is interconnected, you’ll find that the benefits ripple through several other areas, including your health and your wallet. Read more at Meatless Monday, a great resource from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

This new website is certainly one to watch. The introductory video explains what they are up to using wonderful graphics and an upbeat, empowering message. The design firm IDEO is behind this — a true testament to the power of clear, well-illustrated information.

Our Invitation To You from IDEO on Vimeo .

And, this video is a must-see! Think Tony Robbins crossed with your accountant. We need more people like Drew Jones, fanning out across the globe to deliver this message. Be sure to watch to the end. That newspaper cover in the year 2069 is priceless – never underestimate the power of the imagination.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTS9RY1z_i8&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Now, you’re probably jazzed about climate action and wondering what you can do to truly get on this train. Good news! I have an answer for you. Come to the upcoming FR*EE call, “How to Overcome Green Overload in Your Small Business: 5 Steps for Cutting Through the Clutter.” On this call, I will show you how to take your business from zero to green with clarity and confidence. Find out more and register here.

You’re probably wondering, what is Earth Overshoot and why is it today? Good questions. The Global Footprint Network created this measure to help us visualize our impact on the earth. In their words, "Just like any company, nature has a budget — it can only produce so many resources and absorb so much waste every year. The problem is, our demand for nature’s services is exceeding what it can provide."

So, Earth Overshoot Day marks the point each year when we essentially dip into defecit spending — you know, the way all those world governments do it. Or, you, if you have a big balance on your VISA bill. We are literally using the earth’s resources faster each year than the earth can replenish them with those mysterious, miraculous processes like pollination, soil creation, and filtering water. Otherwise known as Nature’s Services . And guess what? This day creeps up earlier in the calendar with each passing year. In the past, it was creeping up by 4 to 6 days each year. Last year, it was on September 23, which experts attribute to the global economic crisis slowing things down a bit.

The Footprint Network, ably directed by Mathis Wackernagel has a refreshingly clear way of telling us about it: "Globally, we now require the equivalent of 1.4 planets to support our lifestyles. Put another way, in less than 10 months, humanity will have used ecological services it takes 12 months for the Earth to regenerate."

They can get even more technical, for those of you who want the bitter details: "In 2009, humanity is projected to use about 40 percent more than nature can regenerate this year. This problem — using resources faster than they can regenerate and creating waste such as CO2 faster than it can be absorbed — is called ecological overshoot."

And there’s more on their excellent, very trustworthy website . Regular readers of this site know that we don’t often report the gloom-n-doom stuff, but this one is always an important wake-up call. Yes, it’s depressing. But, remember — we are an amazingly creative species. If we can land people on the moon, we can figure this one out! The first place to start is the easiest — stop wasting so much. What can you do, today, to help push Earth Overshoot Day back into October next year?

3 5 0 S K Y from Daniel Dancer on Vimeo .

Produced this month in the Netherlands, this video beautifully illustrates the pivotal role of artists in global eco-awakening. We’ve posted before about the wonderful organization, 350.org . Their worldwide campaign for people to form 350s and photograph them inspired aerial artist Daniel Dancer to produce this very moving, ambitious video. On Dancer’s website is this tagline: "Art Changes People – People Change the World."

In 350’s blog entry , they note, "Daniel just completed his most recent aerial art project with 5,000 school kids in Uden, the Netherlands – the biggest showing we’ve had anywhere in the world for 350.  Inspired by the age-old windmills that have been Holland’s trademark, the students created an artistic masterpiece with their bodies showing both the simplicity and the beauty of clean, renewable energy.  And it is beautiful, because it combines so many things that make the 350 movement – bringing people together, showing direction for a better future, involving future generations of citizens, and, of course, the number 350."

They also quote the artists involved: "From Daniel, ‘Seeing so many children laying down looking up at the sky, being paintdrops, in a style reminiscent of Vincent Van Gogh, who lived not far from here, I am certain that each will remember this project the rest of their lives and am hopeful that they all become activists for a healthy atmosphere.’  And Dorry, the project coordinator – ‘This project combined love for the arts and love for the environment into one big, breathtaking experience!!!’"

We will have more to report about what artists are up to, as they help us all become more aware of environmental challenges and solutions.

When you see the word, "audit," what comes to mind? A pleasant, fact-finding experience? Or, sheer terror that some heartless IRS agent could rummage around in your financial records and wreak havoc in your life?

Thought so. By their very nature, audits seem destined to pull skeletons out of closets, dredge up facts about you that you’d rather not see the light of day. For some reason, green business consultants persist in using the dreaded a-word to describe their initial baseline measures. Putting "eco" or "green" before it is just like lipstick on a pig – it doesn’t soften the blow at all, does it? Would you volunteer to have an eco-audit done on your business?

And yet, it’s essential to know where you are, if you are to map out a plan to go in a new direction. The way I see it, change involves three key steps: measure your current impacts, receive a new vision, and map out a plan of action to get there. Well, here’s a confession: I have had the vision and the action, but I never measured.

Truth be told, metrics has always been my greatest challenge. I’m highly intuitive, so I don’t usually need "proof" of things. I took a seat-of-the-pants, I-have-a-feel-for-it approach all these years. But by avoiding key measures, I’ve also relegated myself to stumbling around blindly. I have a great map and I know where I want to go, BUT, I don’t know where I started from! Technically, that means I’m lost.

By never taking my own baseline, I also had no way to track my progress over the years. That’s like starting out with a personal trainer, but not weighing in or taking your measurements at the beginning. How would you know if you made any progress?

So, the shoemaker herself has no shoes. What now? I’ve decided to undergo not one, but two, green business audits over the next few weeks. I am using it as a fact-finding experience to determine which measures are the most relevant to small, entrepreneurial businesses.

I have been designing a program for small businesses to strategically embrace a green path, and the baseline assessment is indeed Job One. Once I take this formal step myself, I will have a much better idea of how to help other business owners use the information in powerful ways.

My own business has gone through tremendous transformations over the last 10 years, as I developed my green expertise. Much of it has been conscious, and a lot has been unconscious, serendipity, accident, call it what you will. I don’t expect that to change, but now I’ll see clearly the impacts I’m having – within my own business, and in my networks and circles of influence. I’ll finally be on the map.

P.S. Had to add this thought, after having coffee with Geoff Stack (Integrative Design Team Coordinator) this morning. Geoff pointed out that audits start with asking, "what’s wrong?" They are also somewhat limited in that they tend to look only at the usual suspects — energy use, materials streams, water use, travel, etc. As a result, you only see what you are looking for. A much more powerful approach is from a systems perspective like Natural Step , which opens us up to possibility more effectively. It’s a delicate balancing act, since both approaches have their merits.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdFjxhDOKNQ[/youtube]

Baeth Davis recently reminded me of this great scene from 1989’s "Sex, Lies, and Videotape," in which Andie MacDowell’s character worries about what we’re going to do with all the garbage. She so perfectly portrays our modern angst that has us focused on big problems that are seemingly beyond our ability to solve. What’s the alternative? she asks. Happiness is not all it’s cracked up to be. After all, she says, the last time I was really happy, I gained 25 pounds!

GOforChange has always been focused on what we CAN do, which, interestingly, starts with appreciation , wonder, awe , and gratitude . All that "happy" stuff. Why? Because one of the laws of the universe is that what we focus on, expands. So, if we spend most of our days worrying about the state of the environment, melting polar ice caps, the Pacific Trash Vortex, shrimp by-catch, mountaintop removal, topsoil loss, oil spills — I could go on and on and on (and in the past,  I have!), I have a stunning bit of news: we will get more of the same.

This is a paradox that, believe me, I am just as stumped by as the next tree-hugger. I plan to devote a lot of brainpower to this in the coming months. HOW can we tread that fine line between raising awareness of our impact and painting a compelling picture of how we could be living? I maintain that we CAN — and indeed, must — focus on happiness in order to realign our lives to be good for the earth.  And, don’t worry — if you are eating a lot of locally-sourced plant-based foods and whole grains, you can even maintain a healthy weight.