Are You Advocating against Fossil Fuels? What is the Elephant in the Room? The Room Itself.

 

When conscientious people gather to discuss carbon foot print topics and advocate to reduce fossil fuel usage, the elephant in the room may be… the room itself.  Look around.  What is the room made of?

Although the carbon footprint of operational aspects of buildings, like lighting, heating, cooling, and cooking have been widely discussed, has your group discussed the structural elements themselves? 

According to the UN’s environmental website (UNEP.org) and the BBC.com, the global construction industry accounts for a whopping 37% of greenhouse gases, 33% of global waste products, and 20% of plastics.  Statistical sources vary by air pollutant, but in some of them, construction overshadows the deleterious impacts of the transportation industry.

One construction material people might not consider as a pollutant is concrete, which contributes 8% of global emissions  including 2.2 billion tonnes of CO2 (in 2016), 7.8% of nitrogen oxide emissions, 4.8% of sulfur oxide emissions, 5.2% of particulate matter emissions smaller than 10

A variety of plastics are incorporated in almost all aspects of building construction because they are versatile, lightweight, cheaper to transport and require less energy to produce than many alternatives.  Some plastic materials are strong enough for load bearing walls. PVC (the #1 plastic in construction) replaces metal in pipes and fittings and wood in flooring and doors. Polycarbonate replaces glass.  Polypropylene resists heat and shattering, so it is widely used in electrical cables and insulation.  Acrylic and polyurethane contribute to paints and varnish, and the latter to foam insulation.   Market analysts predict a doubling of global plastics production by 2050.  (3.rics.org)

Unfortunately, we all know that plastics have several long term disadvantages.  Some take 1000 years to degrade, and others break up into microplastics much faster, ending up in the oceans, fish, soil, and even rain.  The inhalation and ingestion of many plastics are associated with toxic outcomes and diseases.  Almost anyone recognizes the folly of lingering in a closed room with new paint or new nylon carpet, or inhaling fibers from insulation.    

What about recycling plastic construction materials?  Many clever installations showcase the potential, including bridges, bus shelters, windows, decks and docks.  However, the toxic aspects of plastic do not magically disappear when recycled. 

Few people concerned about fossil fuels and pollution will abandon their current structures for buildings made of straw bales or mud.  Few want to live like my husband and I do – off-grid in a simple log cabin heated by firewood we gather.  I understand that. 

But for people who wave placards at state buildings and colleges to divest from oil and gas companies and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, a first step is to itemize their own, personal dependence on these materials.  Apply a modicum of self-reflection and personal action so that their advocacy is not hypocritical.  How dependent are they on products made from petroleum?  What alternatives are they willing to buy or make instead?  What is the cost differential?   What are they willing to do without?  Air conditioning?  Heating?  Nylon rugs?

A current hot topic may be gas stoves, but the house or building that surrounds that stove, flanked by a cement sidewalk, is a much bigger culprit.

Learning Projects for Families, Communities, Congregations, and Schools

·          Take a written inventory of construction plastic in your home or group meeting room.  Look under the sink at pipes, check the ceiling tiles, flooring, counters, sheetrock, insulation, windows and trim, doors, banisters, counters, cabinetry, shelving, light switches, gutters, decks. 

·         Research and record the costs/benefits/deficits of construction alternatives.  Examples:  contrast the merits of PVC vs metal plumbing pipes and gutters or wood vs plastic doors, flooring, trim.  What alternatives exist for plastic in wiring?  What is the R factor of insulation made from non-plastic materials?

·         Develop a pie chart of the percentages of various plastics in construction

·         Develop a pie chart of biggest polluting industries (for differing greenhouse gases), including utilities, transportation, construction, and packaging.

·         Research the many clever uses of recycled, repurposed and upcycled construction materials.  (For example, DIY websites list 1000 reuses of wooden pallets, from fences to wine racks, and reuses of plastic bottles as windows.)   

·         Engage a local plastics recycler or construction contractor as a guest speaker to answer questions about the production, use, and disposal of construction materials in your town.

·         Utility companies in many locations offer a free energy assessment to senior citizens and other residents.  Publicize this to your community. 

·         Invite an architect or contractor knowledgeable about LEED certification to answer questions about the carbon footprint of various construction techniques.

·         Research innovative or ancient construction techniques without plastic, concrete, and metal, including straw bale, adobe, and log buildings. 

·          If your home, office, or church is considering renovation, ask for carbon footprint/trash information before you compare bids.

 

Advocates for reducing dependence on fossil fuels may be noble or foolish, but those who focus only on the transportation industry and drive an electric car are naïve about their own complicity.

 

The buildings that shelter us from nature are also damaging it.  You may not move into a straw hut, but you will know a lot more about the shelter you occupy and how much you rely on the materials you may be advocating against.   Sometimes, truth is hard.

 

 

Resources:   https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0733-0

UNEP.org

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46455844

(3.rics.org)

 

 

UUMFE: Plastic furniture and decor

 

·         Earthday.org has a personal use plastic calculator per year.  It focuses on container products like water bottles and plastic bags.   

·         Take an inventory of plastic furnishings and decor in a meeting room or a room in your home.  Consider paint (acrylic or oil based), plastic chairs and tables, melanine shelves and cabinets, “glass-like” light fixtures, carpeting, flooring, trim, window coverings like blinds or fabrics, TVs and screens, computers and screens, white boards and markers.  Clocks, laminated posters.    

·         Now go on line to calculate the cost of non - plastic alternatives to some of them.  Examples:

o    Cost of a chalk board and chalk vs a white board and markers

o    Cost (and longevity) of a sisal or other rung vs. the nylon carpet

o   Cost of a wooden table and wooden chairs compared the same number of plastic tables and plastic chairs

o   What are alternatives to current ceiling and wall surfaces?

o   How much would fans reduce A/C and heat expenditures?

o   How much would doors and dividers cut down A/C and heat expenditures?

What are You Wearing while You Advocate to Lower Fossil Fuel Usage?

 Note:  In this series of articles about those who advocate to lower fossil fuel usage, I do not tell people what to do.  Rather, my concern is what I perceive as hypocrisy among those who ARE telling other people to make drastic changes in their lives without examining their own dependence on the materials they rally against.  In that spirit, I offer the following research, here on the clothing industry.  In two other articles, on the floral and construction industries.  I hope you will find them interesting.

Many people who advocate for cutting back on fossil fuels focus on the transportation  and power industries.

Let’s talk about fossil fuels closer to home:  what you wearing today?  The large fashion industry is heavily dependent on petroleum products and we are, too.

Are you wearing sneakers?  How about a nylon raincoat, acrylic sweater and knit cap? Are your jeans and T shirts made with polyester threads, lycra for stretch, plastic buttons and zippers?  Does your underwear have an elastic waistband, your bra elastic straps and plastic hooks?

Are you wearing such items while waving a placard in front of a legislature or company advocating to go to Net Zero or Lower Carbon Footprint or Divest from Oil and Gas Companies?  

The quickest way to skewer an advocacy group is to point out hypocrisy (or naivete).  

One way to puncture hypocrisy and naivete is research.  

MARKET:  Worldwide, 80 billion pieces of clothing are made every year, a 400% increase from only twenty years ago.  This requires 342 million gallons of petroleum to transform plastic pellets into the plastic fibers for clothing. Moreover, these plastic fibers account for 73% of the microfiber pollution in Arctic waters. 

Plastic use in clothing is INCREASING for many reasons.

 (1) It is cheaper than natural fibers and offers some advantages, like stretch and color.

 (2) Fashion depends on trends to encourage us to discard the old and buy something new.  With “fast fashion” the quality is poorer and items do not last as long.

 (3) Acreage previously allocated to cotton and flax (linen) has been ripped up to grow food.  I witnessed this transition in the 1990’s, when I was a global Acrylonitrile Market Analyst.  China tore up its cotton fields for food production and bought vast quantities of acrylics for clothing instead.

PACKAGING:  A related aspect of the fashion industry is packaging and display.  Did you know that 128 BILLION plastic hangers are made and disposed of each year?  Plastic packaging is estimated to account for 26% of total plastic produced, and 76% of that is thrown away after a single use. 

LABOR:  Labor conditions vary from country to country and company to company, but the skills, age, and wages are low.  Globally, it is estimated that 75 million people are employed in the textile industry, many of them children, at low wages, long hours and uncomfortable or dangerous conditions, such exposure to 8,000 synthetic chemicals.  Plastic clothing is highly flammable and the fumes are toxic.

SECOND HAND:  What happens to the clothes we donate to thrift shops?  Unfortunately, (according to Resource Recycling Systems), most donated clothing are NOT sold as clothes.  12% is “downcycled,” or turned into industrial rags, stuffing, or insulation.    Although 95% of plastic fiber clothing could be recycled, only 1% is made into apparel again.  73% of those old shirts and ties ends up in incinerators or landfills.  That does not leave a very large percentage that is actually sold and worn again, as intended.

We are reliant, from head to toe, on plastic fibers.  What personal steps can be taken by someone who is seriously concerned about the plastics, landfills, or the labor practices of the industry? 

•             Many clothes made with natural fibers may last longer than those with plastic fibers, potentially saving money in the long run but costing more up front.

•             Some brands are advertising (or virtue signalling, you choose) their use of recycled plastic in their clothing.  Many of these are in the outdoor/recreational clothing sectors.  There are even some documentaries by these companies about their efforts. 

•             Many clothes made with natural fibers may last longer than those with plastic fibers, potentially saving money in the long run but costing more up front.

•             Some brands are advertising (or virtue signalling, you choose) their use of recycled plastic in their clothing.  You can research those and decide whether you wish to purchase their clothing.

•             Assess your closets.  Segregate the clothes that you have not worn for a year.  Think about tailoring or new uses for them, such as rags for cleaning instead of buying sponges.  Beware of flimsy fabrics that will stretch or rip in a year.  Be intentional about your next purchases, note wants vs needs.  Are there certain brands, countries, or fabrics you favor?

•             Learn to sew.  This way you control the inputs and may keep the items longer.

•             Research what people did before plastics, such as applying wax to jackets to make them water proof…for a while, and wholly wool , linen, or cotton garments.  You may not want to do ANY of these things, but you will learn why sneakers are ubiquitous and raincoats are popular.  They lack easy replacements.  

•             Repurpose clothing

o             for art.  My church in Houston featured an artist’s installation of gorgeous kimonos made entirely of used men’s ties. 

             Quilting and rag rug making are essentially sewing together scraps into beautiful textiles. 

             Many quilters I know make exquisite quilts from sentimental scraps, such as childhood T shirts, screenprinted school art for bedspreads, curtains, seat covers, and tablecloths.  The most touching gift was a quilt made of a husband’s shirts, given to his widow. 

             Buttons are endlessly useful to decorate rag dolls, seasonal décor, and jewelry, such as earrings, bracelets, necklaces.  For inspiration, look at websites like Pinterest and DIY sites.

•             Repurpose for functional uses. 

o             All my holey socks and torn sheets and towels become cleaning rags for the house, shop, car, and greenhouse.  

o             Thin T shirts can be used instead of cheesecloth to filter liquids.

o             Thin strips of fabric blowing in the breeze can discourage birds and deer from tasty bushes.

o             I layer dog treats inside rags tied in one another like a rag ball.  Buddy loves this toy!

•             Repurpose for whimsical uses: 

o             I use old boots and hats as flower pots. 

o             Scarecrows are a fun use of old clothes.  Make a whole family of different sizes!

•             Share and trade:  Bring items of excellent quality that you want someone else to enjoy instead.  When we moved to Alaska, we gave away most things and invited friends to share their items with each other, too. 

•             When my sister moved from a cold climate to Phoenix, she sent me two big boxes of good quality winter clothes which I have enjoyed for over a decade now.

 

In conclusion, most of us are heavily reliant on many products derived from fossil fuels.  Our clothes are up close and personal applications that deserve our individual scrutiny.  People who intend to tell other people to reduce their use of fossil fuels should look first at themselves.  The optics aren’t great if advocates for reducing fossil fuels show up with plastic water bottles, nylon rain jackets, and plastic shoes. I'd respect such groups more if I saw more "walking the walk" than just "talking the talk"  and a bit of cost/benefit analysis would be welcome, too.

Resources:

https://www.wired.co.uk/bc/article/fashion-industry-plastic-addiction-arch-and-hook

  https://studentbriefs.law.gwu.edu/ilpb/2021/10/28/fast-fashion-getting-faster-a-look-at-the-unethical-labor-practices-sustaining-a-growing-industry/

https://www.popsci.com/environment/how-to-recycle-clothes/

Despite Two Feet of Snow, Spring has Sprung

Although our land is still blanketed by 2 feet of snow and the lake remains frozen, spring has sprung this week.  How do I know?

One clue is the first of many flocks of migrating geese and one, lone sandhill crane (where is its mate?) announcing their annual return to The Great Land.  Welcome back!  I have missed you!

Birch Sapping in Spring

A second is that twice a day, my husband and I stomp through softening snow to collect sap from the birch trees we tapped on April 20.  We drink this bracingly cold liquid as a vitamin rich spring tonic, and use it instead of water to make wine, beer, coffee, and anything else.  After ten days of clear flow, the sap turns milky, ending the tree’s gift to humans.  The rest belongs to the tree.  This change signals the imminent budding of the leaves.  So, one night, a few days later, I go to sleep in a black and white world and awaken to soft, technicolor green. 

Where the snow is thinnest or has melted and refrozen as ice, as at the base of a tree or building, I am always awed by the tenacity of a green bit of fern or dandelion or myosotis (forget-me-nots) already formed and ready for the heat and light of the sun.  Wild currants pop out of the snow already in bud.  Last year the haskaps flowered when their lower trunks were still encased in snow.  These plants, too, know when spring has arrived, and they are prepared to make the most of our short summer season.

I love such seasonal changes.  They teach me to take nothing for granted.  The flying bird will disappear, the sap run will end.  The green plants and deciduous trees will leaf out in May and then shrivel or flutter, yellow, brown, and red to the ground five months later.

It is my privilege to pay attention.  To notice.  To appreciate.   Nature does not need this appreciation.  It does not need me.  But perhaps that is exactly why I say thank you and endeavor to reciprocate for her many gifts of food, home remedies, shelter, and beauty.

Every day, I take a “walk about” to pay careful attention to the plants on our property and in the woods.   JX Mason (on this site) has described this sort of activity as a walking meditation. I had never thought of it that way, but I do now.  I am focused and calm.  Maybe my heart rate or blood pressure slows – I do not know.  But the daily practice is important to me.  My spirits rise and I feel a sense of expansion in myself. 

As the snow recedes, I hop out of bed thinking about the plants.  In the spring, I prune dead or damaged branches, and cull plants girdled under the snow by hungry voles and hares.  Later, in a sort of reciprocity, I watch for short, two week periods of optimal harvest conditions for tasty and nutritious leaves, berries, roots, and shoots that I am lucky to gather and enjoy.  Shall I eat this lambs quarter raw or cooked today, or in a pesto? Shall I dry or pressure can these other leaves for winter food?   Among the edible plants, our first spring salads are of dandelion leaves, fireweed shoots, and fiddleheads (ferns).  Next I harvest the flavorful young leaves of berry bushes, birch, and alder for tea and flavored vinegars – fresh leaves now and dried for later.  In early/mid May, I harvest bright green spruce and larch tips and snip them into salads, cakes and muffins to which they confer a delightful citrusy flavor.  Other plants share their beneficence later in the summer.

Leaves to rake in the Fall

Late in the summer, I gather seeds of edible, medicinal or beautiful plants that I wish to spread to new areas – the delicacy of columbine, the hardiness of daisies, the scent of iris and yarrow, and rake birch leaves onto tarps that I dump onto raised bed gardens and around fruit bushes and trees as a winter blanket.  Under the weight of the snow, the leaves break down and leaven the soil the next year. 

I do not have a TV or radio or alarm clock.  I have plants and animals that tell me what time of year it is and to get outside and DO SOMETHING joyful and meaningful and healthful.  So I do.   

I hope that you can and do, too.

The Beauty of Winter Trees

Natural settings can speak to people, make them feel at home.  One of my sisters has  been attracted to oceans, another to the desert.  For me, it is forest settings that have always beckoned.

 Every morning, I feel a sense of peace and gratitude as I look out my window at the mature Boreal Forest in which I live.  I regard the trees as my friends, mentors, caregivers, and benefactors.  Alive, they protect me from sun, wind, and cold; they yield nutrients and medicine, as well as beauty. Dead, they continue their beneficence, transformed into my cabin, decks, docks, furniture and fire wood.   

Trees at noon in December

This time of year, I watch the long blue shadows of birch and spruce trees slither across the snow and I am dazzled by the brightness of hoarfrost that coats every surface of the trees.  An occasional owl hoots or raven caws, but otherwise, our winter woods are silent and magnificent.

Almost every afternoon in February and March, my husband and I drive a snowmachine (snowmobile) and sled into the woods along trails we groomed several days before and left to harden.  Our goal is to cull 11 cords of standing dead spruce trees each year for firewood to heat our home and the outdoor soaking tub.  

Sadly, our part of Alaska was infested by spruce beetles about eight years ago.  These tiny insects killed most of the mature white and black spruce throughout millions of acres.  It was very sad to cut down the three stately 85 foot trees near our cabin, but it is even worse to view the skeletal remains.  Dead trees are hazardous, too, both for fire and falling, so every year since the infestation, we pick an area, first on our property, and subsequently, on the state land that surrounds us, to cull dozens of dead trees.  They are put to good use. 

Hoar frost on the trees

Aside from the practical aspect of gathering firewood, this seasonal project generates joy, as well.  Although the beetles devastated mature trees, they did not kill the saplings.  Trees below about 10 feet tall survived the onslaught.  Every time we fell a thicket of dead ones, we find spindly young conifers below them.  Next summer, they will enjoy more sun and space to grow straight and tall and healthy.  In subsequent years, other plants colonize the clearings, too, predominantly prickly rose, elderberry, and highbush cranberry.  Hares, martens, and weasels burrow under the dead branches that clutter the forest floor.

In March, as the snow begins to soften and rot, springy alders and highbush cranberries pop up from their heavy blanket of snow, waving for a moment before they assume a vertical position for summer.  

When the snow starts to recede in April, brown doughnuts of soaked earth encircle the warming trees.  My husband and I tap several birch trees for ten days before the leaves emerge, drinking the bracingly cold sap straight, as well as using it in any recipe that requires water, such as coffee, rice, and homemade wine and beer.  The clear liquid is a nutritious spring tonic, chock full of vitamin C and minerals, such as iron, zinc, calcium, and potassium.  It tastes slightly sweet and vaguely woody.  Eau de paper bag.    

When the soil dries up, I wander through our property, carrying flagging tape and pruners.  I clip the broken branches of saplings and cut out trunks girdled beneath the snow line by hungry hares and voles.  With delight I flag tiny seedlings so that I will not trample or weed whack them when the fast growing wild grasses obscure them.   In subsequent years I marvel as these tiny growths add branches and height, in many cases growing out of the stumps of dead trees.

My woods are a vibrant community of the elderly and the young, the sick and the healthy.  I wander in wonder and awe.