Quiz results: Ecological Footprint Quiz by Redefining Progress

Click the link below to view the results of my first footprint assessment. I needed 4.58 Earths!

Quiz results: Ecological Footprint Quiz by Redefining Progress (OLD)


When calculating my new and improved footprint, I found out that I now need 3.85 Earths to sustain my lifestyle. Still, this is not that impressive, and it will surely take more than recycling, composting, eating better, saving energy, etc. to help reduce our impact on Earth. Here are some charts to break down my consumption a little bit more.

http://www.myfootprint.org/en/quiz_results/#wview (NEW RESULTS)



I have seen all of my consumption categories go down since the last assessment, which proves that my new sustainability goals are proving to be beneficial towards our environment. The easiest reduction strategy for me to get a hold of was turning off lights, appliances, and water sources when they were not in use. The hardest, however, was getting my food footprint down. Eating less meat and restaurant food is especially tough when you are a college student with a good appetite. I helped this out by reducing my large meals to one a day (which saves me money), and eating more PB&J sandwiches for lunch with cereal for breakfast. Last, I was also able to compost more with my neighbor who will be taking this sludge to grow vegetables and herbs in our backyards during the spring. It should be pretty cool to see it come around full cycle. I am proud of my efforts this quarter to reduce my impact, but I do know that it is still not enough. In the future, I will keep what I have learned in this class in mind to make the best choices possible.

For Most, Marketing Budgets Flat This Holiday

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=118154

This article discusses hot marketing budgets are being cut in this holiday season. Even though ad prices are down in our hurt economy, retailers are trying to cut costs in order to offer consumers products at highly discounted prices. Company's are pulling back most on the advertising of their green products. Even though "greentailing" is in, consumers have a perception that these products will cost more and will likely not be interested in purchasing them. Value is the key to success for retailers this time around.

UK hosts conference on green marketing

http://www.kentucky.com/101/story/1039541.html

The University of Kentucky will be hosting a green marketing convention as a product of their Von Allmen Center for Green Marketing. "The daylong conference will discuss research in the field and brings in speakers including Ray Harishankar, an IBM Fellow who will offer a speech titled Sustainability and a Smarter Planet." The center for green marketing opened in 2008 in an effort for the school to get a head start on the green marketing frontier. I think it is an awesome idea that universities get on board with these type of programs and hope that WWU will soon do so as well.

Top 10 Green Giants

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/fortune/0703/gallery.green_giants.fortune/10.html

According to Fortune Magazine, the top ten green corporations are

1)Honda
2)Continental Airlines
3)Suncor
4)Tesco
5)Alcan
6)PG&E
7) S.C. Johnson
8)Goldman Sachs
9)Swiss RE
10)Hewlett-Packard

Ski communities taxed for sustainable marketing??!

http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20091101/NEWS/911019999/1077&ParentProfile=1058

In order to stay in the competition, Breckenridge is proposing a tax increase to their local communities in order to gain more funds for green marketing. They have stated that the tax increases will drive people to their communities and it gives me the perception that they are treating them as an investment. Community officials are fighting back, arguing that not enough money is going to the services that they should be concerned with most such as snowplowing.

I believe that in order for Breckenridge to grow, they will need to work on their marketing efforts, but taxing the community won't be the easiest way to get it done. Most residents wont understand that marketing will truly be an investment for them, and without it their businesses wouldn't be running in the first place. Breckenridge will have to think up a more influential proposal fast or be prepared to cut costs in other areas.

New Library of LEED Pilot Credits

http://www.jetsongreen.com/2009/11/new-leed-pilot-credits.html

This article discusses how the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has unveiled six new credits for LEED that are currently being investigated in a pilot program. These new credits include Life Cycle Assessment of Building Assemblies and Materials; PBT Source Reduction; Medical and Process Equipment Efficiency; Innovative Ventilation; and Preliminary Integrative Project Planning & Design. "The new credits address gaps in the current LEED system and enable designers and builders to incorporate new methods and improved materials in buildings."

The new life cycle analysis for building assemblies and materials interested me as we have been discussing the LCA in our last couple of classes. Understanding not only what materials go into making buildings, but how they get there and how they are disposed of will be important for people to see.

All of the programs included in the pilot are intended to keep LEED up to date in the green market, which is ever important as it changes and improves daily.

Should Eco-Labels Come from Government or Third Party Private Organizations?

http://www.triplepundit.com/2009/10/shoudl-eco-labels-be-government-based-or-third-party-private-organizations/comment-page-1/

This article discusses the current difficulty consumers face when deciphering which eco-labels are the best. According to ecolabbeling.org, there are currently around 300 eco-labels out there right now, and that number is on the rise. The author of the article discusses how he can only name around 20 or so off the top of his head, and he's a sustainability consultant and green business writer! There are too many eco-labels out there.

There needs to be a third party watching to make sure that these labels stay truthful to their claims if they are good, and to throw out the greenwashers if they are bad. Consumers are currently facing much confusion when buying products, and they are usually under/mis-informed about what they are even buying. They need to be educated about what actually is put into their products.