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When people hear the phrase “sustainable food,” they often think of what foods are sustainable—perhaps imagining eating vegetarian, or cutting out heavily processed junk foods. These questions are (of course) key to an understanding of sustainable consumption. However, the less frequently considered question of where food comes from is also equally important—that is, what conditions was this food produced under? How far did it have to travel to get here (and how many gallons of fossil fuels may be hidden in its sticker price)? Is the agricultural system that produced this food a socially sustainable one? To better understand issues like these, then, this article will analyze a few of the sustainability benefits of local foods and food systems.

First of all, local food (defined by the USDA as food grown or produced within 400 miles of where it is consumed³) is characterized by smaller-scale production, rather than large industrial-agriculture monoculture farms—think hundreds of acres of corn, or farms that only raise a single specific type of cows. This is crucial to consider because while industrial-scale agriculture may be efficient, that efficiency also comes at a cost—such farms often require heavy use of pesticides, herbicides, and various livestock medications to prevent disease.² On the other hand, smaller local farms often produce a variety of food crops and animals, allowing more intentional practices and lessening their use of often-toxic chemical products. Because of this, foods you can buy from a local farm stand or market (Swamp Rabbit Grocery is a great option for Furman students!) are not only more likely to be healthy for you, but also less likely to have an ultimately negative effect on the environment.

Second, purchasing local food is key for sustainability because it avoids the significant fossil fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions associated with most industrially-sourced products, which are often transported long distances (1640 km on average, according to one paper⁴) via truck, train, or plane before reaching grocery stores. While it is also important to combine this strategy with other methods of minimizing greenhouse gases (the same paper also recommends lessening the amount of red meat you consume, for example⁴), this is at least one of many important ways we can use the food we eat to achieve results for sustainability.

Finally, the production and sale of local foods can actually contribute to social sustainability as well. While it may not seem like buying food grown closer to where you live can affect social structures on a large scale, the short supply chains associated with doing so can actually “favour… connection between farmers and consumers, and thereby… generate a sense of local identity and community and contribute to social inclusion.”¹ Functioning local food systems may also help to create employment and benefit struggling rural economies, in addition to giving farmers more agency to negotiate better prices for their products. 

In conclusion, while local food may be an overlooked aspect of environmental action, it is far from an unimportant one. Despite being fairly simple to incorporate into your lifestyle—a quick visit to a farm or produce market for some in-season fruits or vegetables can be a perfectly good start—it has the potential for far-reaching effects in multiple areas of sustainability.

 

1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41130-021-00148-w

2. https://pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/more-sustainable

3. https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2010/07/16/what-local-food

4. https://psufoodscience.typepad.com/psu_food_science/files/es702969f.pdf

The Nike company has an immense presence in our lives. Just do it! It is the iconic Nike slogan, and you probably have heard it many times. The top athletes and movie stars wear that brand, and Nike makes Furman University apparel. There is a big chance you own a pair of Nike shoes. But the main question we need to ask is how sustainable is Nike as a business, and should we give it a passing grade?

So how much environmental damage does Nike’s business currently cause? We all know production, shipping, and management create carbon emissions, but how much carbon emissions Nike produces? Nike 2020 emitted 11,706,664 metric tons of CO2e. For reference, this is about the amount the capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, emitted. As for the growingly scarce resource, such as water, Nike uses 1 liter of water per 79.1 Kg of textiles.

Nevertheless, Nike has made plans to improve its sustainability record. Nike makes several clear science-based targets every five years. Currently, Nike is trying to accomplish the FY25 target. Meaning they aim to achieve their goals by the year 2025. In their plan for 2025, there are four categories of sustainability goals – Waste, Carbon, Water, and Chemistry objectives.

To improve waste, Nike promised to reduce it per unit of manufacturing by 10 percent with improvements in the design of their products, machinery, and transportation procedures. Goal two for waste was diverting 100 percent of waste and recycling it by 80 percent, and up to 10 times the amount of product waste donated to be recycled. One procedure Nike advocates is closed-loop recycling. Closed-loop recycling uses the remains of old products (post-consumer products) to produce new products.

As for carbon emissions, Nike promised to reduce them by 70 %. Like many other companies, Nike hopes to achieve this through renewable energy and fleet electrification. Fleet electrification is where electrical engines replace combustion engines of vehicles used by a company. A report from Nike’s Sao Paulo distribution center has already begun fleet electrification and powered it with Nike-owned solar farms.

With water becoming a growingly scarce resource, Nike promised to reduce freshwater usage in textile production by 25 % and restore 13B liters of water through portfolio projects. In 2021, Nike completed two projects with The Nature Conservatory to achieve this goal. In India, they converted 30 hectares of farmland into drip irrigation. The second project saw 84,000 hectares of biodiverse wetlands and floodplains in Murray Darling, Australia, registered as a conservation area.

Their final goal is to find and adopt ten clean chemical alternatives for their ten priority chemistries. So far, Nike has failed to adopt even one clean chemical substitute (according to a 2021 report).

Per the 2021 Nike report, they have made progress on every promise except finding clean chemical alternatives. They are on track to complete all their pledges except for water restoration and the collection of consumer-used products.

So, knowing all this, how sustainable is Nike? According to their self-reported data, they are doing well enough. They have a science-backed system with measurable targets and have made massive progress in their promises. Nike might not be the most sustainable company, but it is up to you if you want to “Just Do It” using Nike’s products.

Resources:

https://www.globaldata.com/data-insights/consumer/nike-greenhouse-gas-emissions-2095668/

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Amanda-Hansson-3/publication/333512603_Examining_the_Viability_of_Corporate_Recycling_Initiatives_and_Their_Overall_Environmental_Impact_The_Case_of_Nike_Grind_and_the_Reuse-A-Shoe_Program/links/5df97a834585159aa484ecd3/Examining-the-Viability-of-Corporate-Recycling-Initiatives-and-Their-Overall-Environmental-Impact-The-Case-of-Nike-Grind-and-the-Reuse-A-Shoe-Program.pdf

https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/resources/sustainable-development-goals-sdgs

https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/storage/nike-to-reduce-its-greenhouse-gas-emissions-5565/

https://purpose-cms-preprod01.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/17210319/FY21_NIKE-Impact-Report.pdf

https://www.globalfleet.com/en/technology-and-innovation/latin-america/article/nike-brazil-push-ev-through-dhl-glp-operated-facility?a=DBL10&t%5B0%5D=FLeet%20LaTAm&t%5B1%5D=DHL&t%5B2%5D=EVs&curl=1

https://us.thesportsedit.com/blogs/news/how-sustainable-is-nike

The Climate pledge arena was opened in Seattle, Washington in 2021 with the goal of setting examples for how large scale buildings can be designed with sustainability in mind. Sponsored by Amazon, they openly acknowledge that climate change is here and it needs to be addressed. In their opening event featuring Coldplay, the floors were equipped so that the kinetic energy from people dancing would generate energy, and had stationary bicycles around the concourse so that guests could generate energy. While energy generated from stationary bikes doesn’t make much of an impact, it does make it so that the guests become more and more conscious of what is required for the stadium to run. According to Tim Meadows, one of the most effective areas to change a system is through information flows. This mindset also plays into the name, which isn’t named after the sponsor in a surprisingly chill move from Amazon. Climate Pledge arena forces each attendee to focus on the issue of a changing climate, and think about the solutions that the arena is demonstrating to show that living sustainability is necessary to a successful future. There are a multitude of features and policies in the Climate pledge, and I believe that some of these can be implemented into the Greenbelt.. Rainwater collection tanks in the arena are able to provide all the water needed for the hockey rink that the Seattle Kraken play on, which is impressive as the average hockey rink takes around 15000 gallons of water to fill. On top of this, there is excess water that can be used as gray water throughout the arena. The greenbelt could implement a similar system as, uniquely, South Carolina allows residential buildings to collect rainwater. This system would both promote sustainability and save Furman money. Another feature of the arena are the 12,500 trees that surround the arena. This reminded me of planting trees on Furman’s campus with the greenbelt residents (including the majestic Dragon Blast), reinstating Furman’s designation as a tree campus. Renewable energy from hydroelectric, geothermal, and solar power the arena. A pledge that they have made is to phase out single use plastic by 2024. I believe that promises like this are important, as it acknowledges the difficulty of the task, but still proves that the organization is committed to stepping up and doing the right thing. This is a core of Sustainability and addressing a changing climate. Changing a system and a culture is incredibly difficult, but work worth doing is never easy. 

Similar to the climate pledge arena,  the greenbelt is a beacon of sustainable living. The solar panels, the skylights that make it so that less energy has to be used to light the buildings, and the low flow showers. With this in mind, innovation is ever one and done. It is crucial to learn about new technologies that can help us set an even better example and inspire others to live how we live. We can look to other sustainable buildings like the Climate pledge arena to guide us in the future. 

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2022/06/08/is-climate-pledge-arena-a-sustainability-model-for-venues-going-forward/?sh=28b1be0f7f79

What Does It Mean to be Accessible? 

“Accessible means a person with a disability is afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability in an equally effective and equally integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use,” (Disability Resource Office at NC State). 

Accessibility is vital to nurturing a healthy, safe, and inclusive culture on college campuses. Every person benefits from an inclusive culture (Burgstahler, 2018). However, making an accessible, inclusive culture in university housing goes far beyond having ramps, elevators, and other design choices you might expect. While ramps and elevators are obviously important, it is not uncommon for other needs of students with disabilities to be overlooked (Wisbey and Kalivoda, 2008). Unfortunately, these factors of inaccessibility on campuses are often found within shared student spaces in dorm halls, like common rooms, kitchens, and public bathrooms. Assessing the accessibility of residential buildings on college campuses can be generally categorized into building access, common rooms, bathrooms, and bedrooms. 

 

Building Access and Common Rooms

Doors, either automatically or electronically operated, into and within the building need to be wide enough for students in wheelchairs to comfortably enter. In common areas, like lounges and kitchens, having plenty of seating while still providing adequate space for wheelchairs goes a long way toward social inclusion within residential buildings. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list. 

Lack of access to and within residential buildings acts not only as a physical barrier, but a cultural one as well (Wisbey and Kalivoda, 2008). Even if there are other handi-accessible residential buildings, the mere presence of buildings like this sends the message to students with physical disabilities that there are fundamental differences between themselves and able-bodied students that can cause ‘othering’ and isolation. Physical and social exclusion creates spaces in which students with limited mobility legitimately cannot interact with other students. 

 

Bathrooms and Bedrooms

For many daily use objects, like light switches, sinks, and even toilets, height can limit the use for some students. Issues of inaccessibility in residential spaces disturb the transition to campus housing for students with disabilities (Wisbey and Kalivoda, 2008). 

Transitioning into college is difficult for most students, regardless of their ability status. While this change is disruptive for many students, students with disabilities may not have the same accommodations that they might have had access to while in high school and living at home. Students with mobility impairments experiencing these extra challenges may take more time to acclimate than those without such disabilities. Adjusting to new people, a new culture, and a new environment takes time, and this makes it difficult for many people to ask for help. 

 

Resources

For accessibility, usability and comfort ought to be priorities in housing, especially at universities with mandatory four-year on-campus housing. “If about 10 percent of college students have some kind of disability, they represent a significant group who deserves particular consideration.” (Haller, 2006).

• Accessibility Barrier Report Form – “We want to ensure that Furman University is accessible to all members of our campus community. If you have noticed a potential barrier, let us know how we can help by completing the Accessibility Barrier Report Form,” (Furman University Student Office for Accessibility Resources).
• Equal Access: Universal Design of Housing and Residential Life – “A checklist for making housing and residential life welcoming and accessible to everyone…This publication is a resource for campus housing and residential life staff and identifies key areas of concern, offers general guidance, and provides resources regarding disability access issues,” (Dr. Sheryl Burgstahler, University of Washington).

 

Citations

 

Burgstahler, Sheryl. 2018. “Equal Access: Universal Design of Housing and Residential Life”. DOIT. https://www.washington.edu/doit/sites/default/files/atoms/files/EA_Housing_0.pdf 

 

Heller, Beth A. 2006. “Promoting Disability-Friendly Campuses to Prospective Students:

An Analysis of University Recruitment Materials”. Disability Studies Quarterly 26, 2 (Spring). https://dsq-sds.org/index.php/dsq/article/view/673/850 

 

Martha E. Wisbey and Karen S. Kalivoda. 2008. “Residential Living For All: Fully Accessible and “Liveable” On-Campus Housing”. Pedagogy and Student Services for Institutional Transformation: Implementing Universal Design in Higher Education. 22:255-266. https://staff.tiiame.uz/storage/users/83/books/SNOv99cdqniYAFjBzBcRUFxaeq9WiUh5VsCkrGKP.pdf#page=265 

How do we think about sustainability in our daily lives? It can be easy to consider the concept as one that’s entirely big-picture or out of our hands, or some kind of box to check so long as we recycle and watch how much of this or that we consume and produce, when in reality, there’s a great deal more to uncover. We can take steps towards environmentally-conscious lifestyles here and now—even if that comes in some unorthodox forms.

Video games are a rather common pastime nowadays, having grown in popularity since their rise to fame in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Starting from computer programs, moving to arcade cabinets, and settling today in the comfort of one’s own home, virtual entertainment has expanded to an empire—but as it increases in popularity, one can also find greater and greater increases in environmental effects. New consoles, new games, even new accessories often require a number of plastics and/or mined materials to be produced on the kind of global scale required to meet demands. These products often require specific methods to be disposed of properly, such as dedicated electronics recycling boxes one might find scattered around the US, but the effectiveness of these boxes can be iffy. After all, sometimes it just seems simpler to throw things in the garbage and forget about it.

The materials themselves aren’t the only environmental issue present in video games, either. Energy consumption plays a major role in this industry, an unsurprising fact given its technological nature. The energy consumed through gaming has been documented at levels as high as 34 terawatt-hours a year in 2020 (which is around $5 billion in energy expenditures!) Thankfully, some of the big names in gaming, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, are stepping up to the plate. All three have made statements, and some actions, toward a lessened, negated, or even negative footprint within upcoming years. Within households, this will hopefully take the form of more energy-efficient consoles, keeping consumption low without sacrificing the quality they aim to produce.

All of this is still big talk, though—what does that have to do with us? While we may not have as big a hand in helping or hindering as these companies do, there are still actions we can take, as well as information we can keep in mind, to contribute to environmentally-friendly gaming.

It’s important to note that gaming consoles are, in most cases, machines that operate via direct connection to a power outlet of some kind. In the same way that you can be conscious of keeping the lights on in an unoccupied room or making sure various appliances are unplugged, be sure to fully disconnect any devices that aren’t in use—while power buttons can switch consoles into a low-power or “sleep” mode, they still consume energy.

While it may depend on how many games you play, another factor to consider is game storage. The discs, chips, manuals, cases, and more that make up even just one game start to add up over time, and while avoiding them in favor of digital storage can be a smart move in terms of physical waste, it also adds to energy usage by the servers that store that data. If you’re the type of gamer who collects a lot of storage-heavy games—if you need to purchase more than your console comes with, for example—than maybe consider investing in physical storage cards. There are a number of options available for this, all of which are adept at holding multiple digital versions of games without the need for external servers.

While the digital world seems divorced from that of the real, physical place we all call home, they regardless affect one another as industries and awareness continue to grow. If you play as many games as I do, I hope that this has opened your eyes to that connection.

Sources:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40869-019-00084-2

https://dundle.com/magazine/en/sustainability-video-games-how-green-is-next-gen-gaming/

https://earth.org/sustainability-and-the-video-gaming-industry/

https://www.activesustainability.com/sustainable-life/video-games-encourage-sustainable-behaviour/

   When we hear the word “sustainability” the first thing that pops into our head is usually “environment”. We usually focus on how human practices impact the physical environment, whether that’s pollution, material usage, animal impact, etc. Another topic of sustainability that has recently grown in importance is social sustainability. Social sustainability could be in terms of business practices or communities.

The main goals of community social sustainability are to create a society in which people work together to get equal opportunities for all people, create a safe and diverse community, and make sure that everyone living in the community has a chance to voice their opinions. As a community, they want to attract and retain residents from a variety of backgrounds. Ideal social sustainability creates a community that is supported in the present as well as the future.

Some issues that interfere with a community’s ability to be sustainable is racism and discrimination within schools, workplaces, and social interactions. For example, certain schools receive more funding than others which causes a gap in education between children.  Another major issue is the equality of basic health needs. The well-being of humans is a large factor in what makes a community sustainable. Easy access, or lack thereof, to medical help directly determines life expectancy and infant mortality.

So how can we improve social sustainability within a community? First, we must recognize and address deep rooted systematic inequalities. For example, African Americans experience higher levels of poverty compared to other racial groups today because of horrible events and laws that were placed in this country 200 years ago. Next, we must correct underlying subconscious beliefs and be able to listen to others. We must be able to listen to ideas that aren’t our own and admit that some might be better for the community. Third, we must implement these ideas through policy. Policies could include making more affordable housing, more physical and mental medical support, and creating more equal education opportunities. However, all these policies must stay within the budget and resources available to be able to sustain the programs for a long time. In addition to policies, communities should also create events to boost community moral and tie the community together. Communities can create carnivals, fairs, and park activities. In my hometown, Fairport, New York, a major event that brings my town together is Canal Days. This event lines the main street in our town with members of the community to sell their products. This boosts the economy in our town as well as the moral of the town. Just this one event helps our town become more socially sustainable.

So, the next time you hear the word “sustainability”, think about more than just how humans effect the environment and more about how the communities we live in affect us. Think about your own town and how socially sustainable it is through the policies that are in place and how the overall beliefs in your community affect those around you. Remember that for a community to be socially sustainable, everyone must have the right to voice their opinion, and everyone needs to be open to new ideas.

 

References

https://bradyhummel.medium.com/social-sustainability-and-community-economic-development-what-are-they-and-why-are-they-important-188af25dcc53

 

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2020/09/02/five-things-about-social-sustainability-and-inclusion

 

https://bradyhummel.medium.com/social-sustainability-and-community-economic-development-what-are-they-and-why-are-they-important-188af25dcc53

 

https://www.adecesg.com/resources/faq/what-is-social-sustainability/

 

https://diversity.social/social-sustainability/