Furman Greenbelt Sustainable Living Community

In the world of consumerism, providing “eco-friendly” brands and products has become extremely popular and these products are being advertised to persuade customers that their companies are environmentally conscious. However, with this rise of awareness has come greenwashing. Greenwashing occurs when companies mislead buyers by making them believe that their products or company as a whole are environmentally conscious and actively sustainable when they are not.

This marketing strategy allows buyers to continue to consume products with a less guilty conscience because the products they are buying appear to be not as harmful to the environment as others. This misleading branding can occur in a variety of businesses, however, is proved most prominent in the fashion industry. Brands such as Natural Life and Free People may brand themselves as being kind to the Earth through the type of products they sell, and have priced their items extremely high because of this false reputation.

 

Although brands are beginning to label themselves with phrases such as “eco-friendly, recycle, sustainable, non-toxic, or environmentally-conscious,” there is no evidence to support these claims. This exploitation of being sustainable is extremely misleading to the consumer and allows for the company to charge more for a product because it is deemed better for the environment.

One way to avoid greenwashing is to research a product before buying. Include ingredients and manufacturers in your research to ensure you are buying from a brand that is truly environmentally conscious. Another solution is buying products such as clothing second-hand from places such as local thrift stores or online second-hand stores such as Depop and Poshmark. Buying locally produced food can also ensure that greenwashing in the food industry is avoided. Genuinely eco-friendly products will often have widely available facts and proof of their eco-consciousness that are readily available for consumers; all you need to do is research! Being an informed consumer will help guarantee that you are making truly sustainable decisions when shopping for new products.

 

Sources:

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/greenwashing.asp

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/how-to-identify-greenwashing/

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10946-greenwashing.html

Each year, the average American family wastes 9,400 gallons of water. This waste of water has major impacts on both the economy and the environment. Wasted water must be treated in a plant, using up extra energy. This increases costs for both the plant and the shower user. This also harms the environment, as the unneeded consumption of water depletes freshwater sources and disrupts ecosystems. Water heaters also use fossil fuels, and extra burning further harms the environment. 2,920 gallons of this wasted water are due to the shower alone. Being more sustainable in the shower can greatly help save energy and the environment.

Waiting for water to heat up is a major waste of water. An average shower (8.2 minutes using 17.2 gallons of water) wastes 3.44 gallons of water each use. Replacing a tank water heater with a tankless hot water heater can help with this water waste. It produces hot water on demand, cutting out the time needed to wait for the water to get hot. It is also more energy-efficient and only costs $15-40 per month. However, installation may be costly, around $400-1000. If one is willing to pay the steep up-front cost, they will save money in the future, around $15-25 a month.

If one is not able to purchase a tankless water heater, there are other ways to limit water waste. One way to lower water costs would be to limit showers to five minutes. There are many ways one can check their time. In the Greenbelt community, some people have hourglasses that can stick to the shower wall. Setting phone timers, playing a five-minute song, or counting backward from 300 also works. I have used both the hourglass and phone timers which are both very useful.

Another way someone can be more sustainable is in the shampoo or soap one uses. Shampoos can contain harmful chemicals that hurt both the user and the environment. These chemicals can be harmful on their own, but also how they are extracted. For example, some companies extract palm oil by clearing out rainforests. Other chemicals, such are triclosan, directly affect human hormone systems and harm aquatic life. Using alternatives such as organic shampoos are very beneficial. They will also be great for health in the long run, as they are less irritating and are better for one’s skin. The website “ethical consumer” has a lot of great information on ethical shampoo if you want to learn more.

Changing the way one showers is a simple yet effective way to be sustainable. It does not have to be expensive. In fact, limiting the time one showers will lower the water bill. Changes such as tankless water heaters and organic shampoos may seem expensive short term but may help save a lot of money long term. In Greenbelt, some of us have experimented with green shampoos and have worked on limiting our time in the shower. It does not matter if you are very wealthy or are lower income, we can all do our part to go green while getting clean!

 

Works Cited:

4 Ways to Measure a 5 Minute Shower | Sustainability at Harvard

Dissecting the Average Shower and Its Impact on the Planet: An Invitation to Collaborate — Part One: Human Water Usage and Global Impact « Journal of Sustainability Education (susted.com)

Ethical Shampoo Brands | Shopping guide from Ethical Consumer

How Much Water Does the Average American Waste? (myheatworks.com)

Is a tankless water heater worth it? – Help Advisor Reviews (helpadvisors.org)

Is Taking Long Showers Bad for the Environment? | Impactful Ninja

Statistics and Facts | US EPA

 

The present-day world we live in is seeing a boom in the exploitation of resources that industries crave to grow financially. The phenomenon of mass production is fixated on tending to people’s year-round needs which are constantly evolving at a rapid pace. 

Having to provide for millions of people and satisfying new trends means high demand rates, and thus the need for accommodating a heap of supply. New eye-catching products are being rolled out weekly and there is no sign of manufacturers and brands taking a step back. 

Aesthetics and presentation play an important role in our consuming habits and there is an often overlooked industry that makes everything more attractive: the gift wrapping industry. 

This specific industry is tied to an important matter: sustainability. Shopping and gift-giving is an exciting activity as humans naturally gravitate towards gifting and receiving. There is an environmentally costly race for “presentation” due to the widespread use of new, eye-catching wrapping supplies (specially during the holiday season) such as wrapping paper, ribbons, and other single-use non-recyclable materials to be able to package a plethora of trendy items. 

According to an article by Grand View Research on the statistics and trends on gift wrapping products in the US, “Product innovation in gift wrapping products is the major factor contributing to the growth of this industry. Furthermore, the rise in purchasing power has increased the demand for elegant and customized gifting options” (2019). 

The next two figures by Grand View Research show the packaging products expected to have the highest demand projecting numbers until 2025, and the general upwards trend for the demand of gifting supplies, and thus show where sustainable gift wrapping options could be implemented.

Wrapping paper is the main culprit for wasteful gift-giving, as it is used disproportionately in large amounts. Reasons explaining how wrapping paper is detrimental to the environment are summarized in an article from Wheelie Bin Solutions, whose goal is to reach out to the community about promoting recycling and making changes in the waste bin industry. The author also states that wrapping paper creates enormous tons of waste each year, enough to tear down many forests since it uses “virgin paper”, and most often has components and decorations attached that cannot be recycled (Pryce 2020). 

Image from https://shop.tokki.com/blogs/tokkigifting/is-wrapping-paper-recyclable-the-truth-might-surprise-you

There is currently an active movement going around to oppose this issue called “Green Gifting” (Tokki 2020). Companies are starting to look into recycled wrapping paper options, and they are certainly on the rise. More importantly,  people have found creative eco-friendly gift wrapping solutions that are making their way to social media. Most techniques tackle the paper-waste aspect of traditional gift-wrapping and repurpose toilet paper rolls, paper bags, newspaper, and textiles. Other ideas show how to substitute or find alternatives to single-use items such as tape, cards and envelopes. 

Let’s do our part and start being conscious of what we can use and how we use our resources, especially with the holiday season is around the corner. This is the season to start reducing, recycling and repurposing what we already have. Scroll through the images below to find ideas on how to implement “Green Gifting,” and well…. that’s a wrap!

         

Fabric wrapping (Japanese Furoshiki technique)

https://www.sustainablebabysteps.com/fabric-gift-wrap

Paper bag bows

https://shop.tokki.com/blogs/tokkigifting/is-wrapping-paper-recyclable-the-truth-might-surprise-you

Eco Friendly wrapping paper from Earth Greetings (Aussie brand)

https://thegreenhubonline.com/2020/12/01/eco-friendly-sustainable-christmas-gift-wrapping-ideas/

 

Additional sources:

https://www.allthingssupplychain.com/the-wrapping-paper-waste-problem-and-what-can-be-done-about-it/

https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/gift-wrapping-products-market

https://wheeliebinsolutions.co.uk/blogs/recycling/the-shocking-environmental-impact-of-wrapping-paper

https://shop.tokki.com/blogs/tokkigifting/is-wrapping-paper-recyclable-the-truth-might-surprise-you

Sustainable living is becoming more popular and recognized as an increasing lifestyle choice. Many people associate sustainability with conscious choices we make during our daily routines. However, as a society, we fail to recognize that we can be sustainable without even having to get out of bed. It’s called sleep sustainability. Humans spend up to half of the day in their bedrooms and more specifically, in their beds. Making simple changes to one’s night routine can drastically improve sustainability- and improve sleep quality as well!

For starters, replace your ten-year-old mattress with a new eco-friendly one. Organic mattresses are free from chemicals and other harmful substances. They are also fire-resistant, allergen resistant and biodegradable. The next step is to cover your new mattress with green bedding. 100% cotton sheets and organic materials are breathable, soft and clean from toxins. What you wear to bed matters too: breathable, silky soft materials like bamboo, hemp, cotton and flannel provide comfort and can elevate your sleep style.

There are also steps you can take to improve your sleeping environment. The addition of houseplants in the bedroom cleans the air and removes contaminants- perfect for improving sleep quality. A cooler sleeping environment is both better for your sleep cycle and the environment, so turn down the heater in the winter months and crack a window for cool summer air. It can be hard to fully wake up in the mornings, but taking a cold shower gives you the perfect kickstart to your day and saves water by cutting down the length of your showers. Even the simple act of centering your sleeping hours around the rising and setting of the sun is sustainable, as lighting and electricity does not need to be used. Unplugging devices such as laptops and phones reduce electricity use and blue light emitted from screens which prohibits the production of melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleepcycle. An environmentally friendly bedroom is depicted in image 1 with sustainable bedding, houseplants, bamboo window shades and energy friendly lighting fixtures.

Image 1: Eco-friendly bedroom

In the cottage, we have been implementing these habits and exploring new ways to be sustainable during our sleeping hours. After entering the cottage, you will immediately notice the copious plants and greenery surrounding our living spaces. Cylinder solar lights, like the one depicted in image two, allow greenbelt residents to substitute electricity use for the natural glow of the sun. Personally, I adorned my twin xl college bed with 100% cotton sheets and make use of an organic sleep eye mask. After nightfall, the cottage is lit up with solar string lights that convert sunlight from daytime into energy. The cottage is not only practicing sustainability in waking hours, but we are making efforts to improve the environment, even while sleeping.

Image 2: Solar lighting tube

 

https://www.ecomena.org/eco-friendly-sleep/

https://www.euronews.com/green/2019/05/26/8-ways-to-green-your-sleep-routine

 

A sustainable lifestyle encompasses all aspects of life, including fashion and shopping, areas people might not associate with their carbon footprint. However, to people that may not be familiar with sustainability, I think sustainable fashion is something that people could easily learn and understand, and moreover change in their lives. I know that once I learned the impact of some big fashion corporations, I stopped shopping from them because not only do they negatively impact the environment, but their manufacturing tactics are also inhumane. Brands like Zara, H&M, Forever 21, and Shein are slowly getting exposed for their bad practices, but that doesn’t necessarily stop people from shopping from them. Cheap prices are great in the moment, especially for college students, but I think an education on the long-term impact of “fast fashion” and the importance of shopping with the environment in mind would be beneficial for us all.

CBS published an article in 2019 stating that “Fashion industry’s carbon impact is bigger than airline industry’s” which I think puts things into perspective. It attributes the problems to fast fashion, or the business of encouraging consumption with low prices and fast changing new collections of clothing proving to be                           (Wagner 2021)                                      detrimental to the environment (CBS 2019). The article also offers potential solutions, like consignment and resale of clothes. Once people understand that shopping is more of an investment, and that spending in a smart way can benefit them now and down the line if they choose to buy and sell used clothes, it is a win-win for the consumers and the environment.

This awareness and mindfulness of the processes and resources required in fashion is called slow fashion, the opposite of fast fashion. It is considered sustainable and ethical fashion that focuses on the reduction of consumption and production, along with good quality and fair treatment of people, animals, and the environment (Good On You 2021). One can participate and advocate for slow fashion by shopping secondhand, using consignment and resale, doing research on the brands you buy, and upcycling. Local thrift or consignment stores are a great place to start, and the website https://goodonyou.eco/ can help you research your brands.

    Like I mentioned, upcycling is another great way to recycle clothing, a way of reusing something in a way that makes it of higher value or quality, like sewing an old piece of clothing to make a new product. This is close to my heart specifically because I upcycle clothing myself! It is something I started over the summer, and I now have my own Etsy page; I thrift shirts and pullovers from secondhand stores and embroider or add patterns to make them original pieces! This is a small way that I have encouraged slow fashion, in that now when people buy from me, they receive an original piece without any environmental impacts. 

Original Bookshelf Embroidered Sweatshirt

https://www.etsy.com/shop/EcoFriendlyFits?ref=profile_header

      While the use of the “Good On You” website or simply buying secondhand clothes may seem like a small and insignificant change you’re making in your life, think about the possible outcomes if it is done by others and on a large scale! I hope this has encouraged you to be mindful when shopping and practice more sustainable fashion!

 

 

Sources:

“Fashion Industry’s Carbon Impact Bigger than Airline Industry’s.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/earth-day-2019-fashion-industrys-carbon-impact-is-bigger-than-airline-industrys/.

“Good on You.” Good On You, 1 Oct. 2021, https://goodonyou.eco/.

Wagner, Words by: Luisa, and Words by: “The Environmental Impact of the Fast Fashion Industry: Infographic & Stats.” Sanvt, 16 Mar. 2020, https://sanvt.com/journal/environmental-impact-of-fast-fashion-infographic/.

“What Is Slow Fashion?” Good On You, 8 July 2021, https://goodonyou.eco/what-is-slow-fashion/.

 

          Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is the mantra of those who aim to change our practices to a more sustainable way of life. We generally consider these practices as applied to our coffee cups, cardboard boxes and other small household items. But in light of all the new green technologies, how does this apply to our homes? Is it better to build a new home with solar panels, geothermal power and green roof rather than reuse an older home in need of renovations? Two factors led me to consider these questions more deeply, with the first being my participation in Furman’s Greenbelt Community, which has me not only focused on how I can individually alter my impact on our environment, but also how I might make a larger difference as an advocate for changes in the larger community. The second factor is my family’s recent move to Spartanburg and our decision to make a difference in our new community through real estate investing, with an ultimate goal of providing housing for families facing homelessness. As we began to meet other people involved in real estate, it came to our attention that Spartanburg city prefers to demolish older homes and sell the lots rather than sell the home to someone willing to restore it. This seemed wasteful to me, but I had no idea which practice was more sustainable — restoration of the old or building newer, greener homes.

 

          Before addressing the environmental impact, one factor that must be considered in this discussion is the loss of history. Take this beautiful historic home in Spartanburg, Bon Haven, built in 1884 with many architectural details not seen in today’s modern homes (Image 1). Although a couple offered to purchase the home and restore it to its historic beauty, the city opted to allow its demolition. This home and its history were lost to us in September of 2017. But maybe the impact on the environment of a home that was built a century before green technologies began to be widely applied in construction has too much of a negative impact to warrant its saving?

 

 Image 1: Bon Haven built in 1884 and approved for demolition February of 2017

 

          This is the question that I sought to answer as I began to read about new construction vs restoration. Does the practice of reusing for environmental sustainability not apply to homes? As I suspected, studies have been done to gather data to answer this question. Since I have seen much celebration of new “green” homes built with technologies aimed at sustainability, I assumed building a green home would be better for the environment than restoring an older home. While some appreciation is shown for beautiful restorations, I have never seen the environmental community celebrate these restorations like seen with net zero new builds. But the data tells us we should actually advocate for and celebrate each time an old home or building is restored to be reused. A 2012 study of this issue showed that the benefits of reusing older homes and buildings outweighed the environmental benefits of newer more energy efficient construction. The impact of the newer technologies takes 10-80 years to overcome the negative impact of the new construction. The study determined that if the city of Portland restored rather than demolished buildings over the next 10 years, it would lead to a reduction of 231,000 metric tons of carbon. 

 

          Living in the Greenbelt community, I have the opportunity to experience green technologies that allow me to leave a smaller footprint on my environment. The use of thermal hot water and solar lighting allows me to enjoy a hot shower and study late into the night without the worries of how this energy use will negatively impact the future of our environment. Thankfully, the Furman community recognized the importance of applying the principle of reusing as they prepared this more sustainable living accommodation. Our housing was built in the 1970s (Image 2) and retrofitted with the new green technologies! Sustainability advocates need to look at all aspects of environmental impact-sometimes new and trendy is not the most sustainable practice. We may be able to preserve history while also using the amazing technologies developed to lessen our footprint. 

 

Image 2: The cabin and the cottage in Furman’s Greenbelt Community

 

Sources:

https://www.countryliving.com/life/news/a42776/south-carolina-bon-haven-mansion-to-be-demolished/

https://www.buildings.com/articles/31503/new-construction-vs-renovation-which-greener

https://www.wspa.com/news/bon-haven-demolished-in-spartanburg/

 

Numerous resources exist on sustainable living, methods and tips on reducing waste and shrinking your footprint on the earth, but not enough focus is put on incentivizing people to actually engage in these methods.  This disconnect poses the greatest issue to the adoption of clean energy, eco-friendly technology, and protection of the environment.  To create a large lifestyle change in the general public is a tall task, thus the onus must be placed on every individual as a moral duty even when no one else is watching.  The ethics of sustainable living should no longer be seen as a personal choice certain individuals make, but a moral obligation for all.  In the same way we have the duty to not pollute common discourse with slurs or epithets, we maintain a similar responsibility to not pollute or waste the physical world around us.  As with all duty ethics, where to draw the line of a personal duty is the fundamental issue; en masse burning of fossil fuels clearly is destructive and thus not morally permissible when other energy alternatives exist, but should the same energy be applied to a person to adopt low-flow faucets and take shorter showers?  This issue requires at least an article unto itself, but the purpose of this piece is simply to convince the reader of their duty to the environment.  

In David Wallace-Well’s piece “The Uninhabitable Earth,” he dissects the numerous ways climate change will, to be frank, screw us all in tremendous fashion.  He directly engages eight consequences from climate change which, as the name of the piece suggests, make the earth uninhabitable.  In addition to well-known effects such as sea-level rise, he points out the ocean will also become more poisonous as acid levels grow, “fry fish populations directly,” killing sea life which cannot adapt and causing illness and death for the coastal populations, which constitutes nearly half of the global population.  Peter Singer’s One World Now introduces the question of which nations hold the greatest responsibility to amend the atmosphere.  This national perspective, and similar ones about which companies are at fault, distracts from the greater issue that it is up to every individual to enact change in their life.  Countries (democracies at the very least) and companies follow the actions of their civilians and customers.  Clearly, there is little an average American citizen can do about the burning of fossil fuels in China, and thus the discussion of how to ensure the actions of another country do not doom us all is perfectly worthwhile.  What we have more direct control over however is what occurs in our lives.  Product choice and how a person lives their life is decided entirely or nearly entirely by that person.  

From a utilitarian perspective, living an unsustainable lifestyle deprives future generations, if not yourself, of future happiness for short-term enjoyment.  John Stuart Mill recognized this when formalizing his perspective on utilitarianism–the existence of higher and lower pleasures recognizes some forms of pleasure are more valuable than others.  In the case of sustainability, this would be akin to short term pleasure one gets when finding a cheap purchase made through immoral and unsustainable means, juxtaposed with the long term satisfaction of a more durable product, and one that leaves the user feeling as though they have contributed to very continuation of human society.  Blue Zones are areas of the world with a much higher life expectancy than average, and of the common traits among the five recognized Blue Zones is some life purpose.  This suggests humans long to feel as if they are part of something greater, something which gives them motivation beyond themselves to get out of bed every morning, and what greater sense of purpose exists than the continuation of mankind?

For the first few hundred thousand years of human existence, the primary struggle was scarcity of resources, and in under a hundred years that has flipped to now become the struggle of surplus.  Little thought was given to the ethics surrounding waste and environmental degradation as those were limited in scale by technology, and thus it has not been ingrained in every person with the same vigor as other ethical issues, or even as a moral issue at all.  We are quickly realizing the negative ramifications of this lackadaisical attitude and without a sharp mental adjustment of most of the world, this will likely be the only time we are able to make such a mistake.

 

 

Wallace-Wells, David. “The Uninhabitable Earth.” (July 10, 2017). New York Magazine. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/07/climate-change-earth-too-hot-for-humans.html 

 

Singer, Peter. One World: The Ethics of Globalization. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002. Print.

 

Mill, John Stuart. Utilitarianism. London, Parker, son, and Bourn, 1863. Web.. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <lccn.loc.gov/11015966>.

By: Annaliese White

Living in the Greenbelt Resident Community has given me so much insight into new sustainability practices and habits, it has taught me how to eat “Greener” and to love nature in all of its forms. One of my favorite past times while living in the Greenbelt has been picking some of the Wild Flowers that have grown in our backyard, as it has given me much joy having fresh, beautiful flowers all around our cabin. Through the teachings of my fellow Greenbelt residents, I have come to learn just how unsustainable green lawns are. Before being apart of this program, I never gave too much thought about the sustainability of most people’s lawns, as it never occurred to me that it could be harming the environment!

Not only are lawns expensive and can be a lot of upkeep work, but there are various aspects that go into taking care of a lawn that are pollute the environment. For example, the burning of gasoline in lawn mowers, toxic pesticides and fertilizer which pollute the water sources, and the vast quantity of water that is wasted by sprinklers. The gasoline burned in the lawn mowers contribute to the greenhouse gases, which is hurting our atmosphere. Another harmful effect of so many homeowners planting grass lawns is that it causes other forest life, like weeds and many other plants to be ripped out of the ground, reducing their populations.

One of the main benefits of having a wildflower garden or meadow instead of a grassy lawn is that wildflowers are easier to care for and do not require the consistent watering or maintenance that green lawns need. Having a wildflower garden also increases biodiversity and allows for other species of plants and flowers to flourish. Also, having a meadow can attract wildlife such as deer to your yard which would allow them to feed without worrying about any external threats. Overall the benefits of having a wildflower garden greatly outweigh the pros and cons of having a grass lawn, which is why more homeowners should make the switch to a wildflower garden or meadow!

 

Sources:

https://www.americanmeadows.com/replace-lawn-with-wildflowers

https://conservationtools.org/guides/151-from-lawn-to-meadow

http://www.gogreen.org/blog/the-environmental-impact-of-lawns

 

 

By: Sydney McManus

Throughout the 2020-21 Academic Year, I have been faced with many opportunities to grow and learn as a member of a sustainable community. I have grown not only as a member of Greenbelt and the community that has been established here, but also through academics, club involvement, and my Shi Institute Fellowship. From learning about sustainable living through Greenbelt classes, reading books about the pressing issues of modern consumption and production in my Environmental Health course, and recognizing and promoting global initiatives through fellowship events and more, I have continued to find that sustainability is so much more than shorter showers, making a switch to a vegan or vegetarian diet, or anything else we often associate with the stigma of sustainability. Sustainability is pervasive in all sectors of our lives but embodies consideration beyond ourselves, a concept that often gets away from us.

 

Coming to Furman just one, almost two, short years ago, sustainability was not on my radar, yet here I am a couple of years later, enthralled with the idea of sustainability, living in a community which not only includes the best housing on Furman’s campus, but also a group of individuals who appreciate the idea of a focus beyond ourselves, directing that focus toward a global awareness and consideration of the wellbeing of all people, animals, and the environment, something that recently has come to my attention to be known as “One Health.”

 

One Health is defined by the CDC, which we are all too familiar with in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, as “a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach—working at the local, regional, national, and global levels—with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). Throughout the past two semesters, I have had the opportunity to apply sustainability to my life and education leading me in the direction of “One Health” without even realizing it.

 

Through conscious thought devoted to the impact I am having on the environment and my greater community; I regularly reflect on how my actions are impacting those around me who may not have the luxury of focusing on anything beyond survival. From disproportionate environmental burdens associated with issues of environmental justice and concepts like the Tragedy of the Commons a concept that embodies the idea that people behave in a way that pursues their own interest, desire, and need without consideration of wide-spread needs and long-term effects (Hardin, 1968), I have begun to truly learn and further develop my recognition of the scope of sustainability.

 

I could talk for days about all the things I have learned within Greenbelt, from my community members who have become my friends, and through my classes the past two semesters, but I will spare us all the lengthy discussion that comes with the excitement that is invoked when I think about the scope and growth to come from sustainability focus and initiatives. But with the end of the semester, and my time in the Greenbelt I will share this, find a community that encourages and grows with you, find an aspect of sustainability that excites you, and always think beyond your own four walls and remember as Greta Thunberg said, “Homo Sapiens have not yet failed. Yes, we are failing, but there is still time to turn everything around. We can still fix this. We still have everything in our own hands.” (Thunberg, 2021)

 

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, April 16). One Health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/onehealth/index.html.

Hardin, G. (1968). The Tragedy of the Commons. Science, 162(3859), 1243–1248. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.162.3859.1243

Thunberg, G. (2021). No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference. Random House UK.

By Annika Patterson

As Furman students, one of the many advantages of our gorgeous campus are the thriving populations of animals that cohabit with us. Whether in reference to the ducks and fish in the lake, the squirrels and birds in the trees and the hundreds of insects that illicit a variety of reactions, all of these lives are so precious and each gives back to our ecosystem in ways we seldom acknowledge. 

Biodiversity is a topic that is close to my own heart as I have always loved and cared for animals. In the courses I have taken at Furman I have had the opportunity to learn even more about the terrible ways climate change has already, and will continue to affect our earth’s biodiversity. The Planetary boundaries, a term familiar to any fellow students of sustainability classes here at Furman, are a scientific-based framework for the analysis of the risk that humans are contributing to at which some point will destabilize the entirety of the earth system. Basically, a measurable scale in which we can determine the long term effects humans production and consumption are having on different systems of the earth, and boundaries in which we have established to try and avoid crossing to avoid this. As we are standing currently on this scale, globally we have more than crossed the planetary boundary for biodiversity loss. The boundary was set at less than 10 extinctions per million species year and in the holocene alone we can track a loss of 10-100 extinctions per million species year, a loss that resembles mass extinctions in millennia past.

The planetary boundaries are all connected in balancing each other out and further pushing each other towards a tipping point. This is shown in how species richness, a measurable subsection of biodiversity that is simply the number of different species, is important for the maintenance of the biosphere. The diversity of a number of species helps balance out ecosystems and provides a necessary resilience.

An example of nature and how it usually balances itself, and our reliance on such, is the disaster that is the Furman lake. A man made lake from the foundation of this location back in the 80s, it has been slowly deteriorating ever since. Constant projects over the years have aimed to restore the lake to a less sediment filled pool for disease has thus far been unachievable. The Furman lake is small in comparison to the majority of lakes i’ve visited in my life, and those naturally made lakes (whether or not a dam has been added) have been majorly self sustaining in the bacterial level up to the birds that fish there. This is no coincidence, nature is a self sustaining system and left alone it has the opportunity to flourish. 

While leaving our communities wildlife alone isn’t an easy feat in a city like Greenville, programs for conservation and clean up are important for taking back the blows humanity has made against them. It is important as an individual to make large scale change in advocating for and voting in favor of programs that will preserve our local biodiversity and on a small scale doing what you can in your own neighborhood. Protecting the environment of a single animal can have impacts on the ecosystem we can’t predict, so do your part!

 

Sources

-https://greenvillejournal.com/op-ed/letter-to-the-editor-we-must-preserve-biodiversity/

-https://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/lpr_living_planet_report_2016.pdf

-https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/cas-biodiversity/why-is-biodiversity-important-ca/biodiversity-and-ecosystem-funct/v/biodiversity-ecosystems-and-ecological-networks?modal=1