Furman Greenbelt Sustainable Living Community

“What happens to poor people is never divorced from the actions of the powerful… control of lives is related to control of land, systems of production, and the formal political and legal structures in which lives are enmeshed.” – Harvard graduate, medical and poverty anthropologist, Dr. Paul Farmer.

The same political and social systems that continue to pollute the earth with unethical development and rampant demolition are simultaneously responsible for perpetuating an economic hierarchy that disproportionately damages poor communities for the benefit and comfort of the affluent (Brady 2017). 

Despite the frequent hegemonic portrayal of poverty as a consequence of laziness, in actuality, poverty is the result of numerous deliberate efforts to perpetuate the absence of power that initially forces a person into poverty. One out of every 10 people in Greenville, South Carolina live in poverty; Greenville is also in the top 10 places in the country with difficult or no economic mobility (United Way of Greenville).

The impacts of burning fossil fuels as the primary source of global energy disproportionately expose low-income, disadvantaged communities to hazardous waste and pollutants, despite the low proportion of energy that is consumed in those same areas. Anthropogenic air and water pollution starts and ends in poor communities, both within local city-level settings, and globally such as in Yemen and southeast Asia (Al-Ariki 2006). The poor citizens of every nation are at the greatest locational risk for disaster and adverse health consequences (Hekmatpour 2022).

Exposure to neurotoxic chemicals in early life and prenatal environmental conditions can cause permanent changes in brain structure, chemistry, behavior, and development (Weiss 2006). In addition to an array of confounding factors, the most significant risk factor for developing cancer, obesity, heart disease, and asthma is simply being poor for extended periods, due to the various consequences of food instability and prolonged stress on immunicity (Cellini 2009). Poverty is also the most significant indicator of childhood health complications, childhood mortality rate, and rates of childhood injury – both unintentional and intentional.

Furthermore, a recent Alabama study indicates that the likelihood of dying from these illnesses, in addition to all medical conditions, is much greater for poor individuals. In some cases, the mortality rate difference among children was more than 30% with an additional 9% increase for every 20 miles further from treatment locations (Hoppmann 2022).

 

“Where you live should not determine whether you live or whether you die” – Activist and philanthropist Paul David Hewson

As of 2020, the childhood poverty rates were as follows:

16% of children in America (US Census 2020), 

22.1% of children in South Carolina (Children’s Trust of South Carolina, 2020),

14.6% of people in Greenville (South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office 2020). 

Childhood malnutrition is a severe but frequent consequence of persistent poverty. In a biomedical study of the effects of poverty, Weiss, et. al indicate that malnourishment can make children more prone to worsened mental and functional health, and also contribute to lower academic receptiveness and retention (Weiss 2006). A 1994 study found that the health and educational disparities of poverty are correlated with cognitive deficits in children and an average of 3% lower IQ (Herrnstein and Murray 1994). However, this is not to be misconstrued that poor people are naturally not as smart as their affluent counterparts are. But rather, the physical inability to regularly meet health and safety conditions impacts their ability to perform within systems that are already pre-designed to disadvantage them. 

In fact, the Public American Education system policy of funding school districts via local property taxes demonstrates that it is not designed to support the socio-economic mobility of lesser-educated and disadvantaged students. This is why entire states, including South Carolina, Mississippi, and Alabama consistently rank poorly on the scale of National Education Standards. This is an example of the so-called “poverty trap” as described by a political science and public policy professor at Brown University (Allard 2019).

However, the impacts of poverty are not limited to the families and individuals actively experiencing it, but rather our current socioeconomic system will inevitably be the detriment of the Earth’s ecological and geographical health (Rohr 2022). Citizens are not able to take care of the earth until they are confident in taking care of themselves, and thus global sustainability is not achievable without the eradication of poverty.

But what exactly can be done to stop and reverse these centuries-old cycles of poverty? The answer is surprisingly simple: the implementation of sustainable alternatives are a powerful tool of poverty alleviation, starting with the improvement of home efficiency (Paul 2021). 

Rather than forcing significant lifestyle alterations or offering financial supplements, community outreach and activism should work alongside poor households to empower them to decide what sustainability efforts are compatible with their pre-existing lifestyle choices. Programs such as Furman’s Community Conservation Corps have proven highly effective at mitigating the elevated base costs of living that prevent economic mobility, especially within the common household. Offering a series of non-invasive sustainable implementations, such as weatherized insulation and high-efficiency light bulbs, would be most beneficially impactful without uprooting the preexisting traditions and lifestyles of these people (Lane 2018). 

A prevalent question of concern is: Who are we expecting to pay for these sustainability efforts? Well, the affluent are notorious for their elaborate investments and passive income methods, and yet, they fail to see the social profitability of investing in people and the ethical obligation to lessen the immediate consequences of their actions and choices. 

Nonetheless, with the economy in mind, the Ecological Modernization Theory (EMT) evaluates the potential costs of environmental and social crises in comparison to the cost of adopting more sustainable environmental and social systems (Filho 2021). They also evaluate the opportunity costs of employment sectors to conclude that after ecological and social crises have been relatively resolved the economy will be capable of growing without further widening the wealth gap.

Simply, poverty is unstainable. Poverty is not a mere lack of money, but rather a perpetual system established to prevent socio-economic mobility and reinforce cultural-political hierarchy. The worsening global climate conditions are only exacerbating the impacts of poverty, and these consequences are no longer conceptual or hypothetical. People are dying from being poor on a geo-political Earth that was not designed to allow them to live.

“The opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is enough.” President Emeritus of Compassion International, Dr. Wess Stafford

 

References

Al-Ariki, A. 20 Mar. 2006. Environment, poverty and sustainability. Yemen Times (Sanaa, Yemen), sec. Health,  NewsBank: Access World News, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/1107E218E0581338. Accessed 22 Sept. 2022.

Allard, S. 2019. Pathways: Poverty Traps. Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality. https://inequality.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/Pathways_Winter2019_Poverty-Traps.pdf 

Brady, D, Finnigan, R, & Hübgen, S. 2017. Rethinking the risks of poverty: A framework for analyzing prevalences and penalties. American Journal of Sociology, 123(3), 740–786. https://doi.org/10.1086/693678 

Brookings. April 2022. Lessons from the Village Enterprise development impact bond and beyond. Global Economy and Development. https://www.brookings.edu/events/breaking-the-cycle-of-poverty-through-innovative-finance/

Cellini, S, McKernan S, Ratcliffe, C, et. al. 2009. The dynamics of poverty in the United States: A review of data, methods, and findings. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 27(3), 577–605. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.20337 

Children’s Trust of South Carolina. April 2022. Greenville County Child Well-Being Data Profile. https://scchildren.org/resources/kids-count-south-carolina/child-well-being-data-county-profiles/ 

Filho W, Lovren V, Will M, et. al. 2021. Poverty: A central barrier to the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Environmental Science & Policy, vol. 125, 96-104, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2021.08.020.

Hekmatpour P, Leslie CM. 2022. Ecologically unequal exchange and disparate death rates attributable to air pollution: A comparative study of 169 countries from 1991 to 2017. Environ Res. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113161. 

Hoppmann, A, Dai, C, Daves, M, et. al. September 2022. Persistent Child Poverty and Mortality in a Cohort of Children with Cancer in Alabama. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-22-0353. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36129811.

Lane, J, Kendrick, D, & Ellwood, D. April 2018. A Locally Based Initiative to Support People and Communities by Transformative Use of Data. USA Partnership on Mobility from Poverty. https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/data_paper.pdf

Paul, D. February 2021. Merging the poverty and environment agendas. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/merging-poverty-and-environment-agendas 

Rogalsky D, Mendola P, Metts TA, et. al. August 2014. Estimating the number of low-income Americans exposed to household air pollution from burning solid fuels. Environmental Health Perspectives. doi:10.1289/ehp.1306709. 

Rohr J, Bakhoum S, Barrett C. et. al. August 2022. A planetary health solution for disease, sustainability, food, water, and poverty challenges. Gale in Context: Ecology, Environment & Conservation. link.gale.com/apps/doc/A713837653/GRNR?u=furmanuniv&sid=bookmark-GRNR&xid=8a105d65. 

United Way of Greenville. September 2022. Greenville’s Economic Mobility Model. https://www.unitedwaygc.org/impact/economic-mobility/

Weiss B, Bellinger DC. October 2006. Social ecology of children’s vulnerability to environmental pollutants. Environmental Health Perspectives. doi: 10.1289/ehp.9101. PMID: 17035129; PMCID: PMC1626436.

When we think about sustainability, it’s easy to let our minds jump to impressive, large-scale solutions like solar panels or massive environmental cleanup projects—and while these are all great things, I want to focus on something a bit smaller and closer to home: your kitchen. Although it may seem like changing how you prepare your meals might be insignificant, when considered on a large scale, people’s individual cooking practices actually have the ability to make a sizeable impact on our society’s sustainability, making this an area we should absolutely be focusing on. 

This impact largely comes down to the issue of food waste. The EPA reported in 2018 that the residential sector alone generated about 25 million tons of food waste, of which 66% was sent to landfills, contributing to rising levels of methane and other greenhouse gases. Meanwhile, solutions like composting diverted just 3% of that waste stream, which, while disappointing, nevertheless presents great potential for future improvement. 

Reducing food waste can be broadly divided into two categories: 1.) minimizing excess food purchased/cooked, and 2.) dealing sustainably with any remaining waste. 

First, to lessen the amount of extra food you might buy, consider making a detailed meal plan each week, including the specific amounts of ingredients you’ll need—this will help you avoid waste from preparing too much food. This is especially important for perishable items like fruits and vegetables, which often spoil if you don’t use them quickly. However, for more shelf-stable foods, such as flour or sugar, plan to buy these in bulk, cutting down on cost and minimizing your use of disposable packaging. You can even reduce the amount of food you need to buy in the first place by growing a small herb/kitchen garden, growing your own green onions, or making your own sourdough starter. 

Second, composting and similar strategies offer a great way to reduce the amount of waste, both food and otherwise, that you generate while cooking meals. Some waste is obviously unavoidable, but by composting food scraps, spoiled vegetables, tea bags, paper, and other biodegradables, you can decrease that waste stream significantly: a small compost bin is easy to maintain, and in addition to handling most biodegradable kitchen waste, it also produces nutrient-rich compost that you can use in a small garden like the ones mentioned above. Similarly, by using reusable containers for storage and leftovers, you can reduce your non-compostable waste as well—the more single-use plastics you can replace with multiple-use items (think glass, metal, and ceramic), the fewer items will ultimately end up in landfills.

Sustainable practices extend to even our smallest everyday activities, and because of this, you can make a difference simply by changing a few things about your normal routine. Start composting, grow a garden, or even make your own sourdough starter: plenty of helpful resources are available online, and although the changes you make may be small, you can make your lifestyle significantly more sustainable—all from the comfort of your own kitchen.

https://www.epa.gov/recycle/preventing-wasted-food-home

https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/documents/2018_wasted_food_report.pdf

https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materials#Landfilling

https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/usda-food-waste-infographic.pdf

Disclaimer: In my ten or so years of knitting and crocheting (mostly knitting, although these pictures are of recent crochet projects), I have not intentionally thought about the sustainability of these crafts until moving into the Greenbelt. By no means am I an expert, but I am slowly making adjustments in my practices. Most of the pictures I have included are crafted from acrylic yarn, although it was purchased from thrift stores or donated to me and I hope to improve this in the future.

Knitting itself is rather sustainable because it is a way to opt out of the unsustainable system of fast fashion. Fast fashion is a term that applies to cheaply manufactured clothing imitations of current—fleeting—fashion trends (Joy et al.). A quick Google search of the advantages and disadvantages of fast fashion raises concerns over water use, chemical pollution, CO2 emissions and textile waste (Niinimäki et al.).

By knitting, you can circumvent the frequently sub-par labor policies of fast fashion companies. Among the plethora of issues with the labor force in the fast fashion industry is child labor. Globally, an estimated 170 million children are somehow involved in fast fashion’s labor force (Buzzo and Abreu).

Another advantage of knitting is that it often allows us to decrease our environmental footprints by infrequently hand washing and line drying projects. This minimizes our water and electricity usage and the release of microplastic and/or fiber fragments into the water system and eventually the environment during washing, drying, and wearing (​​Periyasamy and Ali).

Aside from the built-in sustainable aspects of knitting, there are a variety of choices we can make to make our craft more sustainable. Be kind to the environment and choose a few of these ideas which easily mesh with your knitting styles to begin incorporating into your daily life. And remember, individual sustainability is all about finding green practices that can realistically fit into your routines, so be kind to yourself!

1 Source your knitting needles from thrift shops. If you cannot find what you are looking for there, then opt for metal or bamboo knitting needles, which last longer than plastic options. If you do not already have a set of circular knitting needles, consider investing in an interchangeable needle set. They can be quite pricey, but are an investment that means you will use less resources.

2 Use the yarn you already have in your stash before purchasing more. Frog* the WIP** that has been sitting on your shelf for the past few months and repurpose the yarn. If you have an outdated blanket you no longer use, frog it too. If—like all good little knitters—you do gauge swatches***, reuse the yarn. When you finish a project, save those yarn scraps for a beautiful scrap blanket or other mix-and-match, scrap-friendly projects. I cannot wait until I have enough scraps for a blanket!

3 Head to the thrift store to get some yarn on the dime while giving new life to something that might otherwise go to a landfill. In addition to finding second-hand skeins of perfectly usable yarn, you can frog thrifted sweaters to repurpose the yarn. Read about how this practice can become a side hustle here. You can also easily upcycle old t-shirts, bed sheets, and plastic grocery bags into yarn as well, although these will not work for all projects. If nothing else, swap yarn you do not plan on using with fellow knitters or arrange community yarn exchanges.

4 If a project requires first-hand yarn, then research the advantages and disadvantages of yarn fibers first. Eco-Stylist’s A Guide to the Most and Least Sustainable Fabrics is a helpful starting place. It can be difficult to get to the true ecological footprint of yarns because there is not a hard and fast rule. After choosing a sustainable yarn fiber that will suit the needs of your project, research the practices of the company before making a purchase. Explore EcoCult’s The Best Sustainable and Ethical Knitting Yarns For Your Next Project for a brief overview of reputable yarn sources. Remember, organic does not always mean environmentally-friendly or ethical; be skeptical of greenwashing. If you can afford to, then buy locally and participate in the slow yarn movement. Slow yarn is any yarn that has been handmade, hand dyed, or in some way embellished by a real person rather than a factory machine.

5 Look for opportunities to replace disposable products with knitted alternatives. For example, Swiffer covers, shower scrubbies, shopping bags, and gift wrapping can all be easily knitted to minimize resource waste. Spend a few hours scrolling through Pinterest for inspiration or swap ideas with your local knitting community. I hope to begin phasing out disposable products and replacing them with knitted alternatives during my time here in the Greenbelt and beyond to life after Furman.

6 Gift, donate, raffle, or sell finished objects that you do not use. Like all knitters, I am guilty of keeping far too many “love it too much to part ways” projects lying around. While living in the Greenbelt, I hope to make progress in this area by experimenting and embracing a zero-waste business model as much as possible.

This is by no means an extensive list, but hopefully gets those creative juices flowing on how we can tweak our knitting habits to become more sustainable and encourage our fellow knitters to reflect on their practices as well.

 

 

For those unfamiliar with knitting terminology:

*Frog- Ripping out a project.

**WIP- Work in progress.

***Gauge swatch- A square piece of knitting completed before beginning a project that is meant to standardize the size of the finished product since knitting tensions, needles, and yarn interact uniquely.

 

 

Works Cited

“The Best Sustainable and Ethical Knitting Yarns for Your Next Project.” EcoCult, 6 Dec. 2021, https://ecocult.com/the-best-sustainable-and-ethical-knitting-yarns-for-your-next-project/.

Buzzo, Aline, and Maria José Abreu. “Fast Fashion versus Fair Trade and Labor Practices.” Fast Fashion, Fashion Brands and Sustainable Consumption, Springer, Singapore, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1268-7_1. Accessed 16 Sept. 2022. 

Gray, Kaitlyn. “A Guide to the Most and Least Sustainable Fabrics.” Eco-Stylist, 4 June 2022, https://www.eco-stylist.com/a-guide-to-the-most-and-least-sustainable-fabrics/.

Joy, Annamma, et al. “Fast Fashion, Sustainability, and the Ethical Appeal of Luxury Brands.” Fashion Theory, vol. 16, no. 3, 21 Apr. 2012, pp. 273–295., https://doi.org/10.2752/175174112×13340749707123. Accessed 16 Sept. 2022. 

Justus, Evan. Blue Granny Square Blanket on Tractor. Accessed 16 Sept. 2022. 

Justus, Evan. Scrap Yarn Collection. Accessed 16 Sept. 2022. 

Justus, Kara and Carter Carter. Multicolor Granny Square Bandana. Accessed 16 Sept. 2022. 

Niinimäki, Kirsi, et al. “The Environmental Price of Fast Fashion.” Nature Reviews: Earth and Environment, vol. 1, no. 4, 7 Apr. 2020, pp. 189–200., https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-020-0039-9. 

​​Periyasamy, Aravin Prince, and Ali Tehrani-Bagha. “A Review on Microplastic Emission from Textile Materials and Its Reduction Techniques.” Polymer Degradation and Stability, vol. 199, May 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2022.109901. 

Singh, Rupa. “Sustainability Side Hustle: Q+A with Recycled Yarn.” Honestly Modern, 24 July 2022, https://www.honestlymodern.com/sustainability-side-hustle-recycled-yarn/.

Disclaimer: This content is intended for adults of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly. 

As the school year wraps up and college students start celebrating the end of another year of papers, exams, and nights spent in the library, the partying also starts to pick up, and with that comes drinking. One thing most people do not consider, especially not college students, is the environmental impact of their alcoholic drink choices. Being environmentally conscious can feel like just another chore sometimes and picking out a locally sourced bottle of vodka rather than a ⅕ of Titos may never cross your mind as an avenue to reducing your carbon footprint. However, the alcohol industry has a huge carbon footprint and contributes to our changing climate through freshwater use, agricultural practices, transportation emissions, electricity use, refrigeration, fertilizer and pesticides, and packaging. During the brewing process anywhere from 3.5- 6 gallons of water may be used to produce just one gallon of beer. More shockingly, it takes 872 gallons of water to produce one gallon of wine. In terms of carbon dioxide, 2lbs of CO2 is generated per pint of beer, 6lbs per 750ml bottle of liquor, and 2.6lbs per bottle of wine. 

Next time you go to the store, consider purchasing alcohol made by brands that make efforts to minimize their environmental impacts. For example, Flor de Cana rum is a Fair-Trade certified distillery that operates entirely on renewable energy. Reyka vodka uses geothermal heating to power its distillery. Absolut is another sustainable vodka brand whose facilities are carbon neutral. When it comes to common beer brands, Anheser-Busch is eco-minded and brews using renewable energy. 

The best way, however, to cut down your carbon footprint is to purchase locally made alcohol from pubs and bars in your area. Locally sourced alcohol will undergo significantly less transportation, reducing the transport emissions within the product lifecycle. If you want to cut down even more, bike or walk to your local pub and purchase a locally brewed beverage!

Instead of buying mixers – like premade margarita mix – that come in plastic packaging, add some fresh herbs to your backyard garden or grow a few in your kitchen and spice up your mixed drinks with the herbs you grow at home!

Here’s a simple gin-based cocktail recipe for coinsures living in SC that’s perfect for this summer:

•  1.5 oz of Firefly gin (distilled in Charleston, SC)
• 4 strawberries (cut into small pieces)
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 T of sugar dissolved in 6 oz of water
• 10 mint leaves
• ice
• Directions:  Consider supporting your neighborhood farmer’s market and pick up the fresh ingredients from there or grow them in your garden! Muddle together the strawberries, mint leaves, and lemon juice in the base of a cocktail shaker. Add in the rest on the ingredients and shake well. Fill up your serving glass with fresh ice and strain the contents of the shaker into the glass. Garnish with any leftover strawberries or mint leaves and enjoy!

 

Works Cited:

 

One of the most important things that I have learned from my time in the Greenbelt is that sustainability can be part of everything, and the best way to get involved with sustainability is to make it a part of something you already enjoy. For me, I love soccer, and there is a soccer club that is showing the world how the sport can be more sustainable.

Forest Green Rovers is a club that plays in England’s fourth division of professional soccer and are living up to their name by showing how the sport can go green. Forest Green Rovers became the first soccer team to be certified as completely carbon neutral by the United Nations, and in 2017 they became the first and only vegan soccer team in the world. During a trip to their New Lawn stadium, one will find charging points for electric vehicles, solar powered lawn mowers that cut an organic pesticide-free field, an entirely vegan menu, and players wearing jerseys made from recycled coffee grounds and plastic. Despite the fact that the club’s stadium is more sustainable than many others, they have plans to build a new stadium called Eco Park, which will be even more sustainable than the New Lawn. Eco Park will be made entirely out of wood, will be surrounded by a park full of trees, and will be the first carbon neutral stadium in the world.

Action like this is needed from all clubs as the game of soccer is a large contributor to climate change and will likely experience its negative effects. The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia alone produced around 2.16 million tons of carbon emissions, and it is estimated that the entire sport itself is responsible for 0.3% to 0.4% of total global emissions. If action is not taken, 23 out of England’s 92 professional soccer teams will experience annual flooding of their stadiums by 2050. Although the climate crisis is much larger than just the game of soccer, clubs making an effort to become more sustainable like Forest Green Rovers is the next step in addressing the problem.

It is not just soccer that that can be more sustainable, but everything is affected by sustainability, including the things that you are passionate about. Check out the blogs from other Greenbelt students to see what I am talking about. Adrian for example loves the outdoors and talks all about how many of his favorite outdoor activities can be made more sustainable. Cami and Georgia both show how art and sustainability intersect, with Cami showing how to make sustainable crafts, and Georgia showing how photography is a tool that can help highlight the climate crisis. Sam even writes about the intersection of sustainability and math. This all goes to show every one of your hobbies and every aspect of life can be made more sustainable. My challenge to all of those reading this is to take the thing that you are most passionate about, whether that be soccer, art, or anything else, and find ways to make it more sustainable.

References:

“Another Way.” Forest Green Rovers, https://www.fgr.co.uk/another-way.

Ashoo, Sam. “Climate Crisis: How Can Football Make a Difference?” Euronews, 3 Dec. 2021, www.euronews.com/2021/10/28/the-climate-crisis-why-football-can-no-longer-hide.

Hewitson, Rosie. “It’s Time for Football to Reckon With Its Carbon Footprint.” Huck Magazine, 6 Nov. 2020, www.huckmag.com/outdoor/sport-outdoor/its-time-for-football-to-reckon-with-its-carbon-footprint.

“Playing Against the Clock.” Rapid Transition Alliance, 20 June 2020, https://www.rapidtransition.org/resources/playing-against-the-clock/.

You’re probably cleaning your house, room, apartment, or wherever you reside weekly or every other week – at least you probably should be. And it’s tempting to buy those products with the flashy labels that seem like they’ll clean your space best, but those can be harmful to the environment. Even some items labeled “green” are not necessarily any better because they are subject to green-washing, which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as “the creation or propagation of an unfounded or misleading environmentalist image” (OED). 

 

One product guilty of this is Simple Green Concentrated All-Purpose Cleaner. While the green packaging and title seem environmental and user friendly, that could not be further from the truth. One chemical found in this product, 2-butoxyethanol, is said to be “a solvent absorbed through the skin that damages red blood cells and irritates eyes” (CBS, 2012). Another harmful product is Spic and Span Multi-Surface and Floor Cleaner, which contains a chemical that is “persist[ant] in the environment and has been found toxic to aquatic life” (CBS, 2012). This chemical – ethoxylate – has already been “banned for sale in the European Union” (CBS, 2012). It can be confusing and overwhelming when you’re buying cleaning products because there are so many options, so the chances are pretty high that you don’t know what is safest and most sustainable.

Thankfully, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversees the “Safer Choice program, which certifies products that contain safer ingredients for human health and the environment” (EPA). This program is useful in giving cleaning product consumers a better idea of what is actually sustainable, so they are not fooled by greenwashing labels. The EPA compiles a list of more sustainable options by paying attention to VOC (volatile organic compounds) content, safer chemicals, renewable resources, sustainable packaging, and more. 

So you may be asking yourself, “what can I do?” The answer is pretty simple: educate yourself, avoid harmful products, and invest in more sustainable cleaning supplies. Some sustainable cleaning brands you should try to incorporate into your cleaning routine are Grove Collaborative, Common Good, and ECOS (The Good Trade). As The Good Trade says, “these natural and eco-friendly household cleaning brands are consciousof your family’s health and the wellbeing of the earth”( The Good Trade). They are great opportunities to introduce sustainability into your cleaning routine, and some of them even have refillable options to reduce single use plastic waste!

There is an additional option to the green cleaning initiative, which is making your own products. If you want to put in a little bit of work for what might be the most sustainable option of all for an all-purpose cleaner, just mix these ingredients together: ½ cup vinegar, ¼ cup baking soda, and 4 to 8 cups hot water in a spray bottle” (WebMD). You can even add a little bit of an essential oil of your choice if you want to add a scent. For my personal all-purpose cleaner, I went with a lemon scent, which is subtle, yet effective.

If you’re looking for ways to incorporate sustainability in your routine without switching your lifestyle up too much, green cleaning is for you. It implements sustainable options in place of something you already do, so it isn’t too hard to add! I highly suggest trying out some of the above brands or following the steps to create your own cleaner, for both your health and the earth’s.

Resources

​​”greenwashing, n.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2022. Web. 26 April 2022.

“Identifying Greener Cleaning Products.” EPA, last updated 26 March 2022. https://www.epa.gov/greenerproducts/identifying-greener-cleaning-products.

“EWG’s ‘Hall of Shame’ of toxic household cleaners.” CBS News, 12 September 2012, https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/ewgs-hall-of-shame-of-toxic-household-cleaners/. 

“10 Natural and Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products For The Conscious Home.” The Good Trade, https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/natural-eco-friendly-cleaning-products-for-the-conscious-home. 

“Guide to Natural Cleaning.” Web MD, medically reviewed by Melinda Ratini, DO, MS, 19 April 2021. https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/ss/slideshow-guide-to-natural-cleaning#:~:text=For%20mild%20cleaning%2C%20mix%201,give%20it%20a%20fresh%20scent. 

The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race and for campsites across the nation. As spring comes to a close and with summer right around the corner, there are many activities that should be taken advantage of in the outdoors. What immediately comes to mind are things like camping, stargazing, fishing, climbing, swimming, and other things. It is always good to go outside and catch some rays, but with all these new camping and outdoors products being released, it can be hard to fully enjoy what nature has to offer if you’re too busy pumping air into your inflatable mattress or finding a spot of sun for your solar-powered portable charger. Instead, pack minimally, so that you’re prepared for an emergency but are not distracted by what society deems as “necessary.” When we bring more things than we need, like extra bags and disposable items, we tend to produce lots of waste which can be left behind at a site or park. This is obviously harmful to the environment and the animals that live there, so by bringing less you are less likely to make a negative impact.

 

Fishing is a big summer activity that is enjoyed across the nation. There’s nothing better than posting up under a shady tree and casting out some lines, waiting for a bite. But there can be consequences to recreational fishing if you do not practice catch-and-release. While overfishing is a topic often discussed in the oceans, inland overfishing is seldom a headline-issue, despite its severity. One of the biggest issues here is catching fish when they are too small. Keeping fish that have not yet reached maturity are not able to reproduce (because you ate them), so if this goes unchecked, then a fish species could easily decline in a certain body of water. To combat this, each state has you; a) get a fishing license, which can be obtained easily at most gas stations for less than $30; b) abide by the state mandated slot limit for each fish for the particular body of water. The slot limit is the minimum/maximum size a fish has to be in order to keep it, which prevents species decline. So when you fish this summer, make sure you preserve fish populations by following your state’s laws, governed by The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

 

Another popular summer activity is camping, and luckily there are many parks here in the U.S to do so. Unfortunately, many people do not understand the value of conservation/preservation of these landmarks, so they end up tossing their trash outside without a second thought. But the meaning behind the infamous “leave no trace” mantra extends beyond just picking up your trash. There are many things you may do while camping that you wouldn’t think leave a big impact. Carving into a tree, for example, can prematurely expose the wood to diseases, eventually killing it. Using sunscreen or bug-spray can introduce harmful chemicals into the air, which could harm the wildlife; same goes for soaps in bodies of water. Even building campfires makes the quality of the soil deteriorate, and obviously are a fire hazard, so be very careful with fire building and its location.

All this being said, do not be discouraged from going and enjoying all the outdoors has to offer. Don’t bring so much stuff camping, fishing, or some other outdoor activity so that you will be distracted from the very thing you came out to do. Enjoy where you are at the moment, and never take being outside for granted. Keep in mind we are here to reap the fruits (literally and figuratively) of nature, as long as we do our part to sew the right seeds so future generations will be able to enjoy a beautiful Earth, not one where you can’t see the stars or breathe the fresh air, which unfortunately is the track we are currently on; sustainability is not just about recycling some bottles, it’s about keeping the world as clean and conserved as we can, one act at a time.

 

 

 

Emsheimer, Ella. “Unexpected Ways We Harm the Environment While Camping.” RV LIFE, 17 Aug. 2021, https://rvlife.com/environment-harm/.

There are multiple reasons as to why I decided to focus my blog on sustainable transportation. My interest in the subject was originally piqued when me and two fellow Greenbelters, Evan Hucke and Campbell Lomel, embarked on our yearlong Greenbelt Cookbook project. I have no skill in the cooking department, so my work centered around driving to grocery stores around the Greenville/Travelers Rest area, in order to see which locations were of the highest quality, cheapest, and most accessible. That made me wonder: is what I’m doing actually sustainable? Every one of us sustainability-minded folk has that existential crisis. It’s just part of learning about what possible mistakes you’re making in your quest to live more sustainably. It’s no secret that the United States’ infrastructure system has been built to be car-dependent, and I had actually been interested in looking into that for a while. Most of us have to use a car to complete many activities throughout the day, such as going grocery shopping. This is especially true for those of us living on a college campus. Anyways, that’s a lot of reasoning behind just one of the causes of me writing about sustainable transportation. Phew! The other reason is because my car has since broken down, and it is currently under repair at a shop. Let’s jump right in!

 

Living without using a car at college is not new to me. In fact, I had chosen to use my car minimally as part of my Lifestyle Change project earlier in the semester. I just didn’t expect that part of the challenge to become my actual life. Gone is the luxury of being able to drive anywhere on campus because I don’t feel like leaving my cabin earlier to walk. The prospect of going on a Cookout run, even, is a distant memory. Since I’ve lost my car, I’ve been forced to think a lot more about what sustainable alternatives (or just any alternatives) are.

 

Walking

Walking is sort of a no-brainer here. It will always be the most sustainable mode of transportation, and we as humans have relied on that for millennia. While walking might take the longest time to get from Point A to Point B, that leaves other opportunities to be explored. Walking gives me more time to enjoy the outdoors or listen to music while on the go. Many Furman students and campus visitors alike enjoy going on a lake walk. I know this for a fact as I see someone walking nearly every time I leave Greenbelt. According to healthline.com, walking has many physical and mental health benefits, including burning calories, boosting immune function, and clearing your head.

Bicycle

Another common sustainable alternative is to go about by bicycle. Obviously, biking everywhere is easier than walking in terms of accessibility. Most people probably wouldn’t want to spend the entire day walking to Swamp Rabbit Cafe, as an example, but it is quite enjoyable to bike there. It is also relatively easy to learn to ride a bicycle. Although a bike can be difficult to maintain, it is still a strong sustainable alternative to driving. Biking, just like every other sustainable alternative to driving, is a great choice because no nonrenewable are burned and it reduces air pollution, per biofriendlyplanet.com.

Skateboard

My personal favorite alternative to driving: skateboarding. Essentially a scooter with no handlebars, a good longboard can take me from Greenbelt to Plyler Hall in just five minutes– going uphill. Skateboarding is not as accessible as riding a bicycle, but it requires less maintenance. It is also the least safe mode of transportation of the three; going on a steep downhill on a skateboard is not recommended. For those that are just starting out on a board, I would suggest wearing a helmet and/or knee and shoulder pads. According to sustainability-times.com, “manufacturing skateboards uses fewer materials than manufacturing bikes, and if its techniques are mastered, skateboarding can be faster than commuting on a bicycle.”

 

So, which of these three alternatives is the best? That’s the best part of it, you can decide– or even come up with another alternative! I have not been able to drive for a while, and the thought of driving to the music building or to get dinner is in the rearview mirror. Get out there and see which sustainable alternative to driving is the best for you!

 

Works Cited

Walking

Biking

Skateboarding

When hearing about pollution, one typically thinks about air, water, and land. However, there are other types that are impactful and not as talked about. One of these types is light pollution. Although artificial light has been a great and impactful invention, we produce a lot of waste.  The misuse of artificial light impacts the environment both directly and indirectly. This has impacts on the environment, economy, and ecosystems.

Light pollution can be divided into four components. First there is glare which is “excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort” (darksky). There is also skyglow: “brightening of the night sky over inhabited areas” (darksky). Another aspect is light trespass which is “light falling where it is not intended or need” (darksky). Last, there is clutter, which is “bright, confusing, and excessive groupings of light sources” (darksky). These four types combine to make it harder to see the night sky. This impacts not only humans, but wildlife.

Artificial lighting creates a lot of waste and harm; economically, environmentally, and is even dangerous to health. Poorly managed outdoor lighting wastes about $10 per U.S. citizen. In regard to the environment, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted to power outdoor lighting is the same as 3 million passenger cars (darksky). Along with need massive amounts of carbon dioxide, artificial light messes up body patterns in animals and humans. This includes the circadian rhythm which helps regulate our sleeping pattern. “An increasing amount of light at night lower melatonin production, which results in sleep deprivation, fatigue, headaches, stress, anxiety, and other health problems” (natgeo). Light pollution blocks moonlight which hinders the migratory patterns of birds, sea turtles, and other animals. This causes them to lose sense of direction and possibly die.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using certain lightbulbs also have an impact on energy efficiency and sustainability. There are three main types of light bulbs: incandescent, CFL (Compact Fluorescent), and LED (Light-emitting Diodes). Incandescent bulbs are the most wasteful, in fact, generating heat is “90% of their output” (onecommunityglobal). This heat can also heat up one’s residence, increasing the air conditioning bill (as well as greenhouse gas emissions).  CFLs use 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last 10,000 hours (10 times longer). However, they are not the most efficient light bulb. That title belongs to the LEDs. They can last 50,000 hours and emit little (if any) heat. The only downside is that they can be more expensive ($5, vs. $2 and $1 in CFLs and LEDs, respectively).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the cabins, we have several amenities in order to limit light usage and pollution. The bathrooms have special sun lights so that we do not have to turn any artificial lighting on until at night. They do a great job of lighting up the room, so that it even works in the evening. We also have LED-strips around the common area, so that we do not have to use the other lights at night. However, there are some issues with artificial lighting and living in a dorm. Since we do not pay the electricity bill, students may be prone to leaving their lights on without a care. These are indoor lights so they do not severely impact light pollution, but this still burns fossil fuels, wastes money, and can contribute to some light pollution. I usually turn off my own lights in my room, but I can be guilty of not turning lights off in the common area. However, I have gotten better about it. If there is no one in the common area and I am leaving it, I will make sure to turn the main lights off.

Light pollution is a lesser known but harmful detriment to the environment. It directly harms human health, natural habitats, and stops us from enjoying the beauty of the night sky. Indirectly, too much light usage uses up more fossil fuels and drives up energy costs. By making sure to use sustainable light bulbs, improving natural lighting, and turning off lights when not in use, humans can live a healthier and more sustainable life.

LED Light Bulbs: Comparison Charts | Eartheasy Guides & Articles

Light Bulb Buying Guide: How to Choose LEDs, CFLs – Even WiFi Smart Lights | HGTV

Light Pollution | National Geographic Society

Light Pollution: The Overuse & Misuse of Artificial Light at Night – JMU

Light Pollution Wastes Energy and Money – International Dark-Sky Association (darksky.org)

Most Sustainable Lightbulbs & Light Bulb Companies Research & Savings (onecommunityglobal.org)

By Georgia Whiteside

This set of photography is titled Plastic’s Chokehold and features different images of nature entangled by sheets of thin plastic.

Photographs by Georgia Whiteside

These images are intended to be an emotional, visual, representation of the American Chemical Society ‘s Article Degradation Rates of Plastics in the Environment written by Ali Chamas, Hyunjin Moon, Jiajia Zheng, Yang Qiu, Tarnuma Tabassum, Jun Hee Jang, Mahdi Abu-Omar, Susannah L. Scott, and Sangwon Suh.

Their specific data can be found below:

“Figure 8. Specific surface degradation rates for various plastics, in μm year–1. Vertical columns represent different environmental conditions (L, landfill/compost/soil; M, marine; B, biological; S, sunlight) and plastics types (represented by their resin identification codes). Plastics type 7, “others”, corresponds to various nominally biodegradable plastics. The range and average value for plastics types 1–6 are shown on the right as lines and squares, respectively, as well as for biodegradable “others”. Data points representing degradation rates that were unmeasurably slow are shown on the x-axis. Gray columns represent combinations for which no data were found.” Feb 3, 2020. (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b06635)

 

To summarize this article there are varying points at which plastic is unsustained in our environment and chemically unable to break down.  Leaving varying chemical compounds littered in nature.  These images are intended to invoke the feeling of disbelief and struggle accosted with this fact. That there is a constant power dynamic between the compounds we find in our environment and the compounds we it litter with. And how one is suffocating the other. These images are a struggle that needs a harsh light shown on it. My hope is that the juxtaposition shows just how incompatible these two forces are, and why they should not be so intertwined. As one corrodes and suffocates the other, we must do our best to prevent further harm done by litter in our environment and advocate for change.