Three of the largest plastic bag companies filed a lawsuit against ChicoBag, a California based company that makes reusable bags, in June under the claim that ChicoBag was causing the companies “irreparable harm.” The companies claimed that ChicoBag was lying on their webpage about the amount of plastic bags recycled and the negative impacts of single use plastic bags (including ocean pollution).

The most shocking part of the lawsuit was that ChicoBag’s information was from “widely accepted third party statistics regarding the impact of single-use plastic bags” (according to their press release) — including information from the EPA. It was not so much about the company itself, but rather the growing awareness and distaste for single use plastic bag waste.

In a true David versus Goliath battle, two of the companies eventually pulled out of the lawsuit and the remaining company, Hilex Poly, agreed to settle. Part of what really made the lawsuit turn toward ChicoBag’s side was the signatures that environmental agencies collected on their behalf including Care2, Surfrider Foundation, Heal the Bay, Earth Resources Foundation, Environmental Working Group, and Green Cities California. Without support from average citizens the lawsuit may not have turned out the way it did.

The end results were that:
– ChicoBag updated their facts page
– Both parties will post citations and dates for all of the facts and statistics they post on their labels, websites, or advertising
– Hilex Poly will put “Tie Bag in Knot Before Disposal” on all of the bags they manufacture
– Hilex will discuss ways to prevent windblown plastic bag litter on their website

I know that none of the results were earth-shattering, but the lawsuit in itself proved to be thought provoking and informative in itself. It is a good reminder that we need to stand behind the small companies who have the courage and the knowledge to try to make a difference for the better, and it proves that when citizens band together and take a stand (even with online signatures) they can make a difference.

For more information check out:
The New York Times
ChicoBag
Care2

Instead of having to figure out how to decorate your dorm room (or any other space) on your own I decided to do as much research as a I could stand, but the more I googled ways to decorate dorm rooms the more disturbed I became. People suggested some weird things that were neither attractive nor environmentally friendly. Instead I am going to give vague ideas for sustainable dorm decorations that may or may not be helpful (but that are more helpful than anything I could find).

1. Decorate with things you love: I am sure this one is obvious, but it doesn’t have to be. I love to read, so last year I bought a collection of post cards that are book covers. They make boring white walls more interesting and they remind me of all of the things I wish I was reading.

2. Pictures of friends and family: It seems like when people go off to college (or even decorate their homes) they only take a few pictures in frames. It’s not practical in a dorm room to have frames, and finding creative ways to place pictures around your room is way more interesting anyways. Try making a collage, posting them up to create a pattern or a larger picture, hang them on a piece of wire as if they were on a “clothesline” with pins, or just blue tape them where you like. I like to put up my pictures so they are all evenly spaced and create a square — it looks like they are framed by each other and the white space around them. I also like to create “bulletin boards” with wrapping paper — you can tape your pictures to them and put one anywhere.

3. Put up cork boards and white boards: Not only are they great to keep yourself organized, they can also add a personal touch and a more homey feel.

4. Avoid non-useful items: (this one is mostly for dorms) It is frustrating to have to move items that you will not use, let alone trying to live around them in a small space. I know you love your stuffed animals and other items that remind you of home, but maybe they could spend another year at home without you.

5. Stick to a color family: It is easier to make a space look less like a prison if you only use 1 color family to decorate (I would avoid orange and gray or you may make it look more like a prison). Having bedding match other small items in your room (such as a lamp, rug, or towels),  makes your room look more put together.

6. Bring your own light: Using the florescent ceiling lighting creates a harsh, sterile light. Using lamps with CFL bulbs are a perfect solution to making your lighting more comfortable. My roommate and I rarely ever turned on our overhead light last year and people were constantly walking down the hallway telling us how “homey” and “cozy” our room was.

7. Organize: The more organized your room is the more you will be productive and comfortable. Your desk is an excellent place to start (or if you have already moved in, perhaps your floor).

8. Put things away: One thing I never understand is when people leave everything out on their counters and their cabinets are completely empty. Putting everything away gives you more room and makes your dorm look less like you exploded in it.

9. Reuse objects to fill a need: Reusing objects to make something you need is a not only a great way to save money, but also to add some individuality to your room. One year I used an iced tea bottle as a vase. There are endless things you can reuse either to organize or decorate.

I took my first load of stuff to my new apartment today. After moving in and sorting all of the things I had to recycle or throw away, I was shocked by the poor sorting and recycling in our outdoor waste area (dumpsters for trash and recycling). There was cardboard and plastics filling the trash and plastic sheets and bags in the recycling.

In my apartment the trashcan was full of paper and cardboard, and the recycling had non-recyclable plastics, plastic bags, and just plain trash in it. I do not understand not only how my own roommates do not know what can and cannot be recycled in our area, let alone all of the other students in my complex.

It appears that we need even more education; however, its not like Santa Clara University has not tried. There are posters in our waste areas and stickers on our trash and recycling cans in our rooms that depict what can go in them. It really makes me wonder not only what more can be done, but also if people outside of college campuses do not properly sort their waste as well.

What if all of the plastic water bottles we created could be turned back into crude oil? Vadxx, an energy company based out of Ohio has been asking the same thing and seeing what they can do about it.

According to GOOD.is the company is taking plastics (even ones that cannot be recycled) and reverting them back to crude oil, the material state they came from:

“‘Plastics are made from oil, and Vadxx has figured out how to create the lowest sulfur content crude oil in the word, from a commodity that might otherwise occupy space in landfills,’ Vadxx CEO Jim Garret said in a press statement.”

Sometimes when I hear statistics they tend to go right over my head. Large numbers can be incredibly powerful if we can truly grasp their enormity. Chris Jordan creates pictures that emphasize statistics of cultural problems, including the amount of plastic water bottles we use. His work gives meaning to numbers that otherwise go unnoticed and misunderstood. This short clip of a presentation he did from TED highlights some major social problems we are currently facing (including environmental ones) and explains how and why he made the pieces the did.

As move-in day gets closer and closer for me all I think about and dream about is moving in. I have nightmares that my place isn’t ready, I forget to pack the most important things, or other moving catastrophes happen. Even though students on the semester system have already moved in, quarter system students and countless other people will be moving soon, especially if you are in your 20’s where there is a 1 in 3 chance you will move this year.

Tips and tricks for moving:

1. Get your friends to help you move.

Whether you barter your own time and help when it’s time for your friend to move, bribe with food (or other shiny things), or give away the things you weren’t planning on moving anyways, it should not be too hard to find a few willing people to help. (I also recommend getting family to help, they typically feel obligated and do not require as much begging and bribing.)

2. Pack all of your stuff in advance.

I once helped family friend’s move out of their house and into their new place in a hurry. They had found out the day before that their home had sold and they had until the next day to move into their new home. We were shoving items into cars and taking armfuls of things at a time. Not only was the move ridiculously stressful, once they got to their new place they faced the frustration of not knowing where anything was and having it all jumbled into a huge mess. Avoid the disaster of last minute packing  (or should I say shoving) and start packing at least a week before you move. I recommend packing a few boxes every day for a few weeks before you move.

3. Pack according to where items need to end up.

Group objects from the same location together to make unpacking that much easier (for example put your stuff for your kitchen in the same boxes and do not mix them with things from your living room or bedroom).

4. Label your boxes.

At a bare minimum put the general locations of where they need to go on the outside (bedroom, kitchen, ect.). It would be even better if you could put what is in the box as well as where it needs to go so you do not have to dig through every box to find what you are looking for. If you are incredibly organized you can give specific directions for each box so it can be placed and unpacked easily by anyone. For example say what is in the box and exactly where it should go (bookshelf by the door, cabinet under the sink, ect.).

5. Pack the car or truck according to where things will end up.

In my new place I have to walk up a flight of outdoor stairs to the front door and my room is up another flight of stairs inside. I am putting all of the boxes that go to my room in the car last because I know that I will not want to drag all of those items up both flights of stairs at the end of the day. I am going to instead move them when I have the most energy and I’m not completely irritated with moving yet. It also makes it easier to get things out of the car quickly because numerous things will go to the same location at once and there will not be wasted time trying to figure out where each box should go.

6. Downsize!

Get rid of all of the items you don’t really need. It’s not worth it to lug around extraneous items from move to move for the next few years until it ends up shoved in a garage or closet somewhere for the next 10 years. Do your future self and your friends’ backs a favor, sell or donate unnecessary items.

7. Never buy boxes.

Why waste money on something that is so easy to get for free? Boxes at moving and home improvement stores are incredibly expensive, especially because you can save boxes or get them for free from stores around you. You would also be reusing a valuable resource.

As my summer is rapidly coming to a close I am marathoning all of the books I have set aside to read this summer (16 books in 4 weeks is what I am trying to achieve). One of those books on my long list was Cradle to Cradle by William Mcdonough and Michael Braungart. Cradle to Cradle is about changing our worldwide reliance on cradle to grave systems — systems that do not consider the use or disposal of the product and the materials it took to make it once the consumer is done with it. They show how to get waste to equal food for our systems, both technical (consumer goods) and natural systems (soil building, water quality, ect.). It is about “remaking the way we make things.”

The book itself is a testimony for everything they write about in the book. It is made of plastic (eeek, I know, that word gives me the chills, but it gets better) that should not leach chemicals and can be endlessly remade into other books (or other items made out of the same material). This means that trees will not have to be harmed and the plastic will not end up being downcycled or spending eternity in our landfills. The pages themselves are nearly indestructible. If you hate it when pages get folded or the cover wrinkles, or you ruin books with water or other terrible tragedies, this is the perfect media for your reading pleasure. They considered everything from the “paper”, ink, glue, and end of life of the materials.

I feel bad admitting this, but overall I thought the book left me wanting more. The examples they wrote about in each chapter were interesting, but the rest was a bit too technical for me without giving more general real-world explanations or suggestions. It left me wondering how I, as a consumer instead of a chemist, company owner, or designer, could make a difference in our cradle to grave lifestyle. However, Cradle to Cradle made me see the opportunities new design and ingenuity can create and the potential we have to completely change the way we view consumer goods and their relation to our natural environment. It also made me consider a few things in different ways, and I underlined quite a few things that may end up on here soon too (or in my next term paper : ) ).

For anyone who wants to know more about our manufacturing system of cradle to grave items, this book will be interesting and informative. I would also recommend it for other students who would like an extra text to refer to in class to impress teachers : ). For anyone interested in design, this books is a must.

We had a great time on the water and I personally had a blast water skiing (until I got a little too comfortable and had to be reminded that I have no idea what I’m doing by two nasty wipeouts (I’m still feeling the last one).

What we did to make our daycation as sustainable as possible:
– Pack it in, pack it out: Every single item we brought to the lake we took back with us.
– We brought separate bags for compost, trash, and recycling. That way we didn’t have to dig through food scraps to sort our trash when we got home.
– We used silverware and reusable containers to hold all of our food.
– We only brought drinks in reusable water bottles and glass bottles.
– Used eco-friendly sunscreens.
– Wore sun protective clothing.
– Made all of our food from scratch at home (including local produce).
– Carpooled.