Sustainability for students

Green Living is Living Sustainably

SustainabilityMeeting the needs of the present without compromising the

ability of future generations to meet

their own needs.

Tip of the iceberg.

Real Cost of GoodsProduct Stewardship

The Natural Step Framework

It’s all about Stuff.Skeen Family - Pearland, TexasPhotograph © 2004 Peter Menzel/menzelphoto.com

Not pictured:•refrigerator-freezer• camcorder• woodworking tools• computer• glass butterfly collection• trampoline• fishing equipment• rifles for deer hunting•among other things

The U.S. has 5% of the world’s population, but uses 30% of its resources.

The $ on the price tag reflects direct costs -- labor & materials.

The $ on the price tag does NOT include the hidden costs.

It takes 1.8 tons of raw materials—including fossil fuels, water and metal ores—to manufacture a desktop PC and monitor.Source: 2004 United Nations University Study [Smithsonian Magazine, August 2005]

It’s one thing to have all these hazardous materials in our computers.

Source: Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition/Electronics Take Back Campaign, 2008 [“The Story of Stuff,” by Annie Leonard]

You should also look at how those chemicals are released into the environment …and into humans!Source: “The Story of Stuff,” by Annie Leonard

Another study looked into their supply chain -- the manufacturers who supply the components that make up a computer -- in China, Mexico, the Philippines and Thailand.Source: “The Story of Stuff,” by Annie Leonard

In 2006, one computer manufacturer received a high ranking in Greenpeace’s “Guide to Green Electronics.”

Source: “The Story of Stuff,” by Annie Leonard

• working conditions that were dangerous, degrading and abusive

• excessive working hours and forced overtime

• illegally low wages and unpaid overtime

• and more.The Chinese workers in this photo make 55¢ an hour.

Source: Impact Lab, April 17, 2010

Lastly, we must consider the disposal of computers and how they can continue to harm the environment.“The Story of Stuff,” by Annie Leonard

Wenling, Zhejiang Province, ChinaSource: Greenpeace.org

Guiyu, ChinaSource: Basel Action Network, 2008.

Partial Solution:Product Stewardship

Graphic: California Product Stewardship Council

Developed in 1989, the TNS Framework builds on the basic understanding of what

makes life possible, how our biosphere functions and how we are part of the

earth’s natural systems.

1. Eliminate fossil fuel dependence and wasteful use of scarce metals and minerals.

Reduce mining and use of substances from earth’s crust: • heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, mercury, • minerals such as phosphorus• fossil fuels

These substances and their emissions (CO2 and NOx) are steadily increasing in human society and nature.

Samarco Alegria Iron Ore mine in Brazil . Mining operations began in 1992. 8.5 million tons of iron ore was mined in 2008.

2. Eliminate dependence upon persistent chemicals and wasteful use of synthetic substances.

• Humans are manufacturing synthetic substances faster than they can be broken down. • EPA lists more than 70,000 chemicals that are in common use.• Every U.S. citizen’s fatty tissue contains at least 700 chemical contaminants, according to EPA.

3. Eliminate encroachment upon nature – land, water, wildlife, forests, soil, ecosystems.

• Human activity is breaking down natural systems faster than they can renew themselves.• Nearly one-half of the Earth’s original forest cover has been lost.• Demand for fresh water exceeds the world’s supply by 17 percent.

4. Meet human needs fairly and efficiently.

• If people around the world cannot meet their basic human needs (air, water, food, shelter), the first three system conditions will not be met.• Within our businesses & communities, our needs include:

• a means of a livelihood • mobility• equal treatment • equal access• participation in decisions • safety• right to peaceful enjoyment of life• connection with nature

Real Cost of GoodsProduct Stewardship

The Natural Step Framework

Learn More“The Story of Stuff” by Annie Leonard

“Cradle to Cradle” by William McDonough & Michael Braungart

“Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic”by John De Graff, David Wann & Thomas H. Naylor

“Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What’s at Stake for American Power”

by Mark Schapiro

“Confessions of an Eco-Sinner: Tracking Down the Sources of My Stuff”

by Fred Pearce

Lori De La Cruz, ABCPrincipal

Blue Marble Media, LLCwww.BlueMarbleMedia.net