Sustainable Living

Welcome

Welcome to the Sustainable Living blog. I'd love to hear from you:  Questions?  Ideas?  What are you doing to conserve and be more sustainable?  What topics would you like to see discussed in the Dispatch's Sustainable Living column? 

Holiday Green Up

It’s that time of year again!  To get in the holiday spirit, I’ve compiled the following list of ten environmentally friendly ways to make your holidays greener. 

1.      Deck the halls with LEDs.  Keep your utility bill down while doing the right thing for the environment. LED (light emitting diode) holiday lights are super energy-efficient. In fact, they use up to 96 percent less energy than standard holiday lights and last 100 times longer. And whatever lights you have, using timers and shortening the time your lights are on will save energy and money too.

2.      Homemade decor.  The most beautiful, authentic, and eco-friendly decorations are right outside your front door -- for free. You can also create your own holiday decorations using ornaments made from cookie dough, garlands made from strung popcorn or cranberries, wreaths made from greens and seasonal fruits, and potpourri made from kitchen spices such as cinnamon and cloves.  Decorate with edibles such as bowls of nuts or fruits, colorful squash, pomegranates to create a festive look that’s useful – and healthful – as well.   

Did you know that approximately 33 million cut Christmas trees are sold in North America every year? After the holidays, be sure to recycle your tree instead of sending it to a landfill. In San Juan our trash service collects your tree curbside and turns it into mulch. Alternatively, you could use an artificial tree, or buy a potted live tree and plant it after the holidays.

3.      Think lasting, not disposable. Paper holiday napkins, tablecloths, plates and utensils offer convenience, but waste resources. By investing in attractive, more environmentally responsible alternatives, you help save trees, avoid the need for repeat shopping trips to restock your supplies and – over the long term – actually save money too. Companies that specialize in organic and sustainable items include VivaTerra (http://www.vivaterra.com), and Novica (http://www.novica.com ).

4.      Green gifting.  Many presents bought at holiday time are purchased on the spur of the moment or without considering long term use. Think beyond the instant of its opening to what will become of the gift in a few weeks or months.  Buy secondhand at flea markets, antique jewelry and vintage shops.  Homemade jams or chutneys, baked items, seasoned nuts, or even just a hand designed card with a poem in it create meaningful memories. When buying new products, check product labels to determine an item's recyclability and whether it is made from recycled materials. Buying recycled encourages manufacturers to make more recycled content products available.  Help our local merchants by giving gift certificates from a local restaurant, shop or other local service. Spread the word about protecting our planet's diversity and helping those in underserved areas buy supporting non-profits that have sponsorship programs: World Wildlife Fund (http://www.wwf.org) and Heifer International (http://www.heifer.org) are two organizations to check out. 

5.      Buy rechargeable batteries.  About 40 percent of all battery sales occur during the holiday season. Buy rechargeable batteries to accompany your electronic gifts along with a battery charger. Rechargeable batteries reduce the amount of potentially harmful materials thrown away, and save money in the long run.

6.      Wrap it up.  Over the holidays the amount of household garbage we generate increases 25%, from 4 million tons to 5 million tons per week! Saving and reusing gift-wrapping paper reduces waste and saves money – you can gently press old wrapping paper to unwrinkle and use again, add fresh double-sided tape or glue to make last year’s ribbons and bows sticky again.  Be creative and wrap presents in the Sunday comics, maps, sheet music, your child's artwork (Grandma will love it!) or other decorative paper – all at no additional cost. Use gift bags, boxes, baskets, or tins that can be reused again and again instead of throwaway wrappings. Or wrap a gift in a colorful scarf or festive dishtowel, which then becomes part of the present.  If you must wrap your gifts with holiday paper, buy recycled wrapping paper and bags.

7.      Make your greetings green.  The U.S. Postal Service will deliver 20 billion cards, letters, and packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve this year. Nearly 300,000 trees will need to be harvested to produce all the holiday cards sold this season – enough to fill a football field 10 stories high! That's not just a lot of virgin paper either – think of all the resources used to move all that mail.  Save money, time, and trees by considering sending e-cards instead. There are many web sites where you can send virtual cards for free.  If you're set on sending out traditional cards, opt for 100% recycled to reduce the amount of virgin paper used during the holidays. Remember to recycle any paper cards you receive.

8.      Holiday entertaining.  An organic potluck dinner party provides the perfect setting for an evening of food, fun, and celebration – and it's easy on the wallet and environment too. Ask each guest to bring a dish, but give them a challenge: use as many locally grown organic ingredients as possible. Buying locally grown foods means that fewer resources were used to transport it to the market, and it's fresher and healthier for you.  Use more candles to set a nice glow and ambiance, and turn off some lights. Don't throw away the leftovers either. Instead, donate what you don't eat to your local food bank or homeless shelter.

9.      Travel green.  The American Automobile Association estimates that 65 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles over the holidays. Ninety-one percent of the travel will be done by car.  If you're among these travelers, make sure your car is tuned before you leave. A well-tuned car with properly inflated tires burns less gas, which means you'll get more miles for your money and emit less pollution into the air.  If you are planning on travelling by air, offsetting your carbon emissions is one good way of compensating for the amount of CO2 that your journey will generate. You can buy carbon offsets at TerraPass (http://www.terrapass.com), which will calculate how much you need to pay to offset your emissions and then donate the money to sustainable projects across the world that counter the effects of CO2 emissions.

10.  Last but not least ...  Don’t forget your reusable cloth bags you use for grocery shopping when you head out for your holiday shopping errands.  Thousands of plastic bags end up in landfills (or worse as litter) every year.  I bet you can generate a few other ideas among your friends and family – get creative and let me know what you come up with.  Have a happy, healthy, and green holiday season!

 

Talkin’ Trash

When you throw something away, where is the “away”?  As our population increases, and we seek to find solutions to age old problems, we are finding that there really is no more “away”.  We need to rethink everything from how products are designed with an end-of-life reuse plan in mind, to creative ways to reuse, recycle, and reduce waste in our everyday lives. 

This idea of “zero waste” is catching on.  How difficult would it be for you to reduce your trash to zero waste?  Well, you’d have to start aggressively recycling.  That includes paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, aluminum, tin, even fabric, plastic toys, and clothes hangers.  The old adage says, “When in doubt, recycle it.” After you’ve put food waste in your yard waste bin (or the compost pile in your garden), you are pretty darn close to achieving zero waste. (Did you know that businesses in San Juan that use a recycling bin, get a reduced rate vs. those that comingle?)

After you’ve recycled everything that can be, think about how you can reduce what’s left.  You can use sponges, cloth wipes and handkerchiefs (remember those?) instead of paper products.  With the holidays around the corner – waste can go up as much as 25% during the holidays – get creative with wrapping and giving gifts.  Instead of buying expensive wrapping paper, use the comics, fabric scraps, and other items that might otherwise be thrown out.  And get in the habit of using rechargeable batteries – they are more expensive to buy than regular batteries, but are much cheaper over their lifetime.   These tips will save you money and our landfills.    

Now that you’ve put your trash and recyclables in their appropriate cart or bin, do you ever wonder what happens to it when it leaves your curb?  Our waste is processed by CR&R whose trucks take our recycling to a state of the art recycling facility off Ortega Highway.  Everything is sorted:  tin and metal are removed with overhead magnets, plastics, cardboard, mixed paper and glass are sorted into separate carts, and the newspaper that is left on the conveyor belt is gathered into its own bin.  These now become products that are sold to paper manufacturers, beer producers, fiberglass companies and others who can reuse these materials.  Our green waste is mulched and turned into compost that is used to augment soil for local farmers and also distributed to residents who can redeem coupons for compost bags at select times during the year.

Our trash is taken to Prima Deshecha landfill off La Pata.  This is a large landfill, but it will one day reach its capacity.  And when that happens, we will need to find a new place to bury our trash.  As one of the cities who has achieved a high 70% “diversion rate” (everything that doesn’t go to landfill), San Juan is doing a good job to reduce waste.  But we can always to better.  Next time you go to throw something “away” think about how it could be reused, recycled or reduced.  And spread the word to your friends and neighbors – talkin’ trash is good for our community.

Interview with “Mr. Environment” Ziad Mazboudi

We are very fortunate to have our own Environmental Manager on staff in San Juan.  Ziad Mazboudi is the Environmental Division Manager for the City and hails from Lebanon, where he graduated from the American University of Beirut with a BS in Civil Engineering.  After working for several years in the private sector in construction management, Ziad moved to the public sector, working for 2 other southern California cities before joining the City of San Juan Capistrano in 2002 to manage the environmental division.  In this role Ziad oversees all things environmental as it relates to city operations and education of residents.  I wanted to learn more about what San Juan is doing to support environmental sustainability, so I sat down with Ziad recently to ask him a few questions.

 

How did you get started in being a steward for the environment?

Growing up in Lebanon, I used to scuba dive a lot. I always had skin rashes, that were a result of the pollutants dumped in the water. At the time, I didn’t know the details, but knew that something needed to be done to prevent the public from getting sick.  When I studied civil/environmental engineering, I learned more and more about the impact of pollution on the sea, our drinking water sources, and the air, and I pledged to try to do something about it.

 

Why does the City feel this is an important area to invest in?

For one, the US laws require the City to implement programs to protect the water of the US, including creeks, rivers and the ocean.  Another reason is that the City has drinking water wells that we need to protect so we don’t pollute as we serve the public.  A clean city is the pride and joy of our residents and the tourists who visit us, so we take pride in trying to keep our city as clean as can be, and educating the public and businesses on the importance of this matter.  From the financial side, if the beaches are closed due to high levels of pollution, then beach goers won’t be coming our way, and this will have an impact on our businesses.  So we educate our businesses -- especially food facilities -- on the importance of implementing best management practices to prevent pollutants from reaching our waterways. 

 

What types of environmental programs have been implemented under your leadership?

I have been blessed with the support of our City Council who believes in the importance of protecting the environment.  In 2007 the City adopted a Sustainability Charter that stresses the importance of protecting the environment in all decisions made.  With these guiding principles, we have implemented some unique programs in our City, such as plastic bag recycling and horseshoe recycling.  We have banned polystyrene foam from city facilities and city events and developed a “Reuse San Juan Capistrano” directory to help our residents identify reuse opportunities.  We have also implemented the first Green Building program in South Orange County. There are many more programs available on the city’s website at www.sanjuancapistrano.org under the environmental page.

 

What are you most proud of?  

I am most proud of our recycling diversion efforts as we have reached 70% diversion after being in the 30% range just 6 years ago. Under AB 939 every city in California is required to divert 50% of its solid waste away from landfill by recycling.  Failure to meet this state mandate could lead to fines.  San Juan’s success was the result of many innovative programs and partnerships with the public and businesses, and has led to the City being recognized as a leader on the recycling front by the state and other groups.

 

Is the City receiving any state or federal funding in support of our local environmental efforts?

The City receives funds from the federal government through the State to implement energy conservation programs.  In addition, the City has partnered with SDG&E to implement incandescent bulb collection and CFL distribution and collection programs.  We have also collected incandescent Christmas lights in exchange for LED lights.  We also applied for a county grant for the distribution of battery chargers and rechargeable batteries.

 

Has the City set baselines or goals to mitigate the effects of climate change?

The City has not developed an assessment of the impact of climate change on San Juan Capistrano, but we are working on various elements to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG), such as reducing traffic congestion, working closely with SDG&E on energy conservation programs, and even increasing the purchase of hybrids in our fleet.  We have also been educating the public, businesses and HOAs on water conservation measures, which also contribute to energy conservation as water pumping to southern California is one of the largest energy uses in California.  Although we have not developed a formal program or set reduction goals, we will be starting a greenhouse gas inventory for compliance with AB 32 and other related regulations.

 

What foundations are being put in place now that will help future generations of SJC residents?

The sustainability charter is one of the most important foundations that we are building upon.  In addition, we have been investing heavily in educating our youth through various educational programs, in partnership with the Capistrano Unified School District, the Ocean Institute, the Boys and Girls Club and The Ecology Center.  It is very important for the City to partner with groups who share the same vision and care for the environment.

 

In closing, what do you want every San Juan resident to know about?

Our environment is part of our sustainability, and we must protect it so we can continue to enjoy what is most valuable for us in San Juan Capistrano.  By recycling, conserving water and energy, and not littering, we can all take part in simple things that keep our city beautiful and our environment clean.

Living With Less Water

By Kate Roberts

Can you imagine a world where there are wars over water?  Where scarce water resources are the subject of intense competition that frequently erupts into violence?  According to the recent EU report “Climate Change and International Security”, this is not merely science fiction: “… widespread shortages of water … and prolonged droughts could lead to increasingly hostile competition between states around the world for dwindling water resources”.  The availability and access to water will play a growing role on the world stage as demand grows from booming populations, and the impacts of climate change are increasingly felt.

Here in California, following three straight years of below average rainfall, very low snowmelt runoff and the largest court-ordered water transfer restrictions in state history, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proclaimed a statewide drought and issued an Executive Order, where numerous California communities are being forced to mandate water conservation or rationing. The lack of water has created other problems, such as extreme fire danger due to dry conditions, economic harm to urban and rural communities, loss of crops and the potential to degrade water quality in some regions.  There may soon be legislation that would require a 20 percent reduction in per capita water use by 2020.  Given the importance of the Delta and its deteriorating ecosystem, Governor Schwarzenegger is also pushing to finalize a comprehensive package of Delta-related legislation. 

In San Juan, most of our water is provided by the Metropolitan Water District whose water is imported from the Colorado River, which has experienced drought conditions for eight of the last nine years.  Metropolitan also imports water from northern California across the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta via the State Water Project, but a federal court has curtailed these water deliveries due to environmental factors in the Delta.  For these reasons, last month Metropolitan implemented a Water Supply Allocation Plan which initiated mandatory conservation throughout southern California.

In addition to imported water, San Juan is also supplied with treated water from the Ground Water Recovery Plant and potable production wells located in the northern portion of the City.  One of these wells has been shut down due to MTBE contamination, but additional wells are being added to further augment our local water supply.  Looking forward, the City is one of several partners involved in the Upper Chiquita Reservoir, a new emergency water storage facility planned for completion in December 2010.  The reservoir will provide South County water agencies with up to 244 million gallons of emergency drinking water – enough to supply more than 168,000 local families with 200 gallons of water per day for one week in the event of a regional or statewide water service disruption.

Our water situation is serious.  Here in the “dog days” of summer, when winter and spring rains are a distant memory, we must be extra vigilant in conserving water.  According to Francie Kennedy, the City’s Water Conservation Coordinator, “Water waste and overuse must now be a thing of the past.  It is time to become efficient and make conscious choices about how we use water”. 

San Juan Capistrano is in Stage 1 Water Conservation which mandates water conservation efforts by all citizens, including:

·        Mandatory repair of plumbing, sprinkler and irrigation systems  (This can save as much as 500 gallons a month.)

·        No lawn or landscaping watering between the hours 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM  (This can save 25 gallons or more per day.)

·        Minimize irrigation overspray and/or excess runoff onto impervious surfaces

·        Do not use water to clean any sidewalk, driveway, or other outdoor hard surfaced area  (Use a broom instead, and save 150 gallons each time.)

Here are other ways you can save water:   

·        Replace thirsty plants with native, drought tolerant ones

·        Place organic mulch around plants to reduce evaporation

·        Turn off the water when shaving or brushing your teeth

·        Install low-flow showerheads and aerators

·        Shorten your showers by one or two minutes

·        Save “warm up” water from your shower in a bucket to use in the garden

·        Fix leaky faucets

·        Wash only full loads of laundry and dishwasher loads

·        Scrape rather than rinse dishes before putting in dishwasher

·        Replace old water guzzling toilets (pre-1993) with new ones using 1.6 gallons per flush or less

To support indoor conservation, the City just approved a local toilet retrofit incentive of $200.  For more information on the incentive and other water conservation tips see:  http://www.sanjuancapistrano.org and http://www.bewaterwise.com. Talk to your family and friends about saving water.  If everyone does a little, we all benefit a lot!

Kate Roberts was a successful corporate executive for over 20 years who now is CEO and Founder of thewiredwoman, a consultancy that helps organizations be more sustainable. She is a native of Orange County and has lived in San Juan for eight years.  

More on Foodborne Illnesses

Some articles from last week's LA Times that echo the concerns I raised about food-borne illnesses: 

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-beef7-2009aug07,0,2985698.story

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-salmonella-intro10-2009aug10,0,1292473.story

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-salmonella10-2009aug10,0,6790608.story?page=1 

Here's an excerpt:

"The rise of salmonella as a problem is due, in large part, to the industrialization of agriculture and food processing. One infected cow can transmit salmonella to more animals when it is part of a larger herd. Chickens can keep salmonella in check while they roam free, but after they are packed into cages and loaded onto trucks, stress prompts them to start shedding the bacterium.

Rodents, birds and other intruders can spread salmonella through a food processing plant. FDA inspectors found dead mice, a bird nest and rodent pellets "too numerous to count" earlier this year in a Texas plant operated by Peanut Corp. of America, the company at the center of one of the biggest outbreaks in history."

On Being a “Locavore”

We are so lucky to live in beautiful southern California – a climate that provides fresh vegetables and fruit all year round.  Especially now in the bounty of summer produce, you can easily be a “locavore”, someone who eats food grown or produced locally or within 100 miles.  Here in San Juan you can enjoy almost anything that comes out of the ground, grown right here in our local area.  Not only do these foods taste better, but by buying locally produced food you support local merchants.  You also cut down on the transportation needed to move products around the world.  Whenever possible buy what has been grown closest to you:  choose the California apricots over the ones grown in Turkey.   (Of course, growing your own vegetables is the most local of all, and a wonderful and fun endeavor for the whole family.)

For a real treat, buy your fruits and vegetables at the local organic market, South Coast Farms on Alipaz.  Or frequent the Wednesday afternoon downtown Farmer’s Market on Yorba Street and Camino Capistrano.  Both of these provide fresh, locally grown, organic fruits and vegetables year round.  

Of course there are many food items that can’t be sourced locally, such as meat.  Unfortunately our meat supply chain has been consolidated over the last two decades.  Why is this a bad thing?  With only a handful of major meat slaughterhouses in the entire country, there is more risk should something go wrong with any of them.  When something does go wrong, it affects a much greater portion of our meat supply.  According to author Gail Eisnitz, deaths from foodborne illnesses have quadrupled in the United States over the same period of consolidation.  If you want more information (and be more wary of our food supply processes) go see the movie “Food, Inc.” or read Eric Schlosser’s book, “Fast Food Nation”. 

Meat that comes from smaller natural suppliers has lots of benefits:  it’s usually grass fed, non-antibiotic, hormone-free, non-ammonia bathed (gross I know), and better for you and your family.  And yes, it’s also more expensive.  So my husband and I still eat meat, we just eat it less often. 

Fish is a good alternative – and we have many local fresh fish choices, caught right off our coast – but here also decisions need to be made.  Overfishing occurs when fish are caught – usually in huge nets – faster than they can reproduce, which has had drastic effects on the populations of cod and other species.  We all have heard or seen photos of dolphin, turtles and even sharks caught inadvertently in fishermen’s nets.  According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, one in four animals caught in fishing gear dies as bycatch—unwanted or unintentional catch.  Tons of fish are tossed out, dead or dying, because they're not the kind the fishermen wanted to catch.  For these reasons, line or pole caught fish are much better alternatives. 

Is the fish farmed?  Many farmed fish, including most farmed salmon, are raised in net pens, like cattle in a feed lot.  Thousands of fish concentrated in one area produce tons of feces, polluting the water.  Diseases spread easily in this environment so antibiotics and other drugs are used to control them.  For more information and a searchable fish database, check out the Seafood Watch website:  http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx.  There’s even a nifty iPhone app you can download for free.  Ask your local grocer and your restaurant staff where their fish comes from, and if it’s farmed or wild.  It’s an easy way to let them know you care how and where your fish is sourced, and to encourage businesses to shift their seafood purchases towards more sustainable choices.  

Given our hectic schedules, convenience is a big factor for many of us.  But as you probably already know, eating fast food and processed foods should be done only in moderation.  When you do, seek out those chains (such as Chipotle, Z-Pizza, and In-n-Out) that use natural, locally sourced, fresh foods.  Make simple fresh meals at home without a lot of processed food ingredients.  Read labels, and buy packaged foods that have the shortest list of ingredients.   

Bottom line:  know where your food comes from, and what you’re eating.  Vote with your wallet and support organizations that further sustainability values.  Eat fresh and eat local. Once you know, it’s easier than ever to be a locavore, especially here in beautiful San Juan. 

The Ecology Center Wraps Up 'Basic Needs' Speaker Series

Join The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano, CA as the BASIC NEEDS Summer Speaker Series begins to wrap up a whole summer’s worth of great speakers, topics and discussions.

 

On July 9th, we had another great evening of inspiration, discussion, and education. Touching very close to home, Emily Pilloton of Project H Design discussed her thoughts on design as a vehicle for social change in general, and more specifically as a vehicle for creating change in the way we approach water usage and conservation.

 

Join The Ecology Center (and all our sponsors) on August 13th as Matthew Miller from Appropriate Architecture comes to San Juan Capistrano to discuss a sometimes taken for granted topic: SHELTER. He’ll present projects from his working with Architecture for Humanity, and his current portfolio at Appropriate Architecture. The goal is to inspire dialog as to how to make design and architecture available and accessible to all.

  

Further topics will include:

- Architecture as community activism

- Community design centers

-   Architecture for the other ninety percent

 

August 13th: Shelter

Matthew Miller, Appropriate Architecture

   

Also Upcoming:

August 27th: Clothing

Erik Joule, Levi’s

Johnny Schillereff, Element Skateboards

Roian Atwood, Sole Technologies

Derek Sabori, Volcom V.co-logical Series

   

Each of these events are taking place at The Ecology Center, 6:30-9PM. Wine, beer and a light fare will be served.

   

Registration for these unique events is $15/members, $25/non-members. Guests can sign up via our website – theecologycenter.org, or call 949.442.4223.

For more info email: info@theecologycenter.org

 

In partnership with: Whole Foods Market, GOOD Magazine, Inhatitat, US Green Building Council OC, Slow Food OC, New Leaf Paper, Meridian Graphics, South Coast Farms, TOMS Shoes, Volcom V.Co-logical Series, Seven4One Laguna Beach, Sambazon, Guayaki, New Belgium Brewing

Capistrano's The Ecology Center Plans 'Green Feast'

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, July 2, 2009 – The Ecology Center, an eco-conscious learning facility, is hosting its first Green Feast fundraiser dinner on Sept. 12, 2009. The event is a communal celebration of local foods, prepared by guest chef Richard Mead of Sage Restaurants and is designed to inspire and involve people in the stewardship of Southern California’s environment.

 

Chef Richard Mead of Orange County’s renowned Sage Restaurants will curate the meal, consisting of local seafood, free-range meats, organic produce, artisan cheeses and wines, as guests will enjoy family-style dining in the intimate, outdoor setting. For each course, the local producer or artisan will share the story of how each item journeyed to the table. Reflecting the Center’s green philosophy, guests are asked to bring their own plates.

 

“We are delighted to have Chef Mead curate our first Green Feast,” said Evan Marks, executive director, The Ecology Center. “Along with being a renowned chef, his commitment to the community, made him our first choice. It is an honor to partner with someone so talented and passionate about our food system.”

 

Green Feast will be held at The Ecology Center gardens at South Coast Farms, Orange County’s only certified organic farm. This unique setting emphasizes the relationship between the meals and where the food was farmed. While at the Center, guests are invited to tour the working organic farm and explore concepts in ecological agricultural and local food production. 

 

Tickets for the event are $150 per person and must be purchased by Aug. 31, 2009. Additional donations to fund The Ecology Center are welcome.

 

The Green Feast will begin at 4 p.m. on Sept. 12, 2009 at the Ecology Center gardens, 32701 Alipaz St. in San Juan Capistrano. Tickets can be purchased at - theecologycenter.org/greenfeast, or for more information e-mail info@theecologycenter.org or call (949) 443-4223.

 

About The Ecology Center

Centrally located in the suburb of San Juan Capistrano, The Ecology Center at South Coast Farms is an upcoming venture conceived by founder Evan Marks as a hub of possibility for both the people and environment of Southern California. With the support of local volunteers, the nonprofit organization is currently underway in developing a unique and poignant eco-conscious learning facility. Located in San Juan Capistrano, The Ecology Center seeks to inspire and involve people in the stewardship of Southern California's environment, providing education in sustainable agriculture, ecological design and the heritage of San Juan Capistrano.

What is Sustainable Living?

What we buy, how we discard waste, and the steps we take to make our homes and businesses more energy efficient are all seemingly small decisions. But when taken collectively, these choices have a big impact. The complex issues of energy use, air quality, water efficiency, toxicity and waste reduction can be overwhelming for people. Being sustainable is operating in ways that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability is an intersection of environmental, economic, and social impacts.

Not only does ‘doing the right thing’ benefit the planet and its inhabitants, but it saves money (we could all use a little more of that these days!), improves the health of your family and employees, and can be a great way to engage kids of all ages in something bigger than ourselves. It’s good for business value too, as sustainability has the potential to build trust with customers, attract the best people, reduce costs, and even uncover new revenue streams.

You may have noticed that environmental conditions are changing. Every day the media heralds new information about how climate change is affecting everything from rising sea level, disrupted animal migration paths, and increased storm intensity. According to the Global Footprint Network, humanity’s use of nature (in terms of natural resources and services) went from using slightly more than half of planet Earth’s biocapacity in 1961 to using the equivalent of 1.4 planet Earth’s in 2008. A recent European Environment Agency report found that droughts, flooding and changes in seasonal weather patterns are increasing as global temperatures increase.

Water management is more critical every day, as the percentage of Earth’s land affected by drought has more than doubled from the 1970s to the early 2000s. Closer to home, here in California we are facing our third consecutive year of drought. For heads of households and heads of businesses, we must re-think everything, including every day activities, and the design of our products, services and processes to better align our activities with the capacity of our planet.

Customers are changing too. With the plethora of corporate scandals, there is much more awareness and scrutiny among customers and other stakeholders demanding more social, economic and environmental responsibility and transparency from businesses. With renewed accountability, companies are being held up to higher standards for their employees and those workers in their supply chain. Equality, diversity, making a living wage, gaining trust from local communities – these are issues we all must be more aware of and do what we can to affect positive change.

So what can YOU do about it? Some simple things you can do today: be aware of all types of waste in your home or business, be it energy (turn off the lights and everything with a plug when not in use), water (check irrigation, catch the ‘warm up’ water in the shower and use in the garden) or trash (use cloth towels and real dishes rather than paper towels and disposables … and don’t forget to recycle). Buy local products and services (less transportation and keeps our tax dollars here too). You might also want to think about switching to a water filtration system rather than bottle delivery or buying plastic water bottles (can actually save hundreds of dollars a year with a much lower environmental impact). For more tips and ideas check out my website: www.thewiredwoman.com.

Embracing sustainability is the right thing to do for our planet and its inhabitants, and can be a great way to feel good about yourself, improve the overall health of your family and home, and be an important cost savings driver and differentiator for your business.

Kate Roberts was a successful corporate executive for over 20 years who now is CEO and Founder of thewiredwoman, a consultancy that helps organizations be more sustainable. She is a native of Orange County and has lived in San Juan for 8 years.