Healthy Planet, Healthy People

1. Healthy Planet, Healthy People Ilda T. Hershey OSU Sustainability Coordinator

2. Overview • What is “Sustainability”? • What does a healthy planet provide for us humans? • How do some negative impacts on the environment affect our own health? • How can we do better? • What is OSU doing? • What can you do? Page 2

3. Sustainability What is sustainability? sustain + ability Page 3

4. Sustainability • Sustainability Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs • Sustainability = Good Stewardship Environment Economy Society Page 4

5. Sustainability • Tenets of Sustainability • All things on Earth are connected • Web of life; actions have consequences • It’s better to live off nature’s income, not its capital • Renewable energy; conservation; recycling • There is no waste in nature • Design for the Environment (DfE) & Lean Production • Defining best processing & manufacturing practices • Reducing toxins & waste • Circular Production; Cradle to Cradle Design • Considers entire life cycle (LCA) Page 5

6. Healthy Planet Why do we care? What’s in it for us? Page 6

7. The Earth Provides • We depend on ecosystem services for basic human needs: • Oxygen • Fresh water • Food • Materials for shelter • Protection from storms • Biodiversity provides: • Medicinal properties • Healthy soils • Pest control • Pollination & seed dispersal • Sustainable designs based on Biomimicry • Nature doesn’t need people. People need nature. Page 7

8. Negative Impacts • Single-Use Plastics • How can we do better? • What is OSU doing? • Food as a Product • How can we do better? • What is OSU doing? • Air Pollution • How can we do better? • What is OSU doing? Page 8

9. Single-Use Plastics • Plastic is Fantastic • Used in a wide range of industries • Has changed history • 50% single-use (disposable) • What are most plastics made of? • Petroleum products plus added chemicals • 8% world oil production • Techno-nutrient or Bio-nutrient? • Plastic makes bad garbage • "Good garbage breaks down as it goes… bad garbage grows and grows and grows” Tom Chapin, songwriter • MSW 13% (32M tons); Volume?; Mostly containers & packaging • As a techno-nutrient it could be recovered for remanufacture • Only about 9% is recycled; must be clean and numbered Page 9

10. Plastic Pollution • Pollution of waterways and oceans 20/80% • All watersheds drain to oceans • When discarded plastic enters the environment it is harmful to wildlife and people • Entanglement - Once entangled, animals have trouble eating, breathing or swimming • Ingestion – Floating plastic looks like food • Can damage the digestive system or make animal feel full • Toxicity – Floating plastic is like a sponge for attracting pollutants • Toxins, like mercury, PCBs and other dioxins easily attach to plastics • When ingested by marine animals & other wildlife • Can injure or poison them, or cause birth defects • Can transfer through the food chain and become more concentrated • Humans (esp. children & exp. mothers) should limit consumption of predatory fish Page 10

11. Single-Use Plastics Direct Affect on Human Health • Chemicals added to plastics during manufacturing are absorbed by human bodies - carcinogens & endocrine disruptors • Bisphenol-A (BPA); Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP); Styrene; Benzene • Microwave, wash & reuse disposable plastics? • Not single-use plastics! FDA says okay if labeled “microwave safe” • Heat, UV light, fatty or oily foods cause the chemicals to leach out • Tiny cracks harbor bacteria, which thrive, even after washing • Styrofoam • Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) • Very porous. Do not heat leftovers! • “The Poison is in the Dose” • Children are especially vulnerable Page 11

12. Single-Use Plastics How can we do better? • Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (in that order!) • Use durables (glass, metal, ceramic) instead of disposables • Start with your coffee cup & water bottle (wash vs. trash) • Start with children • Avoid individual serving packets • Select items with minimal packaging • Use durable shopping bags • Buy recycled content • Bring a waste-free lunch • Rethink Page 12

13. What is OSU Doing? • Drinking Fountains: • Retrofits or new fountains with refill taps • Reduction of plastic bottles counter • Green Student Initiative • Reduce & Reuse Programs: • Move-out Collections • Real Pokes Pass It On • FGSH Yard Sale • Textbook buybacks & donations • OSU Surplus & Salvage • Dining Services • Biodegradable disposables • Less Styrofoam • Reusable cups/mugs/bags Page 13

14. What is OSU Doing? • Paper & Cardboard • Mixed paper • Shredded paper in bags • Cardboard (flattened) • Containers • Plastic bottles (#1 PET) • Aluminum cans • Single-stream for living quarters • Move-In Recycling Program Page 14

15. Food & Agriculture Agriculture has a huge impact on the health of the environment (and our own health). What we eat and how much has a huge impact on our own health (and the health of the environment). Page 15

16. Food Sustainability What can we do? Don’t freak out Eat food, not too much, mostly plants - Michael Pollan, Author • Eat “Real” Foods (foods) • Processed as little as possible; minimal artificial substances & additives • Grown in healthy soil – focus of Organic or Sustainable farming • John & Kris Gosney, Aug. Wellness Wednesday, Organic Farming • “Healthy soil makes healthy plants makes healthy food” [makes healthy people] • Not too much • Choose quality over quantity • Pay more, buy less • Mostly Plants • Eat lower on the food chain • Better for our health & ecosystem health • Support local farmers/ranchers • Always offer fruits/vegetables (Healthy Meetings Toolkit) Page 16

17. What is OSU Doing? University Dining Services • Offering more Local, Organic, Vegetarian Food Options • Farm Fresh Program • Made in Oklahoma Program • Red Earth Kitchen • Eliminated all frying oil containing trans-fat • Conduct Healthy Eating Lifestyle Programs • Choose Orange - identifies healthier items • Healthy Cooking - free demonstrations/classes geared toward students • Promotes Fair Trade & Rainforest Alliance products • Organize OSU Farmers’ Market each fall Page 17

18. Air Pollution • Fossil Fuels: Building blocks of our modern, industrial society • High levels of pollution & respiratory illnesses Page 18

19. Air Pollution • What can we do? • Conserve Energy • Turn off lights & electronics when not in use • Dress for the weather • Consider energy efficiency of new purchases • Support Renewable & Cleaner Energy Sources • Choose alternative transportation when possible: walk, bicycle, carpool, bus • Generates less pollution • Gets us moving Page 19

20. What is OSU Doing? Energy Management Program • Energy Conservation Guidelines established August 2007 • HVAC including Seasonal Set Points • Lighting, Electronics, Water • OSU Energy Policy • The Board of Regents “expects all personnel at each campus to make a positive contribution to maximize energy conservation and produce real energy savings” • Over $32M saved system-wide through behavior change Page 20

21. What is OSU Doing? Renewable Energy • Wind Power • Geothermal • Solar

22. What is OSU Doing? Transportation • The Bus - Mass Transit • Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) • Carpool Benefits • Orange Ride Bike Rental/Repair • OSU Named Bike-Friendly University Page 22

23. OSU and YOU OSU is helping us….. • Reduce plastic waste • Eat healthier • Conserve energy What do you do?... Page 23

24. What can you do? Continue to support what OSU is doing… • Bring awareness to sustainability • Create a Green Team • Set an example by “Walking the Talk” • Ask for group presentations/tours • Visit OSU Sustainability website & “follow us” • Participate in “Sustainability in the Workplace” • HR Training; 2-hour workshop; Feb. 4th • Take action to: 1) protect your family’s quality of life today, and 2) leave a legacy of good health & prosperity for your grandchildren Page 24

25. Overview • Sustainability • Website: http://sustainability.okstate.edu • Email: sustainability@okstate.edu • Utilities and Energy Management • Website: http://utilities.okstate.edu • Email: energy@okstate.edu • Recycling • Website: physicalplant.okstate.edu/osurecycles • Email: recycle@okstate.edu • Follow Us • Facebook: www.facebook.com/osuenergy • Twitter/Instagram/Vine: OSUgreen Page 25

26. Overview ? Questions? ? ? Oklahoma State University Sustainability and Energy Management Page 26

27. Handout What is Sustainability? • Environmental Protection Agency Sustainability homepage: www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm • The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (use your okstate.edu email address to access members-only resources from the website): www.aashe.org • McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things:www.mbdc.com/cradle-to-cradle/c2c-framework What’s in it for us? • Land Stewardship Centre: www.landstewardship.org/ecological-goods-and-services • National Wildlife Federation – What is Biodiversity? www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Conservation/Biodiversity.aspx • Biomimicry Institute: http://biomimicry.org/what-is-biomimicry Page 27

28. Handout Single-Use Plastics • Scientific American, “Plastic not-so-fantastic: How the Versatile Material Harms the Environment and Human Health”: www.scientificamerican.com/article/plastic-not-so-fantastic • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “What we know about plastic Marine Debris”: http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/Gen_Plastic-hi_9-20-11_1.pdf • Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy, “Smart Plastics Guide Healthier Food Uses of Plastics”: www.iatp.org/files/421_2_102202.pdf Food “Products” • Understanding “Whole Foods” Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: www.nutritionmd.org/nutrition_tips/nutrition_tips_understand_foods/whole_advantages.html • The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Poteau, OK: www.kerrcenter.com • Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Health & Environmental Implications of U.S. Meat Consumption & Production: www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkins-center-for-a-livable-future/projects/meatless_monday/resources/meat_consumption.html • National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity “Healthy Meeting Toolkit”: http://cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy/Healthy-Meeting-Toolkit.pdf Page 28

29. Handout Air Pollution • Scientific American, “The Human Cost of Energy” & “The Health Burden of Fossil Fuels”: www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-human-cost-of-energy • World Health Association, “7 million premature deaths annually linked to air pollution”: www.who.int/mediacentre/nes/releases/2014/air-pollution/en • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, “Air Pollution”: www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/exposure/air_pollution/index.cfm OSU Sustainability • General information: http://sustainability.okstate.edu and http://energy.okstate.edu • Emails: sustainability@okstate.edu; energy@okstate.edu; recycle@okstate.edu • Facebook: www.facebook.com/osuenergy; Twitter/Instagram/Vine: OSUgreen Page 29