Nancy Astrid Lindo Interviewed By: Angela Orrechio of Good Life 8.15.08

What is green building and what is your role in it?
Who are your customers?

Green Building is a movement that has stemmed out of the need for man to return to our state of balance with the natural world. We began civilizations, building green, using natural and local materials. It has been through time and technology that we began to exploit natural resources, create synthetic materials and import and export – elements that all began to take us away from our origins.

Today, Green Building represents a wide umbrella of disciplines that encompass everything in a building from the orientation, the design, materials, sourcing, indoor air quality and the performance of the building in reference to energy and water efficiency.

As an Eco Interior Designer, with a wide background that includes interior design, green building and permaculture, I feel that I have a broad and encompassing breadth of what role I play in this field. I take into account beyond what a typical green designer may. Beginning with the core of the individual, and moving my way out through the design of a space all the way to the landscape of the land.

My clients range from citizens interested in moving towards a more regenerative way of life – be it through their personal life or in their home. I also work with businesses in applying ways of implementing sustainable practices in addition to making their office space more energy and water efficient – all while improving indoor air quality and employee performance.

Transitioning from conventional building to sustainable building and remodeling can be a difficult concept to grasp. How do you assist your clients with the transition toward a greener mindset?

Going green must begin with an intention to be more aware of the life you live. I believe once people are given the information, such as the fact that our water travels over 500 miles to get to our faucets or how electricity is created and transported – people may be more apt to raise their level of awareness.


Education is critical in helping people understand the importance in raising their consciousness. I walk my clients through the entire process – the facts, the cost differential, the justification in health and livelihood and most importantly, helping them see the bigger picture.

Having them see the holistic view, that every action truly matters.


What is the concept of green washing?

Green washing stemmed from the concept of whitewashing – it is taking advantage of a wide growing market and few knowledgeable individuals that know what questions to ask or what they should be looking for. Using key words such as ‘green, eco or natural’ have been widely abused without any regard to integrity. Sadly, there are people who believe this type of target marketing, and are deceived.

It is virtually impossible to validate or invalidate any of these claims in this country, when many of our industries are not regulated or monitored – leaving it an open opportunity for
anyone to take advantage of this exploding market. As consumers, people need to become educated and read labels and understand what to look for.

Having traveled to Spain, Italy, New York City, Miami and San Francisco what are some of the trends you have noticed in green building in other cities?

Europe has been on the forefront of this movement. They have always kept things in accordance to human scale, be it their cars or their homes. They have outlawed GMO’s, and several countries to not allow American imported produce for that very reason. They are ahead, in the use of alternative fuels, building biology (Bau Biologie), alternative transportation and the use of local and natural materials.

In the United States, San Francisco and New York City are ahead of the game including a couple other cities. Taking advantage of their size – public and alternative transportation thrive in both cities. Federally both have passed laws that all new government buildings must meet LEED standards. San Francisco, in comparison, to NYC is ahead of the curve in educating its citizens, offering city wide compost collection, in addition to having more LEED certified buildings.

What are some of the current projects you working on?
(Currently working on a reference guide for the Interior Design industry and publishing articles on green living, and speaking about the importance of sustainable living) elaborate.

In addition to writing and speaking in public, of the projects I have on the boards, I am working in various industries in helping them be more sustainable – hospitality, commercial, corporate and residential. I also have a remodel in San Francisco and a new construction low rise residential building in Miami.

The reference guide for the interior design industry will be a guide for anyone in the field -from a seasoned designer to an amateur. It will hold a wide scope of information tailoring the various industries that we work closely with that maintain their own standards and vocabulary.


What are five things someone can do right now to green their home?
And what are the environmental and financial benefits to each one?


1. Eat

(a.) organic, (b.) seasonal (c.) local


Environmental Benefits:

a. No fertilizers, herbicides, sewage sludge or GMO’s – does not damage the land or water quality, promotes biodiversity & crop rotation
b. More nutrient content (not picked before harvest, allowing for produce to naturally mature)
c. Lower energy costs (less transportation)


Financial Benefits:

a. Supports a movement – vote with your dollar! If you shop at the farmers market, and you support small scale farming
b. You save on energy costs by not importing fruit from other countries when they are out of season here
c. Support the community (more money stays in the community on a fiscal level – versus shopping at a big box grocer where most of your money will end up at a corporate office outside your city )


2. Save water – we are in a drought and live in a desert! Purchase aerators for your kitchen and bath faucet and a low flow shower head. Educate yourself on the garbage patch in the North Pacific Gyre, and the dead zones in our oceans – spread the word!


Environmental Benefits:

Water is a precious and finite resource that is dependent on snow pack from the Sierras and the Rockies, in addition to the Colorado to sustain our demand – very little comes from our groundwater, most of it is contaminated


Financial Benefits:

Save on your water bill. Even, if you do not pay for your water, you will decrease the city wide demand for it


3. Use alternative transportation - walking, biking, bus, carpool


Environmental Benefits:

Less traffic, toxins, demand for foreign oil


Financial Benefits:

A lot less expensive than driving



4. Save energy – use power strips, use CFL’s, turn the lights off in unoccupied rooms


Environmental Benefits:

Less demand on the grid (nuclear or coal powered plants are extremely taxing on the environment)


Financial Benefits:

Lower energy bill


5. Avoid disposable items at all cost

Environmental Benefits:

Our landfills are reaching capacity and in 5 years, our garbage will have to be taken out to the desert – every bit counts, eliminate anything that is cheap and meant for a short life. Spending a little more on something that is going to last is well worth it.

Financial Benefits:

The need to constantly buy poorly made products. Buying built to last products assures that they are made for duration, versus so many products that are intended for one life cycle. People need to separate themselves from this disposable society mentality, and take responsibility for what they use and consume.

Quote of the Week

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."

Thomas Jefferson 1802

A New Renaissance

Through out the past few years, we have witnessed the birth of new words and phrases. Lyrics to new songs, that we as humans are learning to sing. These melodies, are defining a new era; vocals, still unknown or unclear to many.

Sustainability has been on the whispering lips of many, as of late. A new paradigm shift is occurring - it is a state of creation, stewardship, light, and coexistence. It is movement from a place of sustainability to a place of regeneration.

To reference regenerative, it constitutes continuously moving towards a higher place of being - shedding what no longer serves us, and seeking a sentient state of mind.

Owning the empowerment, that we all have the capacity to make a collective difference in this movement. It is the initial step in moving to place of natural and altruistic regeneration. The significance of this very time and place is this opportunity, where we respect ourselves, each other, and have an understanding that translates to our respect for the natural world.

We begin to take responsibility for ever facet of our life. The steps of conservation that lead to preservation become integrated into our being, no longer stemming from guilt, but rather from passion.

We feel a sense of meaning and understanding. The simple gestures in life gain momentum, as the frivolities of the day begin to dissipate.

Subtleties begin to emerge internally and perception awakens!

Awareness for the seasons, the cycles of the moon and the spirit of life, infiltrates our souls. We begin to take note of nature and use her perfection, as a model for life. We use this opportunity to emerge into the person that we recognize - the mirror between life and translucence becomes lucid.

This new dawning builds communities, strengthens families and empowers its citizens. We are working to rebuild our culture. A culture, that has suffered, and is ready to succumb and regenerate itself to represent dignity while leaving its mark on history and mankind.

This new dawning is being referred to in many ways, and in many words. The reality is, that it is an era that will lead the way like no other movement ever has.
It will encompass our existence, our economics, our state of affairs and our existence.

This is a time when we move from being sustainable to regenerative in ever capacity of our being.

© Copyright and Property of Astrid Design Studio 2008

Did you know that .....

• 1. You can make a huge difference by being aware of your habits?
• 2. Burning coal produces CO2 – the main contributors to global warming
• 3. Americans use 170 gallons of water per day - 7x per capita average
• 4. We are in a severe drought all over the state, and world wide
• 5. Our water travels as far as 500 miles to get our faucets – its comes from the Sierra’s and the Colorado River
• 6. 2.5 million bottles of water are tossed every hour in California
• 7. 3 million bottles end up in landfills daily in California alone
• 8. Plastic out weighs plankton in our oceans 24:1
• 9. Glass can be recycled indefinitely
• 10. Plastic downgrades and after being recycled become inert and ends up in landfills
• 11. Fish and birds mistake plastic for food, and consume it – this effects our food supply
• 12. Many popular types of fish are endangered – reference your Seafood Watch card when making your decisions!
• 13. Garbage thrown on the street in Pasadena will make it to the beaches threw the storm drains – if it is not collected by beach clean up after a storm, it washes into the ocean
• 14. Plastic does not biodegrade
• 15. 6-pack rings should always be cut
• 16. Americans consume 400 – 500 beverage containers annually
• 17. American use 326 lbs of plastic annually
• 18. 90% of floating marine litter is plastic
• 19. Californians use more than 90 billion plastic bags annually – about 552 bags per person
• 20. In LA county we have: 318 miles of polluted rivers, 250 sq miles of polluted lakes, bays, and wetlands, and 116 miles of polluted beaches and coastline
• 21. Californians throw away 600 plastic bags per second
• 22. Tossing cigarette butts into the streets end up on our beaches and in our oceans
• 23. Even when electronic devices are turned off, but plugged in, they still uses energy - Save over 1,000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $256 per year
• 24. Can save 300 lbs. of CO2 by changing 3 frequently used bulbs with CFL’s
• 25. Its illegal to throw away batteries
• 26. You an save 5 Lbs. of CO2 per ream of paper if used 100% post consumer
• 27. You can remove your name from receiving junk mail for free?
• 28. Dimmer save 25% of energy
• 29. What is considered hazardous waste? Know how to dispose of it locally
• 30. Clean or replace dirty air conditioner filters as recommended. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $150 per year
• 31. CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb
• 32. Keep your water heater thermostat at 120°F and save 550 lbs. of CO2 and $30 per year
• 33. Move your heater thermostat down 2 degrees in winter and up two degrees in the summer - Save 2000 lbs of CO2 and $98 per year
• 34. Caulk and weather strip your doorways and windows - save 1,700 lbs. of CO2 and $274 per year
• 35. CFL’s lasts 10x longer and a regular blub and each bulb will keep 1,500 lbs. of CO2 over the lifetime of the bulb
• 36. Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket - You’ll save 1,000 lbs. of CO2 a year
• 37. You can save 700 lbs. of CO2 when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year, use a clothesline instead of a dryer
• 38. You can save 2,400 pounds of CO2 a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates
• 39. That recycled paper products takes 70 - 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide
• 40. The average fruit or vegetable travels over 1500 miles to get to your store
• 41. Conventional farming destroys biodiversity, pollutes our water and is responsible for 1/3 loss of top soil
• 42. That the FDA approved cloned meat in January 2008 – It is not required to be labeled
• 43. 40% of waste is food waste – organic matter that can be composted and used instead of placed in a landfill
• 44. By shopping at the farmers market it reduces the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by 1/5
• 45. Frozen food uses 10 x more energy to produce
• 46. Almost 60% of food found in conventional supermarkets is genetically modified
• 47. An estimated 13 chemicals are found on conventional fruits and vegetables
• 48. FDA only samples a very small percentage of food sold to consumers
• 49. You can improve gas mileage by more than 3% by checking your tires for proper pressure
• 50. The average American will throw away 600 times his or her adult weight in garbage during their lifetime
• 51. We throw 90% of what we buy within 6 months
• 52. A low flow shower head uses 1 gallon of water less per minute – using the technology of air to distribute the same amount of pressure
• 53. One ton of recycled paper uses: 64% less energy,50% less water, 74% less air pollution, saves 17 trees and creates 5 times more jobs than one ton of paper products from virgin wood pulp
• 54. In the United States, we have less than 4% of our original forests left
• 55. 40% of waterways in the U.S. have become undrinkable
• 56. The U.S. has 5% of the world’s population but we’re consuming 30% of the world’s resources and creating 30% of the world’s waste
• 57. 75% of global fisheries now are fished at or beyond capacity
• 58. 80% of the planet’s original forests are gone
• 59. In the Amazon alone, we’re losing 2000 trees a minute - that is seven football fields a minute
• 60. There are over 100,000 synthetic chemicals in commerce today
• 61. Only a handful of chemicals have even been tested for human health impacts and none of them have been tested for synergistic health impacts, that means when they interact with all the other chemicals we’re exposed to every day
• 62. In the U.S., industry admits to releasing over 4 billion pounds of toxic chemicals a year
• 63. The average U.S. person now consumes twice as much as they did 50 years ago
• 64. During WWII we produced 40% of our from our Victory Gardens
• 65. Our landfill, Puente Hills, has an estimated 5 year maximum capacity
• 66. In the U.S. we are targeted with more than 3,000 advertisements a day
• 67. Americans each generate 4.6 lbs. of garbage a day
• 68. Recycled aluminum saves 95% energy vs. virgin aluminum
• 69. Recycling of 1 aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for 3 hours
• 70. Recycled aluminum reduces pollution by 95%
• 71. 4 lbs. of bauxite are saved for every pound of aluminum recycled
• 72. Recycled glass saves 50% energy vs. virgin glass
• 73. Aluminum can endlessly be recycled
• 74. Recycling of one glass container saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for 4 hours
• 75. Recycled glass generates 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution
• 76. 1 ton of glass made from 50% recycled materials saves 250 lbs. of mining waste
• 77. Glass can be reused an infinite number of times; over 41 billion glass containers are made each year
• 78. Recycled paper saves 60% energy vs. virgin paper
• 79. Recycled paper generates 95% less air pollution - each ton saves 60 lbs. of air pollution
• 80. Recycling of each ton of paper saves 17 trees and 7000 gallons of water
• 81. Every year enough paper is thrown away to make a 12' wall from New York to California
• 82. If we recycled every plastic bottle we used, we would keep 2 billion tons of plastic out of landfills
• 83. According to the EPA, recycling a pound of PET saves approximately 12,000 BTU's
• 84. We use enough plastic wrap to wrap all of Texas every year
• 85. A ton of recycled paper equals or saves 17 trees in paper production
• 86. Production of recycled paper uses 80% less water, 65% less energy and produces 95% less air pollution than virgin paper production
• 87. Global paper use has grown more than six-fold since 1950
• 88. 1/5 of all wood harvested in the world ends up in paper – it takes 2 to 3.5 tons of trees to make one ton of paper
• 89. Pulp and paper is the 5th largest industrial consumer of energy in the world, using as much power to produce a ton of product as the iron and steel industry
• 90. In some countries, including the United States, paper accounts for nearly 40 percent of all municipal solid waste
• 91. Making paper uses more water per ton than any other product in the world
• 92. Over a ton of resources is saved for every ton of glass recycled -- 1,330 pounds of sand, 433 pounds of soda ash, 433 pounds of limestone, and 151 pounds of feldspar
• 93. A ton of glass produced from raw materials creates 384 pounds of mining waste
  
• 94. Using 50% recycled glass cuts the waste by 75%
• 95. Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours
• 96. If every household in the U.S. replaced just 1 bottle of 25 oz. conventional based petroleum based dish liquid with a plant derived natural cleaner we would save 86,000 barrels of oil a year - enough to heat and cool 4,900 homes for 1 year!
• 97. The average home has 60 toxic chemicals in it
  

Irradiated Lettuce and Spinach - OK?!?

Beware of produce or food products bearing this symbol - It is the radura symbol, which represents food has been irradiated.

The symbol RADURA is used as a symbol of quality exclusively for food processed by ionizing radiation - the controversial practice of infiltrating food with high levels of x-rays (ionizing radiation) to destroy disease causing pathogens. Unfortunately, in the process of irradiation, other hazards arise, like the creation of toxic free radicals, vitamin and nutrient loss, and the formation of carcinogenic chemicals.

The FDA has approved, this week, the production and sale of irradiated lettuce and spinach on all conventional produce, and will be available at your local markets Mid-September.

The labeling is required in supermarkets, although does not include restaurants.

Simple Foresight

There is an emergence on the horizon.
It is the green revolution.

You may have heard of it.
But, are not quite sure what it means.

It is the dawning of a new Epoch.

A revolution, a state of living.

It will be the New Future.

It will encompass our way of life,
our architecture,
and design.

Written on December 14, 2005
N. Astrid Lindo

© Copyright and Property of Astrid Design Studio 2008

Look beyond the now

We are currently living through fascinating times....
beneath all this darkness and chaos.

Our global population and our technologies have reached unprecedented levels, we consume more resources than global ecosystems can regenerate, and we have nowhere else to go.

Our solution is a deep culture change - a change in technology, behavior and world view.

We are the solutions in all these areas. It is up to us to decide how to use the knowledge we have.

We have created a culture of alienation. We perceive ourselves as separate from the larger and smaller ecosystems (the Earth and our bodies), and when we act out of this view - which is not aligned with reality - we experience uncomfortable consequences.

Harmony, within our place in this world, is our natural and innate way of being.
Reconnecting with this sense - is our progression.

Biodiversity, conservation, and the traditions and customs of the past are being found again. We are no longer part of the great forgetting or a disposal society.

We are creating activities that deepen our awareness and intimacy with the rest of the natural world.

There is a Tewa saying ...
To look to the mountain

© Copyright and Property of Astrid Design Studio 2008

Food For Thought

This is such an exhilarating time this is for the history of food!

Despite the fact that, 1 in 3 Americans is obese, and most food found in our super markets, that is not organic is genetically modified - there is a food revolution happening in the mist of all of this.

As we know, we began as hunters and gatherers. Eating and cooking solely what we could hunt and harvest. Through time, technology, and the advancements of the industrial revolution things changed dramatically. We began canning, preserving and freezing.

Today, most Americans take very little regard in what they eat, how it is processed, what is in, and most of all, how much of it they eat. The irony is how much our eating habits have changed in a mere 100 years - from our food supply, quantity and nutritional content, to the amount of imported goods we consume.

Perhaps a simple way of addressing this is we went from viewing food as a sacred commodity to a simplified convenience.

While most of America has accepted that we moved from an agricultural society to industrialized agriculture, and embracing the fact that most of our food travels 1500 miles - there is a huge subculture that has sprouted up globally.

This movement touts local, seasonal and organic - back yards being converted to food forests and front lawns are being torn up to make way for urban gardens.

The movement has taken root in all of America’s largest cities, while infiltrating small towns and growing communities. It is taking shape in the form of expanding farmers markets, community gardens, edible schoolyards and even homesteading.

There are several large installations of some of these applications found in places like NY MOMA’s infamous indie art museum in Queen’s known as PS1. Annually there is a competition of young architects at the opportunity to build an oasis during their summer installation. This year’s winners have built a full blown farm, producing food and raising chickens.

In the San Francisco Civic Center - the entire front lawn has been replaced with a garden, in time for the Slow Food festival - and the harvest will coincide with festivities all through Labor Day।

Just this past weekend I attended a Public Fruit Jam in Echo Park - where an art gallery was opened to the public to bring in your local fruit to make jars of fresh jam - I brought in green sour apples from my backyard and coupled it with figs, lemons and mint to create this outrageous homemade jam!

The irony out of all of this is that this food consciousness isn’t rising amongst rural farmers or a certain genre of people nor class - everyone is welcome and encouraged! Swapping recipes, seeds and gardening tips are no longer a thing of the past, but rather a really hip and obvious thing to be doing.

Not sure how many of you are aware, but in January of the year, the FDA approved the sale of cloned meat. Worst off its not going to be labeled.

What does that mean? No one really knows. These technologies have not been tested, and therefore are using the naivete of the public to take advantage. There are a lot of studies that show our farming subsidies are being used to over produce food, triggered to encourage over consumption.

When you compare the practices of our country in the production and marketing of food - we are the only ones with such laws that truly do not have the health and safety of their consumers in mind.


Which is a far cry from the days of WWII when our country touted Victory Gardens throughout and encouraged people to provide for themselves.

These days, we are beginning to take back our independence by growing our own food supply.

Don’t have a yard? Fret not .... food in pots grows incredible varieties! Don’t have time or the patience to grow your own? There are Community Supported Agriculture known as CSA’s - where you can have a box of beautiful organic fruits and veggies grown in a local farm delivered to your door weekly!

There is that classic adage that you are what you eat. The reality is that our habits around food have lost their value - and now more than ever, is a critical time to begin asking the right questions, and being aware of what you are consuming, and most of all, knowing where your food comes from.

So what are the advantages to eating local and seasonal? With local food there are much lower energy costs and the nutritional value of your food is much higher, since the crop was not harvested early। Most of all, you are supporting your local farmers, your community and a really incredible movement that is taking shape and coming soon to your community!

© Copyright and Property of Astrid Design Studio 2008

ECOnomics - a Green Standard

Up until recently the demographics that made up the green market were white upper class individuals; people who were able to afford the premium being charged on green and organic products.

These markets are seeing a widening of the gap with potential, on all sides of the fence. With public announcements, weather patterns, press reports and personal experiences – there is a rising change. This change is seen as encompassing a larger, wider group of ethnicity and age groups. An advantage that will continue to add steam and precedence.

From migrant workers to farmers, people are recognizing the dangers of poorly studied advancements, such as fertilizers, pesticides and more currently, genetically modified foods. The people mostly affected, but whose voices are usually not heard, are beginning to have representation in the form of media or through uprising in their own communities. Now, with the age of technology we are in, those gaps are closing in, and people are listening and banding together.

With green collar jobs, the space available for people of all backgrounds and disciplines is only growing. This makes it only natural that people will realize the endless advantages of being involved in such an expanding movement, with immediate personal opportunities, such as jobs, as well as long term health, environmental benefits, and most of all the personal empowerment.

Economically, most industries are stalled। In researching trends and advancements in comparison, on a larger scale, the green technology spectrum is rapidly picking up steam. It is estimated that this spike will continue to rise, enveloping more industries and skeptics, who may have once thought that this was going to be watered down, are thinking twice about where to invest. There are developments in Texas, at currently defunct oil fields, that are turning into wind farms. People are seeing the viable potential and the endless benefits.

© Copyright and Property of Astrid Design Studio 2008

Plastic in our Oceans

For about the past 60 years, since the invention of plastic, there has been a giant mass forming in an oceanic area known as the North Pacific Gyre. It is located about 1,000 miles west of San Francisco and 1,000 miles north of Hawaii, in the midst of the Pacific Ocean. About a one week boat ride from any land mass. Scientists have estimated that it weighs 3 million tons, covers an area twice the size of Texas, about 300 feet deep from sea level, and is comprised of fine plastic chips and other material.

It is due to a clockwise trade wind that circulates along the Pacific Rim creating a vortex that has resulted in this accumulation from all over the world. The debris is usually washed from beaches and city streets into storm drains and taken out to the ocean - only to later be carried miles into the ocean into this vortex. A size too large to be dismantled by any singular government.

Since the plastic is exposed to constant salt water and the sun's UV rays, it becomes brittle and disintegrates into small particles, even that resembling of plastic dust.

These images are actual samples of water taken from the gyre. An apparent amount of plastic and debris lingers in it.

Among other things they have been found have been drums of oil, fishing nets, tires, and other man-made industrial and personal items. It has been estimated that the ratio of plastic to plankton is 24 to 1!!!

This severely effects our ecology and in turn out food supply. Believe it or not, a lot of people are still unaware of this posing problem - get educated!

What you can do!

• use Seafood Watch List to guide your seafood purchases http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/SeafoodWatch.asp
  
• bring your own bags to the market - reduce plastic use
• www.algalita.org
  
• buy glass instead of plastic jar products
• volunteer for beach clean-ups
• use a reusable bottle
  
• don't litter - if you see some, pick it up!
• avoid plastic - find alternatives
  
• educate others
  

Keep our waterways clean - they are the source to life!

Few people know that the ocean provides us with Oxygen.


All city trash, litter, and pollution ends up in our seas, through storm drains, wind and gravity; only later to be consumed by us, as it is part of our food supply chain.

• Don't toss cigarette butts or matches on the street - find a garbage can
• Our storm drains do not get treated; anything poured down them goes to sea
• Pick up after your pets - feces is toxic to marine life!
• Don't litter - 100, 000 marine animals die from man-made items
• Cut all your 6-pack rings
• If you see litter - pick it up!
• Educate others, together we can make a collective difference!
  

facts

• 2.5 million bottles of water are tossed each hour and 3 million are placed into landfills in California alone!
• Plastic outweighs plankton in Southern California waters 24:1
• A water drip can waste up to 20 gallons of water a day
• A running toilet can waste up 200
• The EPA estimates that 75% of Americans trash could be recycled
• Only 25% of Americans trash is recycled
• An aluminum can, can generate enough energy for 3 hours
• Every Sunday 500,000 trees could be saved if everyone recycled their newspapers



Buildings of the world consume:

• 40% of the world's energy & materials
• 25% of the wood harvested
• 17% of our water

The average American house uses:

• 13,127 board feet of lumber
• 6,212 square feet of sheathing
• 2,000 square feet of flooring

In the U.S., buildings account for:

• 36% of total electricity consumption
• 62% of electricity use 30% of greenhouse gas emissions
• 37% of ozone depletion potential

Waste Not, Want Not

first published in the Santa Monica Mirror - April 17 - 23, 2008


With recycling proving to be an annual steady increase over the past 40 years, since the inception of waste management programs, people seem to still be perplexed as to what they can and cannot recycle. Perhaps, this confusion could be linked to the fact that every city and municipality contains its own sets of rules and regulations as to what is accepted. In prevention, most people rather not place items in question.

In a recent tour through our facilities, here in Santa Monica, I was able to dispel many misconceptions that usually linger around the issue of recycling. The reality is we don’t realize all that we can recycle! The fact is, that the more we divert from our waste stream, the less is carted off to our local landfill, and the less energy and fossil fuels are used – ultimately, creating a positive chain of effects for everyone!

It is estimated that Americans generate 4.6 lbs. of garbage a day or more than 1600 lbs. a year – a number that can be drastically reduced implementing the right information to redirect our trash.

In 2006 we, as a nation, produced 251 million tons of municipal solid waste – of which most of it could have been diverted. Currently we are only recycling 32.5% of our trash. This leaves us with a grand opportunity to think twice about what we toss in the garbage, because, it can probably be recycled. Beyond the obvious reasons to recycle, it also generates income to local and national economies employing more than 1 million people nationwide.

So what did I find out in our 46,000 sq. ft facility tour? That you can walk in with trash, and walk out with cash! Many people don’t realize what a lucrative business recycling is – economically, environmentally and logistically. Imagine, recycling one aluminum can, saves enough energy to generate your computer or television for 3 hours!

Some of the many items accepted at this facility, that may raise confusion are: envelops with clear windows, junk mail, magazines/catalogs, aseptic packages (drink boxes or ‘bricks’), all types of plastics #1 - #7 (including food wrappers), empty lipstick tubes, HDPE, any kind of glass (including window panes), bottle caps (plastic and beer, plastic that houses pet food and litter, plastic enclosure that closes bread or muffins, empty nail polish bottles, paper and plastic bags, and metals (which are removed during the glass processing).

To prevent contamination and a reduction in recyclables, empty and rinse all containers removing any food or liquid. Contamination cannot exceed 2%, and moisture will affect the efficiency of this process - which is down to a science! Once we drop our recyclables, everything from our single stream blue bins gets taken to our facility (known as a transfer station). At which point all the contents on the truck get dumped in a pile and then placed on a hopper (a conveyer belt) where everything is separated mechanically and manually – taking out everything but paper. This paper, considered a super mix paper, is then carted to be shipped off to paper mills for reuse. All the items that were taken off the hopper then get separated accordingly, pressed, and shipped to various vendors for another lifecycle.

Some of the many uses that are being discovered for recycled plastic bottles are t-shirts and even carpeting! As you support products that are made from recycled content or post-consumer products you contribute significantly to a larger cause. These items usually use less packaging and fewer toxic materials.

Items prohibited at our recycling center are: e-waste, (which must be disposed of properly – information below), green waste, ceramics, Styrofoam, combination products (i.e. make-up cases w/mirrors), packing peanuts (various locations will accept it for re-use), non specific plastic, non-plastic materials, and dirt.

More over, the facility will accept drop offs of: used motor oil, cd’s, VHS tapes, scrap metal, copper, miscellaneous metals (ferrous and nonferrous metals including aluminum, iron, steel and other metals in goods like appliances).

This is aside from ‘toxic’ materials that are collected at the Hazardous Waste site around the corner from the recycling center. The site is dedicated to Santa Monica residents (proof is required) for materials that should be disposed of properly because of their dangerous make up that could leach to our waterways if combined with municipal waste.

Did you know that throwing away batteries is actually illegal? The good news is that disposable battery collection locations have expanded throughout the city – you will find them everywhere, just look for them!


Santa Monica Community Recycling Center
2411 Delaware Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90404
310.453.9677

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Saturday


Santa Monica Refuse Transfer Station
2401 Delaware Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90404
310.829.7323

6:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Monday – Saturday


Santa Monica: Household Hazardous Waste
2500 Michigan Ave, Santa Monica
Santa Monica, Ca 90404
(310) 458-8255

7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday - Thursday
Alternate Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
* For after hours/weekends leave a message to set an appointment

© Copyright and Property of Astrid Design Studio 2008

the truth about trash

So where does trash go when it is magically picked up off of our curbs and whisked off to never been seen or smelled again. The truth is that, depending on where we live, waste is buried, burned, or shipped off to a third world country - depending on the type of waste it is.

Generally, landfills, also referred to as a dump or tip, have been the traditional way of waste removal. Call it what you want, landfills around the world, including low income neighborhoods world wide are reaching full capacity.

Initially these site were not designed to fill up at the rates that they have been, opening up new opportunities! Landfills, reaching capacity are being developed for re-use for parks, gold courses and even creating neighborhoods in major cities like San Francisco's Treasure Island.

Since these heaps of garbage are not decomposing, but rather staying intact, they are designed to keep all the toxins that could potentially leak out into the community, under wraps. There is still the risk of seeping leachate, despite leachate management that captures and treats it. Leachate is a liquid that is formed inside landfills, containing dissolved organic and suspended matter, considered to be extremely toxic.

Landfills also create carbon dioxide and methane - two types of gases known for their destructive properties on our eco-systems, the atmosphere, and our health.

So, this leaves us an open opportunity to think twice about everything we purchase. Try to recycle and compost as much as you can, tread lightly, and consider all your decisions!