Title: Unit 7 Assignment
Course: BIS 105 Environmental Biology > Section: BIS 105 Environmental Biology

Q: Businesses that are environmentally mindful don’t just try to minimize their impact on nature—they actually look to nature as an economic model from which to learn and model their choices. Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface Carpet, turned to Paul Hawken, cofounder of the gardening supply company Smith & Hawken, for inspiration on how to create a sustainable company. Anderson read Hawken's book The Ecology of Commerce, which tells the story of a population of reindeer introduced to a small island in Alaska during World War II. The population eventually exploded beyond what their environment could support and died out. Hawken also coauthored a book titled Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution, about how industries can adopt sustainable practices. Listen to Ray Anderson here: http://youtu.be/iP9QF_lBOyA.   Read about Hawken's Natural Capitalism here: http://www.paulhawken.com/multimedia/motherjones_naturalcapitalism.pdf

1. What changes does Ray discuss making to the I = P x A x T equation?
2. What experiment should serve as a warning to us?

Q: How can companies adopt more sustainable practices?

- In cradle-to-cradle management, the manufacturer is responsible for the product from its production (cradle) to its final disposition after the consumer is finished with it. If the item were merely disposed of, it would be sent to its "grave" and those resources wasted. If, however, the item is disassembled and the parts reused, these parts become raw material again for a new product—a new "cradle." Watch this video about Dell's work with Goodwill Industries to create a worldwide computer recycling program: http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/d/videos~en/Documents~dell_reconnect_Fixed_FINAL_lores.aspx.aspx?layoutvariation=modal&theme=default#ooid=E1YjBmMjqlhDD9zoMhvlilIxqPcsb-ko.

- The Electronics TakeBack Coalition grades manufacturers at: http://www.electronicstakeback.com/hold-manufacturers-accountable/recycling-report-card/.

- Companies are also looking at ways to reduce their energy use. From 1994 to 2006 Interface cut the amount of energy it derived from fossil fuels by 55% and reduced its total energy use by 43%. It did this in part by maximizing energy efficiency in its facilities; installing skylights and solar tubes to replace artificial, electricity-dependent lighting; and installing more energy-efficient heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) offers tips for businesses on how to reduce energy use. http://energy.gov/science-innovation/energy-efficiency. It also provides examples of businesses that have succeeded: http://energy.gov/articles/eecbg-program-new-hampshire-snapshot, http://energy.gov/articles/improved-manufacturing-processes-save-company-one-billion-dollars.

What is the consumer's role in sustainability?

- As consumers, we can also decrease our impact on the environment by making more sustainable choices and by consuming less. This means being mindful of our choices and opting for sustainable or low-impact choices, which requires transparency from the industries that produce and sell us goods and services. One helpful source is the Good Guide, which has ratings for more than 120,000 consumer products: http://www.goodguide.com.

- The DOE also offers tips to consumers on how to save energy—and money. The organization recommends conducting a home energy audit to find energy leaks and figure out the best ways to stop them: http://energy.gov/home-weatherization. Find out how much energy your area consumes by checking the DOE's energy consumption map: http://energy.gov/maps/2009-energy-consumption-person and learn about how smart grid technology—which provides information about energy supply and consumption—can help homeowners reduce their energy use: http://energy.gov/articles/how-smart-grid-helps-homeowners-reduce-their-energy-use.

1. What rank is Illinois for energy consumption?

Q: Environmental resources like timber and water can be considered ecosystem goods. And ecological processes like water purification, pollination, climate regulation, and nutrient cycling are essential ecosystem services, according to work published by Robert Constanza, an ecological economist at Portland State University (formerly at the University of Vermont). Constanza and his colleagues evaluated ecosystem services and quantified their values to be more than $33 trillion (1994 dollars). The estimate in 2009 dollars is $44 trillion. Listen to Constanza talk about sustainability solutions at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pjp0gTUZCU, and read the Solutions journal that Constanza cofounded: http://www.thesolutionsjournal.com/.<

1. Bob mentions a metric Bhutan is using to measure their success in place of gross domestic product (GDP).  What is Bhutan using instead?

Q: One way companies can communicate information about their products is through ecolabeling. But consumers have to be wary of labels because as “green” products become more attractive to consumers, more companies engage in "greenwashing"—claiming environmental benefits for a product when they are minor or nonexistent. Listen to the report "From Fables to Labels," about analyzing food labels, by Urvashi Rangan, who leads the Consumer Safety and Sustainability Group for Consumer Reports: http://www.greenerchoices.org/products.cfm?product=0212fablestolabels&pcat=food.  Check out the Greenwashing Index ratings for videos submitted for critiquing: http://www.greenwashingindex.com/about-greenwashing/

1. In the video Urvashi Rangan mentions a USA policy did the World Trade organization recently rule against.  What policy was this?