To give some updates, I’m back home in California after having spent a couple months in Europe. In July, I was in Paris taking fashion design and construction classes and doing research, and after that I went to Sweden to WWOOF on an organic farm that raised sheep and cows. Two very contrasting experiences, two different frames from which to think about sustainability, one great opportunity to learn.  Thanks so much to the Green Dorm for helping to fund my travel to Europe!

I really wanted to include photos in this post, but the upload is taking an eternity.  Perhaps it’s just my computer?  The message I keep getting is that the server is not authorized to upload the photos.  Anybody know what might be going down?  In any event, I will write…

The end goal of this project was to create a fashion design portfolio that summarizes my research on sustainable fashion techniques and what it means to have a sustainable philosophy as a fashion designer.  After hours of thinking and sketching, I found that, while non-sustainable lines can be developed from nearly any idea (say you’re inspired by lions, you then create a collection devoted to that idea), the concept for a sustainable portfolio takes a lot more time to formulate because you need to consider the practical repercussions of manufacturing that fashion idea.  I went through a number of ideas before arriving on anything final.  At first, I was inspired by Maasai fashion from Africa, and envisioned a limited collection where Maasai communities would supply or design the fabrics for the clothes.  This idea morphed into a “tribal hipster” line, which was farther-removed from these communities in Africa, but that used tribal styles and methods to increase interest in natural fibers and dyes in high-consuming, urban populations.  It was in my last week in Paris, however, that I came upon my final idea, which was completely different and which specifically addressed urban populations.  For this project, I am presenting a line of office wear that uses wasted or surplus office supplies (paper clips, staples, defected pencils, etc.) as fashion centerpieces.  Any fabrics necessary for the clothing will be organically produced, and the general message, besides being a sustainable one, is that people should begin to take a more creative approach to their careers and work, starting with what they wear to the office.

I also want to make a shameless plug, as Mike would say, for a new student group called the Sustainable Fashion Collective.  If you have any friends interested in fashion, tell them to keep their eyes open because we’re planning some cool stuff.

Also, I just created a blog of my own, the Positive Sustainability Book Blog on which I will post book updates, including thoughts about it, and actual chapter drafts. I’ve posted the first thirty five pages, and will post some drafted later chapters soon. I’d love your comments.

I couldn't think of a relevant picture for this post, so here's a view from the top of half dome I took at sunrise two weekends ago. If any of you haven't done the midnight climb, I highly recommend it!

and she’s really excited about the project. She pledged the Green Fund’s support for at least some of our operating costs for next year (we’ll still have to find funding for the social events & awareness campaign, but it will come). Also, she suggested we call it the Sustainability Research Library. This sounds more official, it encompasses faculty if they want in, it makes it more obvious of a go-to for students embarking on a research project, and it makes it very clear that we’re providing a service to, not competition with, subject-specific research groups on campus. What do you all think about this?

Finally, I met someone while selling tickets for a Stanford Summer Theater production who wants to do our dynamic web programming for free! He’s well versed in php and other languages I haven’t even heard of, and is interested in making our site generally kickass, such as making users able to upload and profile their own work with title, keyword, category, tenability (peer reviewed/academic/data only/notes), and an abstract, and then allow users to search keywords or categories and have the site dynamically create search results and pages for each article. This will change the site’s limitation from my ability to upload content to the physical limitations of the host’s hd and bandwidth size since we don’t have to maintain the content. Now, there’s nothing preventing us from going national… a few other schools have unofficially expressed an interest in participating! This can be our goal for next year (during the year)… take the site to the national stage.

So excited! Let’s get this blog moving again now that we’re all in summertime and have some room to stretch our brains!

-Mike

While I’ve been at Stanford, I’ve been working on creating the new Student Sustainability Research Consortium, which some of you heard the beginnings of at the end of last year. I’m working with the Woods Institute, Students for a Sustainable Stanford, the OSA, and some others to create an organization that will be responsible for bringing together, organizing, and publishing all the student sustainability research on campus. (Shameless plug: If you have any research/papers/etc that we could start the site off with, we’d love to have it!)  We’re also going to be hosting events to bring people together in interdisciplinary groups & get people excited in sustainability research. Hopefully, by providing a place for people to go to look for direction, funding, advice, and experience, we’ll be able to increase the quantity and improve the quality of student research on campus! It’s been a fun process so far, and we’re heading into a lot of work as the summer rolls on with excitement. (shameless plug #2, if any of you know of any good web programmers with lots of time and no need for money, let me know!)

As for the Green Dorm, I’m meeting with Professor Fischer some time later this week (pending contact ). He was very interested in me helping to raise the money to get the dorm built, and I’ll be talking with him about the future of the class, TAs, etc as well. Let me know if you want me to say anything to him!

-Mike

How could we better adapt the green dorm to the Pleistocene primate lifestyle we are designed for but generally disconnected from?

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.cfm

The Obama organic vegetable garden will provide food for White House kitchens and learning opportunities for local kids

In an effort to increase awareness of healthy and sustainable eating choices, First Lady Michelle Obama has decided to start an organic vegetable and fruit garden on the East Lawn of the White House (next to the Obama girls’ new swing set). This garden will provide locally grown, organic produce to the White House kitchens, but it will also be a learning opportunity for local students and families. According to an article by The New York Times, “Twenty-three fifth graders from Bancroft Elementary School in Washington will help her dig up the soil for the 1,100-square-foot plot in a spot visible to passers-by on E Street…. Students from the school, which has had a garden since 2001, will also help plant, harvest and cook the vegetables, berries and herbs.” The garden, according to Mrs. Obama, is a step towards encouraging healthier eating practices in homes across America that include eating more home-cooked meals containing local produce. “My hope is that through children, they will begin to educate their families and that will, in turn, begin to educate our communities.”

The idea for the First Lady’s first vegetable garden came from her time trying to raise two girls in the modern world of fast food and prepackaged meals. After living off of what is increasingly becoming an American staple of unhealthy commercialized foods, the Obama children’s doctor recommended new lifestyle choices be made. After switching to local, organic produce, Mrs. Obama found that her children, and she, found that organic produce tastes better. “A real delicious heirloom tomato is one of the sweetest things that you’ll ever eat. And my children know the difference [between organic and commercial produce], and that’s how I’ve been able to get them to try different things.”

This taste difference makes sense, too. According to the Weather Channel’s program Forecast Earth, Tomatoes grown commercially are genetically engineered to be sturdier during transportation, and to have a longer shelf life for the same reason. While these measures result in a better product after thousands of miles of transport, they reduce the quality of taste and texture. Locally grown products do not have to withstand such constraints, and the natural products almost always taste better, and are better for you.

In addition to the health and palatability benefits, locally grown, organic food is often much better for the environment, and the Obamas are aware of this as well. According to the New York Times article, the vegetable garden has “taken on political and environmental symbolism as the Obamas have been lobbied for months by advocates who believe that growing more food locally could lead to healthier eating and lessen reliance on huge industrial farms that use more oil for transportation and chemicals for fertilizer.” The spectre of hidden embodied energy in our food is increasingly becoming a big issue, especially when cattle produce more GHG emissions in California than cars, and when the vegetarian dish you eat to avoid this likely was grown in a Chilean ex-rainforest.

But some feel that the Obamas’ message of change can apply to local food as well. Dan Barber, an organic farmer and restaurant owner, believes “the power of Michelle Obama and the garden can create a very powerful message about eating healthy and more delicious food…. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say it could translate into real change.” Indeed, Mrs. Obama has already stressed that while backyard gardens are a good idea, the one million-and-growing community gardens already operating in the US have a role to play in the adoption of local food production, and if this isn’t an appealing option, there are steps to be taken as well. “You can begin in your own cupboard by eliminating processed food, trying to cook a meal a little more often, trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables,” she said.

Community Supported Agriculture provides a great alternative to both harmful commercial produce and expensive store-bought local & organic produce

According to Forecast Earth, some small organic farms are banding together to create coalitions capable of supplying supermarkets with a steady supply of organic produce. “Appalachian Harvest” accomplished this by uniting ex-tobacco farmers and convincing them to switch crops to organic produce. Other methods include “Community Supported Agriculture” farms in which costumers pay up-front for weekly baskets of fresh produce. Customers have the option of participating in “work-share” in which 2-3 hours of farm work per week is exchanged for discounted food prices.

Regardless of the success of the project at creating a nationwide movement, however, this farm is certainly a success at the White House. I don’t know how they accomplished this or if the New York Times simply went crazy, but the total cost for the seeds, mulch, and other materials is reported at $200. It probably helps that they have full-time carpenters and landscapers ready to pitch in work, but still, if the First Family can feed themselves even partially for a one-time payment of $200, that’s the shrewdest spending yet to come out of this administration!

Burros, Marian. “Obamas Prepare to Plant White House Vegetable Garden.” New York Times. March 19, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/dining/19garden-web.html?_r=1&hp

“A Year of Food Life.” Forecast Earth. November 22, 2008. http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1155389201/bclid1232414644/bctid2973893001

“Organic Farmers.” Forecast Earth. November 22, 2008. http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1155389201/bclid1232414644/bctid2973894001

Application: In light of Sam’s work on land-to-student ratios, I don’t think we can have a garden at the green dorm (or R2D2 or whatever) that can support any meaningful fraction of the students. However, as we all travel out and influence the world, I think this can have a huge impact on how business is done. Imagine a huge company such as Google, Disney, IBM, etc, having a large farm on the outskirts of their campus (or resort) to which staff members could go to work in exchange for cheap, fresh, and local produce. It could even be incentivised or mandated (I don’t like that… but just throwing it out there) as part of work as part of a living wage initiative and a chance to promote physical and mental health (going out and working on a farm seems like a great way to burn off steam after a long day at the office!) Imagine a company that gives a ½ day off per week for employees to go work on a farm that produces all the food for the company. I think that would be great!

What does this even mean? Good question. Princeton freshman dropout Tom Szaky (CEO Terracycle) makes amazing all-natural fertilizer from worm poop, and packages it in unprocessed used bottles. In addition, the stuff is made in a run-down warehouse using old horse feed-troughs collected from farms. A really cool business model: he doesn’t simply reconceptualize his product, but also every step of production, by using trash as much as possible. This way, he can dramatically cut costs and save valuable material resources. His company also makes reusable grocery and school bags from upcycled plastic grocery bags, other school supplies, eco-friendly cleaners, animal feed, fire starters (eh…) and more.

Video: Forecast Earth: Terracycle (The Weather Channel’s Forcast Earth)

more information at www.watercone.com

Here is a really cool and simple technology. The Watercone is a solar still that can desalinate sea water or brackish water. The evaporated water condenses on the cone surface and then drips down into a small trough that also enables the cone to float on top of the dirty water surface that it is desalinating. The Watercone is the ultimate in decentralized small is beautiful/profitable technology. It can work because populations are spread out which means that the surface area required to harvest sunlight is not an issue, as it would be if you tried to make one centralized solar powered desalination facility. The device can create 1.0-1.7 liters of desalinated water a day. The base has a 60-80 cm diameter while the cone is 30-50 cm high.

picture comes from the tendril website

Tendril is a smart metering company. They have smart meters that can be installed in homes and deliver near real time electricity pricing information. They use distributed software and algorithms to calculate and predict your energy costs during the day with a night time true up of prices using utility data. A next step for this technology would be to deliver near real time energy-service pricing. Delivering energy-service pricing in real time could help people understand how much their cold beers and hot showers are costing them.

Once you start delivering energy services pricing information you open up a world of energy service provision. No longer would people worry about how much their kWh cost, instead they would see that they were paying more than their neighbor for refrigeration services, and they would want to buy the new product that delivers the better lower cost service.

Customers wouldn’t be happy if they had just spent hundreds of dollars on a suboptimal refrigerator. Also, if there is a better refrigerator that provides lower cost refrigeration services in two years, customers are going to want it. Therefore, monetizing energy services would empower customers and drive cradle-to-cradle design of products since companies and customers wouldn’t want to get stuck with underperforming service providing capital goods.

Some steps of exploration within the context of the Green Dorm: Someone could easily monetize the energy services provided to a dorm that is already equipped to monitor its own energy use. If the kWhs are already monetized, then this process would be much simpler.