Green Celebrations
A program of Reclaim Your Holidays,
an initiative to help Iowans create more
meaningful celebrations and reduce ecological
footprints
Susan Salterberg
with Kristi Cooper
Green Celebrations
Session 1:
Rethinking Holiday Celebrations
Session 2:
Simplifying Gift-Giving,
Food & Gatherings
Session 3:
Taking Green Celebrations/
RYHs to Your Community
Rethinking
Holiday Celebrations
Goal: To deepen your
understanding of the…
1) ecological impact of
consumption
2) relationship between
life satisfaction and “stuff”
Rethinking
Holiday Celebrations
Once basic needs are met,
happiness is achieved through
such things as engaging in
activities of interest to us &
spending time with friends and
family.
Welcome
State your first name and
something you love in the natural
world completing the sentence:
“I love…”
Waste Hierarchy
Recycling
Reprocess
material
to a make
another
product
Reuse
Use
product
in
original
form,
but in
new way.
Reduce
What is it???
Reduce
 Reduce consumer use of materials
 Reduce material use in
product manufacture
 Decrease toxicity
 Increase useful life
(durability, repair-ability)
Reduce
Reduced
(or more
efficient)
consumer
use of
materials
Reduce
Reduced material
use in product manufacture
Reduce
Decreased
toxicity
Reduce
Increased
useful life
through
durability
and repairability
Reduction
Prevents the generation of waste.
It’s the preferred—but oftenoverlooked—strategy.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Yet, the hierarchy has its
limitations.
“Reduction” suggests
“consuming less,” but
“consuming better” may
sometimes be preferred.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
The hierarchy has its limitations.
Production and consumption are
far more important needs to
address than disposal.
Sustainable Consumption
Consuming less and consuming
better prevent waste.
Sustainable consumption also
prevents air and water pollution,
loss of soil & loss of natural
resources, including fossil fuels.
Resources that Introduce
“Stuff” & Consumption
• George Carlin video
• Cartoon of drawers in staircase
Resources that Enlighten
about Ecological
Impacts of Consumption
• Waste Hierarchy PowerPoint
slides
• Life Cycle of the Phone video
Indicate level of Agreement/Disagreement (6 point scale):
Our country would be better
off if we all consumed less
(National Sample N=1500 March 2009 Yale Cultural Cognition Project)
90
80
70
60
30
Slightly
Moderately
Strongly
50
40
25
30
20
10
25
0
Agree
10
6
5
Disagree
USA
Oregon
(
Costa
Rica
New
Zealand
7.9
$46800
5.4(t)
3.3(t)
$6060
1.3(t)
$27920
7.8
8.5
$42360
11.5(t)
7.5
$47580
19.4(t)
7.4
Income/Emissions/Life
Satisfaction Compared
Income ($US)
Emissions (ton/capita)
Life Satisfaction Index
Sweden
Some places consume less,
yet life satisfaction is higher
The Best Things in Life
What life experiences have made
you feel totally alive and vibrant?
Memories at
Holidays & Celebrations
Write down three times of deep
joy and satisfaction in conjunction
with “family” at holidays or other
celebrations.
Memories…
Choose one memory and describe:
• What were you doing?
• Who were you with?
• What parts were most energizing/joyous?
• Were there material things essential to
making this experience possible? If so, what
were they?
• What, if anything, prevents you from
repeating this experience or others like it?
Americans think these changes
would be “a good thing”
1) More emphasis on family life.
2) Having to learn new skills and
self-reliance.
3) Reduction in individual
consumption levels.
Rethinking
Holiday Celebrations
Goal: To deepen your
understanding of the…
1) ecological impact of
consumption
2) relationship between
life satisfaction and “stuff”
Citations
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Slide 6: Cartoon reprinted with permission of the Bill Knowlton estate
Slide 7 & 16 (Waste hierarchy illustration):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Waste_hierarchy.svg
Slides 8-15 (Recycle, Reuse, Reduce definitions): Decision Maker’s Guide to Solid
Waste Management, Volume II, (EPA 530-R-95-023), 1995. Retrieved 10/1/12 at
http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/dmg2/chapter5.pdf, page 5-2
Slides 17 & 18 (Hierarchy): David Allaway, Oregon Department of Environmental
Quality
Slide 22 (We’d be better off if we consumed less): PolicyInteractive Research, Eugene,
Oregon www.policyinteractive.org
Slide 23 (Life satisfaction slide): PolicyInteractive Research, Eugene, Oregon
www.policyinteractive.org. Data from Income: Per Capita World Bank 2008 estimate
(Atlas Method); Emissions: Tons CO2/capita World Resources Institute (Source:
Nationmaster); Life Satisfaction:: Life Satisfaction Index Gallup World Survey 2008
(Source: World Database of Happiness)
Slides 24-26 (Memories): Burch, Mark A., 2012. The Simplicity Exercises: A
Sourcebook for Simplicity Educators. The Simplicity Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
Slide 27 (Changes would be a “good thing”): Policy Interactive Research, Eugene,
Oregon, December 2009, 403 participants (MOE 4.9%); www.policyinteractive.org.
Special thanks for funding…
The Resource Enhancement and
Protection Conservation
Education Program &
The Iowa Department of
Natural Resources Solid Waste
Alternatives Program
Green Celebrations
A program of Reclaim Your Holidays
Susan Salterberg, salterberg@uni.edu
Center for Energy
& Environmental Education,
University of Northern Iowa
In partnership with
Kristi Cooper, kcoop@iastate.edu
Iowa State University Extension