A2
GREEN
GUIDE
Your guide to living
environmentally friendly
in Ann Arbor.
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Every decision you make effects your carbon footprint. To find out your
footprint go to:
Save Energy – 1
Clean Air – 13
Learn to be energy efficient and discover
why conservation, compact fluorescent
bulbs, and adjusting your thermostat will
save you money.
Why should you help support clean air?
Because you breathe it! Find out how to
keep the air clean.
Getting Around – 4
Save Water – 15
Find alternative ways around Ann Arbor.
Water is a precious resource. So, it makes
sense that we need to save as much of it as
possible. Find out how.
Zero Waste – 7
The Great Outdoors – 19
www.myfootprint.org
In this book you will find many ways to reduce your carbon footprint. So
pick a topic and find out how to help our planet.
This project was designed and started by a student. I know sometimes
being "green" is hard to do, but it is worth it. This world we live in and
planet we live on is too beautiful and amazing to not try and save it. So
please, take a look at what's in this book and try some of it. If I can do it
as a student you can too.
// Information provided by the City of Ann Arbor Public
Services Area, 2009.
You’ve already heard “reduce, reuse, recycle,” Volunteering is a great way to help preserve
right? It’s shockingly easy to put to use.
our environment. Ann Arbor also has a great
range of parks. Go out, enjoy them, and find
out why they’re important.
// Designed by Devin MacDonald.
// Printed on recycled paper with soy based ink.
Local Food – 11
Local food tastes better, is better for you,
and supports your community. Find more
reasons in this section.
Most of these things not only help the
environment but they save you money.
Energy Use / Saving Energy
Using less energy is the cheapest way to reduce your carbon footprint and can
save you some real money. As a renter, you can encourage your landlord to install
more energy-efficient appliances, but the best opportunities to save money and
energy are already at your fingertips! From simply turning off your electronic devices
to having more moonlit dinners, and yes, dialing down your thermostat, every little
bit helps both the environment and your wallet.
Q
A
3 Easy Ways to Save Energy
Why do Greenhouse Gases
matter?
Greenhouse gases are turning our atmosphere into a thick blanket that traps heat on
our planet. More greenhouse gases means
a warmer planet and a less stable climate.
Greenhouse gases are produced when we
burn fossil fuel to generate electricity, heat
our homes, and drive our cars.
Transportation - 23%
Unplug It
Turn It Down
CFLs
Not using it? Turn it off!
Unplug appliances, including
cell phone and laptop chargers, when not in use, as
many still use energy even
when turned “off”.
Temperature control makes
a big difference. Dial it down
in winter and up in summer
− every degree can save up
to 3% off your bill. Ask your
landlord about installing a
programmable thermostat.
Leave a note reminding you
to adjust your thermostat.
What, you don’t use compact fluorescent lights?
Don’t worry, they’ll pay for
themselves before you move
out! Recycling options for
CFLs at
www.a2gov.org/recycle.
Solid Waste - 1%
GREENHOUSE
GASES
Electricity - 57%
Natural Gas - 19%
More Ways
+ Leaks Cost Money
Installing weather stripping can be a great way to learn some
green job skills.
+ Water Heater
Venture down into your basement (if you can) and turn your
water heater down to 120°F.
+ Energy Audit
Talk to your landlord about getting a home energy audit.
Contact Recycle Ann Arbor's Environmental House at
734.662.6288 or use DTE Energy’s MyEnergy Analyzer
www.my.dteenergy.com/home/myEnergyAnalyzer.html to
learn more.
1
Electricity
Natural Gas
Transportation
Solid Waste
Our electricity is
provided by DTE
Energy, and 78% of
it comes from coalfired power plants,
while only 1% is
renewable. Burning
coal for electricity is
a major contributor
to greenhouse gas
emissions worldwide.
Nearly every home
and business in Ann
Arbor is heated with
natural gas. As an
alternative to natural
gas, some residents are installing
geothermal heat,
which uses natural
warmth from under
the ground.
Most greenhouse
gas emissions from
transportation are
the result of singleoccupant vehicles
burning fossil fuels
such as gasoline or
diesel.
Our trash generates
methane – twenty
times more potent
than CO2 – when
it decomposes in
landfills. Fortunately,
most of this methane is captured and
used in Ann Arbor to
create electricity.
2
Energy Use / Renewable Energy
Transportation / Buses + Carpooling + Zipcar
Renewable energy means clean air, clean water, and
stable climate. You can make the switch today.
Alternative transportation has many benefits. It’s good
for the planet, good for your health, and good for your
pocketbook.
Alternative
Fueling Locations
AATA
Zipcar
Buy green electricity. Sign up for DTE Energy’s GreenCurrents program – www.greencurrents.com – or visit the U.S.
Dept. of Energy’s Green Power Network website for other
options – apps3.eere.energy.gov/greenpower.
UM students can ride all AATA buses for free with their Student ID (MCARD). Just swipe your card when you get on the
bus. Visit www.google.com/transit for help in planning your
bus route.
You can live without a car in
Ann Arbor! That’s because
there are already cars here
for you to use. More info at
www.zipcar.com/umich.
Burn Biodiesel
The Link
Biodiesel
Meijer (B20)
3145 Ann Arbor Saline Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Move to Renewable Energy
Meijer (B20)
3995 Carpenter Rd.
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Have a diesel car? Burn biodiesel! Biodiesel requires no
modifications to your vehicle. You can use a 20% blend
(called B20) all-year round and higher percentages (B50 or
B100) in the summer.
Ethanol (E85)
Don’t Forget Ethanol
West Stadium Sunoco
2275 West Stadium Blvd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Meijer
3145 Ann Arbor Saline Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
3
E10 (10% ethanol) can be used in any gasoline vehicle with
no modifications. But if you’ve got the cash, buy a flex-fuel
vehicle so you can run E85 (85% ethanol). (Progress is being
made to produce ethanol from non-food crops like wastewood.)
From August to April the AATA operates purple buses called
the Link. The Link connects the South University and Central
Campus area to the rest of downtown Ann Arbor. And the
best part is, it’s free! For more information about the Link,
visit www.theride.org.
BTB Party Bus
Call the BTB Party Bus late into the night to get around Ann
Arbor. Most rides are just two dollars. More info at
www.btbpartybus.com.
UM Magic Bus
Need to know when the next bus is coming? Check out the
Magic Bus at mbus.pts.umich.edu for real-time bus locations and estimated number of minutes until the next bus will
arrive at a given stop.
Carpooling
Want to find a carpool
partner? Check out
University of Michigan Green
Ride: www.umich.greenride.
com.
Need to Get Out
of Town?
Visit www.amtrak.com or
www.greyhound.com.
Going to Chicago? Visit
www.megabus.com.
Going to the Detroit Metro
Airport? Visit
www.michiganflyer.com.
4
Transportation / Biking + Walking + Buses
Routes Shown
AATA Routes
U of M Routes
2 − Plymouth
Commuter
4 − Washtenaw
Bursley-Baits
5 − Packard
6 − Ellsworth
36 − Wolverine Tower
609 − Dexter - University
The Link
Important Locations
1 Michigan Union
2 West Quad
3 South Quad
4 Law Quad
5 Angell Hall
6 Michigan League
7 Hatcher Graduate Library
8 Shapiro Undergraduate Library
9 CC Little
10 IM Building
11 CCRB
12 Stockwell
13 Mosher Jordan
14 Alice Lloyd
15 Couzens
16 Business School
Biking and Walking
For a host of resources on biking and walking in and around
Ann Arbor, visit www.getDowntown.org or the Washtenaw
Biking and Walking Coalition at wbwc.org. Additional biking
information is also available at www.a2gov.org/bike.
Want to ride your bike, but aren’t sure where to park it? The
University of Michigan has maps of bike parking for every
section of campus www.pts.umich.edu/maps.
5
6
Zero Waste / Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Waste is not a basic principal, like gravity. Waste doesn’t exist in nature—all resources are reused. According to the Grassroots Recycling Network (www.grrn.
org), zero waste offers a valid policy direction, just like setting a goal for “zero
workplace injuries” or “zero recalls” of products. GRRN poses the challenge, if you
are not for zero waste, how much waste are you for? Instead of spending money to
haul and bury/burn waste, we can be smarter and redesign products for reuse.
After your recyclables are
collected by Recycle Ann
Arbor they head to the Ann
Arbor Materials Recovery
Facility. They are then sorted
and prepared for shipping to
be reused.
Waste doesn't exist in nature. Cut down on what you use
and try to use recycled products.
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
What Can Be Recycled?
Use refillable water bottles
and take your refillable mug
to the coffee shop. Print on
both sides of paper or use
the backside of documents
for scratch paper. Bring
your own bags when shopping. Buy items in bulk with
less packaging. Reducing
waste adds up. Recycling
a grocery bag saves about
half the energy and pollution required to make a new,
recycled-content bag. But
reusing a bag offers an even
better “no carbon footprint”
option.
Lightly-used items are available at The ReUse Center
at 2420 S. Industrial Hwy or
online at www.craigslist.com
or www.freecycle.org. Many
local reuse stores and nonprofits are posted at http://
recycle.ewashtenaw.org in
the Trash to Treasures directory. Apartment furnishings
are available at a fraction of
the original cost.
Use A2’s free recycling
pickup service available to
all apartments, homes, and
businesses in town. Look
for recycling storage bins
for mixed papers, flattened
cardboard, and containers (empty cans, glass,
milk cartons, and plastic
bottles marked #1/PET
and #2/HDPE). Details at
www.a2gov.org/recycle or
by calling the local nonprofit Recycle Ann Arbor at
734.662.6288.
Paper Products
corrugated
boxes
newspapers/
junk mail/
office paper
glass
bottles
pizza
boxes
#2 milk
jugs
juice
boxes
cans
cereal
boxes
7
Containers
paper
bags
#1 plastic
water
and soda
bottles
(soup cans
etc.)
#2 laundry
detergent
containers
8
Zero Waste / Toxics
We may joke about messy apartments looking like toxic waste dumps, but some
of our actions can add up to a lot of damage to the environment if we are careless with our stuff.
Life of a Cell Phone
Most electronics contain toxic materials. Don't throw them
in the trash. Here is what you can do with them.
Computers? TVs?
An Easy Call
Don’t trash computer monitors and TVs. CRT (cathode ray
tube) monitors each contain heavy metals and 3-8 pounds
of lead—both are known carcinogens and neurotoxins. Flat
screen monitors also have toxic components. Did you know
that it is illegal in Ann Arbor to throw old computers and TVs
into the trash? This is because the crushed monitors can potentially leak these compounds into the air or groundwater?
An easy call—cell phone recycling! Reusing cell phones
conserves resources, saves
energy, and reduces pollution. Remanufactured cell
phones also provide vital
communications throughout the world. Most phone
stores and electronics
recycling locations take back
phones for recycling. Many
charities coordinate cell
phone drives.
Many manufacturers—like IBM, HP, and Apple—offer recycling options when you purchase a new computer. Check at
the store or online.
The Drop-Off Station fully recycles most electronics and laptop computers at no charge. Computer monitors have a $15
recycling fee; recycling larger television monitors may cost
more. 2950 E. Ellsworth Rd, 734.971.7400, www.recycleannarbor.org. Other area recycling options are posted at www.
a2gov.org/recycle and nationwide programs at www.eiae.
org.
Michigan passed a law requiring that by April 2010, all computer stores are required to take back the equipment they
sell for full recycling. Details at www.michiganlegislature.org
for Senate Bills 897-898 and House Bills 6714-6715.
9
Toxic Products vs. Non-Toxic
Choose less toxic products. Those “danger, caution, skulland-crossbones” warnings on packages should give you
pause when reaching for cleansers and paints. Many safer
products or procedures are available that don’t have to have
a premium “green” price tag. Here are some suggestions:
Baking Soda has 101 uses around the apartment when
teamed up with a sponge and water to clean sinks, tubs,
and refrigerators. Use it dry to extinguish grease fires.
Vinegar removes mildew; polishes metals; cleans coffeepots,
glass, and tiles; and when mixed 50/50 with baking soda
is able to clear clogged drains. (Remember grade school
volcano experiments?)
Try denture tabs for cleaning toilets. Bubble stains away and
leave the bowl minty fresh! Additional ideas are posted on
the web at recycle.eWashtenaw.org.
10
Local Foods / Food Miles + Farmer's Market
Where does your food come from?
Check to see where your food comes from before
you buy it. Although, Michigan produces a lot of
apples 3/4 of our apples still come from the state of
Washington. All of that food travel produces carbon
and hurts the environment. The closer you can buy
to your home, the better.
Meet Your Farmers Food Miles
Join a CSA
By shopping at a Farmers
Market you meet your local
farmers. The Ann Arbor
Farmers Market is open year
round and meets twice a
week in Kerrytown, www.
a2gov.org/market.
Join a CSA (community supported agriculture) program
or spend an afternoon volunteering on a local farm.
Localharvest.org is a great
place to find the nearest
farm.
Want to support local businesses? Visit thinklocalfirst.
net.
Take a look at where your
food comes from – it may
be traveling from California,
Chile, or China! In the U.S.,
produce, travels on average
nearly 1,500 miles between
where it was grown and
your refrigerator! Tell your
grocery store and favorite
restaurants you want to
support local producers and
encourage them to buy local
products.
Apples
Washington - 74.3%
Foreign Imports - 8.4%
Other Domestic - 6.0%
New York - 5.9%
Michigan - 4.6%
Seasonal Foods Calendar
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Apples
Apples
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Cherries
Grapes
Melons
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Rasberries
Strawberries
Top 10 Reasons to Buy Local – Views from A2 Farmer's Market
1 Locally
2 Local
3 Local food 4 Local food is
5 Local food
grown food
tastes
better.
11
produce is
better
for you.
preserves
genetic
diversity.
free of
genetically
modified
organisms
(GMOs).
supports local families.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Beans
Broccoli
Carrots
Corn
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Onions
Peas
Peppers
Potatoes
Potatoes
Pumkins
Tomatoes
Manager Molly Notarianni
6 Local food
builds
community.
7 Local food
preserves
open space.
8 Local foods
in season
cost less.
9 Local food
supports a
clean
environment
and benefits
wildlife.
10
Local food
is about the
future.
12
Clean Air / Drive Smart + Ozone Action Alerts
Maintain Your Car
Slow Down!
Don’t Idle
Fill ‘er Up
Drive Smoothly
A well-tuned car emits less
pollution. Keep your tires
inflated. Keeping your tires
inflated properly can improve
gas mileage by more than
3%. Every gallon of gasoline
saved keeps 20 pounds of
carbon dioxide out of the
atmosphere (Arbor Day
Foundation). According
to the U.S. Department of
Energy, underinflated tires
waste more than two million
gallons of gasoline a day.
According to the U.S.
Department of Energy, most
automobiles get about 20%
more miles per gallon on the
highway at 55 miles per hour
than they do at 70 miles per
hour. You can assume that
each 5 mph you drive over
60 mph is like paying an additional $0.25 per gallon for
gas (www.fueleconomy.gov).
More than 60 seconds of
idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine. If you’re
going to stop for 60 seconds
or more, and you’re not in
traffic, shut off your engine.
You’ll save money and your
vehicle won’t produce harmful carbon dioxide emissions.
(Canada Office of Energy
Efficiency)
Avoid topping off your tank
when refueling – it leads to
spills.
Accelerating and braking
too hard can actually reduce
your fuel economy, so take it
easy on the brakes and gas
pedal.
Ozone Action Alerts
Check for Ozone Action Alerts. Sign up for Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s EnviroFlash (www.deqmiair.
org/notify.cfm?page=notify) for automated email updates
and ozone alerts in your area. Consider car-pooling or taking
public transportation, especially when ozone alerts are in
effect. Defer using other gas powered lawn equipment on an
Action! Day. Small engines usually have inefficient emissioncontrol systems. Also, avoid idling at fast food restaurants,
banks or other locations on Ozone Action Days.
13
Many of the street lights in
the city of Ann Arbor have
been replaced by LED lights
that use less energy. This
ultimately helps keep the air
clean.
14
Water Use / Keep the Huron River Clean
85% of Ann Arbor's drinking water comes from the Huron
River. Protect it.
60% of pollution in our waterways comes from non-point
sources. Unlike point source
pollution, which occurs at
a single location such as a
chemical factory non-point
pollution comes from diffuse
sources and is caused by
each of us.
Don't Dump
Laundry Detergent
Don’t Flush Drugs
Don’t dump anything down
the storm drain. These
drains are connected to
piping that carries untreated
storm water to the river, so
any material that is dumped
into the drain will end up in
the river.
Use phosphate-free laundry
detergent. This reduces the
amount of phosphorous
that must be removed at the
waste water treatment plant.
Most liquid detergents are
phosphate free; just check
the label.
Do not flush unused medications. Traces of over-thecounter and prescription
drugs have been found
in rivers. Dispose of unused medications in the
trash, or better yet, check
to see if your pharmacy
participates in Washtenaw
County’s pharmacy takeback program. Visit www.
dontflushdrugs.com for
more information from the
county on proper disposal
of prescription drugs and
personal care products.
Excess phosphorus in the
Huron River becomes an unbalanced nutrient promoting
the growth of nuisance algae,
which is called an algal
bloom. Under certain conditions, algae will grow rapidly
and degrade the quality of
water for wildlife, recreation,
and drinking water treatment.
HURON RIVER
Barton Pond
15
Argo / Broadway
Riverside
/ Fuller
/ Arboretum
Geddes / Furstenberg / South Pond
Superior
16
Water Use / Conservation
36 states are anticipating local, regional, or
statewide water shortages by 2013. Here are 5
easy ways to conserve water.
No Water?
Turn Off the Tap
Have Leaks?
Run Full Loads
Low Flow
Call the water treatment plant immediately at
734.994.2840 if you turn on
the water faucet and nothing
comes out. This will help to
quickly assess the nature
and extent of the problem
and take corrective action.
The average bathroom
faucet flows at a rate of two
gallons per minute. Turning
off the tap while brushing
your teeth in the morning
and at bedtime can save up
to 8 gallons of water per day,
which equals 240 gallons a
month!
Call your landlord to fix leaky
faucets and toilets. According to the EPA WaterSense
website, a leaky toilet can
waste about 200 gallons
of water every day. Leaky
faucets that drip at the rate
of one drip per second can
waste more than 3,000 gallons of water each year.
Only do laundry or run the
dishwasher when you have
a full load. Dishwashers use
less water than hand-washing. On average, dishwashers use 15 gallons of water
per load.
Take shorter showers and
install a low-flow showerhead.
Water Use / Average Household
Water Use /
= 10 gallons
Toilets – 18.5
Clothes Washers – 15.0
Faucets – 10.9
Leaks – 9.5
Showers – 11.6
Other (Diswasher,
Bath, etc.) – 3.8
17
69.3
GALLONS
The average household
uses 69.3 gallons of
water per day. - American Waterworks Assn.,
www.awwa.org
Average Household With
Conservation Methods
Toilets – 8.2
Clothes Washers – 10.0
Faucets – 10.8
Leaks – 4.0
Showers – 8.8
Other (Diswasher,
Bath, etc.) – 3.5
45.2
GALLONS
The average household
uses 45.2 gallons of water per day when using
conservation methods.
Visit www.a2gov.org/
A2H20 to find out more.
18
The Great Outdoors / Parks + Volunteering
The City of Ann Arbor maintains over 2,000 acres of
green-space, or 12% of Ann Arbor’s total land area.
These natural areas and facilities add immensely to
residents’ and visitors’ quality of life. Natural Area Preservation (NAP) works to protect and restore Ann Arbor’s natural areas and to foster an environmental ethic
among its residents. This involves conducting plant
and animal inventories, ecological monitoring, and
stewardship projects in Ann Arbor parks. Through the
combination of hands-on involvement and scientific
understanding, NAP hopes to encourage and support
a connection between volunteers and their surrounding natural environment. By sharing this experience
with friends and neighbors, volunteers play a crucial
role in fostering an environmental ethic in the community. To learn more, visit the Natural Area Preservation
website at www.a2gov.org/nap, drop us an e-mail at
nap@a2gov.org, or give us a call at 734.794.6627.
Gallup Park. One of the 157 parks in Ann Arbor. Photo by Vinnie Ahuja.
Go Boating
Go boating on the Huron
River! From April to October, the Argo and Gallup
Park Canoe Liveries feature
canoe, kayak, and rowboat
rentals. Gallup also has
paddleboats available.
Go Hiking
Take a walk in the woods!
Many of our natural areas
have trails through them for
a peaceful break from the
stress of daily life.
YOUR REWARD FOR HELPING THE
ENVIRONMENT. OUR PARKS.
19
Volunteer
Come join NAP at one of our
volunteer events! Meet new
people, get outside, and do
something good for nature
all at once. Check out www.
a2gov.org/NAPvolunteering
for the current schedule of
events.
Native Plants
Organize
Spread the Word
Landscape with native
plants! If you’ve got space
and a hankering to garden,
plant some natives. They’re
easier than non-natives, just
as beautiful, and help support local wildlife. Check out
www.a2gov.org/
nativeplants for more info on
what to get, where to get it,
and the benefits to you and
to our local ecosystems.
Help us organize a workday
in your neighborhood! Are
you itching to help lead a
project in your neighborhood
or with your co-workers?
Look no further! NAP and
Adopt-A-Park can help you
contact your neighbors and
stage a community-building
workday in one of our many
parks. We can help you help
us build trails, plant trees, or
even just pull some invasive
weeds. Give us a call at
734.794.6627.
Already involved in the parks
and want to help others
have the same experience
you had? Come by the NAP
office at 1831 Traver Rd. and
pick up some parks maps,
trail maps, and factsheets
for your interested friends (or
yourself!). While you’re here,
take a look around Project
Grow’s community gardens
or visit the Leslie Science &
Nature Center’s raptors!
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