Healthy Planet, Healthy People
Ilda T. Hershey
OSU Sustainability Coordinator
Overview
• What is “Sustainability”?
• What does a healthy planet provide for us humans?
• How do some negative impacts on the environment
affect our own health?
– How can we do better?
– What is OSU doing?
• What can you do?
Page  2
Sustainability
What is sustainability?
sustain + ability
Page  3
Sustainability
• Sustainability
Meeting the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
• Sustainability = Good Stewardship
Environment
Economy
Society
Page  4
Sustainability
• Tenets of Sustainability
– All things on Earth are connected
• Web of life; actions have consequences
– It’s better to live off nature’s income, not its capital
• Renewable energy; conservation; recycling
– There is no waste in nature
• Design for the Environment (DfE) & Lean Production
– Defining best processing & manufacturing practices
– Reducing toxins & waste
• Circular Production; Cradle to Cradle Design
– Considers entire life cycle (LCA)
Page  5
Healthy Planet
Why do we care?
What’s in it for us?
Page  6
The Earth Provides
• We depend on ecosystem services for basic human needs:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Oxygen
Fresh water
Food
Materials for shelter
Protection from storms
Biodiversity provides:
•
•
•
•
•
Medicinal properties
Healthy soils
Pest control
Pollination & seed dispersal
Sustainable designs based on Biomimicry
• Nature doesn’t need people. People need nature.
Page  7
Negative Impacts
• Single-Use Plastics
– How can we do better?
– What is OSU doing?
• Food as a Product
– How can we do better?
– What is OSU doing?
• Air Pollution
– How can we do better?
– What is OSU doing?
Page  8
Single-Use Plastics
• Plastic is Fantastic
– Used in a wide range of industries
– Has changed history
– 50% single-use (disposable)
• What are most plastics made of?
– Petroleum products plus added chemicals
– 8% world oil production
– Techno-nutrient or Bio-nutrient?
• Plastic makes bad garbage
– "Good garbage breaks down as it goes…
bad garbage grows and grows and grows” Tom Chapin, songwriter
– MSW 13% (32M tons); Volume?; Mostly containers & packaging
– As a techno-nutrient it could be recovered for remanufacture
– Only about 9% is recycled; must be clean and numbered
Page  9
Plastic Pollution
• Pollution of waterways and oceans 20/80%
– All watersheds drain to oceans
– When discarded plastic enters the environment it is harmful to
wildlife and people
1.
2.
Entanglement - Once entangled, animals have trouble eating,
breathing or swimming
Ingestion – Floating plastic looks like food
– Can damage the digestive system or make animal feel full
3.
Toxicity – Floating plastic is like a sponge for attracting pollutants
– Toxins, like mercury, PCBs and other dioxins easily attach to plastics
– When ingested by marine animals & other wildlife
 Can injure or poison them, or cause birth defects
 Can transfer through the food chain and become more concentrated
 Humans (esp. children & exp. mothers) should limit consumption of predatory fish
Page  10
Single-Use Plastics
Direct Affect on Human Health
• Chemicals added to plastics during manufacturing are absorbed
by human bodies - carcinogens & endocrine disruptors
– Bisphenol-A (BPA); Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP); Styrene; Benzene
• Microwave, wash & reuse disposable plastics?
– Not single-use plastics! FDA says okay if labeled “microwave safe”
– Heat, UV light, fatty or oily foods cause the chemicals to leach out
– Tiny cracks harbor bacteria, which thrive, even after washing
• Styrofoam
•
•
Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)
Very porous. Do not heat leftovers!
• “The Poison is in the Dose”
• Children are especially vulnerable
Page  11
Single-Use Plastics
How can we do better?
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (in that order!)
• Use durables (glass, metal, ceramic) instead of disposables
– Start with your coffee cup & water bottle (wash vs. trash)
– Start with children
•
•
•
•
•
•
Avoid individual serving packets
Select items with minimal packaging
Use durable shopping bags
Buy recycled content
Bring a waste-free lunch
Rethink
Page  12
What is OSU Doing?
• Drinking Fountains:
– Retrofits or new fountains with refill taps
– Reduction of plastic bottles counter
– Green Student Initiative
• Reduce & Reuse Programs:
– Move-out Collections
• Real Pokes Pass It On
• FGSH Yard Sale
• Textbook buybacks & donations
– OSU Surplus & Salvage
– Dining Services
• Biodegradable disposables
• Less Styrofoam
• Reusable cups/mugs/bags
Page  13
What is OSU Doing?
• Paper & Cardboard
• Mixed paper
• Shredded paper in bags
• Cardboard (flattened)
• Containers
• Plastic bottles (#1 PET)
• Aluminum cans
• Single-stream for living quarters
• Move-In Recycling Program
Page  14
Food & Agriculture
Agriculture has a huge impact on the health
of the environment (and our own health).
What we eat and how much has a
huge impact on our own health (and
the health of the environment).
Page  15
Food Sustainability
What can we do? Don’t freak out
Eat food, not too much, mostly plants - Michael Pollan, Author
• Eat “Real” Foods (foods)
– Processed as little as possible; minimal artificial substances & additives
– Grown in healthy soil – focus of Organic or Sustainable farming
• John & Kris Gosney, Aug. Wellness Wednesday, Organic Farming
• “Healthy soil makes healthy plants makes healthy food” [makes healthy people]
• Not too much
– Choose quality over quantity
– Pay more, buy less
• Mostly Plants
–
–
–
–
Eat lower on the food chain
Better for our health & ecosystem health
Support local farmers/ranchers
Always offer fruits/vegetables (Healthy Meetings Toolkit)
Page  16
What is OSU Doing?
University Dining Services
• Offering more Local, Organic, Vegetarian Food Options
– Farm Fresh Program
– Made in Oklahoma Program
– Red Earth Kitchen
• Eliminated all frying oil containing trans-fat
• Conduct Healthy Eating Lifestyle Programs
– Choose Orange - identifies healthier items
– Healthy Cooking - free demonstrations/classes geared toward students
• Promotes Fair Trade & Rainforest Alliance products
• Organize OSU Farmers’ Market each fall
Page  17
Air Pollution
• Fossil Fuels: Building blocks of our modern, industrial society
– High levels of pollution & respiratory illnesses
Page  18
Air Pollution
• What can we do?
– Conserve Energy
• Turn off lights & electronics when not in use
• Dress for the weather
• Consider energy efficiency of new purchases
– Support Renewable & Cleaner Energy Sources
– Choose alternative transportation when possible:
walk, bicycle, carpool, bus
• Generates less pollution
• Gets us moving
Page  19
What is OSU Doing?
Energy Management Program
• Energy Conservation Guidelines established August 2007
• HVAC including Seasonal Set Points
• Lighting, Electronics, Water
• OSU Energy Policy
• The Board of Regents “expects all personnel at each campus to
make a positive contribution to maximize energy conservation
and produce real energy savings”
• Over $32M saved system-wide through behavior change
Page  20
What is OSU Doing?
Renewable Energy
• Wind Power
• Geothermal
• Solar
What is OSU Doing?
Transportation
•
•
•
•
•
The Bus - Mass Transit
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
Carpool Benefits
Orange Ride Bike Rental/Repair
OSU Named Bike-Friendly University
Page  22
OSU and YOU
OSU is helping us…..
• Reduce plastic waste
• Eat healthier
• Conserve energy
What do you do?...
Page  23
What can you do?
Continue to support what OSU is doing…
– Bring awareness to sustainability
•
•
•
•
Create a Green Team
Set an example by “Walking the Talk”
Ask for group presentations/tours
Visit OSU Sustainability website & “follow us”
– Participate in “Sustainability in the Workplace”
• HR Training; 2-hour workshop; Feb. 4th
– Take action to: 1) protect your family’s quality of life today, and
2) leave a legacy of good health & prosperity for your grandchildren
Page  24
Overview
•Sustainability
• Website: http://sustainability.okstate.edu
• Email: sustainability@okstate.edu
•Utilities and Energy Management
• Website: http://utilities.okstate.edu
• Email: energy@okstate.edu
•Recycling
• Website: physicalplant.okstate.edu/osurecycles
• Email: recycle@okstate.edu
•Follow Us
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/osuenergy
• Twitter/Instagram/Vine: OSUgreen
Page  25
Overview
Questions?
Oklahoma State University
Sustainability and
Energy Management
Page  26
Handout
What is Sustainability?
• Environmental Protection Agency Sustainability homepage:
www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm
• The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (use your
okstate.edu email address to access members-only resources from the website):
www.aashe.org
• McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We
Make Things: www.mbdc.com/cradle-to-cradle/c2c-framework
What’s in it for us?
• Land Stewardship Centre: www.landstewardship.org/ecological-goods-and-services
• National Wildlife Federation – What is Biodiversity? www.nwf.org/Wildlife/WildlifeConservation/Biodiversity.aspx
• Biomimicry Institute: http://biomimicry.org/what-is-biomimicry
Page  27
Handout
Single-Use Plastics
• Scientific American, “Plastic not-so-fantastic: How the Versatile Material Harms the
Environment and Human Health”: www.scientificamerican.com/article/plastic-not-so-fantastic
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “What we know about plastic Marine
Debris”: http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/Gen_Plastic-hi_9-20-11_1.pdf
• Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy, “Smart Plastics Guide Healthier Food Uses of
Plastics”: www.iatp.org/files/421_2_102202.pdf
Food “Products”
• Understanding “Whole Foods” Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine:
www.nutritionmd.org/nutrition_tips/nutrition_tips_understand_foods/whole_advantages.html
•
•
The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Poteau, OK: www.kerrcenter.com
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Health & Environmental Implications of
U.S. Meat Consumption & Production: www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johnshopkins-center-for-a-livable-future/projects/meatless_monday/resources/meat_consumption.html
•
National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity “Healthy Meeting Toolkit”:
http://cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy/Healthy-Meeting-Toolkit.pdf
Page  28
Handout
Air Pollution
• Scientific American, “The Human Cost of Energy” & “The Health Burden of Fossil Fuels”:
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-human-cost-of-energy
• World Health Association, “7 million premature deaths annually linked to air pollution”:
www.who.int/mediacentre/nes/releases/2014/air-pollution/en
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, “Air Pollution”:
www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/exposure/air_pollution/index.cfm
OSU Sustainability
• General information: http://sustainability.okstate.edu and http://energy.okstate.edu
• Emails: sustainability@okstate.edu; energy@okstate.edu; recycle@okstate.edu
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/osuenergy; Twitter/Instagram/Vine: OSUgreen
Page  29