Information and Resources on Environmental Awareness
The WLAC (Work Life Advisory Committee) has complied information, helpful handouts and online resources that will guide you through exploring and changing some simple aspects of your daily life to help you have a positive effect on our surrounding environment while you becoming healthier yourself..
Outdoor Air Quality - Should I walk, ride or run?
Most of us have hectic schedules and thinking about our impact on outdoor air quality falls easily towards the bottom of the to-do list just like making the time to exercise does. A great way to overcome this is to incorporate exercise as the form of transportation to accomplish our daily tasks. For example, use less gas (ultimately making less air pollutants) and burn more calories on a trip to the movie or grocery store by walking or riding there. It may take a little longer but the benefits are twofold, it eliminates the need for you to set aside time to exercise later and it gives you a chance to enjoy the clean air of the great outdoors. As an added bonus use the items you are carrying, whether it is your book bag or bag of groceries as weights. You can get a full upper body work out by lifting and turning your bag in every imaginable direction. When you get back home you will be able to relax, satisfied that you contributed to making the environment, yourself and your pocketbook all a little healthier. The following are some resources for more information on air quality.
Outdoor Air Pollutants ; Children and Ozone Air Pollution Fact Sheet ; Air Toxins ; Carbon Monoxide ; Lead ; Nitrogen Dioxide ; Sulfur Dioxide ; Particle Pollution Fact Sheet ; Ozone Fact Sheet ; Electric Utilities
Indoor Air Quality – what’s in the air we breathe?
Indoor air quality is important to all of us considering the amount of time we spend indoors, especially as the winter season approaches. There are many contributing factors to examine so we have included some web sites for you to follow up on your specific concerns. Carpeting and house dust are primary sources of bad indoor air. It is recommended to thoroughly vacuum rugs and mats, and damp mop floors once a week (twice a week if there are toddlers in the home) and inspect the vacuum belt and bag monthly, changing the bag when it is half full. Some materials found in carpeting, as well as the chemicals applied as flame retardants, anti-bacterials, and the adhesives used to glue the carpet down, have all become suspect to growing health concerns. House dust can contain residues of lead, pesticides, combustion products, allergens, and other toxic substances. Another important suggestion is to remove shoes at the door or use a commercial-quality door mat, wiping your feet at least twice, to reduce track-in. In addition to keeping the dust down, you could replace old carpet with new (green) carpet that does not have the chemicals mentioned above applied to them. The resources listed below can help determine what type of carpet you have, what to look for in a new carpet, as well as recycling possibilities and other interesting information.
Building Green ; Washington Toxics Coalition ; EPA ; American Lung Association
Guarding the environment - while Gardening
Gardening is a great source of satisfaction. Seeing the fruits of your labor can bring joy to your daily life. When thinking of what to plant, use as fertilizers or weed and pest control, we suggest that you browse the links below before starting your garden. The right amount of fertilizers applied at the right time will boost the health of your plants. If you are considering making your own by composting lawn debris and food waste from your kitchen, read more here.Grow smart, grow safe. Use integrated pest management (IPM) techniques to minimize your environmental foot print while maximizing your gardening opportunities. Listed below are more resources on pest management and general gardening information by region.
WSU Extension ; PestSense ; HortSense ; WSU IPM Program ; Gardening - Eastern Washington ; Gardening - Western Washington ; Article on October Gardening ; Department of Agriculture
What does shopping have to do with the environment – do you use reusable bags?
Did you know that plastic is filling the oceans? Have you considered adopting greener way’s by using reusable or biodegradable bags? The average American uses between 300 and 700 plastic bags every year. The ocean is awash with non-biodegradable plastic debris, some of it so finely-ground that it is digested by microscopic plankton, the basis of the oceanic food chain. Right now, a mass of trash twice the size of Texas is floating in the Pacific Ocean. It has accumulated in an area known as the North Pacific gyre, and it includes everything from tires to fishing nets, but the most common ingredient, by far, is plastic. Those that end up in the ocean are often mistaken for food. Plastics also absorb toxic chemicals, which can be dangerous to fish and other sea life. Reduce the amount of plastic you use, refill plastic water bottles, recycle, or dispose of it with care.
10 Things You Can Do To Save Oceans ; Marine Biology ; Oceana ; Ocean Revolution ; Facts on Plastic ; SaveOurSeas ; Daily Green ; Planet Ark
Recycling - what does it do for our Environment? How much impact can one person make?
- Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours -- or the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline
- Americans use 85,000,000 tons of paper a year; about 680 pounds per person.
- Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour! Most of them are thrown away!
- Every month, we throw out enough glass bottles and jars to fill up a giant skyscraper. All of these jars are recyclable!
- The U.S. is the #1 trash-producing country in the world at 1,609 pounds per person per year. This means that 5% of the world's people generate 40% of the world's waste.
- Americans generate and throw away 9 times as much waste as does a person in Africa or Central America, but we also generate two to three times the amount of waste as people living in industrial countries with a comparable or better standard of living as us.
- One-third of the water used in most homes is flushed down the toilet.
- This site notes that it is closing but we give credit to it for some of the contents and information presented in our tips.
More Resources can be found here: WSU Extension Energy Program Publications ; EnergyIdeas Clearinghouse publications ; US DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Special thanks to Jamie Gaber and Teri Ockwell for the information and links provided!
Contact Work/Life Advisory Committee
work.life@wsu.edu
Disclaimer: The Work/Life Committee does not endorse or represent any resources listed within this website as recommended by the University.
