Living sustainably is challenging and most of us would rather not think about what’s really necessary.  I’d like to think that my personal commitment to sustainability has been long term and extends year round.  When we first moved toColorado, Jean and I decided to live in the heart of the city instead of elsewhere.  We had one car and that allowed one of us to commute to work via bus or bicycle.  We both thought it was important to put practice what we believed about living gently on the planet.  (Those ideas were rooted in the company we kept during our college days.)  We both believed that the City offered more to reducing energy use and living more sustainably.  That was before we know what sustainable meant.  We thought of it as conserving natural resources. 

Jean grew up in Milwaukeeand relied on public transportation.  I grew up in a small town of less that 2000 people but walked everywhere, to work, to school, to the grocery store.  There were three grocery stores within walking distance.  When moving to Denver30+ years ago, living in the City was based on a personal commitment to be part of the solution…another value we acquired while growing up in the 60s and early 70s.  I remember celebrating the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970.  The school of architecture projected a “light show” on the dirty water of the polluted MilwaukeeRiverto the music of Pink Floyd, playing Ummagumma.   Gaylord Nelson was a local hero.  Paul Ehrlich and Rachel Carson were required reading.   Stewart Brand had just published The Whole Earth Catalogue.  The professors at the school of architecture taught that the solution to an architectural problem wasn’t always another building.  Imagine that!  Growing up in that environment left an impression of what personal responsibility involved. 

A rallying cry of that time was, “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem!”  We took that sentiment seriously almost as a moral imperative.  Jean and I believed that public education must succeed to have a sustainable democracy and decided that meant sending out kids to public schools in the City, for our children’s sake as well as for the community.  Another result of that thinking was that since 1975, when I considered buying a car, that it get at least 30 mpg.  Looking back, it seems we’ve always lived smaller than average.  Jean and I went camping for our honeymoon in a VW Karman Ghia.  Later, when we went camping, we would load up the Scirocco and go.  Several years ago, we decided to downsize.  There’s a personal advantage in living smaller, but part of that process involved moving even closer to the City’s center to reduce our need to spend the weekend in our car.  Our condo is smaller and cheaper to heat and cool.  Six units with eleven residents occupy the same lot area occupied by a single residence in other parts of the City.  Our front lawn is about the size of our conference room.  I’ve read that people living in the urban center have about half the ecological foot print of those living in typical suburban locations.  While I believe I am firmly committed to sustainable living and sustainable design, I am still human and not perfect about it.  I find myself justifying many egocentric decisions that waste resources compared to alternatives.  I walk to work everyday but have my Starbucks in a paper cup.  My favorite beverage comes fromScotland, while there are many decent local microbrews.  I eat meat and while I prefer white to red, it’s still not as ecologically friendly as being a vegetarian, unless those veggies come fromBrazilorChile.  I enjoy cigars made from tobacco grown on land that would be better used to grow food.  One might say the same thing about coffee beans or grapes.

Living sustainably requires a strong personal commitment and being more thoughtful every day to make better choices every day.  And it means giving up some of those things we really think we need.  We can buy carbon offsets to make ourselves feel better about those choices, (and I do), but if we were each more honest about it, we would all find we each have a long way to go to live truly sustainably.

Elise’s Update:

My green challenge was to switch to online billing, make two vegetarian meals a week and buy reusable grocery bags. Overall, these minor changes were simple ways to ease me into “sustainable thinking” by reducing my overall paper, plastic, and meat consumption. Little did I know what an experience this would all turn into…

The online billing part was easy, although it took a few weeks to get my name completely off a few junkmail lists. In fact, I firmly believe some companies make this intentionally difficult to accomplish, banking solicitations in particular. Vegetarian friendly meals were an interesting change for me. Some of the dishes I’ve learned to make have been surprisingly tasty though! Like the sweet potato and black bean chili I made last week (here’s the recipe in case anyone’s interested: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/soupsstewsandchili/r/blackbeansweetpotato.htm). So far, so good!

Now bringing my own bags to do grocery shopping was a different story and a little awkward at first since I didn’t know the rules. And rotating my shopping trips between King Soopers, Safeway, and Sunflower Market didn’t make things easier– all three stores are close to my house so I tend to decide where shop based on my mood and the items I need in particular. But in the beginning I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to bring in King Soopers bags ONLY when I shopped there or not. What if I brought in a Safeway bag to King Soopers? Would that be rude, frowned upon or okay? Well, I ended up buying two brand specific bags for both King Soopers and Safeway to avoid that issue, but I found out some cool facts along the way:

• King Soopers offers a 5 cent credit off your total purchase for every King Soopers bag you bring in (not sure about other bags).
• Safeway used to offer a 5 cent credit for every bag you brought in (they don’t anymore or at least the last time I went the bag lady didn’t credit me).
• Whole Foods offers a 10 cent credit for every bag you bring in (I’ve only heard about this so I’m not sure if that only counts towards Whole Foods bags only or not).
• Sunflower Market doesn’t care if it’s a branded bag, gym bag, or leather backpack with a baby strapped to it– they just encourage you to bring in your own, no credits offered.

I definitely slipped-up a couple of times though, forgetting my bags at home or just forgetting to grab them out of my trunk to take in the store with me. The wild part was how GUILTY I felt afterward! I even ended up returning some plastic bags I had wasted on my previous trip to Safeway because seeing them at home gave me a guilty conscious!

Towards the end of The Green Challenge, I can honestly say that I have changed. My mentality towards reusing things or eliminated excess waste in my life has just been shifted. For the better too. The Green Challenge reminds us to be CONSCIOUS consumers more than anything else– and it takes mindfulness to do so. Green Challenge success!

UPDATE FROM ADELE:

Although it may seem small, my Green Challenge was to give up buying and drinking bottled water.  I love flavored bottled water and would go through at least one a day. So, now I have a water bottle that I refill and add my own powdered flavoring!  It was hard the first week or so, but now I feel like I have changed my ways and don’t plan to go back!  I have become more aware of the waste from

plastic water bottles and the number of them that are thrown away or recycled every year. To give you a better idea of the waste produced from bottled water:

• 827,000 to 1.3 million tons of plastic PET water bottles were produced in the U.S. in 2006, requiring the energy equivalent of 50 million barrels of oil. 76.5 percent of these bottles ended up in landfills.^34*
• Because plastic water bottles are shielded from sunlight in landfills, they will not decompose for thousands of years.³⁵

I am also starting to use my clothesline again this Spring!  That was my Green Challenge last year; and I feel it is good to continue them from year to year because that is what the Green Challenge is about—changing habits. I love hanging out my clothes instead of using the dryer! The benefits include:

• Extended clothing life from less exposure to dryer heat
• No ongoing energy costs
• No greenhouse gas emissions from usage
• Naturally clean clothing— the sun helps to kill bacteria naturally

The last couple weeks have been tough as the green challenge spans more time and I continue to consume goods in my everyday life. 

One good discovery happened when I was buying bags of chips before going to a barbeque for Opening Day.  I discovered one of my favorite chips,BoulderCanyon, now has a compostable chip bag.  “About time!” I thought.  I have been avoiding chips for pretty much most of the challenge due to the fact that chips come in number 7, non-recyclable and non-compostable packaging, so that was a welcome treat.

On another front, I was at a food and wine event this last weekend and I was disappointed to discover that most of the food dishes being served were in plastic containers with plastic silverware and there were no recyclable or compostable containers to be found. A no-no since Every year, Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks, and spoons to circle the equator 300 times.^1*

Granted the wine glasses were indeed glass and could be washed for repeated use that evening or at other events.  And I was happy to put my glass to repeated use!  But the use of plastic plates, dishes, and silverware unfortunately put a dent in my challenge.  I would have hoped for some compostable dishes or containers for disposal, but no such luck as there were no options at the event.

As I enter the final stretch of the challenge I am optimistic on the home front, as my household trash container is barely a quarter full and I have not used one paper towel from my kitchen.

* “Waste and Recycling Facts. Clean Air Council. http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html

Ted Hagan’s update:

My challenge was to ride the bus once a week.  I thought it would be difficult since I live in the foothills West of Denver. I was surprised to find that there is a bus that goes from a stop within a five minute drive from my house to the Civic Center Station downtown. All I have to do is hop on the mall shuttle and walk a few blocks down Market Street and I’m in the office. The bus only makes a couple of stops so it doesn’t take much more time compared to driving. It’s great to catch up on news (or sleep!) in the mornings and relax on my way home. I’m impressed with the bus service so far and I can’t wait for the light rail to open up in 2013.

Jennifer Cordes’ update…pretty funny:

As a working mom, I always thought I had a “hall pass” for reducing my carbon foot-print; I was just too busy!  Recently, while watching my 8 year-old’s soccer game I picked up over 100 plastic water caps that people had thrown onto the ground at the Lowry Sports Park.  After the game, I challenged my boys to find more.  They picked up over 70 more in less then 20 minutes!  I was appalled about the waste, but also about the disregard for our open-space.  I looked around and I realized the biggest offends where probably the parents!   It got me thinking…as parents we have an even greater responsibility to reducing our carbon footprint.  We are raising the next generation.  What we do; they will copy! 

I looked around our house and I realized we purchase “stuff” to accommodate our crazy schedules, but with a little extra effort and planning I could eliminate the excess and still fulfill our needs.  My Green Challenge for 2011 is to (for a little over a month and hopefully longer) eliminate purchasing anything that is a convenience item (pre-packaged food, bottled water, bottled fruit drinks, frozen dinners, etc…).  My primary goal is to eliminate the unneeded PLASTIC from our lives.   

We started by eliminating plastic bags from our house.  All of us get plastic containers everywhere we go (whether we like it or not) and last year I decided to save them for reuse.  I started washing them and sending the kids lunches in them.  They love it, because now their sandwiches don’t get “smooched”.  Its takes time to hand wash them at night (they melt in the dishwasher and the microwave!), but we haven’t needed a plastic bag yet.

I am also collecting all my “hard to reuse” plastic containers (grocery store fruit containers with holes, grape bags with holes, etc…) and bringing them to work.  For whatever reason, the City of Denver will only collect bottles for recycling at my house, but SLATERPAULL’s recycling company will take everything.  So I collect it from home and bring it to the office.  It easy and fast.  (SIDE NOTE:  I’ve started doing this with my kitchen waste too.  My home compost can’t keep up with all of our veggie and fruit scraps, so I bring the extras and dump them into the office compost bin each day).

The biggest problem I’ve had is the hidden plastic.  The plastic bag inside the muffin mix box or the little plastic “ribbon” around the pickle jar.  I guess I could make my own muffins or pickle my own cucumbers but I don’t think so…maybe next year!

GEOFF’S UPDATE: My Green Challenge is to not buy or consume any carbonated beverages (soda & beer) and to not buy take out food that comes in a paper or plastic bag.

I have multiple driving factors behind my challenge.  The primary motivators are to reduce the waste and energy from producing my individual meals, with the side goal to improve my eating habits and overall health.

12:30pm Thursday 3/17 – Challenge kick off, no soda for me with lunch.

11:52 Friday 3/18 – I really wanted my habitual Friday Philly cheese steak and soda on my way home from work. But I didn’t give in, and made it home without breaking my challenge, mmmm turkey sandwich.

3:25pm Friday 3/18 - Biked 6 miles to the gym (green challenge side affect)

7:30pm Saturday 3/19 – I went to Dave and Busters with my wife tonight, fun and games.  The sweet, sticky smell of delicious American food and calorie laden beverages were oh so temping.  We survived without buying soda or beer and the 1 hour wait for a seat to eat made it easy to miss bad food.

7:10am Monday 3/21 – Biked 3.5 miles to work and back

11:15am – Monday 3/21 – Cindy stopped by my desk and we talked about the tragedy in Japan and the relation to our green challenges and drinking more water. My thoughts go to the people of Japan where clean water is not a certainty.  Thanks Cindy for raising my awareness to the things we take for granted.

1:00pm – Tuesday 3/22 – We had a presentation lunch from a local Denver brick manufacturer.  I was conflicted.  My problem was that the food came from a local non-chain pizza place made with local ingredients.  But I used a plastic fork and plastic plates for my lunch.  I should have gone upstairs and got plates and forks from the kitchen.  I did drink my water from a reusable glass though.

7:00pm – Wednesday 3/23- After the gym my wife and I went to Chipotle for dinner.  Mmmm delicious Tacos, (low-cal option).  I had my water in my special water only paper cup.  There actually was minimal waste, 1 small sheet of paper and my water cup.

12:00pm Thursday 3/24 – I Really, really wanted a delicious cheese and meat filled sandwich for lunch,  I had a organic microwave lunch instead.

10:00am – Friday 3/25 – BIKER JIMS RESTAURANT OPENS – The most amazing hotdogs on the planet.  I feel like if I get a dog for lunch then I’m breaking my challenge.  Argh, I brought soup leftovers for lunch.

Cindy fending off her tea and sugar

CINDY’S UPDATE

My challenge was to drink only tap water (and one morning cappuccino), thus eliminating use of hot and chilled water upstairs and at home.  So far I figure that I’ve eliminated 8 teabags, 8 teaspoons of sugar and the hot water each day; cut out juice and wine (not the whine) during the week.  Weekends the wine is another challenge.  Today I really wanted that afternoon tea with sugar, so thanks for whoever brought the little brownies.

For me the biggest benefit is every time I run the tap water I realize how difficult life is for the Japanese and how lucky we are.

This year each employee will receive their own planted seed to tend to as a daily reminder to foster their own green habits

Our passion for sustainable design has inspired our commitment to become leaders in the movement toward a more sustainable future.  Our dedication to sustainability is not only reflected in our design philosophy and practice, but also in our everyday lives.

SLATERPAULL Architects launched the “Personal Green Challenge” in 2007 in an effort to involve staff in a personal sustainability pledge to mirror the firm’s commitment to evolving sustainability in the office and on all of our projects.  The Green Challenge is now an annual 5 week commitment, from St. Patrick’s Day to Earth Day, and encourages every employee to challenge themselves to further reduce their carbon footprint for those five weeks.  For the 3^rd annual SLATERPAULL Green Challenge in 2009, SLATERPAULL Architects teamed with the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Denver Chapter of the Committee on the Environment (COTE) to expand the effort as a public challenge.

This year, each SLATERPAULL employee continues to commit to changing at least one personal habit for fives weeks to minimize our impact on Earth’s natural resources and reduce our individual ecological footprint.  Follow our progress and join us in the challenge!

Peggy's challenge this year involves eliminating the use of paper towels.

Peggy’s Personal Green Challenge week 1

My challenge is to not use paper towels – what did we do before we had them? I have discovered how hard this convenience is to give up . . . my clothes are taking a beating, what else do you dry your hands on if you forget your clothe towel? I think I will tie a towel on myself, like a painter has a rag handy when they work!

In order to eliminate the amount of trash and waste he produces, Joel plans to consume items with little or no packaging.

Joel’s Personal Green Challenge week 1

My personal green challenge is to try to eliminate/reduce the amount of trash/waste that I produce.  In order to assist with this goal, I will try to consume items with little to no packaging. For the items that have minimal packaging, my preference will be to use consumable items that have packaging that can be recycled or composted.

My first week has had its growing pains, since I have been using up the items from my refrigerator that I had already purchased.  Items such as chicken breasts, which came in a Styrofoam plastic base and wrapping that could not be recycled.  Additionally, the paper carton for the organic milk I use can’t be recycled in Denver’s recycling program because of the wax interior.  Though I have now learned I can bring it into my office to be composted here.  So one loss and one win on the refrigerator battle!

On the home front, my power supply went out in my personal computer so I decided to run to Best Buy rather than order one online to reduce the packaging from the shipping of the item.  The power supply simply comes in a plastic bag, which I can take to the grocery store, and a cardboard box which I can recycle at home.  What about the old power supply you may say, well I found out that Denver has an electronic recycling program where I can drop off a small item for a very small fee.  Another win!

Let’s see what week two brings…