Recycling & Graywater in Seattle

Since Earth Day 1970, individual consciousness has driven slow change to increase recycling programs within communities across the country. Still today, we have a reputation as the #1 trash-producing country in the world [2] at 4.4 pounds per person [1]. Unfortunately our per capita production of trash has remained above 4 pounds since 1990 [1]. At the same time, at least our per capita rate has been slowly declining since 2000 [1]. According to the EPA, in the United States in 2014, 258 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) was generated, and 89 of that was recycled or composted (34.6%) [1]. Only 1/3! Simultaneously, the percent of recycled and composted materials has steadily increased since 1990 (from 16%) -- we must remember sustainable change is slow.

Of the 258 million tons of MSW, our highest contributors are paper and paperboard (26%) and food/yard waste (28.2%) [1]. To give you a visual: Americans throw away enough office paper each year to build a 12 foot high wall from Seattle to NY (a new wall every year) [2]. Of the 136 tons put in landfills and 33 tons combusted-- the highest percent is food (21%) [1]. In fact, almost half of the food in the U.S. goes to waste - approximately 3,000 pounds per second [2]. Can you believe this figure? What an incredible problem to try and wrap your brain around. We must ask, for what end is so much paper being generated (and the cutting down of trees) and imagine how much space would be saved in landfills (and CO2 emissions) if every home could properly maintain a compost pile. The separate issue of so much food waste in a world of undernourished and starving people is a whole other conversation...

This is painful for me to consider, and perhaps is for you too. To remain optimistic, we can celebrate our successes. The 34.6% of MSW diverted from combustion or landfill in 2014, this saved us 181 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions [1]. This means if we keep investing in recycling technology and programs we can also continue to reduce CO2 emissions. In places like Seattle, we have strong recycling programs that most people participate in. It's true that Seattle does a good job of recycling unconventional items -such as cooking oil- while educating the public through their website and annual mailings. We also have groups like Buy Nothing on Facebook where people can donate unwanted items, that their neighbors might treasure. Some people might argue we're already doing a great job in Seattle--it's other parts of the country we need to worry about--which we cannot control, so this conversation is somewhat unnecessary. 

This is where I currently live; am I doing all I can to conserve it's resources? Well, I am not maintaining my own compost pile, nor am I actively recycling water. What is stopping me? Is it because 'I don't have to'?

The bigger picture is to address conservation--and to ask yourself the question, could you call yourself a conservationist? Also, what does it mean to be a conservationist in today's world? I believe to be a conservationist in our area means both reducing our consumption and reducing pollution, and regularly assessing our individual habits. Also not settling for what seems to be good enough, because in our culture we are used to being comfortable and have extreme notions of what resources are "necessary". On an individual level, asking the question, "Do I have more than I need, and what do I really need?" is probably not something we do enough of. On a societal level, fortunately Seattle seems to be doing "good enough": we have great programs to address conservation and tackle some of our local issues, including RainWise, Adopt-A-Drain, Trees for Neighborhoods, King Conservation District grants, green stormwater infrastructure projects, and on an administrative level we are even discussing Climate Change.

With strong systems already in place, we can begin to ask how we might improve inefficiencies (in addition to making changes on an individual level). One obvious question for our area is water conservation, which we possibly don't think about because we are surrounded by it. I think about this every time I am drinking tap water and smell chlorine. We haven't had to face shortages very often (except the Summer of 2016) however that is something that will likely shift in the future with climate change. So we need to begin to ask the questions now. Our two major watersheds, Tolt and Cedar, supply water for 1.4 million people in Seattle, through 18,000 miles of pipeline [3]. Although on their website, Seattle Public Utilities suggest ways to "Reduce Water Use", nowhere do they talk about graywater. It's fascinating that as progressive as Seattle is, even on their sister website savingwater.org, there is no specific mention of graywater. Other areas in the country that are facing dramatic water shortages (like California) might provide case studies (like the City of Berkeley) to show how water recycling programs can be institutionalized.

Sweet ass DIY Compost Toilet on a farm I visited recently

Well we don't have to wait for the city to catch up, yet DIY Graywater is not something we do in our household (except from the dehumidifier-every time it fills up, my roommate dumps it somewhere in the garden). Again I will suggest that we have been too relaxed about this particular topic because we haven't "needed" to recycle water. How long will our abundance last? How long will it take to fund and install graywater systems on a city-wide scale once shortages  become more commonplace? As citizens of Seattle, we can be more pro-active pushing legislators to create programs or regulations to utilize graywater technology. All we really need to do is turn to resources like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Washington State Department of Health to learn more about recycling water and how to make it safe, as well as how to educate lawmakers. The City clearly projects future climate changes: sea-level rise (drainage and flooding problems), extreme precipitation (again drainage and flooding problems), extreme heat (drought and water resource allocation problems), and hydrology changes in general [4]. If they are truly concerned about these future scenarios, they will need to look at solutions that include graywater.

For more information about the possibility of graywater systems in Seattle, check out Seattle Graywater Initiative, where you can contact Patrick Loderhose and get his perspective on the best way to nudge Seattle along. And for someone like me, who needs to put their talk to action, I  need to reflect on DIY solutions I can do in my own home now, that my roommates will tolerate.

I still am not sure how to address my own lazy conservationist tendencies. I've heard the saying "Necessity is the Mother of Invention"," but with an awareness of a changing climate, and that I can do better, I need to do the work of shifting my patterns. I'm not sure what it will take but it's good for me to admit out loud. A possible starting point.


Works Cited

[1] "Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Web. November 19, 2017. https://www.epa.gov/smm/advancing-sustainable-materials-management-facts-and-figures
[2] "General Recycling Facts." Recycle Across America. Web. November 19, 2017. http://www.recycleacrossamerica.org/recycling-facts
[3] "Water." Seattle Public Utilities. Web. November 26, 2017. https://www.seattle.gov/util/MyServices/Water/index.htm
[4] "Projected Climate Changes." Seattle Public Utilities. Web. November 26, 2017. https://www.seattle.gov/util/EnvironmentConservation/ClimateChangeProgram/ProjectedChanges/index.htm

Permaculture Ethics: Dealing With Consumption

I am a human being therefore it's highly possible that I cause pollution through my lifestyle. This is not something I want to admit or face because I would rather think of myself as good or wholesome, someone who is mitigating the pollution of my fellow species. But if I don't examine that in myself than I risk perpetuating toxic patterns. I remember going through this process before during a breakup, where suddenly all my shortcomings reared their ugly heads laughing at me and pointing fingers. Not the most fun. But I'm probably better for it now, having made some changes, and coming through to the other side.

I am trying to develop more awareness around the ways I cause pollution - materially, energetically, spiritually and so forth. Not to justify my actions, hopefully, because I'm sure I'll want to negotiate the necessity of my polluting habits in order to keep my comforts. Pollution is probably a byproduct of my consumption habits.

At the NW Permaculture Convergence recently, I attended a workshop given by Jessi Bloom, author of Practical Permaculture, and I don't remember what she specifically said, but a nagging question came into my mind, "Do I consume more than I produce?". This workshop followed on the heels of a workshop given by Alexia Allen of Hawthorn Farm - who shared her family's year-long experiment of only "consuming" what they themselves had grown, or otherwise bartered from people they knew. She talked about tapping sugar maples, for example, in order to have a sweetener.

The truth is I currently produce very little. I have a full front yard where I've grown annuals like greens, garlic, potatoes, herbs and tomatoes - but I consume far beyond that. As a gardener, often times of ornamentals, I could say that I produce beauty. I also produce music, which I would like to think benefits others. But I did not produce the instruments I play. I enjoy producing my own herbal medicines, which I have either wildcrafted or purchased from bulk herb stores. Still I do not know exactly where those plants were harvested. It is hard to wrap my head around exactly what I am producing in this world. I feel out of balance, and therefore causing pollution.

Now fortunately my intentions to reduce waste, packaging, transportation costs, etc-for many years now-have caused my consumption to be lower than the average American. Yet that's not really saying much. Especially knowing that millions of people around the world are living on much less than I am (and are probably better off). In the very least, I would like to be able to say I produce more than I consume. If that's really true, than I have some changes to make.

Of course this "ideal" cannot just happen overnight. I will slowly need to increase production while decreasing consumption. I think both are possible. 

Perhaps in order to face my consumption patterns I can admit some of my most foul habits:

• Drinking coffee. Yes there's direct trade, and yes those beans come from far away. Also, Coffee is a metaphor for any exotic foods I purchase, perhaps from over 100 miles away. The issue with exotic foods, which is not just the pollution caused in the transport, but also my body may not be properly adapted to it's nutrition.
• When I graciously receive the food and drinks of my friends because I want to be nice, yet I inadvertently enable their bad habits, and by extension, my own.
• Buying food from supermarkets, cafes, or anywhere that's not out of a farmer's hands. 
• My computer usage, for listening to podcasts, doing internet research, learning new music, taking youtube yoga classes, using the internet-metronome.
• Being up past dark whether at home or playing music with friends, where electricity is utilized to light rooms. Like right now as I write this blog post.
• Borrowing my roommate's car for taking short vacations, for to go on beautiful hikes, or my recent trip to Portland and the Permaculture Convergence. I put bussing around in this category too.

Ok so my list is not terrible. In fact it's pretty darn normal. Yet on the other hand -- none of this is necessary for me to lead a meaningful life. I ought to question: am I making my life less profound while missing out on my fullest capacity, by often mindlessly engaging in these habit-patterns? 

I love how Alexia Allen and her family have been "experimenting" with their food consumption and I feel inspired to create my own experiment. I am not ready to commit to anything for a full year, but I like the idea of finishing my year off a little stronger (it's less than three months after all). Do I have what it takes to deal with my consumption addictions? 

Between October 7, 2017 - December 31, 2017 I commit to:

1. No more buying coffee. I can drink tea. I can use up all the bulk teas I have purchased in the past year that are sitting on the shelf. I can plant a Camelia sinensis in the front yard. I'll have my last cup of coffee tomorrow morning to celebrate! (Does that just show how deep the addiction runs?)
2. Boycotting supermarkets; buying food only from Farmers Markets, where I can trace the source. Otherwise the food is coming from my garden, client gardens, or wildcrafted by my own hands. The important thing is that I know the source. Yes this means foregoing a lot of food I might want, and forces creativity (no, it's a good thing!) 
3. No more hanging out late in bars; socialize during the day. This will be hard given that I live in a party house of musicians, and that I love a good night at the bar playing music with friends. But it also means more practice time, and getting to bed at a reasonable hour. Perhaps my last party until the end of the year is tomorrow night, for a friend's birthday. Perhaps instead of parties I can have meaningful one on one visits.
4. Severely curtailing my internet usage. I have sheet music, I have a mechanically operated metronome, and I have my own inner teacher. I don't need YouTube yoga videos nor Buddhist podcasts. I do have a couple gigs to prepare for and an independent study in Integrated Pest Management, as well as an online Permaculture Design Course (PDC) -- that definitely requires internet research. But if I only allow myself one hour a day, perhaps I will be more "productive". I'm not sure how to handle the Thursday night band practices though.
5. Stop staying up late; rest easy. Perhaps if I absolutely must be up late I can utilize candles. There is something deeply nourishing about the idea of going to bed with the sun, though.

I don't know what is going to happen for me in the next few months.This experiment will be around the same duration that I spend doing the online PDC. With permaculture ethics in my face constantly there is a great chance I will succeed with this experiment. It will be interesting to see where I end up by the end of the year, given that I plan to leave Seattle on January 13, 2018 - the day after my birthday - to transition into farming. 

Downshifting my consumption habits seems like the best way to transition into becoming more productive as I seek the farming lifestyle in my near future. Stay tuned!