Sustainable Living

1
Sustainable Living

• EnvS 001
• Introduction to Environmental Issues
• with Dr. Trulio

2
The Last Two Lectures

• Our urbanizing world
• Promise and challenge of cities as tools for
  sustainable development
• Dealing with air pollution
• Dealing with our waste stream
• Dealing with water pollution
• Fighting sprawl
• Solutions for cities
• Solutions for us!

3
Patterns of Urban Growth

• Populations are moving to cities
• Global 2 urban in 1850 48 in 2004 60
  estimated in 2030
• US 5 urban in 1800 79 in 2004
• Number of large cities increasing
• 2004 gt400 cities with 1 million 2015 564
  expected
• Future urbanization will occur mostly in
  developing countries
• Urbanization and poverty are related
• At least 1 billion poor live in cities

4
Major Urban Areas
5
Promise and Challenge of Cities

• Cities are not self-sustaining big ecological
  footprints
• High levels of air, water noise pollution and
  municipal solid waste
• Habitat loss and fragmentation due to sprawl and
  footprint
• Gap between rich and poor can be exacerbated

• Urbanites have better access to services
• Recycling more feasible
• Potential for reduced car dependence
• Potential for reduced urban sprawl
• City planners can better focus development

6
Four Urban Issues

• Air Pollution
• Municipal Solid Waste
• Water Pollution
• Urban Sprawl

7
Outdoor Air Pollution

• Primary pollutants

• Secondary pollutants

8
Photochemical Smog

• Brown-air smog

• Photochemicalreaction

• VOCs NOx
• heat sunlight
• O3 (tropospheric)
• other photochemical
• oxidants

9
Temperature Inversions
10
Regional Outdoor Air Pollution from Acid
Deposition

• Acid deposition

• Wet deposition

• Dry deposition

11
Acid Deposition in the US
12
Acid Deposition and Humans

• Respiratory diseases

• Toxic metal leaching

• Decreased visibility

• Damage to structures, especially containing
  limestone

• Decreased productivity and profitability of
  fisheries, forests, and farms

13
Acid Deposition and Aquatic Systems

• Fish declines

• Undesirable species

• Aluminum toxicity

• Acid shock

14
Indoor Air Pollution/Sick Building Syndrome
15
Radon

• Radon-222

• 4 picocurie level

• Occurs in certain areas based on geology

• Associated with uranium and organic material in
  rock

16
Reducing IndoorAir Pollution
17
Our Waste Stream

• Biggest waste producers
• Mining/oil/gas 75
• Agriculture 13
• Industry 9
• Municipal solid waste 1.5
• Paper (38)
• Yard waste (12)
• Food waste (11)
• Plastics (10)

18
Californians Recycle!

• Many places in CA recycle over 50 of waste
  stream
• SF 52
• Oakland 52
• Palo Alto 57
• Marin County 71
• Meeting AB 939 which required cities reduce their
  waste stream

19
Plastics on the rise

• US
• 1994 - 53
• 2003- 19
• CA
• 57 of plastic bottles
• 20 of all plastic

20
What you can do

• REDUCE your consumption of stuff that you dont
  consume
• REUSE items that eventually must be recycled or
  thrown away
• RECYCLE everything you can
• COMPOST food and yard waste
• BE SURE to dispose of everything properly
• ASK your city/county to recycle all plastics, not
  just 1 (PET) and 2 (HDPE)

21
SPRAWL The high cost of Auto-oriented
Transportation

• Environmental and social impacts of
  transportation choices significant
• Examples air water pollution, land use, lost
  productivity, accidents, and death
• Auto highways urban sprawl
• Low-density development dependent on autos
• Highway expansion, low cost gas, poor planning

22
Some answers to kicking the auto habit

• Better funded mass transit such as BART, light
  rail, CalTrain
• Less highway and road construction
• Bikes and motor scoters
• Transit-oriented development
• More honestly-priced gas

23
Land Use Planning and Policies needed to control
Sprawl

• General plans and Zoning
• Urban growth boundaries
• Urban green zones
• Smart Growth
• Transit-oriented development (TOD)
• Mixed-use zoning
• Green building materials and design

24
Environmental Justice as a Goal of Good Urban
Planning

• All groups (racial, ethnic, and socio-economic)
  are entitled to equal environmental protection
• But, environmental hazards are disproportionately
  located in low income communities
• And, wealthy countries
• dump wastes on
• poorer countries

25
Living SustainablyEveryone of us!

• Ten top things we each can do

26
How about A Career in the Environment??

• Environmental Studies Department
• A great degree providing a huge range of career
  opportunities
• Government agencies, non-profit groups and
  for-profit companies
• Department specialties include
• Energy resources
• Environmental regulation and policy
• Restoration and conservation
• Environmental education
• Solid waste management
• Water resource management

27
What could you do?

• Energy efficiency specialist
• with PGE
• Solar panel expert with REGrid
• Water quality specialist with the Santa Clara
  Valley Water District
• Park ranger with City of San Jose
• Restoration expert with Jones and Stokes
• Recycling coordinator with Sunnyvale or Brown and
  Vance
• Make a living AND make a difference!