Carbon In The Life of a NOLS Student

Since 1965 NOLS has been teaching minimum impact/low maintenance camping and traveling techniques.  Students travel into the backcountry with the essentials to thrive and after coming out of the field, no student has seriously recommended adding paper towels to their gear list.  Comparing the classic Wind River Wilderness student with their front country counterpart, you can easily see a remarkable difference between consumption in the field and consumption in the front country.  After checking out this data, you may decide to forgo the paper towel for a re-useable cloth next time a drink spills on the counter. 

Water:
The average U.S. Citizen uses 250 liters of water a day
The average NOLS Student uses 5 liters of water per day
Most people in the front country use 50 times more water than a NOLS student does in the field.

Energy:
The average U.S. Citizen uses 33 kilowatt hours of energy per day.
The average NOLS student uses .02 kilowatt hours of energy per day.
Most people in the front country use 1650 times more energy than a NOLS student does in the field.

Trash:
The average U.S. Citizen produces 4lbs of trash per day
The average NOLS student produces 1/10th of a lb of trash per day.
People in the front country produce 40 times more trash than a NOLS student does in the field.

CO2:
The average U.S. Citizen produces 20lbs of CO2 every day through vehicle emissions.
The average NOLS student produces a 1/2 pound of CO2 every day through stove emissions.
People in the front country produce 40 times more CO2 than a NOLS student does in the field.

photo courtesy of Amy Rathke

President Obama Declares June “Great Outdoors Month”

As June rolls in it brings sunshine, frogs croaking, and the unmistakable smells of summer; and President Obama, like NOLS, thinks it’s high time we Americans get out and enjoy it.  Declaring June “Great Outdoors Month,” Obama encourages all Americans to get out and explore our “remote forests to urban parks,” and begs we “pay tribute to and preserve the great outdoors.”

Focused on reconnecting kids to the landscape, Obama is launching a summer mentoring initiative aimed at introducing the iPod-toting generation with the wilderness, making it his goal to “outreach to those who typically lack representation in, and exposure to, these fields.”

So unplug your phone, turn off your computer, and wander outside this month. And, hey, why not keep it up all year round?

(photo courtesy of Brad Christensen)

H20 Conservation

     Residents of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado have been wrestling with water rights ever since the exploration of the Wild West.  However, water shortages are no longer isolated to America’s big sky region.  As populations grow and rain patterns shift, water resources are becoming less and less predictable.  Lake Mead’s 100-foot evaporation ring and the dramatic water shortages in the state of Georgia represent historic and current water management problems.   Even NOLS river classrooms are feeling the pinch with fluctuating water levels and the prospect of river water extraction permanently lowering the Green River’s flow.  As water shortages become more severe throughout the nation, water conservation techniques are more important than ever. 

Below are some tips to help you take control of your water use:

1. Use your water meter to check for hidden water leaks
Read the house water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.

2. Check your toilets for leaks
Put a little food coloring in your toilet tank. If, without flushing, the color begins to appear in the bowl within 30 minutes, you have a leak that should be repaired immediately. Most replacement parts are inexpensive and easy to install.

3. Don't use the toilet as an ashtray or wastebasket
Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue or other small bit of trash, five to seven gallons of water is wasted.

4. Put plastic bottles or float booster in your toilet tank
To cut down on water waste, put an inch or two of sand or pebbles inside each of two plastic bottles to weigh them down. Fill the bottles with water, screw the lids on, and put them in your toilet tank, safely away from the operating mechanisms. This may save ten or more gallons of water per day. Be sure at least 3 gallons of water remain in the tank so it will flush properly.  

photo courtesy of Brad Christensen

Wrapping Up "Trash Your Can"

This past week NOLS HQ and NOLS Rocky Mountain participated in a week long “Trash Your Can” waste management challenge.  During the week of April 20-24, NOLS staff members voluntarily gave up their personal trash cans in exchange for a comparably sized recycle bin supplemented by one small trashcan for the whole department.  Our goal was to reduce the amount of trash we create by facilitating an office climate where recycling is more convenient than “trashing”. 

From the beginning, many staff members were excited for the challenge.  Jeanne O'Brien thought we should extend the program from one week to two.  Lou Gordon told me she didn't want her trash can back saying, "When the trash can is under my desk it is too easy just to throw things away, working without a trash can really helps me to recycle."  After the "Trash Your Can" campaign we had 10 HQ employees permanently give up their trashcans.  We plan to label these vacant cans and re-distribute the containers to NOLS staff as more durable and waterproof recycling bins.  Using these new recycling containers gives people the opportunity to store their leakier recycling items in a secure place while they wait to sort their items.

As a result of the Trash Your Can campaign we doubled the amount of food waste NOLS Headquarters composts in a week, increasing from 1 1/2 five-gallon buckets to over 3.  By moving our trashcans out of reach we eliminated enough waste to reduce our trash by 4 industrial sized trash bags in one week (down from 8 bags/week).  The cleaning staff also saw a huge difference in the kind of waste we were producing.  Rhonda, who manages the cleaning for HQ said, "Normally we see all kinds of paper and food waste in the trash cans, this week we hardly saw any.  People did a great job."

At NOLS Rocky Mountain 4 people decided they no longer need their trashcan.  Greg Fleming reflected on his Rocky Mountain experience stating, "Trash Your Can” experience stating, "Wow! What a positive, eye opening event... a great concept that worked very well.  It was amazing to see that the reduced number of 'community' (departmental) trashcans did not fill up.  Thanks you organizers & the NOLS Lander community for making this work.  My can has been trashed, FOREVER!" 

Thanks to everyone who participated for their great work!  Please contact the NOLS sustainability department at sustainability@nols.edu if you have any further questions or suggestions about recycling.

Trash Your Can for Earth Week

Just like building cardiovascular endurance for a NOLS mountaineering course or practicing for a difficult climb, training for any big goal requires that one constantly push the limits. NOLS adopted this same philosophy in the sustainability effort, designed to facilitate maximum impact education through minimum impact practices.   NOLS newest opportunity for maximum impact education comes in the form of the “Trash Your Can” week long challenge. 

“Trash Your Can” is designed to facilitate a new and improved outlook on waste.  During the week of April 20-24, NOLS staff members are voluntarily giving up their personal trash cans in exchange for a comparable size recycle bin and a small department trashcan, creating an office climate where recyclables are the most convenient type of waste.  By experiencing a work week where throwing things away requires a trip down the hall, “Trash Your Can” participants are forced to think about the waste they are creating.  The trip to the trash can will not only help stretch those legs to train for the next big hike, it also allows recycling to go from being a second thought, to a first instinct.

In the effort to improve recycling everywhere, the NOLS Sustainability Program encourages everyone to “Trash Your Can” this coming Earth Week.  Please let us know if you’re participating or if you’re stepping it up in another way this Earth Day.  To RSVP for the “Trash Your Can” event and to download and print out a “Trash Your Can poster visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=95127748135&ref=mf 
or contact Paige_Healy@nolse.edu.  

Shedding Some Light on Sustainability

    You don’t have to invest a fortune to reduce your carbon footprint.  In fact, small facility investments, like changing out your building’s lighting ballasts and replacing energy hogging bulbs with compact fluorescents, make a big difference.  Lighting ballasts are a component of the lighting circuit intended to limit the flow of current through the fixture.  When old ballasts are replaced with newer more efficient versions, the building’s overall electricity use drops dramatically.

    The purple line in the graph below plots NOLS Rocky Mountain month-by-month kwh consumption for 2005.  From July- September 2007 the old lighting ballasts were replaced with a more efficient version, contributing to a 17, 516 kwh reduction for the year 2007 and decreasing the buildings carbon emissions by almost 8 tons.  However, the lighting ballasts relatively hidden location often translates into a lack of appreciation.
    In the winter of 2007, NOLS Rocky Mountain received a Blue Sky Grant from Rocky Mountain Power to install a solar array on the roof of their facility.  Solar panels, being the more exciting and visible facility addition, receive a majority of the attention.  In the fall of 2007, the solar array was installed, mitigating the facilities energy consumption by 27,493 kwh in 2008 and reducing their carbon emissions by 12 tons.
    While the energy generated by solar panels is impressive, one of the more important pieces of data in the graph is the dramatic reduction achieved through a simple lighting update.  A change that is accessible to almost everyone at a reasonable cost, resulting in carbon reductions comparable to a large solar array.  

For more information you can contact paige_healy@nols.edu and check out http://nols.blogs.com/nols_news/2009/03/getting-a-grip-on-sustainability.html
for more ideas on how to reduce your consumption.    

Stove Effeciency in the Field

We all know that a poor stove set-up wastes fuel, and a using additional tools, like a pot parka, saves fuel beyond a “normal good set-up.” But how much does fuel consumption differ with stove set-up?


Maximizing Stove Efficiency in the Field from NOLS on Vimeo.

We put it to the test by testing three Whisperlite stoves with three different treatments. We controlled as many variables as we could by testing the same stove under each of the three treatments, always using the same amount of fuel, always pumping the stove the same amount, always heating 2 liters of water, and always starting with water of the same temperature. Here’s what we found.

Getting a Grip on Sustainability

With branches across the world, sustainability can sometimes feel scattered at NOLS.  Our Sustainability Coordinator, Karly Copeland is saddled with the important task of unifying all  these great ideas into sustainability  purchasing guides.  Although we are still in the planning phase of this assignment, the NOLS sustainable purchasing research team stumbled upon a few interesting ideas people have for reducing, re-using and recycling. 

Reduce:
While reviewing travel-purchasing research, filled with practical sustainable suggestions like taking only non-stop flights and carpooling, one suggestion seemed to stand apart from the rest. Reduction guides suggest that people start planning their trip routes to minimize left hand turns.  At first glance, this suggestion seemed a bit over the top.  My mind instantly created a scenario where families like the Griswolds from “National Lampoon’s Vacation” are expected to plan their cross-country route in a counter clockwise fashion, so they do not offend the left hand turn rule.  However, after discussing my ridiculous idea with colleagues here at NOLS, I was brought back to reality and quickly realized I currently implement the same strategy in my everyday life.  Minimizing the amount of left hand turns you take on average minimizes the amount of time you are on the road.  I am always trying to get my errands done quicker so instead of taking the route to the grocery store that includes 1 stop sign and 3 lights, I go one block out of my way to take the route that only has 1 stop sign and 0 lights.  This way my car doesn’t idle as long and the trip takes consistently less time.  Consequently my car produces less emissions and I use less fossil fuels. 

Re-use:
Re-using takes the form re-purposing when reviewing green cleaning purchasing research.  The majority of research we compiled suggested that “green cleaning” is not only achieved by purchasing expensive name brand “green certified” cleaners.  One can achieve “green” by re-purposing what they already buy at the grocery store for cleaning instead of cooking.  Vinegar, baking soda, lemon, and salt hold natural cleaning power just waiting to be unleashed.  Common floor, bathroom, and all-purpose cleaner recipes are available online and in bookstores across the country.  Re-purposing your household goods reduces the amount of chemicals released into our environment and reduces the toxicity of our lakes, streams and animal habitats.

Recycle:
I remember the days when recycling your unwanted paper at the local center was the extent of most peoples paper recycling repertoire.  It seems now, that if you aren’t currently using paper made from recycled content, you are behind the times.  It is common practice throughout the country to encourage recycled paper purchasing.  Many companies even require their staff to buy no less than 30% PCR (post consumer recycled fiber) or they only buy tissue paper with 100% recycled content and a minimum of 50% PCR content.   Its exciting to see how reduce, re-use, and recycle ethics infiltrate every aspect of ones life. 

You can’t bike to the grocery store, to get the white vinegar you need for your floor without stumbling into some sustainable practice you have been doing for years that is just now gaining “green” publicity. 

photo courtesy of Lara McCluskey

RIDING THE GEO-THERMALS AT NOLS PATAGONIA

When exploring sustainability initiatives at NOLS Patagonia, the deeper you dig, the richer things get. On the surface, strawbale-constructed instructor housing overlooks a working farm. Chicken, geese, cows and sheep roam the 500 acres, producing eggs, meat, and the essentials for a traditional asado, or lamb roast, that follows every NOLS semester. These animals, along with homemade compost, provide nutrients for the large garden and greenhouse that grow potatoes, peas, carrots, garlic, and other delicious vegetables that feed staff, students, and the community. Water for the garden, and for the entire facility, comes from natural mountain springs that flow into a gravity-fed system. The branch is in the process of doubling the size of the greenhouse and the garden. Excess produce will be sold at the local market

Keep digging down and you find more surprises. The recent completion of a geo-thermal heating system has cut the budget by almost $1,000 a month, which was previously spent entirely on propane. Just five feet underground, the ambient temperature of the earth warms fluid to 50 degrees Fahrenheit as it runs through a series of coils. This collected heat energy is extracted by a heat pump, which heats a second fluid system, channeling warm water under the floors and heating the entire facility through radiant heat from the ground up. Contrary to popular thought, no deep wells were dug, and no magma is involved.

To see a profile of NOLS Patagonia, visit: http://www.nols.edu/courses/locations/patagonia/about_patagonia.shtml

photo courtesy of Rich Brame

Happy birthday, NOLS Rocky Mountain solar array!

The NOLS RM solar array marked its first birthday earlier this winter.  However, in the “data digital world” it turns one today!  One year ago, we officially began collecting data on-line.  Click here to check out the live solar stats-- scroll to the bottom of the page.

Looking back at 2008, what did we learn?  The solar array doesn’t need much of our attention.  Other than checking the rack system a couple of times, resetting one inverter error, and shoveling snow off the panels in the winter, the maintenance was minimal.

For all you visual learners and data crunchers out there, below is a basic snapshot graph that charts our net electricity usage for 2007 and 2008.  (In 2008, we accounted for both the energy produced by our solar array, and the energy returned to the electricity grid.) 

On the graph, the numbers on the “Y” axis represent kilowatt hours (kWh), and the “X” axis represents calendar months.  As you will notice, our energy consumption and solar energy production varies throughout the year.  In the peak of summer 2008, we used 50% less electricity from the electrical grid as compared to 2007 at the same time.  Interestingly, our kWh usage during the 2008 winter months was similar to that of 2007.   If you average the kWh’s in both years, we consumed 35-40% less energy from the electricity grid in 2008 than 2007.

What does this all mean?  We believe it means that our habits are changing, our building improvements are making a difference, we are reducing our energy usage overall, and mostly, our solar array is producing energy!

(We’ll continue to collect historical data, and report periodically on our findings.)

Special thanks to Steve and Terry!