Dear Recycle Lady,
What is an ecological footprint? Is it the same as a carbon footprint?
Another New Term
Dear Another New Term,
Good Question. An ecological footprint, according to treehugger.com, is a method of gauging humans’ dependence on natural resources by calculating how much of the environment is needed to sustain a particular lifestyle. It is one way of measuring sustainability, or the ability of a population to support itself in the present without compromising that ability for the future. When a population can support a particular lifestyle indefinitely and still meet the demands placed on the environment, then environmental sustainability has occurred. Treehugger says that one example of environmental sustainability is reached when the environment can handle the amount of pollution produced.
Ecological footprints and carbon footprints are not the same thing, although they are two different ways of measuring something’s impact on the environment. A carbon footprint measures carbon dioxide units (CO2,) or how the amount of greenhouse gases impacts global warming. For example, what impact does burning fossil fuels, or your consumption of electricity, have on the environment. An ecological footprint has a much more complicated formula. It is a way of measuring how well a population is able to support itself in the present without compromising its ability to support itself for the future. I highly recommend using www.footprintcalculator.org/home/en, or one of the many websites available, to calculate your own ecological footprint. It’s a real eye opener! I expected a fairly low ecological footprint, but according to the footprint calculation it would take four and one-half earths to sustain my lifestyle! Find your own ecological footprint. You may be surprised!
Dear Recycle Lady,
Today I received a request to open a new credit card with information designed to entice the recipient to do so by using very large numbers and letters in bright, shiny gold letters on the white envelope. Do I recycle this envelope with office paper or magazine/slicks?
Office Paper or Magazines
Dear Office Paper or Magazines,
If the shiny gold letters are slick, then your envelope would recycle with magazines/slicks. If they are not shiny or slick, then your envelope would recycle with office paper. If you are in doubt as to whether an item goes into office paper or magazines, always put it in with magazines. If the shiny gold letters could be foil or perhaps wax-or plastic-coated, put the envelope in the trash. Any thermal or duplicating paper also goes in the trash. To avoid costly contamination, when in doubt, throw it out.
Good News: Loose plastic glitter, products with microbeads, and certain microplastics are now banned in the EU to reduce environmental damage and water pollution. For the glitter fans out there, glitter made from biodegradable, natural, or water-soluble materials is now available.
More Good News: LAX Airport in Los Angeles has banned the sale of single-use plastic water bottles at the airport. However, travelers will be able to purchase water in sustainable containers or fill up their own reusable bottles. Many millions of plastic bottles will be kept out of the waste stream as a result of this ban.
Have questions about recycling, or interesting information about recycling? Send questions or requests to recyclelady@greenbrier-swa.com. Dear Recycle Lady is sponsored jointly by the Greenbrier Recycling Center and Greenworks Recycling.
