The Value of a Linked In Profile

Linked In is a social media platform used for business professionals. I currently have a Linked In profile but I have not fully created my profile yet. I am waiting until I have a clear goal for the platform before I decide to use it to its full potential. I learned about Linked In from my social media class and am convinced of its usefulness. When I graduate and decide on a goal for the platform I will finish creating my profile and use it on a regular basis.

Multi-Generation

Today’s market is diverse in many different aspects. An aspect that can prove to be difficult to sift through is age. In order to understand a particular generation a person needs to learn the views that the generation shares. Interviewing a person is one way to get to know their views and how those views differ from the views of other generations. When implementing a social media strategy it is important to understand what generations fall under the target market in order for that strategy to work.

Different generations vary on their views of social media. During my interview, I found out that the person I was interviewing had not yet used social media because they hadn’t deemed it useful enough to use yet. If they wanted to talk to someone, they would call them. The fact that there is an “interaction” without face-to-face communication seemed unfriendly and insincere in their view. Hearing each other’s’ voice, or seeing their face established a more intimate and friendly interaction then simply reading letters that someone typed without an investment in getting together to meet or call one another. My generation views social media differently, because we can see the sincerity in what someone typed and establish friendly interaction without talking or meeting in person. Another view is the internet is used for business. The person I interviewed is very active and views the internet as a place to shop, email employees, or to pay bills. Leisure activities are done with friends and family, away from the computer. This is very different from my generation. About half of my interaction with friends is online. I use the internet for both business and leisure activities. Whether it is video games, Skype, Facebook, or email I use these outlets more than I do my cell phone for friend and family interaction.

A challenge to social media strategies to market effectively to the generation of the person I interviewed is that most of them do not use social media as much as other generations. So the marketing has to be twice as effective in order to justify using social media.

Social Media Empowering Customers

Social media empowers consumers by giving them a voice. If I am contemplating buying a new product I know nothing about, I ask people I trust about it… but if they do not know where could I turn? Before social media, the next natural step may have been the store, but now a person could just look up what people are commenting about the product using Facebook. This empowers customers to give nonbiased feedback on products they have used and receive the same feedback to use for products they wish to learn more about. For example, this camera already is generating feedback from customers.

 

 

Online/Offline Media

In the case study, Case Study: ROI of Social Media Campaign for Sea World San Antonio – A Year Later*, Sea World’s online/offline social media campaign was explored. They used both online and offline activities. These activities proved successful by gaining lots of attention for their new ride (Journey to Atlantis), increase their revenue, calculate an ROI for their social media campaign, and they were about to gain valuable experience.

They used both online and offline activities in their campaign. Offline, they created an analysis of influential voices. This analysis found 22 coaster enthusiasts and they later used this information to target them to be used to promote their coaster. These enthusiasts used blogs and forums to discuss their passion of coasters. In order to direct their passion of coasters towards Sea World’s new ride, Sea World gave them special VIP access to the ride. This exclusive access generated buzz and increased the ride’s awareness. Online, they created a content rich website, deployed videos and photos (via YouTube, Flickr, Veoh), and created online surveys for their customers. These online and offline activities lead to their successful social media campaign.

-Sources

*http://overtonecomm.blogspot.com/2008/04/case-study-roi-of-social-media-campaign.html

Marketing in Social Media

Marketing in Social Media

Marketing in social media can be very effective, but only if an organization has a plan.

I believe this statement.

Some outlets would have an organization believe that social media is 100 percent free. That benefiting from these sites and apps costs absolutely nothing, but they are forgetting the most precious resource:  time. Using these tools takes planning and implementation, just like any other marketing strategy. Sites must be updated and traffic must be tracked. Messages must be clearly understood.

Kimbarovsky suggests, in his article, that an organization begins by outlining clear goals for their social media marketing efforts and figuring out how they will measure success [1]. First thing’s first: a plan. There needs to be a reason for wanting to get involved with social media, but if an organization does not understand what their goals are they might not understand, realistically, what social media can do for them. In the article, “Beware Social Media Marketing Myths”, Marks mentions that it will be more beneficial to focus on a few sites rather than overextend an organization and not be fully updated on all of the social media sites/profiles used [2]. According to this statement, it is very important to know just how deep into social media an organization’s marketing strategy needs to go. If it only calls for a few sites, then trying to fit them "all" in could be very costly in the end. In Lake’s article, she suggests integrating social media with other marketing tools [3]. Providing links, surveys, coupons, or games could help with brand exposure and customer relationships.

Success can come from well designed social media strategies, but only if an organization is willing to take to time to utilize them.

Here are some youtube videos that give tips about social marketing.

 

 

Really helpful tip. Don't forget what happened to MySpace... Will it happen to Facebook next? Best to not risk it.

 

This video is a discussion panel about social media and its impact on the bottom line.

 

 

Source Cites:

 

[1] http://mashable.com/2009/10/28/small-business-marketing/

[2] http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2009/tc20090522_078978.htm

[3] http://marketing.about.com/od/strategytutorials/a/socialmediamktg.htm



NORTHWEST STUDY TOUR DAY 5

WASHINGTON GREEN SCHOOLS

Washington Green Schools works with schools to make them more sustainable. They are a non-profit organization that is supported by government agencies, individuals, businesses and foundations. The schools they work with choose a category and the organization helps them improve upon this category. Once the category that was chosen has been improved upon, the organization then asks the school to try the other categories. They also collect and organize the qualitative and quantitative data in order to compare the data gathered between school. Working with schools is a way for the organization to teach the kids about sustainability and hopefully those kids will be able to use this information at home.

NETWORK FOR BUSINESS INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY

Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability believes that business is how to influence sustainability on a mass level. The organization is a business friendly portal to help businesses become more sustainable. Their method is to appeal to capitalists by focusing on how sustainability can be profitable. They are also working with a company to design an information system that can help with GRI reporting.

FUTUREWISE

Futurewise is a public interest group that works to promote healthy communities and cities. This organization is against urban growth at an unreasonable speed. They work to protect farmland. They also believe that communities should be built for people and not for cars. They use lobbying to promote the protection against urban growth and make sure cities in Washington stay at a sustainable growth rate.

SOURCES:

http://nbis.org/

http://www.wagreenschools.org/31/about-us.html

http://futurewise.org/about

PICS:

wagreenschools.org

betterworldtelecom.com

growingedge.com

NORTHWEST STUDY TOUR DAY 4

EARTH SHARE

Earth Share works with businesses on employee engagement, “green” project planning, donations to other non-profits, educating about other non-profits, and supporting local and national non-profit organizations. They focus on getting people excited about helping the environment. In order to partner with Earth Share a non-profit organization will need to be evaluated. Once a non-profit is partnered with Earth Share, they will be available to be promoted to Earth Share’s business partners. Earth Share’s model is to partner with businesses that are directly connected to philanthropy and give their employees options to which organization they would like to help. They ally businesses with non-profits that are committed to sustainability.

SUSTAINABLE SEATTLE

Sustainable Seattle works with the community to measure certain key indicators on the progress of sustainability. They are a community based organization. Compiling all of the indicators they create reports on the city’s indicators. The organization is working toward measuring the city’s happiness instead of just focusing on economic measures. They are currently working on measuring 9 domains of happiness. They use surveys and other means of measurement in order to gauge the city’s overall happiness. They also believe in citizens having equal access to the city’s resources. Not only currently, but also future citizens. Increasing awareness of sustainability is a way for them to increase sustainable practices and the efficient use of resources. They attempt to reach people that are not generally knowledgeable about sustainability.

ISLANDWOOD

Islandwood is a unique learning experience that focuses on teaching kids about the environment. Touring the facility is a wonderful way to really get an idea at the experience a child would get learning in this type of environment. Most of the teaching happens outside. The children pack a lunch and learn in the forest that surrounds the school. They are taught about the plant life and how plants can play a major role in some technologies. The students are taught about composting food, recycling, and even how to take samples from the environment. The samples are analyzed in the school and the students are taught about its significance.

MCKINSTRY INNOVATION CENTER

McKinstry Innovation Center is an incubator for cutting edge sustainable companies. The campus houses emerging green technology innovators to promote a creative environment. The new companies are encouraged to engage with one another. The center also is home to many events. Some of which are events that bring investors to the center. They also house non-profit organizations as well. McKinstry does not own the companies that are housed here. The companies that are allowed to stay here are evaluated and are given an office if they pass the evaluation. Companies are evaluated on their business plan and their growth potential.

SOURCES:

http://www.sustainableseattle.org/whoweare/whoweare

http://islandwood.org/about

PICS:

nonprofitshoppingmall.com

green.autoblog.com

persimmonimages.com

xconomy.com

NORTHWEST STUDY TOUR DAY 3

PASSIVE HOUSE

During the Northwest Tour we visited a passive house. A passive house is a standard that is the highest in energy standards. The purpose of a passive house is to build the house to have as few changes in the air temperature as possible. That is achieved by creating what is called an “air envelope”. To create this envelope, a house needs to be as air tight as it can be; allowing the indoor air temperature to stay constant. The envelope keeps the air temperature inside of the house and as a result reduces the energy consumption of the house considerably. Not only does a passive house focus on the house’s envelope, but also focuses on the natural resources that the house influences. The standard makes sure that the house is sustainable in almost every way that can be achieved.

CLIMATE SOLUTIONS

Climate Solutions is a non-profit organization that plays a roll in demonstrating how climate control can benefit the economy. This NPO is a regional organization established in the Northwest. A large portion of their work is in influencing policy. Creating new policies or modifying old policies from either the federal, state, or city governments can have a major effect on global warming. Currently, they are focused on trying to end the use of coal in Washington and defend key financing for clean energy in Oregon.

ZIP CAR

Zip Car is a business that can offer a better alternative to owning a car, but also be beneficial to the environment. A typical Zip Car customer pays a membership fee and has access to a car and is charged a daily or hourly rate. The Zip Car influence on the environment is that typically if a person does not own a car, they will look for alternatives in order to get from place to place. Whether the alternative is walking, car pooling, riding a bike, riding on a bus, or riding on a train generally the alternative is better for the environment.

GREEN BUILDING SERVICES

We had the opportunity to visit the Common Wealth Building and talk with Green Building Services. Green Building Services works with LEED and other certifications for sustainable building. This company is a B-Corporation and is 100 percent employee owned. They are currently changing their shift to existing buildings. They are working to make green simple by focusing not just on certification, but on how to make buildings more sustainable.

SOURCES:

http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse/PassiveHouseInfo.html

http://climatesolutions.org/

http://www.zipcar.com/

NORTHWEST STUDY TOUR DAY 2:

GREEN BUILDER – BUILDING COMMISSION

We talked to an experienced green builder about “green house” construction and remodeling. This builder was experienced in both commercial and residential. He said commercial building was more based on return on investment than anything else. The best way to achieve this is to  build the building with this in mind. Lower energy costs and incentives based on environmentally safe design can all add to a higher ROI. Residential construction sells mainly on health, safety, and comfort than anything else. The benefits of a sustainable design are that health and safety are aligned with this purpose. Indoor air quality adds to both the health and safety of the residents. A sustainable building uses resources on a more efficient level and weather it is ROI or health that is positively influenced the benefits generally out weight the costs.

PORTLAND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

The mission of the Portland Development Commission is to insure a diverse, sustainable community with healthy neighborhoods, a vibrant central city, a strong regional economy, and quality housing and jobs for all. This commission was created to serve as an agency for Portland’s urban and economic development. Keeping sustainability in mind with Portland’s development maintains the triple bottom line; social, economic, and environment. The agency is quasi-governmental working with the government on some projects and with the private sector on others. They also work closely with Portland State University and the local community college.  Having an agency that works with a broad range of sectors can benefit in them working collectively together for the betterment of the city.

CASCADIA GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL

The Cascadia Green Building Council collaborates with organizations that have a stake in the future of the regions that this council oversees. Having chapters in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, and in Alaska they cover a large section of the Pacific Northwest. They are committed to the environment in these regions by building a roadmap for sustainable buildings. They use their resources for continuing education and a multitude of benefits for their members. They build a network of leading organizations in sustainable development in their region and support these organizations to work together to push the limits on green building technologies. 

ECOTRUST

Ecotrust is a non-profit organization that believes “true wellbeing is possible” and works to foster it. They strive to develop a model for this type of living. They also believe that the current, 300 year-old, industrial economic model is not the way to achieve this goal. They collaborate with private, public, and non-profit organizations in order to identify innovation that can lead to discovering this new model. My class and I were able to tour their facility. The building was amazing and had a natural feel to it. The building is a source of funding for Ecotrust. It houses businesses and non-profit organizations that are agreeable to Ecotrust’s goals. In this way, Ecotrust can invest their building space to organizations that help achieve their goals.

DULL OLSON WEEKES ARCHITECTS

Dull Olson Weekes Architects (DOWA) is an architecture firm that is committed to sustainability. On the tour we discussed sustainability in the learning environment. We were shown a few school building projects. The schools were designed with the kids as the main focus. The children were even used in the design of the schools. A school building that was fun and sustainable. The children composted, recycled, and even alerted the teacher when they could open a window and turn of the lights in order to save energy. In order to realize a building’s full potential in its energy and resource conservation, it must be used right. DOWA kept this in mind by not only creating a sophisticated school, but a type of “user manual” for the people occupying the building. This manual guided them on how to use the school’s features and ensured that everyone who was given the manual would be able to use the school’s features.

COHOUSING COMMUNITY

We also visited a cohousing community in Portland. Cohousing is when a community of residents chooses to live together and work closely with one another. Their condos are linked together and they share a huge yard with a playground. There are community meals and shared responsibilities. The community in this cohousing facility is very close. The type of resident that would fit in this type of living environment is a person who wants a strong sense of community. The facility is designed for interaction. All of the condos have windows open and the windows face on another and the park in the middle of the building. This type of density would allow for more citizens to live together with less space and less of an impact on the environment.

SOURCES:

 http://www.pdc.us/about-the-pdc.aspx

http://cascadiagbc.org/about-us

http://www.ecotrust.org/about/

http://www.dowa-ibigroup.com/

NORTHWEST STUDY TOUR DAY 1:

BELLA ORGANIC FARM

During my first day on the Northwest Study Tour I was able to visit a beautiful organic farm to witness firsthand the hard work that goes into growing food in a more natural and healthy way. According to the EPA, organic farming is a method where food is grown and processed without using synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. My classmates and I visited Bella Organic Farm. It is a Certified Organic farm located in Portland, Oregon.  They currently grow around 50 different varieties of fruits and vegetables. We got to see some blueberries, strawberries, artichokes, and asparagus growing without the need for harmful synthetic chemicals. The farmers discussed how there is more labor involved in this method and that is why organic food is generally more expensive. All of the hard work pays off in the end though. Growing food without using tons of chemicals means that the customer gets a healthier product and the farmland avoids having tons of chemicals to deal with. This method of growing is more sustainable for the customers and the farmland. So please, buy organic and support Bella Organic Farms and organic farms everywhere.

PORTLAND STATE BUSINESS COLLEGE

We also visited Portland State Business College to discuss their Master’s in Real Estate Development. A key focus of this graduate degree plan is sustainability based development. Since the trend for future development is to be sustainable, this degree plan is propelling their students forward to be on the cutting edge of this trend. Sustainability is more than protecting the environment; it is about community, economy, and the environment. To cover all of these facets, the degree plan has a multidisciplinary approach. The School of Business Administration and the College of Urban Studies and Planning joined together to design this degree plan. It covers urban theory, finance, policy, and project development.

CITY OF PORTLAND BUREAU OF PLANNING AND SUSTAINABILITY

During our class trip we visited the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability for the city of Portland. The focus of our discussion quickly highlighted two major projects. The first one was the Climate Action Plan. This plan is a three year plan to put Portland and Multnomah County on a path to achieve a 40 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and an 80 percent reduction by 2050. This plan is about creating goals that can be met early to achieve the long term goals. The plan commits the city and county to 93 actions over the three year period so they will be on track for their 2030 and 2050 goals.  The second major project was called the Portland Plan. This project directs a path to a prosperous, educated, healthy and equitable city for the next 25 years. The plan proposes ways for the city to work together on difficult decisions. With these two projects in action the city of Portland is being proactive in their goal of being a more sustainable place to live.

THE HEATHMAN HOTEL

Built in 1927, The Heathman Hotel has a rich history. The hotel itself is a work of art, beautifully displaying art from the moment a person enters the building. The impression a person might have when experiencing the beauty of this hotel is that they are solely committed to culture, but if a person was curious they would be happy to know their commitment to the environment is just as comprehensive. The hotel underwent a 99 percent landfill free remodel in April 2009. Their remodel achieved 50 percent less water consumption in the guest rooms, 20 percent less gas usage from showerheads, and diverted 15 tons of debris from landfills. The hotel is committed to both culture and the environment. The Heathman Restaurant uses fresh local produce and food whenever possible and their master chef is considered to be a major contributor to the local food movement in Portland.

GREATER PORTLAND INC.

Greater Portland Inc. is a regional economic development partnership driving quality economic growth and job creation. This collaboration involves both the public and private sector of the Portland-Vancouver Region. This unique partnership can be a strong force in encouraging companies to use “Clean Tech”.  For the availability of green technologies to increase, there needs to be growth in that market. Driving the region’s economic growth around this principle is helpful for creating a more sustainable economy that encourages the growth of sustainable technologies.

EARTH ADVANTAGE INSTITUTE

Earth Advantage Institute is committed to making the built environment more sustainable. They use their expertise to educate, promote, consult, and train individuals on sustainability in a multitude of different certifications. The institute works with both residential and commercial certifications. They are the nation’s leading organization for green building and climate solutions for stakeholders in the building industry. With institutes like this, information about certifications and licenses can be found at one place and a less biased opinion on which one is needed for a particular purpose will be found.

SOURCES:

http://www.earthadvantage.org/about-us/

http://bellaorganic.com/about-us/

http://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/torg.html

http://www.pdx.edu/gradbusiness/master-of-real-estate-development

http://www.portlandonline.com/portlandplan/

http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?c=49989

http://portland.heathmanhotel.com/images/pdf/heathman-hotel-remodel-relaunch.pdf

http://portland.heathmanhotel.com/images/pdf/green-overview-february-2011.pdf

Blog #7: Texas Instruments, Environmental Education Center and Trinity River Audubon Center

Texas Instrument’s Sustainability FAB

Texas Instrument’s is a large technologies manufacturer. The company has been in business for around 80 years [1]. Last year they reported $14 billion dollars in revenue, so they are a major part of the technologies industry. They were also the first semiconductor company to earn certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for constructing environmentally responsible manufacturing facilities. I had the pleasure to tour one of these facilities. The Richardson FAB, or RFAB, is a LEED Gold building. The building is around 284,000 square/feet and its construction cost around $330 million dollars. Designing the building was difficult, because they were forced to start from scratch instead of using the designs of their already built facilities. This ended up being the perfect opportunity for them to attempt to create new features that would be better for the environment.

 

Here Are Some of the Amazing Things the Facility has Accomplished

·         Water Efficiency: reduced water usage by 44%, which saves 1,000,000 gallons of water a day

·         Energy and Atmosphere: The Central Utility Plant is not air-conditioned, it uses a passive cooling technique to keep the temperature to around 83 degrees in the summertime

·         Materials and Resources: 89% of the debris from the RFAB’s construction was recycled, diverting 3,890 tons of waste away from the landfill

·         Indoor Environmental Quality: All materials contain low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to reduce gas emissions and carbon dioxide sensors determine the level in fresh indoor fresh air

Hopefully the tremendous strides that TI has done will become well known and emulated throughout the industry. Sharing the technologies might not be good for business, but it would be great for the environment.

Environmental Education Center

“Live Green in Plano” is their message [2]. The Environmental Education Center in Plano is all about teaching anyone who wants to learn about what they can do to help the environment. As I took my tour I saw something that I thought I would never see; a bunch of older kids gardening. They all had gloves on and were pulling weeds, raking, planting, and composting. It was like they were learning the good old fashion way; by doing. Usually, kids their age always look bored and glues to their preferred handheld devices. But these kids looked proud and looked like they were having fun. It was the first thing I noticed about the center and the most impressive. Unfortunately, we did not get to speak to the kids. The tour was for us to learn about the center’s sustainable features. The building is built to LEED Platinum standards. It was not very big, but it was jammed full of sustainable technology. Almost everything in the center was built with the environment in mind. There were lots of signs around the facility that educated people about the various technologies and how they worked.

Presently, one of the difficulties surrounding sustainable development is the lack of knowledge about what is available. The average person has a lot to learn about it and with more places like this education center this difficulty will soon become a thing of the past.

Trinity River Audubon Center

What was once a landfill full of trash is now a treasure for all to enjoy. That, in a nut shell, is what the Trinity River Audubon Center is [3]. Dating back many years ago, the place was a landfill. Even after it was closed, it was still being filled with loads of waste. In 1997, the landfill’s tires caught on fire and the city let them burn. As can be expected, the citizens were not pleased and filed for a class action lawsuit and won. The court ordered the city to clean the site up. It took around 8 years, but eventually they did. The place was turned into what it is today; a nature center and the largest urban hardwood forest in the U.S. – 6,000 acres. The place has lots of exhibits and prides itself on demonstrating how a municipal liability can be transformed into something that can be enjoyed by everyone.

SOURCES:

[1] http://www.ti.com/corp/docs/csr
[2] http://www.plano.gov/departments/environmental%20services/Pages/default.aspx
[3] http://www.trinityriveraudubon.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Home

PICs:

[a] examiner.com
[b] plano.gov
[c] http://www.trinityriveraudubon.org

Blog #6: Air North Texas and AgriLIFE Extension

Air Quality

The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) is a group of municipalities, which cover a wide area spanning many counties and cities, that work together in order to face problems together. One of these problems is the non-attainment status of their air quality. The main focus of the regulations, that aim to reach attainment, is to decrease the mono-nitrogen oxides (NO) and nitrogen oxides (NO₂) that are mainly caused from the combustion process of car engines. Both of these pollutants are sometimes referred to as NO_x. When NO_x is mixed with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) it makes ozone. Ozone is very harmful and its presence in the air is heavily measured and regulated. The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), which is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is set at 75 parts per billion for the DFW area [1]. Currently the region is at non-attainment, which means they are not meeting that standard, and are currently registering 90 ppb. Over the years that number has been decreasing, but last year it increased. Since the chemical process of the pollutants releasing into the air require heat, some experts think that it was mainly because of the intense heat that there was an increase. But that assumption has not been proven.

The NCTCOG has created a team that is looking solely at reaching attainment, Air North Texas. This team has created many programs to focus on reducing the biggest facilitator of the creation of ozone, on-road traffic (49% of NO_x ). They have many programs that plan on reducing the number of vehicles on the road.

Programs to Decrease Ozone

1.      Regional Smoking Vehicle Program: informs vehicle owners their vehicle may be creating excessive smoke and emitting pollutants

2.      Clean Air Action Day: On July 7^th from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. try to not drive and see if any of the other options that are available may turn out to be something that can be done on a more regular basis.

3.      Advocating Car/Van Pooling: less vehicles driving means less emissions

These programs are amazing, but even if they reach out to every person there will still be much that we need to do. Being a leading force to improve air quality, Air North Texas has some tips on how everyone can make a difference with just a few healthy habits:

 

1.      Observe the Speed Limit

2.      Walk/Bike

3.      Bring Lunch to Avoid Leaving for Break

4.      Avoid Idling

5.      Optimum Tire Pressure

6.      Educate Others About Air Quality

Agriculture

Steve A. Chaney from the Texas A & M AgriLIFE Extension service spoke about what it means to have a sustainable yard. There is a large portion of our world sectioned off for people to care for and if they do that in an unsustainable way there will be consequences. The DFW area went through a rough drought this summer and it is projected to continue for a few more years. Since the DFW area is living very close to its limits, when considering the city’s ability to provide water for its citizens, water conservation should be motivation enough for land owners to take heed to the expert’s call for more action.

Ignorance is no excuse. The extension service provides a website [2] with all the information anyone would need to know about planting. Even if a person didn’t want to use the internet there is a number that is provided that they can call to get their answers about sustainable yard-care. Just to get EVERYONE started on creating a more sustainable yard here are the denominations that are recommended.

·         1/3 Turf

·         1/3 Planting Beds

·         1/3 Permeable Hardscape

Maintaining a sustainable yard is cheaper and better for the environment. DFW denizens need more yard “stewards” to take control over their land and make it more sustainable so the DFW area can conserve water more effectively. With a few more years of drought there may not be a choice of whether or not a yard needs to be sustainable. It might become mandated, so the transition may be easier if done earlier rather than later.

SOURCES:

[1] http://www.nctcog.org/trans/air/
[2] http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/selector/

PICs:

[a] http://www.nctcog.org/trans/air/smoking/index.asp
[b] superstock.com
[c] buyhelmet.onsugar.com
[d] greenrightnow.com
[e] parehe.com

Blog #5 Recycling Revolution

The Recycling Revolution in Dallas

Recycling Revolution is a local recycling service provider. They operate out of Dallas, but they serve the entire DFW area. They charge a fee to make sure their client’s waste is treated sustainably. Using their two trucks, Recycling Revolution will travel to their client’s location and transport every part of reusable/recyclable waste back to their warehouse. After retrieving the materials, they find a responsible vendor to treat/recycle them. Even though they are in the recycling business, they do not commoditize the materials. This profit model creates a unique opportunity for them to focus on the service side of recycling so they can be a major contributor in recycling materials that would not be financially sound when focusing solely on quantity. Glass is a prime example of this opportunity. When exclusively focused on financial gain from quantity, glass does not make sense to recycle. But because of Recycling Revolution’s service focus, they recycle the most glass in the DFW area. A majority of their clientele is small local businesses, mainly restaurants, wanting to do the right thing.

Another advantage that they have over their competition is they offer composting. Their biggest seller to the restaurant business is their ability to offer composting as an alternative for food waste. They have been in business for around 4 years and have around 10 employees with various professional back grounds. Moving to a larger warehouse facility recently opened them up for growth. With a recent community focused facility opening up in the DFW area, they now are considering catering to communities more and having a smaller drop-off type complex.

Recycle Recycle Recycle

Recycling Revolution is committed to fostering the recycling attitude in their community. Every employee there is very educated about the recycling process and want to spread their passion. Recycling would be much easier if there were more facilities like Recycling Revolution. Experts in recycling are needed because of the vast amount of ignorance on the subject, present blogger not excluded. Caring for waste responsibly is necessary to become a sustainable community and the first step is making the knowledge wider spread.

SOURCES:

[1] http://www.recyclerevolutiondallas.com/

PICs:

[a] thegreenrebel.wordpress.comhegreenrebel.wordpress.com thegreenrebel.wordpress.com thegreenrebel.wordpress.com

[b] kinnelonconserves.net
[c] recyclefordorset.wordpress.com
[d] bradley.chattablogs.com

Blog #4: The BRIT

At the BRIT

The Botanical Research Institute of Texas, or the BRIT, is a Texas based research facility located in Fort Worth. The institute is a non-profit organization with a mission to conserve our natural heritage by researching and educating the public about the plant world [1]. They currently house around 1,000,000 plant species from all over the world and even have some species dating back to the 18th century. Their current research building is a LEED platinum certified building. The project cost around 70 million dollars. Every part of the building was designed with sustainability in mind. For example, they used bamboo for the inside of the roof. Bamboo only takes 6 years to mature into adulthood, so it replenishes rapidly. Another interesting example is they used something that, many years ago, was considered useless; Sinker Cypress. Sinker Cypress is wood that sunk to the bottom of a river and was left to rot. Instead of rotting, the wood was actually preserved underwater and was used as one of the walls in the BRIT. The building was built to the highest standards of sustainability, but what is the most sustainable about the BRIT is the research that takes place there. They research biodiversity. Since their location is in Fort Worth they are currently researching the local biodiversity. Attempting to recreate local prairieland is just one of their xeriscaping projects.

GOALS of the BRIT Campus

1. Reduce Energy: day lighting, photovoltaic panels (circular solar panels [pic]), and low energy fixtures

2. Water Consumption: low-flow and retention pond (designed to eliminate use of potable water)

3. Enhance Indoor Environmental Quality: low-VOC materials, certified wood products, wool and linen furnishings

4. Use Recyclable and Renewable Materials: recycled-content roof

This type of exploration into biodiversity will, in my opinion, lead to many advances into how we can coexist with our natural habitat. Sustained living is about living within the earth’s natural cycles. Those cycles are extremely dependent upon location, so knowing more about our local cycles is crucial in our success to become sustainable.

SOURCES:

[1] http://www.brit.org/about/history

PICS:

[a] prweb.com

[b] statesymbolsusa.org