Apple highlighted how in mid-2006 they eliminated CRT monitors, which each contain 3 pounds of lead, from their entire product line. In a rare candid moment, they expressed the intent to begin shipping computers with LED-backlit displays by the end of this year*. These will replace the fluorescent backlighting currently used, which requires the use of mercury. They also expressed the intent to remove arsenic (used to make the display glass smooth) and PVCs from their products by the end of 2008. Apple’s commitment to recycling was also discussed, including the 10% discount you get on a new iPod if you bring back your old one to be safely disposed of.

Apple has called out the other computer makers by showing how it has already done more and by adopting more aggressive timelines for future progress. If this open letter provokes as much discussion and action as the previous letter on DRM did, then I expect we will soon see responses from all across the industry.

*As a side note: I believe that all home and industrial lighting is (eventually) going to be provided by LED’s. They are cheap, use almost no power, and do not contain any toxic chemicals. Unfortunately, their light output is small compared to traditional incandescents and fluorescents, but researchers are working on this.

The general consensus among the speakers was that the human species is at a very low point in its existence. This may seem counter-intuitive; after all, our collective body of knowledge grows at an amazing rate each year. Humans rule the universe; technology has allowed us to conquer the moon and send probes to other planets and to the far reaches of our solar system. We know both how the world was created and how our genetic code delicately intermingles to create new and unique members of our species.

But is all this knowledge good for us? One of the speakers this morning presented an interesting analogy. Draw a circle, and inside of it put all of the things that are known about the world. Outside of the circle represents the unknown. When we learn something new, the circle grows bigger to represent increased knowledge, but so does our interface with the unknown! For example, it was discovered many years ago that CFC’s (chlorofluorocarbons) made good refrigerants and cleaning solvents. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until much later, after copious damage had been done to the ozone layer, that the research came through on how much CO2 these molecules trap in the atmosphere. So many other chemical discoveries have parallel stories; their positive effects were widely hailed until studies came out years later exposing them as carcinogens or mutating agents or something else equally harmful.

The pace of technology has accelerated to a point where it is possible for science to keep up. Technology has also contributed to another one of society’s problems, one that could be viewed as a core cause of climate change. The human race has become largely “domesticated;” we have fallen out of touch with the world that we live in and on. We are a species that has neglected its habitat; choosing to destroy it and pave it over with with artificial dwellings whose conditions are carefully controlled and monitored. We are caretakers of our own zoo. Our ancestors not that long ago lived off the land. They were involved in building their own houses and growing their own food. They understood that they depended on the land for their sustenance, and that made them respect and honor it. In contrast, many people today have no idea where their food comes from, or certainly don’t think about it on a daily basis. Plenty go through life without ever making something with their own hands. My father helped to build his family’s house, but I would have no idea how to even go about making a bookshelf.

I could go on and on about the knowledge I gained today and the many themes that were discussed and brought together in interesting and startling ways. A psychologist talked about how people like to go to the mall because they think that shopping makes them happy, but his research showed that people who were outside experiencing the beauty of nature were actually the happiest. The paradox of the liberal-thinking university environment was discussed: many university communities like to debate lofty ideas for climate change, but universities are conservative organizations by nature because of the many stakeholders that must be kept happy, making it unlikely that radical change will begin at the university level.

The conference made me question many of my beliefs. I have always been a big supporter of “progress.” For me, the way to greatness always seemed to be forging ahead. I loved to hear about new buildings being constructed and new roads being built, because to me it was a sign that the species was one step closer on the road to perfection. Every scientific discovery was one step closer to what would eventually be a complete knowledge of the laws and idiosyncracies of the universe. Now, I think that maybe we ought to stop and rein in the monster that we have created. Earth was doing alright until humans, starting with the the technological advances of the industrial revolution, disrupted its natural lifecycle. We must act now to drastically reduce our carbon emissions, or there could be heavy repercussions.

Check out the April 9th, 2007 edition of Time Magazine for a list of 51 things that you can do to effect climate change.

The movie excites me because its plot ties into sustainability. It is set in the future, in a time where wasteful consumerism has covered the Earth with so much trash that it is uninhabitable. The human population has to evacuate, but before they do so, they build an army of robots to clean up the planet. The plan fails, and WALL-E is the last robot left on a dead Earth.

I hope that Andrew Stanton and his team of animators stress the possible environmental consequences that could result from our current overuse of energy and willingness to cover our beautiful natural landscapes with trash. A future where humans need to evacuate the planet is a dramatic notion, but it is a realistic projection of what could happen should the human population continue to be indifferent about sustainability.

I think that most college students believe that there is little that each of us can do to bring about positive climate change, because we don’t control many aspects of our energy usage. So I put this list together as a jumping-off point for people to start thinking about easy ways that they can save energy. I’m also hoping to motivate myself to do more of these things by actually writing them down. If you have any other ideas, please share them in the comments.

If you want more statistics on world energy usage, a good place to start is the Energy Information Administration of the US Department of Energy.

1. Shut your computer off or put it to sleep when you aren’t using it. I know that we all like to leave our computers on all the time, me included. It’s much more fun to come back and see IM’s and emails waiting, but it wastes a lot of energy. If you use your computer as an alarm clock, get a program that is able to wake your machine from sleep in the morning (such as Alarm Clock, so you don’t have to leave your computer on all night. If you have a second LCD monitor, shut it off when you aren’t using it.
2. Take a shorter shower. Everybody likes to take long showers, especially when you don’t want to go to class in the morning, but just standing under the water is really wasteful. Shortening your shower by 3 minutes can save anywhere from 7-15 gallons of water, depending on the showerhead.
3. Shut off the lights. This one’s easy. Don’t leave lights on when you leave the room, ever. Don’t turn them on during the day. If you are using your computer at night, only turn as many lights on as you need to keep from straining your eyes.
4. Get fluorescent light bulbs. They are 4-6 times more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs, meaning that you can buy a 15W fluorescent bulb that produces as much light as a 60W incandescent. In addition, fluorescent lights produce less heat, and last an average of 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Simply replacing one 100W incandescent bulb with a 27W compact fluorescent will save the equivalent of 800 pounds of energy-producing coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 365 pounds over the lifetime of the bulb. Students here at the U of R can’t complain that fluorescent bulbs are too expesive – the school will give them to you for free.
5. Use public transportation and carpool. Many college students have cars when they could really get by without them. Public transportation, although a slight inconvenience, is much more environmentally friendly and more economical, as most schools offer free bus lines. If you are going home for break, find other students from your area to carpool with. You’ll save a lot of money and have more fun. U of R students can use the online rideboard to post ride requests or to look for potential passengers.
6. Turn your cellphone off at night. No reason for it to stay on, only that there is the possibility of getting woken up during a really deep sleep. If someone absolutely needs to reach you, there are other ways.
7. If you can, turn down the heat. Better to wear more clothes to keep warm during the cold months than to overheat your room. If you can’t turn down the heat, talk to your campus facilities department and complain that the dorms are too warm (most are).
8. Print less, print double-sided. Many professors ask students to read online or pdf excerpts from books and magazines. If at all possible, read them on your computer screen, not on paper. It’s not that bad if you make the font large and adjust the contrast levels to make it easy on your eyes (some LCD monitors have a “text” setting). If you do have to print, use the double-sided setting, and set the ink level to light. And when you are done with it…
9. Recycle. Especially paper. The more we recycle, the less has to be produced from scratch. When you recycle last week’s homework, or today’s newspaper, you save energy from being spent on cutting down new trees, and also those trees are now able to reduce the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Each citizen in the United States uses an average of 650 pounds of paper each year, compared to 40 pounds a year in developing countries. If you are able to, buy recycled paper to use in your personal printer. Buy notebooks made from recycled paper. Recycle everything possible, and if your school doesn’t have a recycling program, find out why.
10. Share these tips with everyone you know. Be the person that walks around shutting off lights and dripping faucets. Educate your friends and those you live near. To effect significant climate change, there must be a huge reduction in the world’s current carbon emissions. The irony is that to produce this huge reduction, everyone must do their part to live a more sustainable lifestyle.