intentional living for the sustainable future
San Francisco, CA
ph: 415-373-7970
info
Suzanne's first book is now available in paperback.
I believe a sustainable future for all can only be achieved through aligning one’s actions with one’s values. This book is the manifestation of my own passion for teaching to others what I am learning about making the world a better place. I believe there are a lot of others like me, striving to know what it is one stands for, then striving (though not always succeeding) to act on those beliefs.
EcoSoul hinges on the idea that global environmental crises and personal discontent come from the same source: a disconnect between values and actions.
Good for the planet is good for the soul - align your habits and your values to save the world and your sanity. The premise couldn’t be simpler: happy people live more lightly on the planet. Changing the way we think about our place in the world will change our impact on the environment, and our lives, for the better. EcoSoul is a “why-to,” motivating readers to reduce their environmental impact by recognizing the connection between values and actions, and provides timely suggestions for replacing old habits with a greener way of thinking—and doing. EcoSoul provides distinct ways for the reader to choose their own way of approaching sustainability, through both ways of thinking and ways of doing. Highlights include:
• What it means to live sustainably
• How to apply sustainable principles in your life
• Why what you do every day matters
• How simple changes in your life can have positive global and personal impact
Special features of the book include an exercise for writing a personal green mission statement,
and over 100 habits to start or change now!
Scroll down for excerpts...
Hardcover: 238 pages
First Edition: Oct 2012
Language: English
ISBN-10: 978-1-4675-4404-7
Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5 inches
Table of Contents
Preface.............................................................. 3
1 What is a sustainable life?.......................... 9
Rethink these habits: Purchasing................... 27
2 Principles of sustainability....................... 33
Rethink these habits: Toxics Out................... 62
3 Intentions lead to change......................... 69
Rethink these habits:
Waste management....................................... 99
4 Rethinking everyday habits..................... 105
Rethink these habits:
Using your influence..................................... 128
5 Changing your future.............................. 131
6 Making intentions count......................... 149
Sources and Text Notes................................ 170
Value Words................................................. 214
Issue Categories........................................... 218
About the Author and re: Think................... 219
Preface: My story
In the early 1990s the environmental movement woke up a new generation of activists. With the Chernobyl nuclear disaster a recent nightmare, and a hole in the ozone layer an undisputed fact, the promise of electric cars became a reality—then mysteriously disappeared. Pundits and talking heads confounded the public debate with conflicting opinions, scientific and otherwise, as to whether or not global warming was real, and if so, what was causing it and how much of a threat was it to our way of life.
Or maybe it was just me waking up. I first became aware of my responsibility as a steward of the environment in the late ‘90s, when a carpet vendor told me that their company was developing a carpet-recycling program.
Some background: my training and entire career has been in commercial interior design. My role is to complete the interior environment of workspaces of all types—law offices, banking and insurance headquarters, research labs, medical clinics, and even hospitals. My working life is full of details about building code requirements, cabinetry components, which flooring or wall material is appropriate, and of course—making it all look good.
Back to my story—
It seemed to be from left field—I had never heard of recycling a carpet, and I couldn’t imagine why anyone would bother… until I thought it through.
Most carpets you see, both residential- and commercial-grade, are made from nylon fibers. I deal mostly with the hard-working kind you find in every office building, miles and miles and miles of it (over two billion pounds produced annually). This type of carpet has been in regular production since the 1950s, and is still going strong. The carpet vendor I mentioned earlier elaborated about how (then and now) nylon carpets made up a very bulky portion of American landfills. I got a very clear image in my mind of all that carpet.
Nylon’s best quality as carpet is that it is so incredibly durable. In my industry we joke that nylon carpet will ugly out before it wears out. Nylon is a type of plastic—a synthetic material that replaced wool, in the same way that nylon panty hose (the same plastic) replaced silk in women’s stockings. In fact it’s so durable that it will never break down in any landfill. The only way to make that bulk disappear is through incineration—not common practice for construction waste, and potentially quite toxic given all the additives that make nylon fibers so good at being carpet.
Perhaps the most surprising fact was that I had never thought about it before—I never had to; and technically speaking, I still don’t have to. While I am a part of the process of bringing everything together in the built space, when it comes to products, my job ends with the recommendation. I advise my clients about the best material or product for the intended use, but ultimately they are responsible for it—purchasing it, maintaining it, and eventually getting rid of it.
As it turned out, that moment in time marked the beginning of my re-education. It made me question every other finish and product I specified, and caused me to begin asking manufacturers (of all types) about their impact on the environment, and whether they were trying to make improvements. Interface was that pioneering carpet recycler (working with Dow Chemicals, which makes many types of nylon fibers); Ray Anderson, then CEO of Interface, wrote about his own wake-up call in his book, Mid-Course Correction.
The amazing fact is that in less than ten years from that first program, every major carpet manufacturer had created their own recycling programs as well—no simple feat. Each manufacturer has gone through its own research and development and retooling and reformulating and marketing to make these programs work.
I love that story because it so clearly shows how one person made a tremendous difference (for the better) in the world—because they acted on their belief. Mr. Anderson realized that it was wrong to make a product that would be a heavy burden on some future unknown people, and he acted accordingly. That is true integrity, and each and every one of us have opportunities every day in our own lives to make every action in keeping with our own values.
Professionals in the building and design industry are leading the current charge in the sustainability movement. Instead of just bringing awareness to the environmental cause like so many inspiring activists before, these folks are creating the means and methods ways to address energy, resource, and pollution issues associated with buildings. Life cycle assessments (for building products), and green building rating systems (for buildings) teach us how to cut waste and toxicity out of the stuff we make and use every day.
This makes perfect sense when you consider the impact the built environment has on the natural environment. Changing the way we build our environment will change our current impact on the environment. The following statistics describe the impact buildings have in the U.S.:
William McDonough, an architect, and Michael Braungart, a chemist, wrote Cradle to Cradle in 1998. In their book they show us that by changing the way we make things we will change our current impact on the environment. These statistics describe the results of the current way of doing business (in the U.S.):
Just watching the news brings home the fact that our western culture may not be supporting us in our pursuit of happiness. People throughout this country are suffering, often alone, with fear and uncertainty about the future. The statistics below describe our dysfunctional society:
EcoSoul will show you how changing the way we think about our place in the world will change our current impact on the environment—and change our lives.
As you read this book, please be sure to refer to the Sources and Text Notes section. There is more information, sources, and references for all the concepts and tips discussed (organized by page number).
In no particular order of importance, difficulty, or cost, these action items are organized around four broad categories of habits: Purchasing, Toxics, Waste Management, and Influence.
Rethink these habits: Toxics Out
Cleaner ingredients
As Annie Leonard, creator of The Story of Stuff, is fond of saying, “Toxics in, toxics out.” A good rule of thumb is if something is not harmful to people, it won’t be harmful to the environment either. The health and safety of both are intertwined.
(link above)
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Copyright 2006-2018 Suzanne Drake. All rights reserved.
San Francisco, CA
ph: 415-373-7970
info