Green Feature

Vehicles --

A brown pickup truck idles at a red traffic light. The man in the driver's seat wipes the sweat from his forehead and casually scratches his salt-and-pepper colored beard. He is wearing a white tank top and his Mariners baseball cap sits backward on his head. The truck's tailgate is dented and dotted with rust spots. The truck's exhaust pipe rattles beneath the truck and spews brown smoke. The foul smell burns the nostrils and leaves a musty taste on the tongue. The light turns green and the truck accelerates. A cloud of black smoke and dust fill the intersection as the truck enters the on-ramp of the freeway, a trail of smoke following behind.

In Washington, more than half of all greenhouse gas emissions are from motor vehicles, according to the State of Washington Department of Ecology. More than 50 percent of all Washington residents have at least one medical condition, such as asthma and cancer—which air pollution can worsen—according to the website.

In addition to reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution, alternative fuels and energy-efficient vehicles cost less to operate and maintain for the consumer. The automotive industry is producing more fuel-efficient vehicle that have a far less negative impact on the environment than a gasoline combustion engine. It is up to the consumer to choose which alternative vehicle fits their lifestyle and needs.

Ethanol

Ethanol is an alternative fuel that is made from the fermentation and distillation of starchy crops, such as corn. Ethanol emits less air pollutants, is more resistant to engine knock, and can be produced domestically, reducing the need for imported oil.

Most Washington residents already fill their tanks with ethanol, says Tim Hamilton, executive director of Automotive United Trades Organization. In most gas stations in this state, 90 percent gasoline is mixed with 10 percent ethanol, called E10 or gasohol. The mixture of ethanol and gasoline increases the fuel's octane for better performance, Hamilton says.
E85 is a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

"E85 is much more difficult to get a hold of because it has to be specially blended and shipped in a separate truck," Hamilton says. "What people need to understand is that it costs more for the gas station owners to provide E85."

A gas station owner can pay more than $100,000 to provide E85 to consumers, says Hamilton. He says this includes one separate fuel pump, one fuel line and one fuel storage tank. The extra cost to the gas station owner is reflected in the higher price of E85 compared to the gasoline, ethanol mixture, he says.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel is an alternative diesel fuel made from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant grease. The price varies across the country, but tends to cost slightly more than diesel. This fuel alternative is nontoxic, biodegradable, emits less air pollutants and greenhouse gases and can be used in most new diesel engines.

In 2002, biodiesel received a reputation as a poor-quality alternative fuel by the truck-driver community, Hamilton says. Truck drivers complained that their trucks were not as fuel efficient with biodiesel and it was more expensive per gallon than petroleum-based diesel, he says. Biodiesel is produced in the Midwest and when shipped over the mountains, the high altitude and low temperatures would cause the fuel to turn into a gel-like consistency, he says.

Hamilton says although the quality of biodiesel has increased significantly since the early 2000s, the negative connotation of biodiesel has affected the demand for biodiesel as an alternative fuel source.

Five percent biodiesel is commonly blended with 95 percent diesel and this blend is safe to use in most diesel engines.

"It is harder to get people to buy straight biodiesel," Hamilton says, "but it is easier to encourage oil refineries to buy some biodiesel and blend it with diesel. This way, people don't even know it is there."

Hybrids

Hybrid vehicles have a gasoline engine and an electric motor to power the vehicle. A hybrid vehicle has a higher fuel economy (or can be driven more miles per gallon) and has more power than a single gasoline-engine vehicle; its and the engine needs to be serviced less often than a gasoline engine.

The battery system, or Integrated Motor Assist, is self sufficient and rarely needs to be replaced, says Tony Lane, service manager for Sims Honda, located in Burlington, Wash.

"A lot of the problems with hybrids is the need to update the computer system," Lane says. "You can run a software update on the vehicle and 99 percent of the time, the problem is solved."

When the price of gasoline was more than four dollars per gallon in the spring of 2009, hybrid vehicles were in high demand, says Bobby Maynard, new car sales manager for Sims Honda.

"Since the fuel economy has gone back down, I have noticed the hybrid market has decreased," Maynard says. "I find that people who buy hybrids now are trying to do their part for Mother Earth and have the financial means to buy one."

Hybrid vehicles typically cost $4,000 to $5,000 more than a gasoline-engine vehicle and get approximately 10 to 11 more miles per gallon, Maynard says.

Electric

Electric vehicles use only electric power and have rechargeable battery packs to store energy. An electric vehicle does not emit any air pollutants and accelerates quicker than a gasoline engine vehicle.

Electric vehicles do not use oil and have no radiator, meaning the car runs efficiently without toxic chemicals, such as antifreeze, says Chris Coppoletti, Nissan Leaf specialist for Karmart Nissan in Burlington, Wash. Electric cars are cheaper for the consumer to maintain and need servicing only once per year, he says.

"Everything in the car will be recyclable," Coppoletti says. "Most of the materials used in the interior [of the car] are made from recycled plastics."

Coppoletti says the Nissan Leaf is an electric car that will be available for purchase or lease in December. In the past, electric vehicles reached a top speed of 20 to 30 miles per hour and needed to be charged constantly, but the Nissan Leaf has a top speed of 90 miles per hour, seats five people and can drive 100 miles before the battery pack needs recharging, he says.

Since 1947, Nissan has built electric cars and spent more than $2 billion to develop and improve electric vehicle technology, he says. According to a study done by Nissan, 80 percent of Americans drive less than 60 miles per day, Coppoletti says. For those Americans, an electric vehicle is a perfect commuter car, he says.

"To solve our energy problems, [electric vehicles] are not the only solution," Coppoletti says. "But for many people, the Nissan Leaf is perfectly acceptable for use in their daily lives."

Building Green --

Csaba Horvath plops a generous spoonful of honey into his steaming tea, gazing about his kitchen as if in a silent reverie. He breaks the silence, saying, "Living green is so easy. And it saves—not only money. It saves health."

And if the old adage is true that a healthy home is a happy home, we probably don't need to worry for Horvath's state of inner contentment. After all, Horvath, who lives in a beautifully sequestered plot off Mount Baker Highway, is the proud builder and owner of the 2009 Western Washington Custom Home, awarded by Build Green Washington. He was also recognized as the 2009 Builder of the Year for Whatcom County, awarded by the Built Green Program of the Building Industry Association of Whatcom County.

Horvath, the owner of Astal Construction Company, says that both building and living green is important because it protects not only the environment, but, over time, saves patrons of the cause both money and their health.

And although Horvath went so far as to build a hugely energy-efficient home from the ground up, there are smaller behavioral changes homeowners can make toward more sustainable living, such as a simple commitment to using only natural cleaners. The biggest monster standing in our way, he says, is our mindset. Horvath says we're using, without question, the same resources we always have—like oil—because they work. But as consumers and homebuilders, we need to consider not only the effectiveness of the products, but also the risks they incur.

Horvath's home is a standing monument to the idea that this mindset change must occur at two levels: at the level of individual homeowners and of businesses.

There are specific hurdles we must conquer in order to effect this change. First, we must become behaviorally conscious. Ray Trzynka, manager of Local Government and Community Relations for Puget Sound Energy, illustrates, "Thanks to public campaigning, littering actually became an issue on our minds. Fifteen years ago, you wouldn't have thought twice about littering. Now, if you were to see the driver in front of you throw garbage out his window, your stomach would flip."

Another challenge is accepting that green building may not be a more frugal mantra initially, but that over time, it reimburses itself. And in Whatcom County, there are programs in place that can help homeowners to live greener—on their own budgets. A local partnership project involving Puget Sound Energy, Cascade Natural Gas, Whatcom County, the City of Bellingham and other patrons, offers an auditing service for businesses and homeowners who wish to reconfigure their energy consumption.

A unique aspect of the auditing program is that it takes a holistic approach, involving an educational element for participants. Residential customers pay $95 for the audit and receive an individualized report, which analyzes their particular energy needs and usage. Then, they receive guidance on various routes toward making their homes more efficient through such measures as insulation and changes in energy consumption.

Depending on their particular needs and budgets, customers have the opportunity to receive low-interest loans through Banner Bank to seek remodeling. Projects can range from zero to thousands of dollars depending on the sort of work residents choose to complete—be it resealing doors and replacing light bulbs or restructuring insulation. The program's goal is to complete 1,800 residential audits and 150 business audits within two years, says Pinky Vargas, Customer Renewable Energy Programs Coordinator for Puget Sound Energy.  Another goal of the project is to begin developing, on a local level, more green jobs.

Horvath says, "You might spend 10 to 20 percent more building a home like mine. But I don't think you can make a straight comparison. This home will stand twice as long. And then there are the less measurable benefits, like a positive impact on your health."

"When you think about it," he says thoughtfully, "We're spending less and less time outdoors. But with the materials with which we're choosing to install and use in our homes, the air outside is much cleaner than it is inside."

Bending over to graze his hand over the enormous concrete squares that serve as his flooring, Horvath explains that in an effort to heat his home efficiently without espousing [this word doesn't completely work here. One can espouse a cause or espouse a political party, but not espouse dust particles; maybe simply "support." Can you find another word that is simpler or more direct? Thanks.] the co-residence of irritating dust particles, he uses a radiating floor heating system. The system is efficient and also negates the risks posed by ventilators that spread not only air, but lung-clogging dust particles. This characteristic of his home is especially beneficial for those who suffer from a range of respiratory conditions.

Horvath's floor heating is one among countless features in his award-winning home. Other prominent measures taken include the installation of features to reduce water consumption, conserve heat, reduce chemical impact, control air quality, and preserve the ecosystem on which his home rests.

Recycling --

For many, it has become just another ritual: once a week, at about dusk, you find yourself picking through junk mail, tin cans, and yogurt cups, before setting their respective bins on the curb for an early morning pick-up. Recycling at home has become the norm in our corner of the state, yet even the proudest recyclers—you know, those of us who insist on keeping our empty drink containers until we find an earth-friendly receptacle—can't necessarily tell you where it all ends up.

The recycling process varies between cities and counties. If you live in Whatcom County, odds are Sanitary Service Company (SSC), Nooksack Valley Disposal (NVD), or Blain Bay Refuse (BBR) handle the first leg of your recyclables' journey by collecting them from your curb. The process continues at Northwest Recycling, a family-operated business at the edge of downtown Bellingham. Whether via conveyor belt, employees separating by hand, or by a front end loader, materials are fed into balers. Northwest Recycling sells truckloads of recycled materials for diverse uses across the nation and world. Cardboard is sold to mills that turn it into—you guessed it—new cardboard. Most paper is made into paperboard for cereal boxes and like products, while high-quality office paper is shipped to an Oregon paper mill to be turned into tissue paper or new office paper. Your newsprint might become next month's egg cartons—or simply another newspaper.

As for the glass and cans bin, the aluminum is sold to East Coast smelters, melted down, and reused for products such as soda cans. The amount of energy needed to produce a new aluminum can from a recycled one is 5 percent of the amount it would take to produce one from scratch, says Rodd Pemble, SSC's Recycling Manager. Although recycling is sometimes criticized for the energy it takes to reintroduce materials into the marketplace, Pemble points out that recycling uses much less energy than mining or timbering for raw materials, and is far better than throwing something away when it comes to reducing energy and air and water pollution.

Recycled glass is either crushed for use in local construction projects—such as under slabs or road beds—or shipped to a Washington glass processor to be melted into new glass containers. Recyclable plastics are sorted and shipped to several processors, where they are used to make new plastic products, from insulation for ski coats to plastic decking.

SSC's curbside recycling program stemmed from a volunteer organization in the Birchwood Neighborhood, called Belllingham Community Recycling, says Pemble. When the greater community sought to become involved, SSC took on the project. In addition to standard recycling, SSC now offer FoodPlus! Recycling for food scraps, food-soiled papers, and yard debris, which are delivered to Green Earth Technology (GET) in Lynden, where they are shredded and composted. Once ready, bulk compost from GET is sold to the public at locations including DeWilde's on Northwest Avenue and Bakerview Nursery on E. Bakerview.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, recycling not only reduces waste and greenhouse emissions, it protects and provides manufacturing jobs, increasing U.S. competitiveness. Those who make a living by collecting and sorting recyclables are then able to give back to their communities; SSC has sponsored dozens of Whatcom County events and organizations, as well as WWU's Cycling Team.