EPEAT

EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) is a system that rates electronics based on environmental attributes in the lifecycle of individual products. The ratings work on a scale of three: Gold, Silver or Bronze (based on which criteria the product meets). Products are measured against all criteria. If a products meets all of the required criteria, it receives a Bronze rating. If it meets all required and at least 50% of the optional criteria, it receives a Silver rating. And finally, if the product meets all required and at least 75% of the optional criteria, it receives a Gold rating. The criteria includes environmental categories such as:

• Reduction/elimination of environmentally sensitive materials
•  Material selection
•  Design for end of life
• Product longevity/life extension
• Energy conservation
• End-of-life management
• Corporate performance
• Packaging
• Consumables
•  Indoor air quality

EPEAT criteria is mostly applicable to individual products, but is also applied to corporate programs and services. Its categories are based on the IEEE 1680 family of Environmental Assessment Standards.

The EPEAT label is a checkmark that says “EPEAT” inside:

There are a few issues with this label. First of all, this label is for electronics and there is nothing in the label that represents electronics. A checkmark doesn’t really represent anything at all besides being certified in something, but there is no indication as to what that may be. Second of all, the label is supposed to represent how “green” the product is. Although the standard label is green, the color changes from bronze, to silver, to gold, depending on how much criteria the product meets. A brown checkmark on a product gives no indication of environmental friendliness. And third, consumers have no idea what EPEAT stands for. It’s an unknown acronym that nobody is quite familiar with yet.

I have designed a new EPEAT label:

My new design is a simple circuit with a leaf in place of the lightbulb. This design gives clear indication of the electronic aspect of the label, as well as the “green” aspect, despite the changing color of “EPEAT.” The color scheme remains the same to correspond with the Bronze, Silver, and Gold ratings. This new design will help communicate to consumers what the label means, even if they have no idea what EPEAT stands for. My new Unique Sustainability Selling Proposition is “Sustainability is more than circuit deep.” This USSP conveys how sustainability can be incorporated into all aspects of electronics, and EPEAT helps identify just how “deep” each product’s sustainability is.


http://www.ecolabelindex.com/ecolabel/epeat
http://www.epeat.net/resources/criteria/#tabs-1=overview

Bring on the brew, Bellingham!

Located downtown in a historic warehouse since 1995, Boundary Bay received the title of Washington's 2014 Small Philanthropic Business of the Year. With their strong community connection, local food and brew, and outdoor amenities such as dining and the Beer Garden, Boundary Bay is a true Bellingham gem. Their handcrafted beer can be found on tap all over the state.







When Kulshan opened in 2012, it was an immediate hit. Their main focus is the beer, of course, but they also house a tap room, dart board, and seating. As the original Kulshan is located on James Street, they have already expanded onto Kentucky into a renovated warehouse.










This brewery was opened in 2014 and is already adding a new barrel aging facility to the map. Their mission is to "craft beers that balance tradition with innovation" - providing excellent quality and taste with a familiar feel. Wander is located on Dean Avenue in a historic building and offers customers plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.

2014 was a big year for Bellingham breweries - Aslan also opened that year on Forest Street. Aslan has made a commitment to sustainability: they use local and organic ingredients with low-impact practices in order to provide the community "new and refreshing" beer.





Due to open during the summer of 2015, Stones Throw is located in the Fairhaven district right on Larrabee Avenue. Being near Chuckanut Drive and the Interurban Trail, their location is perfect for the outdoorsy type. The atmosphere is destined to attract the adventurers with itineraries, books, and maps available at the bar, beer garden, and fire pit. For all you sustainability advocates, you'll be interested to know that shipping containers were reused as part of the brewery's infrastructure. Stones Throw embraces the Pacific Northwest and hopes their customers will as well!

Footprint Evaluation

My first three goals for reducing my Ecological Footprint were to:

1. Unplug everything in my room and kitchen when they're not in use.
2. Buy local at the Food Coop
3. Eat meat only 3 days a week

So far, my goals are going fairly well. Ghosting my electronics has been very easy - there were a number of things that I had plugged in that I rarely actually used. I've tried to get my roommates to participate, but I always find the kitchen appliances left plugged in. In unplug them whenever I can. My second goal is also going relatively well. The Coop is a lot more expensive, but this encourages me to spend less on junk I don't really need and in turn I've been eating significantly healthier. I also shop occasionally at Trader Joes and sometimes Fred Meyer, but I try to stick to the organic section where many of the same brands can be found at the Coop. Eating meet three times a week has probably been the most difficult goal to maintain so far. I don't eat a ton of meat, but I did like to come home from school and eat a turkey sandwich most days. I've switched to veggie sandwiches, however, and this has helped a lot.

My new goal for reducing my Ecological Footprint is to limit my shower time to under 8 minutes. I already take the shortest showers in the house (typically 10-12 minutes), but I'm going to try to make it even shorter. I have also been encouraging my roommates to turn the sink water off when they're scrubbing dishes, brushing their teeth, or washing their face. These are all easy ways to reduce water use.

Timeline of the Far Future

www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/timeline-of-the-far-future