Week 6: Inequitable Energy, Sustainability, Introduction to Waste (2/19-2/26)

Energy Democracy

communities should have a say and agency shaping their energy future. decentralization, community ownership & decision making

Energy Burden

expense of energy relative to household income (can ppl afford energies)

Energy Expenditure Calculation

Total spend on heating/cooling, other energy / total household income. Generally 6%

Energy Insecurity

hardships faced meeting basic needs (cost is impacting ability of household/tradeoffs)

Energy Poverty

lack of access to energy/power

the best way to help low-income households are direct installs & building performance guidelines

Community Solar

participants pay for share of the solar farm, electricity is distributed to the grid and put into utilities and fed back to households

Split Incentive Problem

building owner has rights and capital to invest in energy efficiency but tenant pays utility bills (no incentive for building owner then)

Low Income Energy Challenges

Higher overall energy costs per square foot

Higher energy costs as share of income

Appliances & water heaters or older and less efficient

Heating is more likely to be electric (more expensive)

Most likely to have additional space heating

Less control of temp/thermostat

Energy Burden Impacts

food, medical care, rent tradeoffs, mental stress, uncomfortable temperatures (and sickness), CO poisoning, unsafe heaters

Waste Streams

industrial, mining/mineral processing, construction & demolition, municipal solid, oil/gas exploration, hazardous solid (where does waste come from)

Linear Economy

inefficient; extraction, production, consumption, land-filling & incineration (waste is manufactured, disposed of using resources, reducing waste uses resources). can be circular to less goes to landfill

Where does majority of waste come from?

Paper/paperboard & food (30% of all food produced)

Waste Hierarchy

Most preferred method to control waste is reduction, while least preferred is disposal

Zero Waste Steps

Producer responsibility

Price goods to reflect impacts

Make recycling accessible and cheaper than landfilling

Require built-to-last goods

Ban single-use items

Invest in repair, reuse, recycling, & composting infrastructure

Require producers to use recycled materials

Safe disposal of wastes

Oppose subsidies for landfills, incinerators

Municipal Solid Waste

MSW, everyday items that are discarded by the public

Why do we consume so much?

mass production, manufacturing after WWII, consumerism, status & identity

Fast Fashion

accelerated process of new designer ideas into products. new trends and campaigns mean stores can quickly change menu items to stay relevant (and older items become irrelevant)

Polyester

what clothes are often made of, connected to fossil fuels/petroleum, is harmful for environment and non-biodegradable

leading cause of microplastics in oceans