Month: February 2019

Photo by 500eco

Here on campus, it’s extremely easy to find something to eat. There are endless food options at the dining commons, in the convenience stores, and in the HUB. To make eating even more convenient, the majority of these places offer meals to go; students can go into the buffet and take their food out to eat anywhere and anytime they want. This is especially advantageous for multiple reasons. If students don’t finish their meal, they can save it and eat it for breakfast for example. They can also eat with friends who don’t have campus meal plans. As great as this program is, it has one major downfall: the to-go boxes are made entirely out of Styrofoam.

Styrofoam was invented during the second World War by Dow Chemical Company. Ray McIntire was the head of this project, and he actually said that he invented it by accident. His intention was to find a flexible electrical insulator. Polystyrene worked, but it was too brittle. In one of his attempts, he ended up with a foam polystyrene with bubble, and it was 30 times lighter than the regular polystyrene. Polystyrene itself is a petroleum-based plastic. Styrofoam also goes by the name expanded polystyrene (EPS) or extruded polystyrene (XPS). It’s composed of about 95% air, which enables its widespread use in the foodservice, food packaging, roadway, and automobile industries.

Styrofoam is especially good in the foodservice industry because this packaging insulates better, keeps food fresher for longer periods of time, and costs less than other alternatives. Styrofoam packaging costs up to five times less than paper or reusable counterparts. This is because it requires extra equipment, labor, water, and energy resources. All of these reasons combined is why Styrofoam is used so much in the food industry.

As great and effective as Styrofoam is, it’s extremely bad for the environment. It’s estimated that Styrofoam is the fifth largest source of harmful waste in the United States. Because of how light Styrofoam is, it’d cost a lot to transport to a recycling plant, so it’s not usually recycled. Many recycling companies won’t even accept Styrofoam products. It takes polystyrene at least five hundred years to decompose. Additionally, it’s the main pollutant of water sources and can pose a serious threat to marine and wildlife. This is primarily because Styrofoam floats and can therefore accumulate quickly in the waterways.

In the production of Styrofoam, a lot of air pollution occurs as a result of the release of harmful chemicals. It’s been found that 57 chemical byproducts are released during the production of Styrofoam. Additionally, a lot of liquid and solid toxic waste is produced, waste that needs to be disposed of in a specific manner. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are used in Styrofoam production as well, and these chemicals negatively affect the ozone layer and climate change.

Penn State, a school striving to constantly innovate and progress, still uses this harmful Styrofoam. But, in recent years, the school has made efforts to reduce the amount of Styrofoam it consumes. Enter the Green2Go program. In this program, Styrofoam containers are replaced with a dishwasher and microwave-safe reusable takeout container. Here’s how it works.

Students start by paying a $5 deposit to a cashier at any of the dining commons. The cashier will give the student a Green2Go box, which the student fills with food and takes wherever they want. The student can keep the container until he or she wants to purchase carryout again. Or, if the student doesn’t want to hang onto the container, the container can be exchanged for a carabineer clip. The next time the student wants to get food to go, all they have to do is present the cashier with the clip and they’ll get a box in return. If students decide that the program isn’t working for them, they simply return the clip and ask for a refund.

Photo by Penn State News

Annually, Penn State University Park alone uses 495,000 Styrofoam containers which all end up in landfills very soon after use. With Green2Go, the landfill isn’t even a possible answer because of how many times the container can be reused. The program therefore results in less Styrofoam polluting the environment. There are resources that are required for the production of the Green2Go containers. However, because of their durability and ability to be used for hundreds of meals, any potential environmental effect is far outweighed. The Green2Go program truly is extremely beneficial to the environment. What many might not know is that it’s beneficial to the student too.

When I first came to campus, I’d never heard of Green2Go, but I decided to give it a shot anyway. I was a little confused about how it worked at first, but I got the hang of it very quickly. One thing the university doesn’t advertise is the Green2Go punch card. Every time I use a Green2Go container, I get a punch on my punch card. After I get nine punches on the card, I can then use that card to get a free meal at any dining commons! So, I try to utilize this program as much as I can. At Redifer Commons, there’s always the option of getting one of the a la carte food choices, and if you’re eating in the commons, you’ll get your food on a plate. But, you can also just get your food in a to go box, Green2Go of course, and still eat in the commons. The difference here is that you get more punches on your card. We’re only about six or seven weeks into the semester, and I’ve already got about three punch cards filled up! That’s three free meals right there!

If you’ve been hesitant to try Green2Go or just haven’t felt like it, I highly encourage you to! You can save the environment and save money at the same time!

Photo by costellosace.com

Many think that the incandescent light bulb originated with Thomas Edison, which it did legally with a patent in 1879. But, the quest for electrical light began back in 1835 when British scientists first demonstrated constant electric light. These inventors tinkered with and modified these early light bulbs, trying to make them last longer and use less energy. Even though the idea for a light bulb didn’t originate with him, Thomas Edison was the one who successfully created the first electric light bulb that met these qualifications and therefore made its way into the homes of everyday citizens. Over the years, other inventors continued modifying the light bulb: They improved the manufacturing of its filaments and its efficiency. In 1904, European inventors found that a tungsten filament in the bulb caused it to last longer and resulted in a brighter light than the traditional carbon filament bulbs provided. 1913 brought the discovery that filling the bulb with an inert gas doubled its efficiency. While these were all groundbreaking inventions, the problem still remained that about 10% of the energy coursing through the light bulb was actually turned into light.

One solution that had potential and that is quite prevalent today is fluorescent lighting. Fluorescent lighting research really took off in the 1920s and 30s with experiments with phosphor-coated neon tubes. It was found that these lights, after development, lasted longer and were roughly three times more efficient than the conventional incandescent bulbs. By the 1950s, fluorescent light had become quite popular in war plants, and it wasn’t until the late 1970s that the CFL, compact fluorescent light, was developed. Currently, these lights use about 75% less energy than incandescent light bulbs and last about 10 times longer.

Today, the focus has shifted off of CFLs and onto LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs. These lights utilize semiconductors that convert electricity into light. They’re currently the most efficient lights on the market despite their being less efficient than incandescent bulbs at the start.

Currently, CFLs and LEDs are for sale, but incandescent light bulbs were phased out about five to seven years ago in accordance with a Congressional law passed in 2007. They can no longer be manufactured in the United States because they don’t meet energy efficiency standards.

In comparing all three types of light bulbs (some consumers still choose to use incandescent light bulbs if they can find them), the LEDs are the best option all around with a life span of 50,000 hours. The life span of an incandescent bulb is 1000 hours and that of a CFL is 6000 hours. Lumens are a measure of how much light is emitted while wattage is a measure of how much energy is required to do so. Incandescent bulbs emit 400 lumens and require 40 watts, CFLs emit 320 lumens and require 9 watts, and LEDs emit 300 lumens and require 6 watts. The reason that incandescent bulbs are so energy inefficient in comparison to the other two types is because much of the energy put into the bulb is released as heat instead of light. A lower energy requirement is better for the environment because it enables us to conserve our resources. It also saves consumers an incredible amount of money. Typically, an incandescent bulb would cost $0.84 while a CFL and LED bulb would cost about $2.49 and $24.99 respectively. It’s estimated that consumers can recoup the initial amount they spent on the energy efficient bulbs in less than a year and accumulate savings rather rapidly. These energy efficient bulbs seem to be a win-win situation.

Photo by MYPE News

In terms of the environment, the amount of emitted carbon dioxide that corresponds to the use of a CFL and LED light bulb is much lower than that for incandescent bulbs. Incandescent bulb use results in emissions of about 3000 pounds per year, CFLs result in about 701 pounds per year, and LEDs result in about 301 pounds per year. The light bulbs themselves don’t emit carbon dioxide, but, the electrical energy necessary to power them is most often generated from the burning of fossil fuels. A lower energy requirement therefore means fewer CO₂ emissions. Additionally, there are energetic and material resources necessary for producing and transporting the light bulbs that could have an impact on the environment in the form of emissions. CFLs and LEDs have longer life spans, which corresponds to fewer products being produced and therefore fewer emissions.

These bulbs have proven to be quite effective environmentally as noted in a study released by HIS Markit, a London-based company. The main fact that this study reported was that the use of LEDs reduced the total carbon dioxide emissions related to lighting by about 570 million tons in 2017. This is equivalent to closing down 162 coal-fired power plants.

So, even though CFLs and LEDs cost more with LEDs being more expensive than CFLs, the investment is definitely worth it. This is such an easy way to positively impact the environment without making a lifestyle change! It only requires a couple extra dollars.