EPMA Meeting Recap: Resilience Through Public Art and Placemaking

EPMA Meeting Recap: Resilience Through Public Art and Placemaking

Written by Aliza Vaida
Every month at the USGBC Emerging professional meeting a member presents on a topic of choice. They are always diverse and fascinating. This week was no different.
Aliza Vaida did the short presentation:  Resilience Through Public Art and Placemaking. Her main focus was on the importance of collaboration throughout a community placemaking strategy. She revealed with case studies and statistics how public art and placemaking can be agents of change. And through community engagement, the benefits are significantly more lasting and impactful.
Aliza has put her passion for art and sustainable design to work through the non-profit NeighborwaysAliza is working with the City of Everett on street calming strategies. Neighborways works closely with the community to pick streets that will become part of a pedestrian and cycle-friendly network. An exciting piece of the Everett strategy will be a collaborative street calming mural.
As the presentation at the EPMA meeting came to a close the maps, pads of paper, markers, pens and color pencils came out. Aliza had the attendees break into two groups. First, they had to look at the map of Everett and draw out a network of streets they felt best-connected schools and the Northern Strand Bike Path. Once that was agreed upon they had to collaborate on a street mural. It was great to see all those creative juices flowing. Aliza suggested designing the mural in a way that avoided car tread as much as possible. Each group created a few designs and then brought them together into one master mural. Ocean themes reigned supreme! It was a fun night of learning and coloring!
Join us next month at our EPMA Committee Meeting on June 18, 2018 to hear about our upcoming events and volunteering opportunities, and hear from Ailsha Pegan about Renew Boston!
Charles River Cleanup

Charles River Cleanup

This Earth Day the EPMA Committee organized an event with the Waltham Land Trust to help with the Charles River Cleanup between Moody and Prospect Streets in Waltham. The event was part of the comprehensive annual cleanup of the Charles River that extends into The Esplanade, with the help of other organizations and groups in the various regions touched by the river bank.

The cleanup began at 9am with the meetup location at the Carter St. train station in Waltham, as our energetic volunteers showed up ready to go bright and early! It was a wonderful day, with nice sunshine and cool weather. We handed out the supplies; gloves, t-shirts, trash bags and started our route at Moody Street along the path up to Prospect Street. We encountered a couple other groups on our journey, as we picked up plastic bottles, aluminum cans, foam plates, and other debris left along the way. The level pathway was easy to walk around and allowed for easy pickup of trash, plenty of benches allowed for key points to leave our trash bags once full for the Waltham DCR truck to pick them up. It was all a good collaboration between everyone involved, and the further up the path we walked we came across less debris to pick up, so once we hit Prospect Street we doubled back to make sure we didn’t miss anything we could get rid of.

After our work was done we met up with the event coordinators at the nearby Shaw’s parking lot, here we returned the supplies we didn’t use and then headed towards the picnic area to enjoy some great pizza and snacks, well deserved after a nice day’s work! Here we met up with volunteers from other groups and enjoyed the nice gathering for a good cause. Thanks to everyone who took the time on such a nice day and thanks to the Waltham Land Trust for locating our group within their region and for all their support / organizing the event!

LEED, WELL & FitWell Packed into One Office: A Tour of Jacobs

LEED, WELL & FitWell Packed into One Office: A Tour of Jacobs

Written by Julie Salvatoriello

After having to reschedule several times due to inclement weather, USGBC finally got its tour of the amazing new workspace of Jacobs’ Boston Office. Thank you to LAM Partners as well for sponsoring the event.

After being gathered in Jacob’s break space that had an amazing view of Copley Plaza (the window viewing a section of the Hancock Tower), we got a break down of the efforts Jacobs has put into renovating the space to suit not only LEED, WELL & FitWell building standards, but also the merging of their multiple office environments and locations. Thank you to Jacob’s Paul Tsang (Director of Engineering), Andrea Alaownis (Interior Designer), and Carolyn Auclair (Design Architect) for your presentations, as well as Glenn Heinmiller from LAM.

Biyin (Betty) Liu (Mechanical Engineer), EPMA member extraordinaire, was one of the tour guides for the evening, giving us a first-hand account of the inner workings of Jacobs. The space was designed with A LOT of high tech conference rooms to accommodate those staff that had come from a Jacobs office with a more closed floor plan. The tour included aspects in accordance with LEED, WELL & FitWell, such as standing desks, material and lighting choices, lots of daylighting and views, showers and cubbies for active lifestyles, and beautiful and diverse meeting and break spaces. Even the ingredients of the coffee machine had to be considered.

Jacobs was a generous host. Thank you so much for giving USGBC MA a closer look at the WELL & FitWell program and how it influenced the reality that is your amazing office space!

The Power of Market Efficiency

The Power of Market Efficiency

In the green building world, there aren’t just efficiencies to be found in the design or operation of buildings. There are also opportunities to create greater efficiency in the market, encouraging and allowing more building owners to go green. While many building owners see the value of solar for reducing energy costs and their carbon footprint, they can easily be put off by aggressive sales tactics and the time and effort needed to get multiple quotes from solar installers. NRGTree recognized this challenge and created the Own My Solar platform to create a transparent and streamlined process for finding a solar installer.

Own My Solar is a reverse-auction platform that allows building owners and project managers to compare side-by-side quotes from solar installers in one place. The installers all bid on the same solar design, making direct comparison easier. Not only does Own My Solar save time, but the transparent, competitive bidding process has been shown to lower the cost of solar installations by as much as 30%. Own My Solar is completely free, and it’s an easy way to explore the costs and benefits of adding solar panels. NRGTree staff will even walk you through your projected energy and financial savings, including the government incentives your project is eligible for.

For solar installers, Own My Solar greatly reduces acquisition costs. Instead of spending time and money on marketing and sales, installers can simply log in to review and bid on the available projects. NRGTree creates the solar design, meaning installers don’t have to waste time creating designs for prospects that may not give them business.

Solar is essential for the green building community’s shift from merely reducing impacts to Net-Zero and Net-Positive goals, and Own My Solar is a tool that will help this transition. For many commercial projects, solar is already a good financial investment, with payback periods less than five years in many cases and incentives sometimes being worth more than the cost of the system. Yet, there are still barriers to adoption. By providing a free, easy and transparent way to directly compare solar quotes, Own My Solar reduces inefficiencies in the solar market, helping to increase ROI and making it easier for more building owners to embrace solar.

For more information about Own My Solar or joining our network of solar installers, visit www.nrgtree.com

Baker-Polito Administration Files Legislation to Improve Residents’ Access to Home Energy Information

The Baker-Polito Administration recently filed legislation aimed at ensuring homeowners and prospective homebuyers have access to information about the anticipated energy efficiency characteristics of residences and recommended cost-effective energy efficiency improvements. The legislation, An Act Relative to Consumer Access to Residential Energy Information is an exciting transparency measure for the residential green building industry.

This legislation would require that a home energy scorecard and energy rating be provided to homeowners as part of free residential energy efficiency assessments, and after January 1, 2021, would require that home energy performance ratings be made available to potential homebuyers when one to four unit family homes are publicly listed for sale.This will increase transparency around home energy consumption, which is comparable to using MPG to measure the efficiency of a car. This way, residential consumers can make more informed decisions related to the energy efficiency of their homes, creating additional market pressure for more green buildings.

According to Governor Charlie Baker, “Massachusetts is a national leader in energy efficiency, and this first-of-its-kind legislation would provide energy performance data to homeowners and buyers to improve consumer information and promote home energy efficiency,”

The energy scorecard would be provided to homeowners who receive quality home energy assessments, including no-cost Mass Save in-home assessments and RESNET Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index evaluations. This scorecard would be an estimate of annual energy consumption, including factors such as the home’s architectural features, most commonly lighting, insulation and heating equipment.

Beyond the scorecard, MA residents will be eligible for financial incentives for efficiency measures, including insulation and energy efficient heating. Furthermore, Mass Save provides zero percent financing for qualifying improvements and equipment, as well as up to 10 K toward energy improvements, and rebates and loan products for renewable energy tech from MassCEC.

This new legislation is a welcome addition to help cement Massachusetts as a leader in green building nation-wide. Massachusetts has been ranked the #1 state for energy efficiency for the past seven years by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), and upon passage of this legislation, would be the first state in the country to require home energy scorecards for residential homes to be made available to potential homebuyers.

 

Residential Green Building Meeting Recap

Residential Green Building Meeting Recap

Robust Program Planned for 2018

The early months of 2018 have seen a surge of initiatives at USGBC MA’s Residential Green Building Committee (RGBC). After a handoff of in December from Kimberly Le, new co-chairs Molly Cox of Civic Solar and Bill Womeldorf of ICF have stepped up with energy and creativity to launch new programs for the coming year. Projects include educational presentations to the public and consumers on advances in the residential sector, a special event on building materials with embedded carbon (Dana Anderson), and educational outreach to Boston trade schools.

Carbon Emissions in MA

On display at the February 12th RGBC meeting was Bill Womeldorf’s vision on the reduction of carbon emissions in the state. In his presentation “Net Zero Residential Sector in Massachusetts,” Womeldorf emphasized the emerging third strategy for mitigating greenhouse gases (GHG) through electrification of space thermal regulation and domestic hot water (DWH). This analysis echoes the concern of a growing cohort of experts that the two established schemes, energy efficiency and renewable energy, will fall short of achieving the 80 x 50 reduction goals mandated by the northeastern states.
Drawing on his experience as Energy Efficiency Policy Consultant with ICF, Womeldorf outlined the challenge of large quantities of energy consumed and GHG emitted by buildings through combustion processes in Massachusetts. Historically, single-family and multifamily space heating and cooling have trended from central fossil fuel furnaces generating steam to water radiators and recently to electric heat pumps. The obstacles DHW presents for heat pumps applications was also addressed. According to Womeldorf and a consensus of experts, air source heat pumps (ASHP) are the technology of choice for electrification of space thermal conditioning.
Womeldorf offered two case studies of ASHP system installations in Western Massachusetts. The 55 unit Northampton Lumber Mill Apartments was fitted with gas-fired, central plant domestic hot water system and variable refrigerant flow (VRF) with heat recovery space conditioning system in the residential units and common areas. An energy recovery ventilation with fresh air supply into the dwelling 135 units in Amherst included gas central plant domestic hot water system along with ducted and ductless air source heat pumps for space conditioning.

Electrification: Promise and Challenges

Womeldorf’s discussion of advances in renewable energy included new applications such as community solar and storage, both on-site and grid level. He concluded his talk with the provocative question: “how to mandate or make attractive electric heating systems when gas is king”?
Womeldorf’s assertion of concern about the dominance of gas is significant for several reasons. The imperative of GHG reduction for the well-being of the planet may be self-evident. Facts about the overall efficiency of air source heat pumps (ASHP) compared with conventional systems may be established. Nonetheless, arguments for electrification of space conditioning continue to face reservations about cost competitiveness. Verification is hampered by a deficit of data on outlays for ASHP installation and operation against expenditures for conventional gas systems. High rates in the northeast for electricity required for heat pumps are yet another factor.
Although ASHP technology in the last decade has made advances, qualified designers and installers are apparently in short supply. Furthermore, the paradigm shift of using more electricity and not less may be problematic to process for engineers and architects with traditional training.
Thus “gas is king” is due to a range of challenges, including those of information, training, economics, and policy. Wolemdorf acknowledged the programs by Massachusetts agencies and utilities which, in part, are addressing the gaps. If the 80×50 goals of the northeastern states are to be achieved, electrification will need to take effect on a larger scale by strategically targeting emissions from transportation and industry along with those from buildings.

WINNCOMPANIES BRINGS COMMUNITY SOLAR TO WASHINGTON, D.C., CUTTING UTILITY BILLS FOR LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS

WinnCompanies and the District of Columbia today announced the completion of the District’s largest community solar project aimed at reducing energy bills for low-income residents throughout the nation’s capital.

Solar for All, a program of the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), seeks to provide the benefits of solar electricity to 100,000 low-income households and reduce their energy bills by 50 percent by 2032.

After being awarded a $1.3 million grant from DOEE’s Solar for All program, WinnCompanies installed the 651 KW (DC) community renewable energy facility on the roofs of Atlantic Terrace Apartments, making it the largest community solar project in the District. The company is working to bring additional community solar projects online throughout the District in the near future.

“Community solar projects prove that solar is not just a luxury for those that can afford their own panels, but that solar can also work for renters living in multifamily housing,” said Darien Crimmin, Vice President of Energy and Sustainability, WinnCompanies. “This project will benefit nearly 200 income eligible households over the next 15 years, helping to create jobs, improve local air quality and showcase the success of the Solar for All Program for District residents. WinnCompanies will continue working with DOEE and Solar for All to expand the District’s solar capacity and provide the benefits of solar energy to local communities, helping residents save up to $500 a year.”  

The clean energy from rooftop solar panels installed at Atlantic Terrace will be fed into the District’s utility grid through an arrangement known as net metering. The savings will then be passed back to qualified low-income residents through credits reflected on their utility bills.

“Solar for All provides a tremendous opportunity for our residents to take advantage of renewable energy savings, and we’re excited to continue our work with WinnCompanies to expand the availability of solar energy for low- and moderate-income households,” said Tommy Wells, Director, Department of Energy and Environment. “This project brings jobs, clean energy and energy independence to the District of Columbia, and we hope our work serves as a model for success to communities across the country.”

WinnCompanies embraces environmentally responsible decisions, and is recognized in the multifamily industry as a leader in green development and the utilization of renewable energy. In the past decade, the company has invested more than $50 million in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects across its affordable housing portfolio, combatting climate change while saving money for residents and property owners.

The solar installation at Atlantic Terrace occurred as the company was completing a $69-million rehabilitation project at the community and its sister property, Atlantic Gardens. The two-year effort not only completed modernized 303 apartments but also preserved both communities as critically needed Project-Based Section 8 housing for 750 residents.

WinnCompanies acquired Atlantic Terrace in 1982 and has managed the property since. Built in 1964, it is comprised of 195 units in six three- to four-story garden-style buildings
For more information, visit SolarSavingsDC.com.

About WinnCompanies
WinnCompanies is an award-winning national developer and manager of high-impact affordable, middle income and market rate housing communities. Supported by 3,000 team members, the company acquires, develops and manages affordable, senior, mixed-income, market rate, military and mixed-use properties. Founded in 1971, WinnCompanies is one of the nation’s most trusted multi-family housing managers with a portfolio of 100,000 units in 22 states and the District of Columbia. It is the largest manager of affordable housing and the second largest manager of privatized military housing in the U.S.

About DOEE’s Solar for All Program
Solar for All, a program of the District of Columbia’s Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), was established by the Renewable Portfolio Standard Expansion Amendment Act of 2016 (The Act). The Act intends to expand DC’s solar capacity, to increase the amount of solar-generated within the District, and to provide the benefits of locally-generated solar energy to low-income households, small businesses, nonprofits, and seniors. Funded by the Renewable Energy Development Fund (REDF) and administered by DOEE, Solar for All’s specific targets are to provide the benefits of solar electricity to 100,000 low income households (at or below 80% Area Median Income), and to reduce their energy bills by 50% (based on the 2016 residential rate class average) by 2032. For more information about Solar for All, visit: http://doee.dc.gov/solarforall

The Path of Sustainability

The Path of Sustainability

The Path of Sustainability

Meredith Elbaum may be our new Executive Director, but her path through life can be traced to show intersections with USGBC MA. Being a founding board member of USGBC MA, Meredith was one of a small group that tipped over the first domino of our organization’s history. Therefore it only fits that she has come full circle and is now leading the strategic vision of the organization.

When I sat down with Meredith to interview her, I easily saw how her early passion for science and design started forging her path. At a young age, she developed a passion for painting, creating artwork themed with foliage and swooping colors. Despite her love for nature, as Meredith grew older she saw the harsh dichotomy humans use to set themselves apart from nature. Because, while we are inherently irremovable from nature, we act as if we are separate and above it.

It was not separation, but rather the integration of nature and building that brought Meredith into green architecture. At Rice University in Houston, Texas, Meredith was introduced to sustainable design in a class co-taught by Jim Blackburn, an environmental lawyer, and Charles Tapley, a Landscape Architect. During this time Meredith was exposed to well known environmental staples such as Silent Spring, Our Common Future, A Sand County Almanac, and the Biophilia Hypothesis.

This path was further solidified when Meredith attended a Smart Growth Conference in Austin, Texas, where William McDonough gave a talk on the state of green building. In a line that would affect the direction of her career, McDonough stated, “If I were to describe my relationship with my wife as sustainable, well, that is not very good. Right now we are driving in a car talking about slowing it down when it is about go off of a cliff.”

Considering her delving into the intersectionality of architecture and the environment, it is not surprising that Meredith’s final project at Rice University focused on merging this dichotomy. Tasked with designing a community job training center, her team designed a garden. After all, the most sustainable solution in green building is to not build at all and teach people valuable skills while gardening.

Considering the time, it may not have been surprising the Dean did not know what to think of the project. The green building world was still just in its infancy. LEED was not a universal language and the environmental movement sported more tie-dye and Birkenstocks than today. Only a few employees of each firm may have been interested, making the movement fringe to the status quo.

From the Job Site to Education

Meredith then interned at Kirksey Architecture in Houston. While working on the project, Meredith asked an engineer if she could get an estimate on how better glazing would affect the building energy use. He couldn’t provide an answer.  What seemed to be a reasonable question to ask ended up informing her future direction, leading Meredith to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to pursue a Masters of Science in Architectural Studies with a focus on design and building technologies. A student once again, Meredith’s thesis, Bridge Green, aggregated sustainability tools and resources and provided a platform for people to access them.  Her hypothesis was that designers wanted to build green, the tools existed and there was a disconnect that needed to be bridged.

It was around this time that Meredith would get involved with The Green Roundtable, the Massachusetts USGBC  Affiliate. The organization would continue to foster the development of the Emerging Green Professionals Committee, which laid the foundation of USGBC MA.

After graduation, Meredith was able to extend her thesis at Sasaki. But instead of building an online tool, as the Director of Sustainable Design, Meredith embodied her thesis, bridging the disconnect between designers and resources for green design. While at Sasaki, Meredith confounded with her garden collaborator at Rice, Nellie Reid formerly of Gensler, and Building Green a network of Sustainable Design Leaders in Architecture and Design Firms.

Ten years later this network has been instrumental in accelerating sustainability in the built environment. Network participants have joined forces to advance important initiatives like the AIA 2030 Commitment, revamping AIA COTE Award requirements and the Health Product Declaration Collaborative. Meredith later founded the Elbaum Group, which educated and advocated for sustainability in the built environment. While at Sasaki Meredith taught “Thinking Green” at the Boston Architectural College and is currently an adjunct faculty member at Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Meeting the Needs of the Present with the Future in Mind

Once a child herself concerned about the environment, Meredith now keeps an eye on the post-millennial generation, and specifically on her own children. Along with being the Executive Director of USGBC MA, Meredith is a proud mother of two children, 5 and 3 years old. Because of this, the green building movement to her is personal, as true sustainability is not about just about our current needs, but the needs of future generations.

In order to meet both future and current needs, Meredith aims to help our practitioner community revolutionize the built environment so that we can thrive within nature on this planet. Massachusetts has the knowledge base, the need, academics, professionals, building owners, occupants, density – everything it takes to accomplish this.

This goal can be reached through strategically focusing on advocacy and education. Firstly, educating the next generation of green builders and architects is necessary to provide a workforce equipped to further transform the built environment. Secondly, advocacy will be key in moving forward green building legislation. Though not all agree on exactly what needs to be done, consensus can be reached through a focus on the economic viability of legislation. Luckily, much of green building practice does align economically. Meredith believes strongly in the triple bottom line of sustainable.

At the end of the day, our current needs must be met, but the ultimate focus should be on those who will in inherit our planet; our children and grandchildren. And with this in mind, we come full circle again, from Meredith’s efforts in founding USGBC MA, to keeping an eye on future generations, we are eager to see where Meredith’s path leads USGBC MA.

Energy Consumers and Utilities Come Together at the 2018 GLOBALCON Energy, Power & Facility Management Conference & Expo

Each year, approximately 2,000 energy management professionals come to the Northeast for the annual GLOBALCON conference and trade show to network with their peers, share best practices, and learn about the latest industry developments. It has been presented by the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) for the past 29 years – making it one of the longest-running events for business, industrial and institutional energy users. This year the event is scheduled for March 21-22, at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA.
“Our members recognize and attend events like GLOBALCON because they bring together the top experts in all areas of energy management, power, buildings, and clean technologies.” Stated Bill Kent, Executive Director of AEE. “These are the individuals that are discussing and defining the paths to improved energy efficiency, facility optimization and sustainability.”

Presented by the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), GLOBALCON showcases a powerful schedule of events covering energy management, power distribution and generation, buildings and facilities, energy services and commissioning, and sustainable development, which also includes the latest developments and strategies for clean, green and renewable technologies. Keynote speaker and Energy Company Partner, National Grid’s Jeannette Mills, Senior Vice President of Safety, Health & Environmental will discuss, “Leading the Clean Energy Transition”. As the energy industry is changing and evolving at an unprecedented pace, politicians, regulators, customers, and communities look for affordable solutions to the climate change challenge, leadership in energy is more important than ever.

In addition to the opening session, GLOBALCON offers a multi-track conference program where attendees are able to explore sessions across four categories: Leading Edge Initiatives, Energy Manager’s Summit, Data Analytics & Energy Services and Advanced Energy Solutions. Many of the sessions help facility managers and building owners identify creative ways to reduce their energy consumption.

“It’s also the additional opportunities at the event that interest our members, such as networking receptions and AEE chapter events. The in-line expo allows end users to interact face to face with over 200 vendors, many of them local to the Boston and the northeast energy marketplace. They get to explore the latest products, technology and services in a dynamic, interactive environment” Continued Bill Kent “These are what make GLOBALCON a shared community for all involved, and Boston is at the forefront of sustainable energy developments, so it will be an ideal location for anyone looking to grow, invest and connect.”

Join commercial, municipal, industrial and institutional energy users at the leading energy conference and technology expo in the Northeast. Visit the products and services on the show floor – free of charge, network with your peers, attend luncheons, workshops, tours and much more.
For full details, visit www.globalconevent.com.

Greening Hanukkah

By Benjamin Silverman on 12/8/2017

With Hanukkah coming up soon, I wanted to throw out an idea that occurred to me last Earth Day. The idea I had is “Eco-Hanukkah” (there is very likely a better name) or in other words adding environmentalism as one of the holiday’s themes using home energy use.

It struck me that the main miracle of the Hanukkah story is how menorah oil used in the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Maccabees was only suppose to last for a single day, but ended up lasting for 8 days. Hence the 8 nights and 8 candles of Hanukkah. Maybe not the most fantastic of miracles but from a certain modern perspective then the Hanukkah miracle is essentially one of fuel efficiency! The menorah of the Second Temple was 800% more energy efficient than competing menorahs, giving it I am sure a high Energy Star score.

Jumping off of that, my idea was about how Jewish families, individuals, and communities could potentially add a new way to celebrate the holiday that tackles more modern problems; namely climate change, environmentalism and what we can do to reduce our ecological impacts and carbon footprints.

The way people can celebrate this version of “Eco-Hanukkah” is to aim to use 1/8th of their typical daily energy consumption during the holiday. Much like the oil in the Hanukkah story, the goal is to consume the amount of water, electricity, heat, disposable trash waste, etc, you typically use in a day, spread over the course of the whole 8 days. The typical American emits about 36,000 pounds of greenhouse gases a year, or about 98 pounds per day. That includes consuming 31 kWh of electricity and 551 kBTUs of fossil fuels per day! Do you think that you can take the Green Hanukkah Challenge and make that last for 8 full days.

Eco-Hanukkah could be a good way to teach kids and adults about their environmental impacts. Furthermore it could encourage people to benchmark and track their normal daily energy consumption so as to figure how to cut it to 1/8, which is important knowledge to have in and of itself. Most people won’t be able to meet the goal of cutting energy consumption down to an 1/8 (its a pretty high bar), but that alone would be an important lesson in itself on the hard work needed in truly reducing our environmental impacts. Boston has a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 which will require us as a city to go beyond just the Eco-Hanukkah challenge.

Its just an idea, but I believe there is a value in the work of updating and reinterpreting past traditions to serve modern needs. The purpose of holidays like Hanukkah shouldn’t just be about giving kids gifts and gelt. It should also include teaching people of all ages valuable lessons about their place on this fragile world and what they can do to live more sustainably.