Category Archives for "Sustainability"

0 Earth Day: Past, Present and Future – A Comprehensive Overview

Earth Day, celebrated annually on April 22nd, has come a long way since its inception in 1970. The first Earth Day successfully launched a wave of groundbreaking environmental laws in the United States, such as The Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts, as well as the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (source). Today, it has grown to become the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people taking action to change human behavior and create global, national, and local policy changes (source).

From its humble beginnings, Earth Day has evolved into a global movement that inspires individuals, communities, and nations to prioritize environmental conservation and sustainable practices. As we continue to face pressing environmental challenges such as…

0 Retro-Commissioning: Optimizing Building Performance and Energy Efficiency

As a built environment expert a question I get often from building owners/operators is what exactly is retro-commissioning and is it necessary for them to implement. In this post I’ll answer these questions and dive a little deeper.

Lets get into this.

Retro-commissioning is a process that helps building owners identify and correct operational inefficiencies in their existing buildings. This process involves a thorough evaluation of a building’s systems and components to ensure they are working as intended and operating at peak efficiency.

Retro-commissioning can be applied to a wide range of buildings, from small commercial structures to large industrial facilities.

Retro-commissioning typically begins with a detailed energy audit that identifies areas of inefficiency and waste. This audit may include a review…

0 Organic vs Natural: Understanding What You Need to Know

Understanding the Difference Between Natural and Organic Products

As consumers become increasingly healthy and environmentally conscious, there is a growing interest in natural and certified organic products. However, the terms “natural” and “organic” are often used interchangeably, leading to confusion among consumers about what these terms mean.

Have you ever found yourself staring at a package of carrots in the grocery store, wondering if they’re truly organic or just naturally orange?

Or maybe you’ve spent hours deciphering the fine print on a bottle of shampoo, trying to determine if it’s truly “all-natural” or just an elaborate prank by the marketing department.

It’s enough to make you want to pull your hair out – but wait, is that hair organic or…

0 Essentialism: Pursuing Less

A Thousand Future Decisions

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown is a must-read book for anyone who wants to achieve more by doing less.

In this book, McKeown argues that we live in a world where we are bombarded with distractions, obligations, and expectations that pull us in different directions, leaving us feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and unfulfilled.

To break free from this cycle, we need to adopt the mindset of an essentialist and focus on doing less but better. In this review, we’ll explore some of the key concepts in the book and see how they can help us improve our lives.

0 Minimalism and Sustainability

Kind of Obvious

I have been a committed minimalist for many years, not the bare wall type minimalist but one that battels to eliminate clutter. I’m currently doing a huge purge of my home and I keep thinking about all the connections between sustainability and minimalism.

The relationship between the two is kind of obvious but envisioning it, thinking about it, and discussing it, can encourage us to adopt a simpler more elegant lifestyle.

Interconnected

Minimalism and sustainability are two concepts that, at first glance, may not seem directly related. However, upon closer examination, it becomes clear that these two lifestyles are deeply interconnected and that embracing one can greatly enhance the benefits of the other.

Sustainable living, also known as green living, is the practice of living in a way that is friendly to the environment and reduces one’s ecological footprint. This can take many forms, such as reducing power and water consumption, reducing waste, and choosing environmentally friendly products. Minimalism, on the other hand, is the practice of simplifying one’s life by getting rid of unnecessary possessions and focusing on what truly matters.