Active Transportation Improvements in Omaha
Transportation in Omaha has been dominated by the use of cars, with many familiar with the “20 minute commute”. As the city/metro area continues to expand, that commute is taking longer for many, increasing pollution, and negatively impacting our health and the environment around us.
The new bus rapid bus transit, ORBT, is in the final stages of preparation. Currently, all westbound stations have been installed and 5 of the 10 eastbound stations are complete. Final testing is underway in preparation for a fall 2020 launch. ORBT will help Omaha to have an interconnected, fast, and reliable public transportation network. ORBT will connect with other bus stops to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Public transit connects people to the places they need to be, and ORBT stops at highly trafficked destinations, including the Med Center, UNO, Midtown Crossing, and downtown Omaha, among others. Bus lines need to be accessible to people, and urban sprawl makes that challenging.
The Missing Middle Housing campaign focuses on policies and rezoning that will increase housing diversity and density in Omaha. Strong Towns, an organization dedicated to finding ways to rebuild American cities’ prosperity, notes single-family detached housing makes up “60% of the U.S. housing stock, and occupy over 80% of the land in most cities”. Changing the zoning to put in duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, and mixed-use housing/retail buildings will increase density and be a way to live closer to places that we live, work, and play. Blackstone is a pretty good example of this practice.
Omaha has proposed bike lanes from 16th to 24th and from 10th to Turner Blvd., and changes to the city’s zoning laws near the ORBT line to increase density. These proposed changes and improvements to transit will increase density and make movement around Omaha easier and active.
All of these changes can help us to be healthier. Air pollution from motor vehicles causes adverse cardiovascular and respiratory health effects. However, using public transportation reduces the amount of pollution while helping keep people physically active. The American Heart Association found that people who ride the bus to work were 44% less likely to be overweight, 27% less likely to have high blood pressure, and 34% less likely to have diabetes.
TravelSmart can assist you in your health goals by providing free bus rides, which will include ORBT, free amenities to cyclists and walkers, and free parking for carpoolers.
Recycling Event Success
By Melanie Stewart
We were fortunate to be able to reschedule the recycling event in August, and we anticipated many of you did some extra spring cleaning while you were being safe by staying home. We were right—more than 400 people dropped off:
- 861 pounds of VHS tapes, DVDs, CDs, and floppy disks
- 15,681 pounds of electronics
- 12,876 pounds of paper for shredding
- 300 pounds of alkaline batteries
- 28,943 total pounds diverted from the landfill. That impact?*
- 74 trees saved
- 393 gallons of oil not used
- 882,742 hours of electricity saved
- 11,949 gallons of water
You also donated:
- 600lbs of food/toiletries and $2,555 to the Maverick Food Pantry
- 161 eyeglasses donated to the TEI clinic
- 5lbs pop tabs to Ronald McDonald House (which helps to pay their electric bill)
A big THANK YOU to the volunteers that were able to help at this two day event; Kristina Hughes, Dakota Stock, Deb Bass, Ryan Lawson, Anita Soto, Rosie Zweiback, Peggy Heires, Tricia Saxton, Peggy Schneider, Julie Sommer, Brian Dykstra, Kyle Dykstra, Andy Balus, Brian Spencer, and Melanie Stewart.
While we love being able to help you properly recycle these hard to recycle items, and protect your identity by shredding paper, we’ve been noticing a trend—every year our totals increase. For the last two years, the weights of the electronics we collected were almost double what they were the two years before that (~8,000lbs in both 2017/18 and ~15,000lbs in 2019/2020). All other categories have increased in weight as well. We’re also receiving more items—not only have we filled more containers, but older electronics, especially TVs, were heavier than the new models. As we receive newer items, we know they weigh less, meaning the quantity of items received has increased.
A lot of this is due to planned obsolescence. To reduce your environmental impact and save your money, do some research before buying products to see how long the product will last and consider spending a little more for something that will last longer. Other ways to reduce include requesting electronic/online versions of statements, removing yourself from mailing lists, and upgrading to rechargeable batteries. Reducing waste is the most important step, recycling is the last resort.
*Estimated impact; actual totals may vary slightly depending on the exact mix of electronics and type of paper dropped off.
Changes to Daily Rate Flexible Parking
By Melanie Stewart
Effective immediately, the Daily Rate Flexible Parking (DRFP) stalls, located on the surface lot 21 in front of the Lauritzen Outpatient Center, are being removed to allow patients to park there during the pandemic. Any colleague or student parking in those stalls, even if they have paid for DRFP, will receive a monetary parking ticket.
With the removal of the lot 21 stalls, UNMC Parking Services will allow you to use the stalls in lot 15E (north of the Maurer Center for Public Health & the south side of the Student Life Center) as well as lot 19E (far east portion of lot 19 in front of the Truhlsen Eye Institute). Both of these lots connect to and include visitor or student parking—do not park in visitor stalls, student parking, or patient lots or you will receive a ticket. Only park in the stalls that are clearly marked for 15E and 19E.
As a reminder, UNMC Parking Services has outlined a plan to accommodate colleagues and students as a result of the work from home/virtual class initiatives. These additional parking options supplement all of the current parking rules and regulations and are outlined below:
- For students who do not have a permit or wish to cancel their existing permit, park in a student lot (15S, 17, 33S, 36, 48S, 49, 62, 63 and 65S).
- For employees who do not have a permit or wish to cancel their existing permit, park in select surface lots. The available lots are lots 7, 17, 27, 49, 57, 58, 62, 63, and now includes 15E and 19E.
Once in the lot, parkers should use the Park Omaha app and pay $3 for the day. Parking enforcement can see which cars have paid and only these vehicles will not receive a ticket.
Planned Obsolescence
We live in a world driven by economics and that means corporations are mostly driven by one thing: the bottom line. Profit determines how they make their products, the quality at which those products are produced, and the price points for sale. One way to increase profits is called planned obsolescence. Planned obsolescence is the “strategy of deliberately ensuring that the current version of a given product will become out of date or useless within a known time period. This proactive move guarantees that consumers will seek replacements in the future, thus bolstering demand.” Companies can decrease the quality of their products, which saves them money, and then sell more products later, which increases profits—a win-win for them, but more money out of your pocket. This can be the microwave that won’t last for more than a couple years (but is more expensive to repair than buy new) or the cell phone that isn’t able to update security software and becomes obsolete.
Planned obsolescence causes large amounts of waste. Not only are there more products headed to the landfill (which fill up faster), the manufacturing of those products use more energy and natural resources, and transportation is needed between each phase. Most of those products come with packaging, which goes through the same waste-producing process as the product itself. All of this increases emissions, contributes to climate change, and negatively impacts human heath, and is killing more people each year.
You can help break the cycle, while saving your money and improving everyone’s health:
- Research the product you want to buy, read reviews, and buy the best made product you can.
- It may be more expensive at the start, it will generally last longer and will save money over time.
- For electronics, specifically research its end of life/life expectancy to know how long it’s expected to last.
- Bring complaints to companies and advocate for replacement parts for the gadget that is broken. Leave negative reviews for products that are poorly made or hard to fix. Companies have to change what doesn’t sell.
- Buy from companies that are transparent about their processes and have made changes to lessen the impact—but be wary of “green washing”. Look for companies that have “cradle to grave” or “cradle to cradle” policies.
- Fast fashion adds up too; consider a capsule wardrobe.
- Be honest about what you need as opposed to what you want; only buy needs.
UNMC receives grant from Nebraska Environmental Trust
By Melanie Stewart
The University of Nebraska Medical Center has received $13,700 from the Nebraska Environmental Trust for the “Healing Local Landscapes: Turf Conversion Utilizing Native Prairie Plantings” project. Nebraska Medicine is a community partner on the grant.
This is the first year of the award with a potential for second year funding totaling $7,000. The project is one of the 118 projects receiving $20 million in grant awards this year from the Nebraska Environmental Trust.
UNMC’s sustainability master plan includes such ambitious 2030 goals as net-zero building emissions and a neutral water footprint. The funded project would convert two campus turf areas to native prairie plants.
The grant covers costs for seed mixes (and carrier), which replicate mixed-grass prairies, and are designed for an urban environment to increase resources for pollinating insects and birds throughout the growing season. Benefits also include increased soil health, climate change mitigation by storing carbon, and reduced stormwater runoff. The sites are highly visible on the campus core and adjacent to the Field Club Trail. Students, faculty, staff and visitors to the medical center will have an opportunity to enjoy the native plantings and also learn about these species.
Two areas will be converted. The first is the hillside and adjoining space around parking lot 16 Lower, which is between the Truhlsen Eye Institute and Home Instead Center for Successful Aging. This space was designed to be grass, but lack of irrigation and the slope has made that difficult. Additionally, the slope is unsafe for the Grounds crew to mow, and is challenging to maintain. The second area to be converted will be both sides of parking lot 64. This space has been a challenge to grow sod (also not irrigated), a challenge to mow due to shape/trees/cars, and is adjacent to private property and the Field Club Trail. Converting these spaces will increase safety, reduce runoff, and remove weeds.
The grant also includes funding for educational signage that will highlight the prairie plantings. The project aligns with institutional goals of reducing long term irrigation, fuel dependency and increasing engagement with sustainability practices.
The Nebraska Legislature created the Nebraska Environmental Trust in 1992 to preserve, protect and restore our natural resources for future generations. Using revenue from the Nebraska Lottery, the Trust has provided more than $328 million in grants to over 2,300 projects across the state.
Davis Global Center has Cutting Edge Building Technology Too
The Dr. Edwin G. & Dorothy Balbach Davis Global Center is already known for its state of the art technology. But did you know the building itself has some new technology too? There’s so much new technology, we can’t fit it into one article—so stay tuned for more.
Today we are going to talk about heat and humidity, something we are all too familiar with. In this case, it’s about heat inside the building. In your house, you would never run your heating system in the summer. On large campuses like this, buildings don’t have individual furnaces or A/C units, they get heating and cooling from our utility plant. Generally, steam is sent to the building and that steam heats the air that heats the building. Steam is produced at about 80% efficiency, meaning that 20% of the energy put in to make steam is wasted.
The Davis Global Center uses hot water instead of steam. Most of the wasted heat (the 20% we lose) from the boilers in the utility plant is captured by the flue gas economizer. The utility plant also uses condensing boilers to make additional hot water and they are 95-98% efficient. This hot water is used in the same way as steam to heat the building but the efficiency has increased from 80% to 95 or 98%–an increase of at least 15%.
This means we use less energy to create the same amount of heat, and that means less emissions as well. The Med Center has a net zero building emissions goal to reach by 2030, so increasing efficiency and emitting less is a must. It’s our mission to create a healthy future for all, and that means reducing emissions—which are leading contributors to numerous health issues including, but not limited to, lung ailments, cancer, and fertility issues, not to mention causing climate change.
We also save money. By using less energy, Facilities expects to cost avoid at least $75,000 each year.
Coming up with these creative solutions to reduce emissions and not waste energy is necessary. If you want to find innovative and new ways to save or curtail your energy use at home, refer to this article. How can you save money and reduce your overall carbon footprint?
Carbon Dioxide and Your Health
By Melanie Stewart
As we use fossil fuels for energy, buildings, cars, and homes emit carbon, mostly as Carbon Dioxide (CO2), into the atmosphere and the carbon cycle begins. The ocean absorbs about 30% of the emitted CO2. The amount varies based on what is available, atmospheric pressure, and wind turbulence. As levels in the atmosphere have increased, the ocean has taken in more CO2, which in turn makes the ocean more acidic, causing problems for ocean plants and animals. The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that ocean acidification will continue to get worse.
Plants take up 25% of the CO2 that is emitted by humans through photosynthesis releasing the oxygen (O2) and storing the carbon(C). As humans tear down forests, this creates a negative feedback loop. The more trees and forests that are cut down results in less plants available to absorb the CO2. It stays in the atmosphere which causes the earth to heat up more, which contributes to droughts and plants drying out, which causes forest fires to burn more extremely, and causes the carbon that was stored in the tree/plant to be released into the atmosphere.
The rest of the emitted CO2 (45%) will remain in the atmosphere. The ocean has a limit on what it can absorb and deforestation limits the availability of plants to absorb it. Essentially, the more CO2 we emit, the more CO2 stays in the atmosphere. This is the leading cause of climate change, and it’s also bad for human health. CO2 is a pollutant and it, along with other fossil fuel emissions, are harming human heath, and killing more people each year.
Don’t despair, you can help reduce emissions! You can:
- Advocate for renewable energy sources
- Increase energy efficiency at home
- And at work
- Reduce car trips and use active transportation (TravelSmart is free!)
- Compost your food waste (food in landfills is a major emissions source)
- Buy less stuff (increase use of resources and transportation)
- Plant a garden
- Reduce as much plastic use as you can, especially single use plastic
Click on the links for tips to get started and/or to learn more. These steps will almost always save you money and some will improve your physical and mental health. Your actions add up and can influence others, increasing the impact.
Health and Urban Trees
By Blake Van Jacobs
Skyscrapers, concrete, and cars come together to make cities concrete jungles. The lack of vegetation combined with the concrete and metal creates an “urban heat island” which causes temperatures in urban areas to increase anywhere from 1.8-5.4 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the EPA. This heat poses a serious threat to human health. One severe and recent heat wave was in 2010 in Moscow. It killed 56,000 people from July-August due to poor air quality, heat, and the wildfires the heat caused.
As climate change worsens, our cities become a vulnerable space for these same kind of heat waves and cities are already heating up. However, there is one saving grace: trees. Trees provide a canopy over urban spaces that help cool down urban areas and provide numerous environmental benefits including stormwater runoff capture, carbon storage and sequestration, and reducing energy use. According to Stockton Tree Foundation, trees around your home can decrease air conditioning needs by 30%. Urban trees also provide economic benefits by increasing neighborhood property values, reducing the stress of heat on concrete, and creating jobs in the planting and upkeep of these trees.
Human health is also drastically affected by trees. The Nature Conservancy and the National Institute of Health began a study in 2017 in Louisville, Kentucky focusing on how nature can better improve human health in urban areas. In the suburbs of Louisville, where more trees are planted, life expectancy can be upwards of 13 years longer than in urban areas. Much like Omaha, in Louisville, your zip code predicts your income, life expectancy, and overall health. At least 8,000 trees were planted in some of the highest polluted areas in Louisville. At the time of this article, 700 people had signed up to participate in medical tests to track stress levels, impacts of air pollution, and noise reduction as a result of the trees being planted. This study continues and should be completed in 2022 or early 2023.
Trees are a huge benefit to urban areas as they spur job creation, decrease air pollution, mitigate climate change, and give communities a safer space to live, work, and play. Planting trees improves the environment and can directly and positively affect human health where the tree is planted.
Heat + Humidity = Energy Curtailment
By Melanie Stewart
Many of you have likely heard of “energy curtailment”, when colleagues and students are asked to help the campus by using less energy on days when the combined heat and humidity put extra stress on campus energy systems. A full explanation of energy curtailment is available below.
By using less energy on these days, we:
- ensure essential systems, so critical hospital and research functions always have it
- reduce pollution
- improve the health of the entire community, and
- help to save money—both now (consumption) and for the next 12 months as the next year’s electrical rate is based off our maximum usage at any given point in time
- always important, but especially now, as budgets are tight.
We are in curtailment now and will be for the foreseeable future, so what simple things can you do to help?
- Close shades, blinds and curtains whenever possible to reduce solar heat gain;
- If you are on campus but your neighbors aren’t, please help by closing their window coverings and turning off any lights or equipment you can.
- Lower lighting levels where possible, turn off lights in unoccupied areas and when leaving a room;
- Turn off and unplug all electrical equipment not in use (computers, coffee makers, printers, chargers, etc.);
- Shut fume hood sashes when not in use;
- Open doors manually instead of using the ADA buttons;
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator; and
- Tell others!
Updated technology has allowed us to control curtailment better. Many spaces would normally be pre-cooled at night, but won’t be if buildings are largely unoccupied due to COVID-19/people working from home. It is possible that your space will get warmer as the day goes on. For a full explanation, please visit our Energy Curtailment page.
Spaces are not controlled individually, the system cools larger areas. So while the Med Center has a temperature range to maintain, it’s possible your space may not be the exact temperature you want. Only call 2-3347 (Nebraska Medicine) or 9-4050 (UNMC) to report spaces colder than 66 degrees or warmer than 78 degrees.
Are you interested in tracking our curtailment progress? Visit medcenterenergy.com to compare your building’s energy use to a previous day, other buildings, see how much energy we are using in real time, or check out our solar panel output.
Patient care and research spaces are not affected by energy curtailment.
Human health and pollinators
By Blake Van Jacobs
Last week was Pollinator Week—but why should you care? Humans rely on many insects, arachnids, birds, and bats to survive, and the work they do can make us healthier. We like to think of pollinators as bees and butterflies, because we generally like them, but it’s often our instinct to swat, spray, kill, and even discourage other pollinators from visiting our yards.
Did you know that at least 1 out of every 3 bites of food you take are possible because of pollinators? Eating is obviously essential to our survival, and the work these pollinators perform adds between $235-577 Billion worth of global food supply. Pollinators often go unnoticed, but they are critical to non-human species survival, biodiversity and this has a $50 Billion value to U.S. tourism and recreation.
Insects help humans survive by cleaning up—they eat plant matter, animals/other insects we consider pests (worth $4.5 Billion in pest control), already dead animals, and even dung. All of this helps to reduce the waste we deal with, disease, and can even prevent forest fires. Entomoptherapy is the use of insect derived products in medicine—everything from the use of honey to the treatment for inflammatory diseases (like arthritis, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis) using bee venom—known as apitherapy.
Pollinator habitats is being reduced and disease, parasites, climate change, and contaminants/chemicals are reducing pollinators. Insects have been dying off at a rapid rate, with studies showing a 41% of species having steep declines in the last decade and 40% of insects species threatened with extinction. If these declines continue, it could lead to a “total collapse of nature” and threatens the survival of humankind.
You can help by creating a habitat in your yard. Plant clumps of native plants that flower at different times of the season and are correctly sited to the soil and sun. Don’t use pesticides/chemicals to control pests—create a healthy ecosystem so they take care of themselves. Don’t forget insects and all pollinators need help at all stages of their life—some need to eat the plants (monarch caterpillars and milkweed), not just the flowers; some need plants/trees for habitat, and they need places to survive the winter. Practice conservation for all pollinators, and support farmers who use less chemicals and provide pasture habitat. Together we can save pollinators…and ourselves.
