LO1. Identify the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Resource Utilization

Information Sheet 1.1: Importance of Environmental Literacy

What Is the Importance of Environmental Literacy in Our society?

Environmental literacy is an individual’s skills, understanding, and motivation to make conscious decisions that consider their relationship to the natural environment, systems, communities, and future generations. Environmental literacy is the expected outcome of ecological education which attempts to provide students or learners with proper scientific details, skills for critical thinking, strategic and creative problem-solving, and good decision-making.

Environmental literacy is a key component of global citizenship and a vital skill for the 21st century. In the book of Genesis, God makes man the overseer of the earth and all that is in it. Consequently, as stewards of the earth, it is our duty to make ourselves environmentally literate so that we can all participate in keeping our environment clean, safe, and livable for us and other living things on Earth. 

Helps Decision Making

Being environmentally literate helps us make informed decisions about our personal and collective impacts on the environment (UNESCO, 2019). For example, we can choose to reduce our carbon footprint by using renewable energy sources, public transportation, or recycling. Furthermore, we can choose to reduce deforestation and soil erosion through tree cutting by controlling the vice, reporting those who are illegally cutting down trees, engaging in reforestation programs by the government and private sector, or avoiding the cutting down of trees entirely.

Sense of Connection and Responsibility towards Nature 

Environmental literacy implants a sense of connection and responsibility towards nature and other living beings (Kahn and Kellert, 2002) in people. It fosters love and care for our environment, whether it’s our backyard, church, school, workplace, or a public play park for our kids.  For example, the beauty and diversity of nature help us appreciate its presence as well as respect the rights and needs of all living things including ourselves, and support conservation efforts. 

Empowers Action for Environmental Justice and Sustainability. 

Environmental literacy encourages people to take action for environmental justice and sustainability (UNEP, 2016). This may include joining environmental movements, advocating for environmental policies, or volunteering for environmental causes. However, people can engage in acts of environmental justice on a personal level as well. For example, avoiding littering, throwing garbage in human and animal-inhabited places like the streets, and in water bodies, cleaning your environment, and avoiding careers in environmentally degrading industries as well as coming up with projects that can ease the effects of environmental crises.

Improves Well-being and Quality of Life

Being environmentally literate enhances one’s well-being and quality of life as it promotes health, happiness, and resilience (Capaldi et al., 2015). For instance, people benefit from the physical and mental health effects of spending time in nature. Hence, the satisfying and fulfilling feeling of living in harmony with nature, or coping better with stress and adversity by drawing on nature’s resources is bound to make people take care of the environment because they know how important it is for their wellbeing.

Information Sheet 1.2: Environmental Work Procedures

Environmental Safety Procedures in the Workplace and on Job Sites

When it comes to protecting the environment, starting small can make a big impact. As a field service business, this can include making sure you clean up after opening new tools or hardware, and properly tearing down or removing old equipment. In addition, you can make changes on the office side of your business to help conserve the environment. Remember, every small gesture adds up, increases your business’ professionalism, and has the potential to impress customers.

Environmental Hazards on the Job Site

Every field service business should aspire to leave no trace (except for quality work, of course). Cleaning up on job sites prevents garbage from entering the environment and causing damage to the local ecosystem. Not only can debris damage the ecosystem, it can also cost you and your company big bucks in fines. A few safety responsibilities include:

  • Safety courses
  • Avoiding shortcuts
  • Using proper PPE, especially with the added safety guidelines produced in the last year
  • Developing an emergency plan

Ecological Hazards

Leaving no trace is one step, but we can go a bit further to ensure that hazardous materials and chemicals receive proper handling and get disposed of according to local and state guidelines. Likewise, ensure that you store chemicals in a leak-proof container so that they can’t leak into the local waterways. Taking these safety precautions eliminates potentially serious damage to your environment, and also erases the potential for fines for these offenses.

Environmental Safety Procedures for Office Environments

You can also make environmentally conscious strides in the office. Cut down on waste, recycle when possible, and store hazardous materials in clearly marked areas that following OSHA guidelines. OSHA states “Storage areas shall be kept free from accumulation of materials that constitute hazards from tripping, fire, explosion or pest harborage.” These guidelines help the safety of you and your employees. Remember, workplace accidents often ding your bottom line.

Going Paperless in the Field

Going the paperless route becomes even more beneficial in the field. At a stroke, you can eliminate the need for paper work orders, invoices, purchase orders, and even payments.

Information Sheet 1.3: Waste Minimization

Waste Minimization

Waste Minimization is reduction in the quantity of hazardous wastes achieved through a conscientious application of innovative or alternative procedures. Simple adjustments to a process producing wastes (e.g. a teaching lab experiment, a vehicle cleaning operation, etc.) may be the only requirement to achieve some results. 

Waste minimization often results in cost minimization. However, it is not uncommon to devise techniques to minimize costs without a corresponding reduction in waste quantities. For example, proper segregation of wastes will reduce disposal fees but only because these quantities are reassigned to more appropriate waste streams for cost effective disposal/treatment off site. While this is not technically waste minimization, it is still a beneficial process.

Methods of Waste Minimization

  • Source Reduction (Pollution Prevention)

The most desirable method of waste minimization is source reduction, which reduces the impact of chemical wastes on the environment to the greatest extent.  This is an activity that reduces or eliminates the generation of chemical waste at the source.

  • Recycling

The next most desirable approach is waste minimization through recycling.  When a waste material is used for another purpose, treated and reused in the same process, or reclaimed for another process, this is called recycling.

  • Treatment

The last minimization method is treatment.  The most common treatment that can be performed in laboratories is elementary neutralization.  Other kinds of treatment may involve chemical, physical or biological methods.

Waste Minimization Suggestions

  • Substitute less hazardous chemicals or ingredients for ones you are using now.
  • Substitute alcohol thermometers for mercury thermometers.  
  • Test your ideas on the smallest scale practical to minimize disposal costs.   
  • Keep your wastes segregated by compatibility and type; avoid cross contamination as much as possible. 
  • Avoid mixing hazardous and non-hazardous wastes; avoid contaminating glassware.
  • Rotate chemical stock to keep chemicals from becoming outdated.
  • Order smallest container of material necessary for use.
  • Review experimental protocol to assure that chemical usage is minimized.
  • Take care when weighing and transferring chemicals in order to minimize spills and additional wastes generated during spill cleanup.
  • Neutralize hazardous by-products as the final step of an experiment (write a benchtop neutralization procedure as required by regulations).
  • Practice good housekeeping.
  • Distill and reuse solvents.

Information Sheet 1.4: Efficient Energy Consumptions

Energy efficiency is the use of less energy to perform the same task or produce the same result. Energy-efficient homes and buildings use less energy to heat, cool, and run appliances and electronics, and energy-efficient manufacturing facilities use less energy to produce goods.

Energy Efficiency Benefits

Energy efficiency saves money, increases the resilience and reliability of the electric grid, and provides environmental, community, and health benefits.

Cost Savings

At home, you can save money on energy bills by making energy-efficient and weatherization upgrades—such as adding insulation, using LED lighting, and installing a heat pump—that reduce your energy use and can improve comfort.

Energy-efficient buildings cost less to heat, cool, and operate, while industry and manufacturing plants can make products at lower cost. Energy-efficient transportation results in fuel savings.

Environmental Benefits

Reducing energy use is essential in the fight against climate change, because traditional power plants burn fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases and contribute to air pollution. Energy-efficient homes and buildings are also better equipped to switch to renewable energy, which does not produce harmful emissions.

Community Benefits

Energy-efficiency programs improve community resilience and address energy equity by bringing efficient, cost-effective technologies and infrastructure to underserved communities, including communities of color.

These communities are disproportionately affected by air pollution and have a higher energy burden, which is the percentage of gross household income spent on energy costs.

Resilience and Reliability

Energy-efficiency improvements reduce the amount of electricity on the grid at one time, known as load, minimizing congestion and stress on the U.S. electric grid. Fewer loads prevent power disruptions.

Health Benefits

Reducing fossil fuel use results in cleaner air, water, and land, all of which directly affect human health—especially those in marginalized communities and people with conditions that are exacerbated by pollution.

Examples of energy efficiency

Anywhere that energy is used. There is an opportunity to improve efficiency. Some products, like energy-efficient light bulbs, simply use less energy to produce the same amount of light. Other products don’t use energy directly, but they improve the overall efficiency and comfort of a house or a building (such as thermal insulation or windows).

  • Light bulbs: An LED light bulb that has earned the ENERGY STAR label uses up to 90% less energy than an incandescent light bulb, while providing the same illumination.
  • Windows: Energy-efficient windows are made with materials that reduce heat exchange and air leaks, which mean you don’t need as much energy to heat or cool a space.
  • Insulation: Adding more insulation to an attic keeps the warm air inside from escaping in the winter. In the summer, it keeps hot air out. With good insulation, you won’t need to use as much energy to keep your house warm in the winter or cool in the summer.
  • Smart thermostats: Smart thermostats are Wi-Fi enabled devices that control heating and cooling in your home by learning your temperature preferences and schedule to automatically adjust to energy-saving temperatures when you are asleep or away. They can help you lower your energy bills by not spending money to heat or cool an empty house.
  • Computer power management: Computers can be set to automatically enter a low-power “sleep” mode when not in use.