Corps going Green

[luvs me sum mello!]

With Earth Day fast approaching (and June seemingly way off), I was wondering...

Have any corps taken any steps towards making their tour more environmentaly friendly?

It seems to me that there could be many steps a corps could take towards a cleaner tour that would result in lower impact on planet and budget. Many large corperations are finding financial benifits to "going green."

Thoughts?

[Rusty]

With Earth Day fast approaching (and June seemingly way off), I was wondering...

Have any corps taken any steps towards making their tour more environmentaly friendly?

It seems to me that there could be many steps a corps could take towards a cleaner tour that would result in lower impact on planet and budget. Many large corperations are finding financial benifits to "going green."

Thoughts?

One word: biodiesel. All buses should be converted to run on grease. Yes, it would be smelly, but who on tour doesn't end up smelling like diesel exhaust? And it would punch a giant hole in a large and rapidly growing expense for corps. Yes, the conversions would cost money, but given the cost of fuel these days, the conversion would pay for itself in about a month. Local show promoters could get in on the game: in exchange for donating their spent cooking oil to corps for use as fuel, local restaurants could get free advertising at the show and burnish their green credentials.

[BeinGreen]

With Earth Day fast approaching (and June seemingly way off), I was wondering... Have any corps taken any steps towards making their tour more environmentaly friendly? It seems to me that there could be many steps a corps could take towards a cleaner tour that would result in lower impact on planet and budget. Many large corperations are finding financial benifits to "going green." Thoughts?

I love being green, but its not easy being green. Me & my brother (the environmental science MS) try to be very aware of the "footprint" we are making with consumption of energy and disposal of trash. It makes me feel guilty to see aluminum cans being thrown in the trash instead of recylced due to the incedible amount of energy used to create. I havent tried to sell the concept of being green to my shamrock green corps. I would expect since our average age is higher than most it would be a hard sell. The out of sight ot of mind mentality we abuse when we create refuse does bother me. If there were alternative fuel busses or electric busses and the cost were close to the same cetainly I would push to utilize that. Certainly it would be good PR to say we are a green corps and I would love to adopt some environmentally friendly policies. Maybe I can come back to this post later and update it with good news.

program coordinator - Reilly Raiders - Phila. PA

Edited April 15, 2008 by BeinGreen

[Slow Adam]

It makes me feel guilty to see aluminum cans being thrown in the trash instead of recylced due to the incedible amount of energy used to create.

Depending who you ask, the amount of energy consumed to reprocess aluminum is more harmful to the environment than the presence of the can itself in a landfill.

[EndzoneEric]

With Earth Day fast approaching (and June seemingly way off), I was wondering...

Have any corps taken any steps towards making their tour more environmentaly friendly?

It seems to me that there could be many steps a corps could take towards a cleaner tour that would result in lower impact on planet and budget. Many large corperations are finding financial benifits to "going green."

Thoughts?

All of the time I spend in the Colorado mountain air inspired me to send a note to DCI on this very subject. I was informed that they are actually launching some sort of program with the corps and show promoters this year, and that they would be sharing information with the public later this spring.

I believe there are a few corps who have already launched their own programs. The little things add up to a pretty big impact.

[troon8]

From last spring:

http://www.jerseysurf.org/articles/101/1/J...ture/Page1.html

(Sorry for some of the puncutation formatting, that's actually how it is on the website right now, and I don't have time to clean it up for here.)

"The grass on the football field and the lettuce in the taco salad won’t be the only “green†to be enjoyed by Jersey Surf this summer as it embarks on a new program to examine and improve its “touring eco-footprint.†A comprehensive environmental- impact project is being designed and managed for the corps by fifth-year Surf visual staff member Eileen Althouse, an environmental engineer specializing in water resources for an international environmental engineering firm.

With the word “Surf†in its name, and with regular performances in coastal New Jersey resort towns like Wildwood and Surf City, this project quite literally hits close to home for the corps on several levels.

“It's a fact of life that drum corps face a financial burden getting down the road, and it is very obvious that concern for the environment isn't necessarily on the top of anyone's list when the corps are merely trying to stay out of the red,†said Althouse. “By examining our operations from the perspective of ‘long-term sustainability,’ it would be exciting to discover that we could save money and resources in ways that we’ve never considered before.â€

According to Althouse, an assessment phase of the project will provide “discovery and analysis†of the corps’ current environmental impact, with an implementation phase to follow, identifying areas targeted for improvement. Some overlap of the phases is expected as short-term solutions are created to improve circumstances outlined during the discovery process.

The focus of the program will be to improve touring efficiencies and ecologically- and environmentally-friendly operations in several key areas. Areas of study will include:

Direct carbon emissions/energy usage:

• Fleet emissions (trucks, buses, generators, support vehicles)

• "Getting to rehearsal" emissions (determined through research with corps members designed to measure how far they are traveling and how many trips are made per rehearsal weekend throughout the year. This will yield an estimate of the CO2 emissions created by getting the corps to and from rehearsal)

• Potential use of solar energy on the food truck

Waste production

• Identifying recycling opportunities while on the road

• Reduction of food service waste

• Minimizing paper waste (Analysis of current use and determination of potential recycled paper product options)

Environmental Responsibility

• Proper disposal of wastewater (food service, fleet washing)

• Appropriate handling of hazardous materials (approved field paint, cleaners, gasoline, oil, etc.)

Social Responsibility

• Incorporating the efforts of volunteers, corps members, alumni and staff beyond the scope of the corps’ operations.

• Possible corps-sanctioned service projects prior to and/or following the competitive season

“This is a great opportunity for The Jersey Surf to take a fresh look at our current practices, and find ways to improve our operation while adding additional value to participation in our program,†said Director of Operations and Corps Manager Brian Prato. “It is our hope that we will be able to share our findings with other corps who may also wish to conserve financial and natural resources while improving the efficiency of their touring operations. Eileen was happy to help spearhead the project, and we expect to learn a great deal that we can share within our organization and beyond,†Prato added.

Prior to joining the Surf’s visual staff in 2003, Althouse was a baritone player with the Crossmen for three seasons. She holds both a Bachelor’s of Science and a Master’s of Science degree in Bioresource Engineering from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, with a minor in Environmental Policy, Institutions, and Behavior. While pursuing a master's degree at Rutgers, Althouse performed research for and participated in the drafting of a regional stormwater management plan for the Pompeston Creek Watershed, a tributary of the Delaware River not too far from where the corps rehearses. The goal of that plan is to improve the water quality and reduce nuisance flooding throughout the watershed using innovative engineering and community participation.

Additional information and periodic updates will be available from the corps Website, wwwJerseySurf.org."

Edited April 15, 2008 by troon8

[luvs me sum mello!]

Awesome! Thanks for the article.

[Captncontra]

I love that people are pushing the hybrid/alternate fuel issue... Have we done a long-term study of what would happen if our cars pumped out nothing but water vapor? Water vapor is the #1 contributer to green house effects (97% of the warming effect on our planet is caused by water vapor). If we all switched to 'clean' fuel, aka Hydrogen, would it in fact be worse for the planet? Trust me, the ozone layer isn't going anywhere as long as we have oxygen and sunlight, and we aren't going to stop global warming/cooling as long as the sun continues to go through its more/less energetic cycling, so lets be sure we're throwing out the right solutions before trying to 'fix' our troubles. Until solar cells become MUCH more efficient or we tap into cold fusion, I'm not sure we'll ever be as clean as we want.

Edited April 15, 2008 by Captncontra

[Elendil850]

A little actual science helps people understand things much more clearly.

[contra love]

Depending who you ask, the amount of energy consumed to reprocess aluminum is more harmful to the environment than the presence of the can itself in a landfill.

But the environment effects/energy required to make a new can from non recycled aluminum is higher than that of making one from recycled aluminum.