Argument Essay outline/Thesis Statement

I. Title- Gray will be Green
II. Introduction
A. Thesis-Making long term care facilities environmentally sustainable or "green" is possible and very beneficial. Through sustainability LTCF's can reduce energy consumption and waste output. Going green can greatly reduce energy costs making the decision to go green wise from a business standpoint. Not only will it reduce operational costs, but it can improve the air quality within facilities creating a healthier environment for its residents.
B. I will discuss topics that involve the improvement of air quality, recycling, the reduction of energy costs and the road blocks to jump starting sustainability practices within in the industry.
III. Body
A. Improved air quality
1. Positive effects
2. Problems involved with improved air quality (Expenses, maintenance)
3. Possible solutions
B. Recycling
1. Positive effects
2. Draw backs
3. Proper methods
C. Energy
1. How does it reduce costs
2. How does it reduce consumption
3. How does it reduce carbon footprint
D. Roadblocks
1. Too expensive?
2. Medical field is inherently slow to change (why?) (interview)
3. Further info on the delay of change
E. New Trends
1. Shea Homes
2. More info to come
IV. Conclusion

Food, Inc. Pt.3

The opening segment on pg. 183 sucked me in right away. I always enjoying reading about standing up against the powers that be. Or the big corporations and government that establish the system of eating in our country. Its all about making a buck. The food corporations in this county with the help of the government have taken advantage of the American people by providing us with ready to eat, quick, and cheap meals. Not only has this made us lazy and unwilling to enjoy our own cooking but they have cut their costs by creating sometimes synthetic food that is horrible for us. As Salatin put, it is time to opt out and say no more!
I found the section about daily and calcium consumption to be much of a surprise. I was always under the impression that no matter how much calcium and dairy you consume, the effects can only be positive. This section has opened my eyes to some interesting long term effects if you consume too much daily. I was surprised to see that osteoporosis is directly related to populations that consume large quantities of calcium and diary.

“Gray is Green” Research Prospectus

For years the reputation of the retirement home has been held in a negative light. Most Americans, sadly, have seen these facilities as an institution for the elderly to go and die. Not until recently have we seen a change in this reputation. With the onset of the person centered care model, the residents of long-term care facilities are now in full control of their care. This means that it is up to them to decide what kind of environment they want to live in and how they want to be cared for. Retirement homes have moved away from the strict regimented institutional-like way of care, to a more humane and self fulfilling method of care. In a quote taken from the founder of the Person Centered Care Model Eric Haider, person centered care can be understood as,
“A philosophical shift from care & protection of the body to support of people in obtaining lives of personal satisfaction. Person Centered Care gives personal attention to the people who live in Long Term Care and empowers staff to be a resident advocate. We believe in honoring each person’s dignity, rights, self-respect, and independence by giving them choices, respecting their wishes, meeting their needs, involving them in decision making process, giving them the control of their life and keeping them actively involved, happy and as healthy as possible.(PersonCenteredCare.com)”.
This brings me to the topic of the baby boomers. There are many reasons for the changes within the long term care facility industry but, most importantly they are because of the up and coming retirement of the nations almost eighty-million baby boomers. This is going to be a challenge for our country to accommodate and care for these people. “While the baby boom generation grows older and begins to retire, it is estimated that the number of persons aged 64 and up will most likely double by 2030 (CBO Study).” It is predicted that there will be a huge spike in the number of long-term care facilities being constructed in the next decade. The green movement is very popular within the baby boom generation, in an article from the wall street journal, Matthew Kahn, a professor at UCLA's Institute of the Environment couldn’t of said it better “Baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, grew up alongside the environmental movement of the 1960s and '70s. "These guys were at Woodstock,""This is the birth cohort that was at the environmental movement's summer of love (Market Watch).” There is so much that is involved with the care of elderly, from medical supplies and food to energy and transportation to waste treatment that it could potentially impact environment but, is it worth it? I am going to discuss the pro’s and con’s of both sides of the issue of going green and then decide if it has any practical application to the industry. In other words, is converting or constructing and maintaining long-term care facilities economically and environmentally sufficient? What is the process that a facility has to endure to become and maintain a “green” mode of operation?
In order to build and maintain a “green” facility we must first understand what it means to be green. According to web site that represents the top retirement homes in the US, going green means that the facility meets or beats the EPA’s Energy Star standards (topretirmenthomes.com). In order to meet the Energy Star’s requirements the facility needs to achieve high standards of indoor air quality by installing air ducts that have minimal leakage and they must be well insulated. The construction project must use building materials that are locally produced and or/recycled. In order to cut back on energy costs and up the efficiency of resources that the facility consumes it should also implement water conservation and storm water management. The building should also leave a minimal footprint on the land. Also for the building to maintain a green operation, it must install appliances that are energy efficient. Lastly, the establishment should keep carbon emissions low through the use of renewable energy or efficient building interior and exterior materials such as, high performance windows, effective levels of wall, and comprehensive air barrier details (Energystar.gov).
Moreover, in order to begin the green building construction or renovation it is important that that the building director hire an architect that has experience in green design. This entails that the architect constructs according to the LEED principles. Leed stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (Handbook). The LEED standards are established by the US Green Building Council. The USGBC is non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings available to everyone within a generation (USGBC.gov). Standards for the LEED certification have been established by the Environmental Protection Agency and they incorporate the same standards that qualify something to be Energy Star certified.
Once the construction is complete it is now time to install efficient methods of heating, cooling and ventilation. You may ask why the indoor air quality matters. Indoor air quality plays a crucial role in the health of residents. Not only does it play a crucial role on physical health of residents it also can impact the environment as a whole. The positive impact that an efficient HVAC system can have on the environment is contributed by installing systems that are airPLUS labeled. AirPLUS is the equivalent to the Energy Star label but it is for HVAC systems. The standards for airPLUS are determined by the EPS as well. Properly insulated and sealed ventilation systems negate the possibility for air to escape and wasted thus, causing the HVAC system to consume more energy to produce comfortable air quality levels (airPLUS).
Additionally, indoor air quality can have many positive health impacts for the residents of a facility. By installing HVAC systems that are labeled airPLUS the quality of indoor air is greatly improved. This is because an airPLUS labeling decreases the amount of toxic chemicals and pollutants from entering a facility (airPLUS). Common pollutants that can be in indoor air are mold, radon and carbon monoxide. These pollutants can lead to eye irritation, headaches, allergies, respiratory problems and other serious health problems (airPLUS).
Another key component to any long term care facility is the water source and water treatment. Most long term care facilities have their own water treatment plant. The water treatment plant is in charge of removing any waste products within dirty water. The water goes through a complex cleaning process that removes unwanted levels of pollutants and then dumps the treated water into a nearby water source. The treatment plants consume large amounts of energy and can be very costly to maintain. In order to run an eco-friendly plant, it needs to be powered by an efficient source of alternative energy such as solar energy. Installing a modern up to date plant can ensure efficiency by energy reduction and by being less costly.
As well as the above mentioned greening activities, it is also important that the facility installs appliances that are energy efficient. To insure that an appliance is efficient facility administrators should only purchase appliances that are Energy Star labeled. From ovens, and refrigerators to computers, TVs, and washing machines and dryers, these appliances consume a great deal of energy. Energy efficient appliances may be pricier, but they will cut down on energy costs in the long run (epa.gov). Greening a facility doesn’t just stop at energy sources, and appliances but it also includes the food services, recycling, and the utensils used in the kitchen and dining room. From my personal experience of working in LTHC facilities, I rarely saw any kind of recycling programs. According to a presentation on green building impacts, recycling can cut your solid waste outputs by nearly 70% (Building Impacts presentation).
Additionally, the market for green long term care facilities is expected to grow. There are some new trends popping up around the country. According to on the nation’s largest home building firms Shea Homes, they believe that the baby boomers are looking for environmentally friendly community’s (market watch). A niche for eco-friendly retirement communities is being developed at a slow pace but facilities are creeping up around the country. Shea Homes has recently opened Victoria Gardens, which is a retirement development in Florida that will have 20-30% lower carbon footprint than the typical home (market watch).
With this in mind, you may still be asking yourself, why should Long-term care facilities go green? There are so many benefits for an LTHC facility to go green that it would take pages and pages to cover it all. I will mention some benefits of going green. I will start by saying that the overall biggest contributor to CO2 emissions into the atmosphere are caused by buildings around the country. Having a green facility can reduce energy use by 24-50%. CO2 emissions can be reduced by 33-39%. Water usage can be cut down by 40% and solid waste can be cut down by almost 70% (Building Impacts presentation). There are also a number of business benefits to going green. It is estimated that operational costs can decrease 8-9%. It is also estimated that building value can rise about 7.5% and occupancy ratio is said to increase around 4%. Due to cleaner air and quality lighting within the walls of green facilities, residents are healthier and more productive (Building Impacts Presentation).
Moreover, since going green is not required by law, it is totally voluntary. There are two ways that a business can profit off of going green. One would be through claiming three different tax incentives; city, state and federal (green management). Another reason for going green would be for the businesses branding and marketing purposes (green Management). Branding and marketing with a green image can be a very powerful tool especially with the onset of the whole green movement. Some other reasons for going green are because of the government incentives that are available for businesses to go green. Government incentives for going green vary from state to state but in Ohio, if a facility converts to an alternative energy source they can qualify for exemption of the properties sales and use tax (DSIRE). There are also many other tax incentive and rebate programs to promote the purchase of solar power (DSIRE).
In addition, it was difficult to find information about the disadvantages of going green. After reading through many different sources I concluded that the most common disadvantages were the upfront costs or the initial costs of building or converting a facility to be greener. Another disadvantage to going green is that it takes a lot of time to renovate and or build a green facility. According to an article on doityourself.com there are a few appearance problems associated with going green. Since going green requires the use of recycled products such as glass they may be some physical imperfections (doityourself.com). This is true with most recycled products. Another setback would be the installation of the green materials (doityourself.com). Since a lot of green materials are more complicated than ordinary products the installation of let’s say, a metal roof would require a specialist and therefore may result in more expensive installation process. The maintenance of green buildings can also be challenging. Green materials are often more sensitive and fragile, and require close monitoring and maintenance (doityourself.com)
Given these facts, I see a potential for a rise in the demand in green long-term care facilities. With the nations baby boomers coming to their retirement and there strong ties to the environmental movement I can see a market for green LTHC facilities. It will be interesting to see what the future will bring about in the field of green business and building. I found the information about LEED certifications and all of the other governmental labeling programs to very interesting. Until now I was unaware of the numerous tax incentives there are for businesses to go green. It is reassuring that this trend is getting more popular. Let’s see what the future has in store for the green business.



Works Cited

Building Impacts. Digital image. US Green Building Counsel. Web. 9 Feb. 2010. .
Cohen, Stephanie. "Pitching boomers housing that is green as their hair goes gray." Market Watch [Princeton, N.J]. Print.
"Database of state incentives for renewable and efficiency." University of North carolina, 2009. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. .
EPA. "A Green Home Begins with ENERGY STAR Blue." EnergyStar. Web. 22 Jan. 2010. .
"Green Building Drawbacks." Do it yourself. Web. 3 Feb. 2010. .
Gulyas, Carol. "Looking for Green Retirement Communities." Top Retirement Homes. 2006. Web. 29 Jan. 2010. .
Haider, Eric. "Person Centered care Model." Web. 12 Feb. 2010. .
"Indoor Air Plus." Indoor AirPLUS an Intro. EPA. Web. 7 Feb. 2010. .
"Intro-What is LEED." USGBC. US Green Building Counsel. Web. 5 Feb. 2010. .
Lane, Robert E. "Handbook on conservation for Retirement Communities." Sept. 2007. Web. 27 Jan. 2010. .
Shackleton, Robert. "Baby Boomers' Retirement Prospects:." An overview (2003): 1-2. Print.
Tran, Ben. "Green Management:." The reality of being green in business: 20-22. Print.

Food Inc. part 2

One issue that had never even crossed my mind is genetic pollution. Nowadays you only hear about air pollution and other green house gas pollution that has been affecting our air quality and atmosphere but, rarely do we ever think or hear about the affects that these big corporations cause on our environment by putting genetically altered strains of DNA from the many different crops and cattle they try and reform. The section from Food,Inc. about genetic pollution was short but mind opening. To read about the collateral damage that these genetic alterations have brought upon the environment is very interesting and devastating at the same time.The section talked about GE's altered crops and how the pollen from their fields has been swept away by the elements and thus been exposed to the rest of the natural environment. Upon exposure to the natural environment, the pollen combines with natural pollen creating mutations. Not only does it effect nearby fields but the section specifically touched on how the GE's field crops have already began to wreak environmental havoc by its transportation via wind, rain, birds, bees and insects into a neighboring organic farm thus rendering this organic farm contaminated. One concept that I have picked up in this class is that everything on Earth is connected and if we alter one pattern, it creates a chain reaction that will forever alter the future.

Postition Statement

The position that I am going to take is that I am for constructing and maintaining "green" long-term care facilities. The reason that I am for the "greening" of LTCF's is because the environmental impact that this could positively pose can be worth the time and money to maintain an Eco-friendly facility. Start up costs which include construction materials, electrical workings, water treatment plants, and or anything that has to do with the first processes of getting a "green" facility on the building blocks can be initially expensive but money can be saved with the operational costs. A "green" facility will have a more efficient energy sources and appliances thus cutting energy costs crucially. Not only will a "green" facility cut down on energy costs, but, it will also cut back on the carbon foot print. The cut backs are due to more efficient water systems and electrical systems. Not only will energy be impacted but going "green" can create better air quality within the facility creating a healthier living environment. These are only a few of the positive impacts that "green" facilities can pose on the surrounding environment.

Food Inc. Part 1

Well lets just say.... I feel horrible about the way I treat my body. This movie/book took the cake when it comes to a wake up call. I have never felt so unhealthy in my life. This piece has made me more diet conscious and aware of how processed our food is here in America. Food Inc. provided me with detail of how our food was processed. I had always known that our food wasn't the best quality but Food Inc. gave me details. The film brought the book to life and the book gave more facts about the food industry in America. The book also showed me how the fast food industry has impacted American society and that the power behind the fast food industry is huge.
I was always under the impression that the food in the US is mass produced because its cheap and more profitable. Its true the organic food is more expensive to produce and consume but the demand for natural and organic food is growing. This became relevant to me in the part of the film where Stonyfield was purchased by Groupe Danone. This stood out to me because it gave some ease to the notion that our food can still be mass produced in a healthy, animal friendly way. It provided me with some reassurance. It was also refreshing to hear that the demand for natural and organic food products was growing. This made me feel like America is slowly waking up. In the movie they visited an organic farm, the farmer had to deal with the rising demand of organic food. To me the farmer was courageous because he stuck to his ideals and values and continued to raise his animals in an organic healthy manner. This also provided me with a sense of hope that our food can be produced safely and healthy.

In the first part of the reading I found the interview with Eric Schlosser to be quite interesting. It was intriguing to hear about his experience with gathering his research for Fast Food nation. Throughout his interview he mentioned illegal immigrant labor. This was a subject that seemed to move Eric. I was surprised to hear that illegal immigrants had been holding up California's agricultural economy for decades. Learning about these illegals workers opened my eyes to the harsh conditions that these individuals were subjected to work under. They are underpaid and exploited. The exploitation of these workers has now spread all over the US. This became ever more apparent to me in the part of his interview where he says "But that form of exploitation had, until recently, been limited to California and a handful of Southwestern states. Now it seemed to be spreading throughout the United States. Finding that illegal immigrants were being exploited in the heartland of America, in a town that on the surface looked straight out of a Norman Rockwell postcard well, to me, this was something new, a disturbing and important new trend (pg.8)."

I think everyone should watch or read Food Inc. It is time for America to wake up. Childhood obesity is now an epidemic which is going to put a huge strain on American society. I feel embarrassed that America has such low quality food. Its disturbing to know that the corporations within the food industry are more concerned about making a buck then with the poison they provide to us. Its pathetic, wake up America!

Research Prospectus Intro and Bibliography

According to the an article published on MSNBC.com “Alarm is spreading across the health care sector in the face of stark demographics” “As the huge baby boomer generation surges toward retirement age, an unsettling issue grows ever more pressing: finding the work force to tend to the millions of boomers who will someday need ongoing care because of physical and mental frailties”. With the nation’s 76 million baby boomers due to start retiring within the next decade or so, the nation will see a huge spike in long-term health care facilities. The aging baby boomer population will have a huge impact on American society by creating more jobs within the long-term care field. It’s estimated that within the next decade 1 million additional jobs will be created to help care for the aging. Jobs that will be produced include nurses, nurse assistants, geriatric doctors, health care administrators and other jobs that would relate to the care giving of the aging population.
In addition to the jobs that will be generated in the next decade there will also be a large growth of retirement communities. In an article from the wall street journal, Matthew Kahn, a professor at UCLA's Institute of the Environment couldn’t of said it better “Baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, grew up alongside the environmental movement of the 1960s and '70s. "These guys were at Woodstock,""This is the birth cohort that was at the environmental movement's summer of love." Some common trends that I have noticed within retirement committees is that many administrators do not easily except change but with the onset of a relatively new concept of patient care called "patient centered care" the patient is in charge of their own care and living environment. With the baby boomers being the first generations to be heavily involved in the green movement many future residents will want to live in a community that is Eco-friendly.
Maintaining a "green" facility starts with the construction of the facility. This means that the facility should be built with materials that are considered renewable, and energy efficient. Building a green facility would require an LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) this is a rating system devised by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to evaluate the environmental performance of a building and encourage market transformation towards sustainable design. Upon the completion of the green facility, green systems need to be installed. Green systems that regulate air quality, laundry equipment, water purification and energy must be included in the facility. These Eco-friendly systems could also cut energy costs.
Lastly, the facility would have to offer green amenities. This includes the barber shop, transportation, and food services. Green facilities can have many health and environmental benefits. I am looking forward to this research; most people have no idea how many older citizens this country will have within the decade. It will heavily impact society. It is very important that we create and maintain Eco-friendly facilities.

Bibliography:

Cohen, Stehpnie I. "Pitching boomers housing that is green as their hair goes gray." Market Watch. Wall Street Journal, 28 Feb. 2008. Web. 1 Feb. 2010. .

Goldsmith, Marshall. "GREEN MANAGEMENT." THE REALITY OF BEING GREEN IN BUSINESS. 14.27 (2009): 21-45, 25+. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Jan. 2010. .

"What LEED Is." U.S. Green Building council. Web. 1 Feb. 2010.