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16 articles by Katrina Kazda
Food System
5 Ways to Green Your K-Cup
Sep 14th, 2018 | By Katrina Kazda
While the convenience of single-serve coffee systems is celebrated by many, the appliance’s darker side—the mountains of unrecyclable waste—is equally abhorred by sustainably-minded folks. Fortunately, alternatives have been popping up on the market that allow you to keep enjoying that hot cup of coffee when you want it while reducing plastic waste and capturing the used coffee grounds for compost.
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Transportation
What Are Partial Zero Emissions Vehicles?
Jun 6th, 2018 | By Katrina Kazda
The designation “Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle” (PZEV) has many people perplexed. Certainly, childhood math would tell us there is no such thing as “partial-zero.” But while most of us are scratching our heads, PZEVs are quickly becoming the norm in gasoline vehicles. In fact, by 2025 all cars sold in America will be PZEVs. But what does this strange designation mean?
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Innovation
Will Self-Driving Cars Reduce Emissions?
Apr 18th, 2018 | By Katrina Kazda
Despite recent fatal accidents, there is little question that self-driving cars are here to stay.
What is not yet clear is whether driverless cars represent an environmental boon or an unforeseen emissions nightmare. The answer is up to us.
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Eco Living
6 Ways to Green Your Super Bowl
Jan 31st, 2018 | By Katrina Kazda
Wondering what you can do to make this your greenest Super Bowl party ever? These tips will help you score an eco-win on game day.
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Transportation
With EVs Taking Off, What's the Future for Other Alt Fuels?
Dec 14th, 2016 | By Katrina Kazda
Electric vehicles are increasingly dominating the alternative fuel market for passenger vehicles in the U.S. With this boom in electric vehicle sales, we wondered how other alternative fuel vehicle options fairing. Is there still a place for hybrid, natural gas and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the passenger vehicle market?
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Food System
At Juliet, Zero Waste Is Baked Into the Menu
Oct 28th, 2016 | By Katrina Kazda
A few weeks ago, 20 diners were treated to a family-style meal at Juliet, one of the country’s hottest new restaurants. On the menu at the small Somerville, Mass., eatery were 10 beautifully crafted dishes — with a twist. Nearly all of the ingredients were foods that would have probably gone to waste if not for the care and skillful attention of the owners, chef Josh Lewin and Katrina Jazayeri.
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Food System
How to Feed 350 Food Waste Experts
Jul 18th, 2016 | By Katrina Kazda
In late June, nearly 350 entrepreneurs, practitioners, policymakers, and activists from across the country gathered at Harvard Law School for the Reduce and Recover: Save Food for People Conference to further dialogue on reaching a national food waste reduction goal.
True to its name, the conference wanted to turn the conversation into action by “eating what we preach,” and see what it would take to prepare some of the conference meals with food that would otherwise go to waste.
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Transportation
Teen Activist Pushes Town to Go Idle-Free
Jan 7th, 2016 | By Katrina Kazda
For more than half of his life, 17-year-old Alex Scaperotta has been fighting to end unnecessary vehicle idling in his hometown of Wilton, Conn.
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Innovation
7 Technologies That Can Slash Idling
Dec 5th, 2014 | By Katrina Kazda
We’ve been known to get more than a little irked when we notice people [idling their vehicles](http://iturnitoff.com) unnecessarily, like at drive-thrus or school pick-ups. It wastes gas, it pollutes the air, it stinks and it’s just, well, unnecessary. But some drivers get a free idling pass, right? Don’t refrigerated trucks, utility vehicles, safety and emergency vehicles and long-haul trucks often need to keep their engines running to power auxiliary functions? Yes, and no. Here, we explain.
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Food System
Eat Your “Unusual” Greens!
Nov 4th, 2014 | By Katrina Kazda
One of my favorite things about participating in a CSA program is learning about new foods. This year’s most pleasant surprise was sweet potato greens. Our very own farmer didn’t realize these beautiful greens were edible until this year, and boy were we happy that he shared his newfound secret!
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Eco Living
How a Uniform Company Saved $25K by Helping the Environment
Sep 2nd, 2014 | By Katrina Kazda
We're proud to announce that Crown Uniform and Linen is the first member of Sustainable America's Idle-Free Fleet program. This family-owned uniform company rolled out an idling-reduction pilot program with just 20 trucks this spring and is already on track to save more than $25,000 a year. Here's how they did it...
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Eco-Living
Staff Challenge: Go "Zero-Waste" for a Month
Jun 19th, 2014 | By Katrina Kazda
For Earth Day this year, we Sustainable America staff members challenged ourselves to work on ways to be greener in our everyday lives. Today we hear from Katrina, who set the ambitious goal of achieving a zero-waste home. Here's what happened...
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Eco Living
The Plastic Bag Problem
Jun 9th, 2014 | By Katrina Kazda
The next time you’re asked, “Paper or plastic?” consider this: According to the Worldwatch Institute, 4 to 5 trillion plastic bags—including large trash bags, thick shopping bags and thin grocery bags—are produced globally each year, with roughly 80% of them used in North America and Western Europe.
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Eco Living
Thinking Beyond 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle'
Apr 7th, 2014 | By Katrina Kazda
As the field of environmental sustainability matures, so does its core concepts, goals and operating principals. For example, “reduce, reuse, recycle” has served as a guiding principles of sustainability work over the last several decades. While the three Rs remain an important theme, the conversation is beginning to shift. The very concept of “waste” is being called into question.
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Eco Living
3 Golden Rules of Recycling
Feb 28th, 2014 | By Katrina Kazda
Recycling programs have been in place for decades, so you’d think we’d all be pros by now. But many of us still hesitate at the recycling bin as we try to figure out what can and cannot be recycled. Which numbers can I recycle? Cap or no cap? What about plastic bags? And as communities begin to add organics collection programs, there’s bound to be an extra layer of confusion around the compost bin. These three simple rules—plus some insight into what happens to your recyclables once they’re dumped in the truck—will set you on the path to being a zero-waste champion!
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Eco Living
College Student Speaks Out About Idling
Feb 12th, 2014 | By Katrina Kazda
In January, Sustainable America received an unexpected call. It was from Clare Roth, a Northwestern University senior journalism student who had learned of our "I Turn It Off" pledge campaign to end unnecessary vehicle idling. A member of her school’s speech team, Roth had chosen vehicle idling as the topic for the prepared speech she would be competing with throughout the season—and she wanted to see if we could send her materials to hand out at the events.
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