Filed under: Society + Media | Tags: about, dshawla, green clothing, music, vegetarian
(edited from a previous version)
I live in Culver City, CA with my wife, Rebecca and our rescue mutt, Luke.
I was raised on Long Island until I was almost 13. My dad worked in radio. Having a dad who worked in the music business and having parents who both listened to music throughout my childhood, I was bred to be a music geek.
We moved to Winston-Salem, NC when I was 13. I attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I majored in Journalism and Mass Communication. After graduation, I left for the Big Apple to pursue a career in the music business. NYC did not agree with me, so I headed to LA.
I spent most of my career at Nettwerk Records as their west coast sales rep and then head of sales. I had a good time, but in the end, it wasn’t very fulfilling. I left the music business in April 2001. I had no idea what I wanted to do next.
In 2002 I started working for an ad agency as an account executive. I remained there for the next 3 1/2 years. It was a job. Passion had nothing to do with it. But, being who I am, I learned that I had to be passionate about my work.
I have always considered myself to be concerned about the environment. But I was pretty casual about it and I really didn’t own my impact on the earth.
Recently, I’ve come to realize that I am passionate about the environment. It has been a pleasure to make simple changes to my diet, to my light bulbs, to my shower heads, to my grocery bags, etc. This newly discovered passion, which is far deeper than my desire to work in the music business ever was, has driven me to keep moving further.
Rebecca and I plan to open a store that sells environmentally friendly clothing and accessories.
I thank Simran for inviting me to join, but I also thank the other authors for letting me participate.
By the way, Rebecca is from Kansas. In fact, she’s a Jayhawk. We were married on the campus of KU (in a small chapel) in April of 2004. Our reception was at Liberty Hall. I have enjoyed many a brew at Freestate. I cheer for Kansas whenever they’re not playing Carolina.
– David Shaw
Filed under: Society + Media, Waste + Recycling | Tags: center for sustainability, environment, environs, green, KU, media, university, University Kansas
We continue to have really fruitful conversations about what we can all do to reduce our impacts, consider our actions, become more eco-fabulous. But what can be done on a campus-level? Take a look at Green Student U and the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education for a start. . .One of our projects is to green the J-School but this may provide more impetus to work with Juliana (at Environs) and Jeff (at the Center for Sustainability) and go further.
Simran
Filed under: Waste + Recycling | Tags: "reduce, carbon footprint, conserve, microfiber cloth, paper towels, reuse
I drink at least a liter of water a day, which means I end up using the restroom at least five times a day. In the bathroom at work, we have the fairly standard stack of single sheet paper towels that you pull from the holder one at a time (although sometimes a clump comes out, if they’re packed too tightly). It takes two paper towels to dry my hands thoroughly.
So, on a daily basis I use at least 10 paper towels, or 50 paper towels a week, or 200 paper towels a month, or 2,400 paper towels a year! That is a lot of paper. But, I have to wash my hands and I have to dry them. Yet, every time I grab the paper towels, I feel a tinge of guilt. So, I started trying to find ways to conserve paper towels.
First, I decided to cut down to just one paper towel. Yeah, my hands were still a little damp when I left the restroom, but they air dried within a minute or two. Still, with one paper towel per hand washing, I was using at least 1,200 paper towels a year. Not good enough.
This has been bugging me for a while. Finally, one day I had an epiphany. If I were to use one of those quick drying micro-fiber towels that hikers and campers use, I could just keep that in my pocket and use it to dry my hands anywhere I go. AND they are made with some sort of anti-microbial/germ fighting thing that helps prevent them from getting getting germy and stinky.
I know that it takes more resources and energy to make one quick-dry towel than it takes to make one paper towel, but I’m not so sure the same holds true vs. 2,400 paper towels – especially when you consider the paper towels are virgin paper. My guess is I can get at least a couple years use out of the microfiber towel. Weighing that against nearly 5,000 paper towels I might use over two years and it’s a no-brainer – microfiber towel wins!
So, I am going to start pushing a new mantra that’s similar to the bring your own shopping bag slogan that is starting to catch on. Bring your own hand towel. If you are wondering whether using a paper towel or a hot air hand dryer is the better choice, the best choice is neither – Bring your own hand towel!
I was at a sporting goods store with my wife’s parents over the weekend and I found a small micro-fiber hand towel that even comes in its own cute little nylon pouch. I bought one as a gift for my wife’s birthday in May and I asked her to get me one for mine, which is later this month.
I will reduce my carbon footprint even more with this little towel. And I’ll save some trees, too!
David
J500 Media and the Environment 