GREENING INITIATIVES

Ways that Carpe Diem is putting the "Natural" in Naturally Nomadic

 

The U.N. in 1987 defined Sustainability as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Both Domestically and Internationally, Carpe Diem is working towards environmental, economic, and social sustainability. HOW?

 

 

ENERGY

  • Our Portland office is run exclusively off of wind power through PacificPower. Did you know that 45% of the country is still run on coal power? Talk to your local utility company about options in your area to run your home or business off of alternative energy sources.
  • We are transitioning to using exclusively LED light bulbs throughout our office. LED light bulbs emit more light per watt and last longer than incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs. While many businesses use Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs), these bulbs have mercury in them and are considered hazardous waste! LED bulbs contain no toxic elements.
  • Did you know that heating water accounts for up to 30% of a homes energy budget? We recently installed a super-efficient tankless water heater in our office. This saves energy by heating water on-demand rather than keeping an entire tank of water heated.

WATER

  • While Carpe Diem wants all students to drink safe potable drinking water throughout their travels. Rather than purchase bottled water everyday for 3 months Carpe Diem provides all groups with two Steri-pens and rechargeable batteries, which allows for safe drinking water without the plastic use. On a typical semester, these alternative water purification services save about a thousand plastic bottles of water from ending up on the streets in countries that usually don’t have any recycling programs to speak of.

RECYCLING AND WASTE REDUCTION

  • We are working toward minimizing our paper use, though any necessary paper used is 100% recycled and/or alternative fiber sources.
  • All of our staff composts food scraps both at home and at work. Composting uses food waste that would normally go to the landfill and turns it into reusable nutrient rich topsoil. We use this compost in our Community Garden. Our yard space has a garden that provides food and a social space for the office and nearby residents.

TRAVEL AND CARBON OFFSETS

  • Carpe Diem supports commuting by bicycle!!! We have a fleet of bicycles available for both overseas educators and office staff to use. (And of course helmets too.)
  • We also support use of public transit, and provide our OEs with light rail passes when they are in Portland.
  • Carpe Diem acknowledges that overseas travel can have a negative impact on the environment. Flying all our students and educators around the globe leads to large amounts of Carbon emissions! To address this Carpe Diem offers students the option of purchasing carbon offsets at small farms in Peru, which neutralize the emissions of their air travel. Carpe Diem will match this purchase, up to $30 per student.

COMMUNITY

  • While most people think of "sustainability" as it relates to environmental systems, it can also include social systems. Social sustainability encompasses human rights, labor rights, good governance, and sustainable communities. Carpe Diem believes strongly in creating and sustaining community. We regularly have potlucks, BBQs, and movie marathons. From small things like picking each other up at the airport, to office ping pong tournaments, to providing free housing to staff in transition, we work to support one another.
  • Carpe Diem believes in creating a workspace that promotes health, happiness, and stability. (With a dash of adventure thrown in, of course!) All our office staff have health care plans that allow for alternative and preventative treatments, such as massage or acupuncture. We also encourage staff to take days off when they need it so that when they are in the office, they are fully present.
  • We are very proud of our continuously high retention rate of staff and overseas educators. This high retention rate allows for more continuity and consistency between our programs, which also allows for our overseas educators to deepen their own understanding of world and provide a more holistic perspective to our students.
  • Building community is a very important component of our programs. Living and traveling together for three months, learning to make decisions together, and creating a respectful community are skills we hope students will carry with them, both during their semester and beyond.

PARTNERSHIPS

  • Carpe Diem has partnered with Portland State University (PSU) for many years to provide academic opportunities for our students. More recently, our leaders have been able to take advantage of this relationship with PSU to study Leadership for Sustainability Education, thus increasing the capacity and experience of our Overseas Educators and office staff.
    • Carpe Diem has on-going reciprocal relationships with communities abroad that benefit both Carpe Diem and our international partners by creating a space for cultural exchange and understanding. We value our relationships with our international partners so greatly that we are experimenting with over-seas offices to allow for increased in-person support and more in depth relationships that can only be developed through personal contact.

APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY

  • Throughout our programs students learn a variety of appropriate technologies through volunteering with organizations that promote sustainable living and organic agriculture. In the past students have learned about solar ovens, earthen ovens, bio-gas, cob building, bio-dynamic agriculture, seed saving and much more.