WEBVTT 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:04.500 [Narrator] Climate change affects every country on every continent. 00:00:04.500 --> 00:00:07.000 It is disrupting national economies and affecting lives, 00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:09.000 costing people, communities, and countries 00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:12.000 dearly today and even more tomorrow. 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:13.000 Global climate change has already had 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:15.000 an observable effect on the environment. 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:19.000 Glaciers have shrunk, sea levels are rising, 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:21.000 plant and animal habitats have shifted, 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:24.000 and we're experiencing more intense heat waves 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:25.000 than ever. Yay, Texas. 00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:28.000 Without action, the world's average surface temperature 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:32.000 is likely to rise 2 1/2 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:33.000 over the next century. 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:34.000 To put that into perspective, 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:36.000 at the end of the last Ice Age, 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:37.000 when the Northeast United States 00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:40.000 was covered by more than 3000 feet of ice, 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:44.000 average temperatures were only 5 to 9 degrees cooler than today. 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:47.000 We do not want to see a world that is 3 degrees warmer. 00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:50.000 We all know that we have a part in this, 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:51.000 but what can we do? 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:55.000 Luckily, there are a lot of people and groups out there that want to help. 00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:59.000 [Dorian Evans] Hi, Comets. I'm Dorian Evans, the Assistant Director 00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:03.000 for Environmental Programs with Research, Campus and Environmental Safety at UT Dallas. 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:05.000 I'll give you a little insight 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:07.000 into what our group is doing on campus 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:08.000 and let you know how you can help. 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:10.000 So who are we? 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:14.000 Our Environmental Safety team is made-up of a group of environmental professionals 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:18.000 with focuses in engineering, chemistry, hazardous materials, 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:20.000 hydrogeology and ecosystem dynamics, 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:23.000 plus a few amazing student workers. 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:25.000 We work closely with our researchers, 00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:28.000 Facilities Management, Office of Sustainability, Housing, Athletics, 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:32.000 and anyone else on campus that might affect Environmental Quality. 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:36.000 At the base of this, we help the University ensure compliance 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:39.000 with Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, policies. 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:41.000 The EPA's mission, as is ours, 00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:43.000 is to protect human health and the environment. 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:48.000 We work to achieve this by following a variety of federal, state, and local regulations. 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:52.000 Our goal is clean air, clean water, and the safe management of waste. 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:57.000 So first let's get into a little bit of the science behind climate change, 00:01:57.000 --> 00:01:58.000 and to do so we need to have a basic understanding of the greenhouse effect. 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:03.000 Life on Earth depends on energy coming from the sun. 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:06.000 About half the light reaching Earth's atmosphere 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:09.000 passes through the air and clouds to the surface, 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:12.000 where it is then absorbed and then radiated upward 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:14.000 in the form of infrared heat. 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:17.000 About 90% of this heat is then absorbed by greenhouse gases 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:20.000 and radiated back toward the surface. 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:23.000 Scientists attribute climate change to human activities, 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:25.000 increasing the natural greenhouse effect. 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:29.000 Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse effect and natural component of the atmosphere. 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:31.000 However, since the Industrial Revolution began, 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:34.000 burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:38.000 has increased the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide, or CO2. 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:41.000 The increase in CO2, along with other greenhouse gases, 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:45.000 reduces the amount of energy that is reflected back to space, 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:48.000 causing more heat to be trapped within the atmosphere. 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:52.000 The easiest way to visualize how Environmental Safety 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:55.000 is working to reduce greenhouse gases and other air pollutants 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:58.000 is to look at some of the processes on campus that generate them. 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:01.000 Boilers heat the campus in winter. 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:04.000 These boilers are operated under an environmental permit. 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:06.000 Proper preventative maintenance and emission tracking 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:11.000 ensures that they are releasing the least amount of air pollutants as possible. 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:15.000 Generators providing emergency, temporary or portable power 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:19.000 are permitted to be used only so many hours per year 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:20.000 to keep our emissions low. 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:23.000 Even our campus printing and painting operations are regulated. 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:26.000 Air pollutants can come in a variety of sources 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:28.000 and can cause a variety of issues, 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:31.000 including global climate change. 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:35.000 Environmental Safety maintains and updates the University's air permits, 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:38.000 tracks emission sources, determines permit applicability, 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:40.000 and prepares permit applications 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:42.000 to maintain compliance for UT Dallas 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:46.000 and clean air for campus and the surrounding community. 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:48.000 So a little bit more bad news. 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:51.000 Climate change contaminates your water. 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:55.000 It's making intense downpours, droughts, and rising water temperatures more common. 00:03:55.000 --> 00:04:00.000 This can alter the quality of our drinking and recreational water. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:03.000 It is important to remember that stormwater runoff, 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:05.000 or rainwater that doesn't soak into the ground 00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:08.000 ends up in local streams, creeks, rivers, and lakes. 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:11.000 Stormwater is untreated and can carry pollutants, sediment, 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:14.000 and trash into our water resources. 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:16.000 Stormwater pollution can easily be controlled 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:17.000 if everyone plays a part 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:21.000 in preventing unwanted substances from entering storm drains 00:04:21.000 --> 00:04:23.000 in streets where you live or work. 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:26.000 Cottonwood Creek runs through our campus, 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:28.000 adding to the natural beauty of UT Dallas. 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:31.000 The entire campus population has a responsibility 00:04:31.000 --> 00:04:33.000 to help preserve Cottonwood Creek. 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:35.000 By practicing pollution prevention habits 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:37.000 like picking up litter or other waste, 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:41.000 campus community members can keep pollutants that collect on paved areas 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:44.000 from washing into the storm drains. 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:46.000 So thinking about stormwater runoff, 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:49.000 please don't go wash your car on campus 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:51.000 or change your oil on campus. 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:53.000 The dirt, grease and oil gets washed off 00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:54.500 and can immediately drain to Cottonwood Creek. 00:04:54.500 --> 00:04:58.000 Car wash businesses collect the runoff to be treated 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:00.000 rather than it going to the storm drain. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:03.000 Environmental Safety does monthly formal inspections 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:05.000 of Cottonwood Creek on campus 00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:07.000 with the assistance of Facilities Management staff 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:09.000 to help identify obvious pollutant issues, 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:13.000 general water quality, and erosion concerns. 00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:15.000 We then work to correct any of these issues. 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:19.000 We have seen dog poop, cigarette butts, and general trash 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:21.000 at risk of washing into the creek. 00:05:21.000 --> 00:05:23.000 Though we walk these creeks more than once a month, 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:24.000 we could still miss things. 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:26.000 Help us by being our eyes on campus. 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:29.000 Some of the signs of water pollution in Cottonwood Creek 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:31.000 can include colored or cloudy water, 00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:35.000 dead or dying animals, trash, oily sheen, bad odors, 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:37.000 construction debris, or spills. 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:40.000 If you see something, please report it to us. 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:42.000 You can e-mail safety@utdallas.edu 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:46.000 or contact us at extension 7200. 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:48.000 Now on to Hazardous Waste. 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:54.000 Environmental Safety is responsible for the implementation of proper management practices 00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:56.000 for all aspects of the handling, storage, and disposal 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:59.000 of hazardous waste generated on campus 00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:01.000 and UT Dallas generates a lot, 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:04.000 which sounds terrible until you realize what it really means. 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:06.000 There are a lot of materials out there 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:07.000 that you wouldn't consider hazardous, 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:10.000 but they might be hazardous if improperly disposed. 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:11.000 Think about paint. 00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:13.000 You use it, hopefully with good ventilation, 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:15.000 but then what do you do with the rest? 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:17.000 Would you dump it in Cottonwood Creek? 00:06:17.000 --> 00:06:18.000 No, of course not. 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:21.000 If it was safe for you to use, but you actually recognized 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:23.000 that there might be a little bit more to it. 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:27.000 Now, lot of waste generated on campus comes from our research and teaching labs, 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:29.000 which are definitely hazardous. 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:31.000 Rather than disposing of it in the sink, we collect it, 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:34.000 as with all hazardous waste. Once collected, 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:37.000 it is sorted and then shipped off to an offsite vendor 00:06:37.000 --> 00:06:38.000 that can safely treat the waste. 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:41.000 Some of it gets recycled or used for fuel. Yay. 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:45.000 Other times it is treated or incinerated and goes to special landfills. 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:46.500 Incineration causes greenhouse gases 00:06:46.500 --> 00:06:50.000 and landfilling takes up natural resources. 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:54.000 UT Dallas is committed to a policy of efficient energy management, 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:56.500 environmental excellence, and resource conservation. 00:06:56.500 --> 00:06:59.000 So how do we do that while still maintaining innovative research 00:06:59.000 --> 00:07:01.000 and general campus operations? 00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:04.000 Reduce, reuse, recycle --in that order. 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:07.000 By doing this, we can avoid environmental hazards, 00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:10.000 protect scarce natural natural resources, 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:15.000 reduce the nation's reliance on raw materials, and provide economic benefits. 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:17.000 Environmental Safety has developed a pollution prevention plan 00:07:17.000 --> 00:07:20.000 that outlines several campus projects 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:22.000 which help reduce the amount of waste generated. 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:24.000 Most projects focus on laboratory practices, 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:28.000 but they can also relate back to campus operations and your day-to-day lives. 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:31.000 So first we want to reduce the amount of waste generated. 00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:34.000 You can do that by ordering only what you need. 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:37.000 Using an inventory system can really help with this process. 00:07:37.000 --> 00:07:39.000 That way you don't forget that you had something 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:40.500 and you can easily find it. 00:07:40.500 --> 00:07:43.000 You can also scale back the size of your project 00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:47.000 or substitute hazardous chemicals with nonhazardous chemicals 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:50.000 such as purchasing mercury-free instruments. 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:55.000 In collaboration with UT Dallas's Chemistry Graduate Student Association, 00:07:55.000 --> 00:08:00.000 Research, Campus and Environmental Safety is working on a mercury thermometer exchange program. 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:04.000 Mercury is very toxic and should be removed from use whenever possible. 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:10.000 We have already removed nearly 500 mercury-containing thermometers from campus this year, 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:12.000 all of which were recycled. 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:14.000 So, if we can't reduce the amount of waste that we generate, 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:18.000 could it be reused or recycled? Back to the paint. 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:21.000 All the surplus paint, that you agreed we wouldn't dump into Cottonwood Creek, 00:08:21.000 --> 00:08:25.000 was donated to Habitat for Humanity, 00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:27.000 nearly 500 gallons of it. 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:31.000 This paint will be put to good use rather than ending up in a landfill. 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:35.000 There are several interrelated economic benefits of recycling hazardous waste. 00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:38.500 The extraction, refining, transportation and processing of new raw materials 00:08:38.500 --> 00:08:42.000 can have a significant impact on the environment. 00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:46.000 Recycling waste can mean less air, less water, and less soil pollution 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:49.000 associated with these practices. 00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:53.000 And that's a lot of what we do is research campus and Environmental Safety 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:57.000 to help protect the environment and reduce our campus impact on climate change. 00:08:57.000 --> 00:08:59.000 So what else can we do as individuals? Be involved. 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:04.000 ACT NOW is the United Nations global call 00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:06.000 to individual action on climate change. 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:09.000 By changing our habits and routines and making choices 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:11.000 that have less harmful effects on the environment, 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:14.000 we have the power to confront the climate challenge. 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:17.000 There are many things that each of us can do as individuals. 00:09:17.000 --> 00:09:18.000 To find out what you can do, 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:23.000 go to www.un.org/actnow 00:09:23.000 --> 00:09:26.000 Climate change is a defining issue of our time, 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:28.000 and we are at a defining moment. 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:30.000 Let's act now together. Thank you. Stay safe.