Going Green

Welcome to a new column committed to going and growing green. Together with a little effort, we will be able to utilize the Chester County Times to present ideas, options, as a springboard each other to make a “greener world” To begin I do not claim to be a “green” expert, and I openly welcome feedback as this is a learning process for me as well as a source for information sharing. My background is medical I am a Registered Nurse at Thomas Jefferson U. Hospital. This column actually was developed in part due to my frustration in obtaining information to make my home, office, and leisure activities as green as possible. Recently I took in the movie “The 11th Hour” a movie about global warming hosted by Leonardo DiCaprio, the most important piece of information I took away from this movie was that each and every consumer has a vote. A vote is cast by the purchasing power of our individual consumer spending. Whether we choose to purchase greener electricity form our electricity supplier or paper plates vs. styrofoam plates for a picnic, or choices made by office supply purchaser. We can all make a difference little by little to hopefully equal a difference that matters. The first area that everyone can make a difference is to recycle. At home newspaper and post consumer packaging(cereal boxes, envelopes, magazines) should all be bundle in a used paper bag from the supermarket, or tied with string or placed in a plastic recyclable bucket(to be used again and again). Metals cans also make up a large portion of recycling whether aluminum or tin (soda, beer, fruit, and vegetable), old paint cans left open to dry can also be recycled. And finally plastics, according to the thickness of the plastic (all plastic are coded by number of thickness in a triangle located on the package). Each township is different as to the thickness of plastic that it collects. Please refer to your local municipality if there are any questions regarding recycling programs. At work many employers have separate refuse containers. Cans, bottles, paper, and garbage are sorted into different collection bins in most cafeteria setting dining areas. I have heard of worm farms to help dispose of garbage waste at work. Instead of discarding your food scraps, you can recycle them with the help of worms. Vermicomposting (worm composting) turns many types of kitchen waste into a nutritious soil for plants. When worm compost is added to soil, it boosts the nutrients available to plants and enhances soil structure and drainage. Using worms to decompose food waste offers several advantages: It reduces household garbage disposal costs; • It produces less odor and attracts fewer pests than putting food wastes into a garbage container; • It saves the water and electricity that kitchen sink garbage disposal units consume; • It produces a free, high-quality soil amendment (compost); • It requires little space, labor, or maintenance; • It spawns free worms for fishing. In the work station confidential paperwork can be shredded in the office or collected in a secure container then taken to be shredded and recycled. Everyday paperwork that is no longer needed or is outdated should be collected and recycled, folders and office supplies reused whenever possible. The following phrase was learned many years ago to help with recycling program: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle it\u27s a matter of waste minimization the idea is that the first priority is to reduce your use or consumption of something second priority; it you can\u27t reduce your use of something, then reuse it if you can, and third, if you can\u27t reuse something, then at least recycle it if you can a good example of this would be water bottles REDUCE your use of water bottles by filling a reusable container from the tap or from your Brita pitcher at home if you do use a water bottle, you can REUSE it a few times (within recommendations for cleanliness) after you have reused it, RECYCLE it. (In some areas where plastics are not picked up at the curbside with other recyclables, look for community groups or churches that may have a periodic drop-off time for other recyclable items

Entgrenzung als allgemeinerer Trend? Mobile Pflege und Arbeit in der Medien- und Kulturindustrie im Vergleich

In der deutschsprachigen Arbeits- und Industriesoziologie wird derzeit eine intensive Debatte über die Entgrenzung von Erwerbsarbeit geführt. Hiermit ist gemeint, dass sich die industriegesellschaftlich etablierten Grenzen von Erwerbsarbeit verflüssigen oder auflösen. Bislang gibt es kaum empirische Arbeiten, in denen die prognostizierten Veränderungen in konkreten Tätigkeitsfeldern vergleichend untersucht werden. Das vorliegende Arbeitspapier kontrastiert Befunde aus einer Studie über mobile Pflegedienste mit Ergebnissen einer Untersuchung über Freelancer in der Medien- und Kulturindustrie. Dabei wird der Frage nachgegangen, ob die These einer generellen Entgrenzung von Arbeit tatsächlich haltbar ist. Lassen sich in bestimmten Bereichen möglicherweise Gegentendenzen beobachten? Passen sich die Beschäftigten lediglich den veränderten Anforderungen an oder entwickeln sie eigene, aktive Strategien zur Begrenzung von Erwerbsarbeit und zur Neugestaltung des Verhältnisses von Erwerbsarbeit und Privatleben? Wie verteilen sich Chancen und Risiken für eine aktive Grenzziehung zwischen unterschiedlichen Beschäftigtengruppen? Und schließlich: Welcher Erkenntnisgewinn lässt sich aus solchen vergleichenden empirischen Befunden für die Entgrenzungsdebatte erzielen? -- In the German sociology of work and industrial relations there is an ongoing discussion on the de-limitation of work. In this debate, it is assumed that the de-standardisation and growing flexibilisation of work may result in a dissolution of the boundaries between work and private live, whereas a separation of both spheres was characteristic for an ideal-type standard working contract during the fordist period. Up to now, there has not been much empirical research which takes a closer look to the postulated changes. To get a broader perspective on the changes of work in different occupational fields, the paper compares results from a study on mobile care services with the findings of a research project on freelancers in the New Media and the cultural industries. The authors ask whether the assumed de-limitation of work really is a general trend. Are there possibly countervailing tendencies in some fields? Do workers just cope with the changes of work, or do they develop own, active strategies to re-define the boundaries of work and to find a new work-life balance? How are opportunities and risks spread among different groups of workers? What can be learned from such a comparative perspective for the debate on a de-limitation of work?

Entgrenzung als allgemeinerer Trend? Mobile Pflege und Arbeit in der Medien- und Kulturindustrie im Vergleich

"In der deutschsprachigen Arbeits- und Industriesoziologie wird derzeit eine intensive Debatte über die 'Entgrenzung' von Erwerbsarbeit geführt. Hiermit ist gemeint, dass sich die industriegesellschaftlich etablierten Grenzen von Erwerbsarbeit verflüssigen oder auflösen. Bislang gibt es kaum empirische Arbeiten, in denen die prognostizierten Veränderungen in konkreten Tätigkeitsfeldern vergleichend untersucht werden. Das vorliegende Arbeitspapier kontrastiert Befunde aus einer Studie über mobile Pflegedienste mit Ergebnissen einer Untersuchung über Freelancer in der Medien- und Kulturindustrie. Dabei wird der Frage nachgegangen, ob die These einer generellen Entgrenzung von Arbeit tatsächlich haltbar ist. Lassen sich in bestimmten Bereichen möglicherweise Gegentendenzen beobachten? Passen sich die Beschäftigten lediglich den veränderten Anforderungen an oder entwickeln sie eigene, aktive Strategien zur Begrenzung von Erwerbsarbeit und zur Neugestaltung des Verhältnisses von Erwerbsarbeit und Privatleben? Wie verteilen sich Chancen und Risiken für eine aktive Grenzziehung zwischen unterschiedlichen Beschäftigtengruppen? Und schließlich: Welcher Erkenntnisgewinn lässt sich aus solchen vergleichenden empirischen Befunden für die Entgrenzungsdebatte erzielen?" (Autorenreferat)"In the German sociology of work and industrial relations there is an ongoing discussion on the de-limitation of work. In this debate, it is assumed that the de-standardisation and growing flexibilisation of work may result in a dissolution of the boundaries between work and private live, whereas a separation of both spheres was characteristic for an ideal-type standard working contract during the fordist period. Up to now, there has not been much empirical research which takes a closer look to the postulated changes. To get a broader perspective on the changes of work in different occupational fields, the paper compares results from a study on mobile care services with the findings of a research project on freelancers in the New Media and the cultural industries. The authors ask whether the assumed de-limitation of work really is a general trend. Are there possibly countervailing tendencies in some fields? Do workers just cope with the changes of work, or do they develop own, active strategies to re-define the boundaries of work and to find a new work-life balance? How are opportunities and risks spread among different groups of workers? What can be learned from such a comparative perspective for the debate on a de-limitation of work?" (author's abstract

Was ist überhaupt Arbeitszeit? Arbeitszeit und private Zeit in den Wiener 'Creative Industries'

'Die Erwerbsarbeit ist tiefgreifenden Umbrüchen unterworfen. Über Jahrzehnte etablierte Arbeitszeitstandards erodieren. Erwerbstätige müssen veränderte zeitliche Anforderungen bewältigen. Die 'Creative Industries' - Kultur- bzw. Kreativunternehmen, die erwerbswirtschaftlich orientiert sind und sich mit der Schaffung, Produktion und Verbreitung von kulturellen/ kreativen Gütern und Dienstleistungen befassen, - sind als Analysefeld aus zwei Gründen interessant: Sie haben eine Vorreiterfunktion für die Veränderung von Arbeitszeitstandards und die Grenzen zwischen Arbeits- und privater Zeit sind bei kreativen Tätigkeiten schwer zu ziehen. Auf Basis von Forschungsergebnissen zu fünf Wiener Kreativwirtschaftsbranchen (Architektur, Design/ Grafik/ Mode, Film/ Rundfunk/ Video, Software/ Multimedia/ Internet und Werbung) wird der Bestimmung/ Definition von Arbeitszeit, den arbeitszeitlichen Anforderungen und deren Folgen für die private Zeit nachgegangen. Dabei werden drei unterschiedliche Umgangsformen mit entgrenzten Arbeitszeitanforderungen diskutiert.' (Autorenreferat)'Work and employment are fundamentally changing. Traditional standards of working time erode and employees are challenged by new demands. The 'creative industries' represent an interesting area of analysis because, first of all, they are considered being a future model of working time standards and, second, it is difficult to identify boundaries between working and private time. Based on an empirical study of five subsectors of Vienna's creative industries (architecture, design/ art/ fashion, film/ broadcast/ video, IT-services/ multimedia/ internet, and advertising), the article focuses on a definition of working time, working time demands, and their impact on leisure time. Three different ways of coping with de-limited working time demands are discussed.' (author's abstract)

Routine oder reger Austausch? Eine Analyse deutscher Gegenwartsliteratur in Lizenzausgaben auf dem französischen Buchmarkt von 2000 bis 2007

Im Jahr 2001 war Deutschland Gastland der größten und wichtigsten Buchmesse Frankreichs. Die Arbeit untersucht, inwiefern die Messe den Literaturaustausch zwischen den Ländern beeinflusst hat. Dieser stand bis 2001 nicht im Fokus der Aufmerksamkeit. Seit dem Messeauftritt hat die deutsche Gegenwartsliteratur in französischer Übersetzung jedoch wieder an Bedeutung gewonnen. Die jährliche Anzahl an Übersetzungen zeigt an, dass das neu geweckte Interesse und der entstandene Aufschwung langfristig genutzt werden konnten. An der Spitze des Lizenzgeschäftes mit Deutschland stehen ein mittelgroßer und zwei kleine Verlage. Insgesamt sind viele verschiedene Verlage beteiligt, wovon die Hälfte keiner Verlagsgruppe angehört. Da sich die Rentabilität der Übersetzungen erhöht, können diese auch im immer schnelllebigeren Buchgeschäft Bestand haben. Außerdem gibt es staatliche Subventionen für Verlage, welche Übersetzungen ausländischer Literatur in ihr Programm aufnehmen. Die zunehmende Bekanntheit und das veränderte Image deutscher Autoren in Frankreich spiegeln sich in steigenden Auflagenhöhen wieder. Positiv auf die Übersetzungsquote wirken sich außerdem deutsche Literaturpreise und Jahresbestsellerlisten aus. Im Bereich der Marketingmaßnahmen lassen sich jedoch keine positiven Entwicklungen feststellen. Deutschland als Herkunftsland spielt keine entscheidende Rolle in den Vermarktungsstrategien der Verlage.In 2001 Germany was the guest country of France’s biggest and most important book fair. This work examines in what way the fair has influenced the exchange of literature between these countries. This exchange was not in the centre of attention until 2001. Since the fair appearance contemporary German literature has become more important in French translations. The yearly number of translations shows that the newly awakened interest and the resulting upswing could be used on a long-term basis. At the top of the licensing business with Germany are a medium-sized and two small publishing houses. Altogether there are many different publishers involved, half of which are not part of a publishing group. Since the profitability of translations rises, they can last in the fast-paced book market. Additionally there are public subsidies for publishers that include translations of international literature in their programmes. The increasing popularity of and the changed image of German authors in France are reflected in the rising number of published copies. German literature prizes and annual bestseller listings also affect the translation quota positively. In the area of marketing measures no positive developments can be noticed, however. Germany as the country of origin plays no decisive role in the marketing strategies of the publishing houses

Going Green #2

Three months after writing my initial article about going green. I have been bombarded with information on the web, newspapers articles, and even Oprah, and the Philadelphia Eagles about going green. I think the best way for me to sort this information is to break-it down into three areas home, work, and entertainment/leisure. This week’s article will concentrate on home, and the following two articles will go into more depth for work and leisure activities that will involve going green. The most common of all the energy saving devices that is the easiest and least expensive that all individuals can do is to change from incandescent light bulbs to compact florescent light bulbs as they need replacing. Switching to a compact florescent cost a few dollars more but over the average life-span will save money. For example, by using a 26-watt compact fluorescent light bulb—equivalent to a 100-watt incandescent light bulb—users can save up to $59 on energy costs over the life of the bulb. Many of the home building stores offer 3-pack bulbs to save money. Another way that a household can help develop wind energy is through PECOWIND program there website is www.exeloncorp.com/ourcompanies/peco/pecores/peco_wind/ and how it works is as follow: How it works is a small additional monthly cost covers the added expense of harvesting the wind power. PECO WIND energy is available for purchase in monthly blocks of 100 kilowatt-hours for$2.54 per block. For a typical home, one block is equal to about 15 percent of your average monthly electricity usage. You may choose to sign up for Wind Blocks at $2.54 per block per month or have 100 percent of your actual monthly electric usage charged at 2.54 cents for each kilowatt-hour used. If you sign up for Blocks and choose more blocks than you use, you will not be billed for more than your actual electric usage. The wind energy you support is delivered directly into the Pennsylvania electric grid, reducing the need for energy from fossil fuel sources like oil and coal. The more customers who sign up, the more Pennsylvania wind energy we can buy. This means cleaner air and water for all of us! Although buying wind does not mean that electricity is being delivered straight from the windmill to your home, it does mean that more of the electricity being put into the grid comes from wind, rather than other generation sources. By participating in PECO WIND you are reducing the need to generate electricity from other sources. PECO can be reached at the following: PECO Energy Customer Service Center 2301 Market Street P.O. Box 8699 Philadelphia, PA 19101 Telephone: 1-800-494-4000 I have found a great resource in Oprah recently when I was home sick. I tuned in Oprah for the final 5 minutes but did mange to obtain the information on her website to help green your home. The following website: http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200704/tows_past_20070420_b.jhtml reviews items such as light bulb replacement as mentioned above, Using a reusable water bottle instead of the buying a one-time usage bottle water at the local convenience store. The reusable water bottles can be used washed thoroughly and used again, and eventually they can be recycled with the other plastics. There are many tips and ideas on her site and one of my favorites is bringing your own bag to the grocery store to save the use of paper and plastic bags. On an interesting note I asked an expert what the answer should be when the checkout clerk asks what type of bags do you prefer “paper or plastic?” I was surprised to learn that if you have a choice paper is the preferable bag as it is a renewable resource and does not require petroleum products in its formation. The Philadelphia Eagles website has a great resource to help an individual or family calculate savings by changing to green habits and the amount of CO2 produced annually is also calculated. There website is http://philadelphiaeagles.com/gogreen/calculator2.asp. The Philadelphia Eagles even have on their website the ability to purchase a tree in the “Philadelphia Eagles Forest” in Neshaminy State Park http://store.philadelphiaeagles.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=5201\u26FID=2006 the price for a single tree is$62.00. I was unable to obtain an address for the Philadelphia Eagles but did mange to obtain a phone number to place an order. Phone Orders Call us toll free at 1-888-247-8833 (Outside of the US \u26 Canada call 412-252-0028), 9:00a.m.- 9:00p.m. E.T. Some household tips that I have encountered and wanted to pass on are as follows: • Use a clothes line to dry clothes instead of the dryer whenever possible. • Wash clothing in cold or warm water instead of warm and hot water. • Change showerhead to a water saving showerhead. • Keep a water jug near your sink and save the water coming out of the pipes while waiting for the hot water to come out, this water can be used in the washing machine or to water plants. • Save outside rain water to water outdoor plants, tree, and flowers. • During the hot summer months use the outside grill or microwave more then the regular oven and stove, during the cold winter months do the opposite. • Green gift ideas: environmental information and links to eco-friendly products www.wecanlivegreen.com, or green gift guide from the California Dept. of Conservation of gifts made from the states recycling program www.greengiftguide.com, alternative to buying gifts www.buylesscrap.com, and Yahoo’s Green gift guide http://green.yahoo.com/, click on green gift guide. • Caulk around windows and doors inside and out. • When purchasing appliances, buy only eco-friendly and water saving products • When it is time to replace your old water heater, replace it with a tankless on-demand electric or gas water heater. • If possible have solar panels installed • When designing or redesigning your kitchen use eco-friendly products like wheatboard cabinets \u26 wood veneers(Greenbridge Specialties ph# 717-463-3739), Recycled backsplash from Eco-Friendly Flooring ph# 866-250-3273, Earth-friendly countertops by Marblemaster ph#760-607-0903, Natural stone flooring check www.annsacks.com for stores, Sub-zero Fridge www.subzero.com, Viking Range www.vikingrange.com, and Bosch Dishwasher www.boschappliances.com. I hope some or all of these tips and ideas help us all to get a little bit greener. Even just adopting one idea is better-then doing nothing at all

Entgrenzung und Partizipation aus der Geschlechterperspektive

Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht die Entgrenzung von Arbeitsbedingungen unter besonderer Beruecksichtung der Geschlechterdimension. Die Autorin stellt die Befunde zur geschlechtlichen Verfasstheit von Arbeit und weiblichen Benachteiligung vor und geht dann auf die Implikationen fuer den Entgrenzungsdiskurs ein. Im zweiten Kapitel wird die Problemlage im Zusammenhang von Partizipation, Mitbestimmung und Fraueninteressen herausgearbeitet. Im Zentrum stehen: (1) direkte betriebliche Partizipationsmodi und Geschlecht, (2) Fraueninteressen und Barrieren kollektiver Interessendurchsetzung und (3) die Unterrepraesentanz von Frauen bei der repraesentativen Interessenvertretung. Abschliessend erfolgt eine Einschaetzung der aktuellen Entwicklung. (ICD)SIGLEAvailable from Forschungs- und Beratungsstelle Arbeitswelt -FORBA-, Wien (AT) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman

Soziale Dienste (Mobile Pflege) in Oesterreich Skizze eines Sektors

Der vorliegende Beitrag analysiert die sozialen Dienste in Oesterreich unter besonderer Beruecksichtigung des Aspektes der Entgrenzung. Zunaechst erfolgt eine Definition dessen, was die Autoren unter sozialen Diensten verstehen. Im Anschluss daran wird gezeigt, dass in diesem Bereich vor allem Frauen beschaeftigt sind, und danach gefragt, welche Auswirkungen dies auf die Beschaeftigungsverhaeltnisse im Kontext von Partizipation und Mitbestimmung hat. Im naechsten Abschnitt widmen sich die Autoren den Arbeitsbedingungen in diesem Sektor. Bei den sozialen Diensten handelt es sich um einen expandierenden Sektor mit besonders hohen Frauenbeschaeftigungsanteilen sowie mit hohen Anteilen atypischer Beschaeftigung und mobiler Arbeit. Gerade in den mobilen Pflegediensten spielen Aspekte von Entgrenzung (etwa jene von Arbeitsort/Betrieb, Person/Arbeitskraft, Arbeitszeit, Beschaeftigungsverhaeltnis, Arbeitsrolle und Leistungsanforderungen) eine grosse Rolle. Ausserdem stehen die stark wachsenden und personalintensiven Pflegedienste gegenwaertig unter starkem Effizienzdruck. Die Schere zwischen Anforderungen und Ressourcen sowohl auf gesellschaftlicher Ebene als auch auf der Ebene des Arbeitsplatzes stellt sich als europaeisches Problem in vielen Laendern. Fuer die Untersuchung sind mobile Pflegedienste des Weiteren deshalb besonders interessant, weil sie fast ausschliesslich von Nonprofit-Organisationen angeboten werden. (ICD)Available from Forschungs- und Beratungsstelle Arbeitswelt -FORBA-, Wien (AT) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman