Christian Ferney Caught Green Handed

Name: Christian FerneyHometown: Portland, ORPosition: Student Programs Manager, Kenan Institute for EthicsWhere: The Knight HouseDoing what: Unplugging unused kitchen applianceWhy did you unplug the electric can opener? What other sustainable cooking habits do you practice?In my own house I use a hand-operated can opener. For most people, I'm not sure I see why we need to involve electricity in the opening of cans. In this case, it's a small amount of electrical waste, but one that's very avoidable. It all adds up.  At my house we try to limit our water consumption, capturing water under the faucet while waiting for hot water to come to temperature. And we compost!Why is cooking sustainably important to you? Cooking is a daily practice of creating (delicious!) fuel to keep me and my family going. I used to be a terrible cook, or more accurately an incredibly inexperienced cook. Food and cooking became a kind of therapeutic while I was working on my PhD in grad school. I became a good cook through lots of repetition. Living sustainably is similarly about practice and making good actions in to habits. What other things do you do in your everyday life to be sustainable?Turn off lights. Recycle fanatically. Attempt to save gasoline while driving. What sustainable efforts have you noticed around campus?Recycling bins (though sometimes too well used and overflowing in my neck of the woods). New stickers reminding me to conserve and turn off lights. If you could change one thing on campus to make it more sustainable, what would it be?Good question. I'd like to see more widespread use of reusable containers. My impression is that I see fewer and fewer disposable bottles of water around, but I'd like to see more people bring their own coffee mugs/water bottles with them around campus. Cleaning up reusable containers isn't much of a hassle, and it can make a big difference. Do you already know a lot about how to be sustainable and the environment or are you coming here to learn more?People can always know more, can't they? For me, the trick is more putting what I know into practice. Will you be caught green handed next? Caught Green Handed is an initiative of Students for Sustainable Living created to reward sustainability actions at Duke. Get caught doing something eco-friendly, and receive great prizes including t-shirts, stainless steel water bottles and reusable grocery bags!  It's simple, just take actions throughout the day to reduce your environmental footprint and with a little luck, you could be Caught Green Handed! The contest will continue on a twice monthly basis throughout the fall semester.