Everyday I get about 25-30 emails that aren’t junk mail per se, but various newsletters that I’ve subscribed to for “research” purposes. And one of the newspapers in the UK that sends me a note every morning had this to day, “Standby: Britain: The waste that fuels our energy crisis.” The article talks at length about how everyday electrical equipment is a source of energy waste by leaving things on standby. And it got me thinking, about Live 8, about my ecological footprint, and about how the world is now, more than ever, geared to a throw-away society.
When did the world change? I remember having an environmental conference when I was in my last year of high school, at the very least a decade ago, where we urged the world to think about its consumption of oil, the use of Styrofoam and how important it is to recycle. Now, I see commercials for throwaway toilet brushes—because the simple old-fashioned toilet brush has become ungainly and inefficient?
Now, I drive to work the majority of the time. I could take the transit, but it would take me close to two hours to get to where I needed to go. Yet, I feel increasingly guilty about driving, that price of gas, or oil in general, is making the world a sick, greedy place.
I turn off my lights, but take a shower every day. I planted a garden to help with the smog, but have to water it every night. I ride my bike on days when I’m at the downtown office, but we drive to get groceries almost every weekend. We use cloth bags, but so much of the food is pre-packaged. And I’m not even going to think about the medical waste involved in the research to find drugs for my disease.
How much has the world changed since I was naive and thought that by the time I reached this age, people would actually start caring more about their environment and less about their comfort. It’s a melancholy thought, but I struggle with it all the time. And now, I’ve got to go water the garden.
You can do this quiz: http://www.earthday.net/footprint/index.asp to see how good or bad you are.
Yeah, that eco stuff you are talking about in high school was just a fad. Sting singing about the Amazon and Angie Dickenson saying how she dries paper towels after using them (What happened to regular towel people? The kind you launder!!)
The point is we are more conscious and our generation can make decisions accordingly. Renovating your house is a good place to start. Eliminate the standby by installing the equivalent of a power bar switch for each room (the TV sucks up the most energy when not being used). Your VCR will forever flash 12:00, but so what? You’ll feel better.
The truth is there is no solution, but to USE LESS. Otherwise, the price of oil and the depletion of our natural resources will make the choice for us.