Earth Day
What I would like this Earth Day is good, clear information on green choices. There seems to be a decided lack of that, despite the increasing interest on the part of people everywhere. Most of the books I’ve read on the subject have serious problems and I’m reluctant to put my faith in incomplete or questionably acquired information.
Is our rush to convert everyone to compact florescent bulbs really a good idea given how poorly it’s being handled? Compact florescent bulbs seem to be a good idea, energywise, but there is the little matter of having to engage in extra careful clean up should one break, not to mention the fact that they have to be disposed of as hazardous waste. Worse, many people are now using them with no idea that they’re not supposed to throw them in the trash and no idea that clean up of a broken one is a bit more extensive than “vacuum up the broken bits.” (Which may not even be a good idea.) Are children, pets, and uniformed people going to suffer for the good of the many? Is that an acceptable trade-off? Oh, sure a few pets or infants get mercury poisoning, but, look, our energy use is down. I’m not okay with that.
If we really have decided that compact florescent bulbs are the best choice for the environment. If the studies comparing them to incandescent bulbs were thoughtfully and accurately done - and not too closely tied to some corporate interest - then we need to make sure people are aware of the risks and handle them properly, not just rush to get them into as many homes as possible.
Are front loading washers really the way to go? I’ve heard some suggestion that they break down more frequently (and they are more expensive to fix, not to mention being more expensive to buy), and I’ve heard that their rapid spinning may actually be a problem in some houses. My limited experience with them suggests that they take smaller loads of laundry, which would seem to be a problem for the idea that they’re more energy efficient. We can’t compare energy use load to load if the loads aren’t, in fact, the same size. But I can’t seem to find any studies comparing the energy to wash the same volume of clothing in front loading and top loading washers. The current wisdom is that front loaders are better, but the facts seem hazier than that.
The same problem applies to the question of whether it’s really better to use a dishwasher as opposed to hand washing your dishes. Do the comparisons take into account the building and disposal of the dishwashers? Do they take into account that a person would have to own more dishes and cookware to use a dishwasher at maximum efficiency? Do dishwashers still come out more energy efficient if a person has a solar hot water heater? Does it matter that some of the studies seem to have been sponsored by dishwasher manufacturers?
Energy efficiency in anything that uses energy is a good idea, but are some of these energy saving tips merely a shifting of the responsibility onto the consumer, or worse, a co-opting of the green movement by business to sell us more stuff? Will we look back on some of today’s green choices the way we look back on the Volkswagen Rabbit? (Oops, diesel wasn’t really the way to go.)
I don’t know. And I can’t find information that meets my (rather high) standards. I’m tired of looking through green books that tell me to use the internet rather than the public library for information with no explanation of why the internet involves less energy use. (Are they assuming one drives to the library?) Or to replace my old television now because, as a pre-digital set, it will someday end up in a landfill. (Don’t digital sets break eventually, too?) Or to buy a laptop rather than a desktop computer. (But you can upgrade desktops much easier than laptops. Was that taken into consideration?)
I want to live greenly, but I want to do it right. I recycle. I use reusable grocery bags. I try to give away or sell anything I don’t want that someone else might. I do try to buy locally (though organic may outweigh that, depending). I try not to be a thoughtless consumer. Is it too much to ask for good information on more complicated options?