There's such an information onslaught these days, especially in green issues, the idea of actually keeping on top of it is overwhelming, if not downright laughable. So, while these issues may change, I give you a brief list of green-related statements and tell you what's bunk and what's not. Put them on index cards, break them out next time you're at a dinner party with people you want to impress, or, alternately, throw a drink at.
Issue #1: Paper and plastic--it doesn't matter what you choose because neither is really better.
The Oregonian's PDX Green blog recently put up a hype-free version of this argument. Plastic bags are more efficiently produced and use less fuel to ship by virtue of their lightness. However, they foul the recycling process and snag on trees for an unappealing look, not to mention the also extremely unappealing entrapped marine life that can go along with their disposal. Paper bags use more energy to make, but recycling pares this process down quite a bit, and they do biodegrade (even as this process involves greenhouse gas release). So yeah, tell that guy with the goatee and the martini that though neither is preferable, you can solve this issue by using your own bags. Because it does matter.
Issue #2: Driving is better than flying, fuel-economy wise.
This one was surprising. It's no secret that planes get just horrible mileage, although airlines have recently actually slowed down to conserve costs, piling on usually a scant 3 minutes to flight time. However, when you divide those pounds of fuel and emissions by the number of people in the plane, the economy actually improves beyond most consumer-level cars. From Wired's Autopia Blog by Dave Demerjian:
According to Terrapass, my Jetta will spew around 850 pounds of CO2 over 1,000 miles. Airliners.net says an Airbus A320 burns 2.569 gallons per mile, so my thousand mile flight (let's call it 1,500 miles with the connection) requires 3,853 gallons of fuel. The Energy Information Administration says a gallon of jet fuel produces around 21 pounds of carbon, which means my flight is releasing 80,913 pounds of C02. That's horrible, but it's not the whole story. Divide that number by 140 -- the number of passengers packed into that Airbus -- and you arrive at 578 pounds per person.
850 pounds of CO2 driving, 577 pounds flying. Advantage: plane.
Issue #3: Free-range means my bird got to peck around in the grass and scratch around before I ate it.
Free-range is better than caged, or it would be, if the term free-range actually meant anything consistent in the agricultural industry. Broiler hens, those that are raised for meat, comprise the only category where the term "free-range" actually means anything concrete. It doesn't mean there's much actual ranging going on. In order to get certification, a chicken shed just needs to have access to the outside. This enclosed area can be so small it only allows a few chickens at a time while the vast majority are clustered inside. And free-range eggs, beef, or pork has no formal definition at all. It could mean the animals are running around outside, or housed shoulder to shoulder in high-density format with a window at one end. The only way to know whether your beef is truly free range is to go track it down before it lands on your dinner table.
There's such an information onslaught these days, especially in green issues, the idea of actually keeping on top of it is overwhelming, if not downright laughable. So, while these issues may change, I give you a brief list of green-related statements and tell you what's bunk and what's not. Put them on index cards, break them out next time you're at a dinner party with people you want to impress, or, alternately, throw a drink at.
Issue #1: Paper and plastic--it doesn't matter what you choose because neither is really better.
The Oregonian's PDX Green blog recently put up a hype-free version of this argument. Plastic bags are more efficiently produced and use less fuel to ship by virtue of their lightness. However, they foul the recycling process and snag on trees for an unappealing look, not to mention the also extremely unappealing entrapped marine life that can go along with their disposal. Paper bags use more energy to make, but recycling pares this process down quite a bit, and they do biodegrade (even as this process involves greenhouse gas release). So yeah, tell that guy with the goatee and the martini that though neither is preferable, you can solve this issue by using your own bags. Because it does matter.
Issue #2: Driving is better than flying, fuel-economy wise.
This one was surprising. It's no secret that planes get just horrible mileage, although airlines have recently actually slowed down to conserve costs, piling on usually a scant 3 minutes to flight time. However, when you divide those pounds of fuel and emissions by the number of people in the plane, the economy actually improves beyond most consumer-level cars. From Wired's Autopia Blog by Dave Demerjian:
According to Terrapass, my Jetta will spew around 850 pounds of CO2 over 1,000 miles. Airliners.net says an Airbus A320 burns 2.569 gallons per mile, so my thousand mile flight (let's call it 1,500 miles with the connection) requires 3,853 gallons of fuel. The Energy Information Administration says a gallon of jet fuel produces around 21 pounds of carbon, which means my flight is releasing 80,913 pounds of C02. That's horrible, but it's not the whole story. Divide that number by 140 -- the number of passengers packed into that Airbus -- and you arrive at 578 pounds per person.
850 pounds of CO2 driving, 577 pounds flying. Advantage: plane.
Issue #3: Free-range means my bird got to peck around in the grass and scratch around before I ate it.
Free-range is better than caged, or it would be, if the term free-range actually meant anything consistent in the agricultural industry. Broiler hens, those that are raised for meat, comprise the only category where the term "free-range" actually means anything concrete. It doesn't mean there's much actual ranging going on. In order to get certification, a chicken shed just needs to have access to the outside. This enclosed area can be so small it only allows a few chickens at a time while the vast majority are clustered inside. And free-range eggs, beef, or pork has no formal definition at all. It could mean the animals are running around outside, or housed shoulder to shoulder in high-density format with a window at one end. The only way to know whether your beef is truly free range is to go track it down before it lands on your dinner table.