Don’t Buy These Eco Myths
Myth: Buy locally grown food. “Transporting food from the farm to the supermarket accounts for only about 4% of the emissions involved in food production. Most of the emissions occur.”
Myth: Drive a hybrid. “Some use hybrid technology to boost power, not lower fuel use, and get fewer miles per gallon than 100% gasoline-fueled compacts.”
Myth: Open a new car’s windows rather than running its air conditioner. “New-car air conditioners are more efficient than older versions, so consumers won’t save gas by choosing instead to roll down the windows, which creates air resistance that lowers fuel mileage.”
Myth: E-readers vs. print books. “There’s no big difference in which consumes less energy overall, so don’t sweat it.”
More on this new eco-myth-busting guide to green living in USA Today.
I have no problem with a lot of pro-environment activities, what I have a problem with is people deciding that they are more informed than me and therefore have the right to dictate my own actions toward the environment. If you want people to choose the environmentally friendly option then educate them (as is working with young people) and make it in their best interest to choose green (tax breaks for solar panels is a great idea).
I’ve seen this discussed (by economist Tim Harford, I believe) in terms of raising animals in Britain compared to importing meat from New Zealand. Importing meat from New Zealand consumes far fewer resources than raising it in Britain.
I’m so glad to know that opening the car windows doesn’t actually save gas! I will continue driving in my air conditioned car with the windows rolled up and enjoy not being in the brutal heat.
I worry about the effect the old lead acid batteries in hybrid cars will have on the environment. Automakers have the technology to make gasoline cars just as efficient as hybrids. A car does not need battery power to be efficient, just a way to capture wasted braking energy. A typical hybrid is very efficient in traffic, but has no advantage over gasoline engines on the highway. A small, turbocharged engine in a car that is equipped with the technology that captures lost braking energy would have most of the benefits of a hybrid without the weight (or environmental problems) of lead-acid batteries. Hybrids use this technology — gasoline cars should to.
E-readers vs. print books.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What! No love for the trees from the bibliophiles??
Sometimes buying local food is about flavor, not carbon footprint. Many foods taste better when eaten as soon as possible after picking. Asparagus and Corn for instance have the highest sugar levels immediately after picking, which will decline the longer they are in storage. Fruits and vegetables allowed to ripen on the vine/tree/bush increases their flavor but reduces their shelf life. Of course, I’m just a big gardener, so I’m talking about the most local food of all.
Hippies want us all to live like them.
I’m curious how much hybrids boost the average power bill of households that use them.
@Alex, no one argues that:
I am more informed than you => I can tell you what to do
That is a non sequitur.
Rather, the argument from the left is:
Your environmentally unfriendly actions harm me and others => I have a direct interest in legally prohibiting your action
Much of the left has seriously misplaced their efforts regarding the environment and sustainable human development, but it’s not the case that they think “everyone should do as they do.”
And @brian, many would say that all of an individual’s actions are an effort to shape the world into the way each individual thinks it ought to be. In that sense, I don’t think hippies deserve to be singled out.