We don't buy bottled water in our house - we (perhaps naively, but I'll save that for a future conspiracies blog) just trust what comes out of the tap. But we like it cold. Today, when I was filling up the jug to put in the fridge, I wondered, does it take more energy to let the water cool before I fill the jug, or just take the first water that comes out and let it cool in the fridge? It occurs to me now, it uses less water to do the latter, which then seems like an obvious choice. But having read The Way We Eat, I find myself weighing various environmental consequences against others: which is worse, wasting a couple litres of water or using extra electricity by putting lukewarm water in the fridge?
I have no idea what the answer is, but I'm plagued by such decisions. Here are choice others:
- driving at what speed does it become equally bad, because of drag, to have the windows down as to run the AC?
- is it worse to water your own vegetables (thereby using water) or to buy non-local non-organic veggies from somewhere with high rainfall (thereby using petrochemicals)?
- does it take more gas to turn the car off frequently and then turn it on (like at a long light) or just to keep it running?
- is it worse to drive to the bookstore (using x amount of gas) and buy a new book or to order it secondhand online (using y amount of gas - likely more than x)?
- do the eggs I buy from a local farmer actually use more resources - in terms of food, water, gas, etc. - than the ones I buy from the grocery store (because the latter are mass produced and more carefully controlled)?
...as a musician and academic, I'm also always thinking cost because money's always a little tight, so then factor that in too. Sometimes, I have to admit, cost wins over environment. It can be expensive trying to do right by the Earth, and much as I want to think long-term, there are times when I can't afford to. Those are times when I feel incredibly guilty, times for which I imagine myself apologizing to my daughter and her children in 25 or 40 years.
Some of these you can write the Collected Wisdom column in the Globe (I did re: hauling my car on a trailer vs. driving it separately when UHaul was on a "green" free-trailer rental thing). (It is greener, even though you're displacing the same weight over the same distance; obviously it takes as much energy just to run the car.) As for a couple of these: that A/C uses up excessive fuel is a myth. It does draw power from the engine, but the amount of fuel is comparatively negative. A lot of drivers say no difference, but you'll lose more to drag on the highway for sure if you're driving with the windows down. That said, some say that modern cars' aerodynamics make driving with the windows down less of a ... drag. But when I heard and verified the A/C myth in TBay I was rather elated because I knew I'd be able to put the A/C on most of the drive home (and I did use the expected amount of fuel, ie hardly more than I'd have usually burned, at all). As for stopping and restarting the car, I've heard anywhere from 10 seconds to 30 seconds. I think I read in Harper's is that a 10 second stop is worth it... I think it was Harper's (Harper's Index). Maybe it wasn't. I've read elsewhere that 30 seconds is about right. I know that construction stops on highways it's almost ALWAYS worth cutting the engine. ... I get caught up in these things too. Re: the Brita, I just fill it (leaning towards the "don't waste water" side of the debate). Bottles are OUT. What a scam. Yeah, maybe the tap water has trace amounts of LSD in it (well actually it probably does have trace amounts of birth control/other hormones, antidepressants, etc. I *think*) ... but it's more highly regulated than bottled water, by far. I too agonize over going for cheaper over more ethical especially when it comes to clothing and there's the human suffering element to it. When I can afford fairly traded clothes, I will buy them ... that's what responsible government should be subsidizing ... but then we're in a whole NOTHER debate (that's right, I said "nother." Sue me. Wait, don't.)
ReplyDeletecorrection, more energy to run the car.
ReplyDeletejesus, this is what I get for not thinking while I write. "comparatively NEGLIGIBLE." I shouldn't write comments and then reread them.
ReplyDeleteyou're awesome.
ReplyDelete