A recent TV program featured a segment about how it's actually more environmentally correct to buy a used car with good gas mileage than it is to buy a new hybrid car. Their point was that it would take 10 years of lower gas usage with a Prius to offset the power it took to build that same new car. One commentator said something to the effect of "We can't buy our way to save energy."
That really struck me. Isn't that the American way? Buy our way out of our problems? What do we do to save energy? Buy Energy Star products, buy compact florescent bulbs, buy reusable shopping bags, buy a hybrid car, buy a tankless water heater. Do you notice a theme here? Buy, buy, buy.
He stated that the real way to save energy is to STOP USING SO MUCH OF IT! What about turning off the lights? What about walking to the store? What about taking shorter showers?
I remember being in Kindergarten during the first energy crisis and my teacher showing us how to take a shower so we use less water (get wet, turn off the water, soap up, shampoo, then turn the water back on to rinse). We were being taught how to shower in SCHOOL! Now that seems so strange, but not back then. We were told that in order to save energy we had to do without. Now we're told that in order to save energy, we need to do with more, but just a different kind of more.
Well, I'm as guilty of over-consumption as the next guy, but I am happy to report that I still haven't turned on my air conditioner at all this year. Baby steps, baby steps.
By the way, my mother said that she missed my blog, so I'm starting it up again -- I'm such an obedient daughter (cue my mother rolling her eyes).
19 comments:
YAYYYYYY!! For your return!!!!! YAY!
Dude, I'm so glad you're here again. Really glad.
As for energy... to those pious Prius buyers: HA! In your face!
Hurray! Lois has made her comeback! Thanks, Lois' mom.
I will celebrate this grand occasion by taking an energy efficient shower and turning off my computer tonight when I go to bed instead of putting it merely to sleep.
I missed your blog, too! Yay--this is sooooo much better than when Michael Jordan came back. Twice.
this post was very insightful! well in my school we would get our mouths washed out with soap for saying bad words...or get paddled for misbehavior so I think learning to shower is GREAT!
B, MILLIE, GEO, DALENE, SHILLIGS -- thanks for the warm welcome back. I'm surprised anyone was still looking at my blog!
You have been so very missed! You can't imagine the joy that popped up when the google reader showed me you had something new!
I do have a comment on your blog, however. Did you know that the Gores (as in Al-I-gotta-an-oscar-for-my-planet-saving-documentary Gore) uses more energy in a month than the average household uses in a year? He also has a 100 foot houseboat (which takes energy just to exist).
BUT... he says it's okay because he "buys carbon-offsets" to allow him to use the extra energy. The kicker? He buys those carbon-offsets from himself.
Sorry about the diatribe! The man just bugs me. He reeks of over consumerism which [as common sense shows] has nothing to do with saving the planet.
I forgot to mention that I'll do my part and shower only once a week.
RABID -- what? How can you buy carbon offsets from yourself? Maybe I'll stop showering completely and see if I can get some of that Al Gore offsets money. Things like that drive me crazy (don't even get me started on all those know-it-all Hollywood types that "rock the vote" and then don't even vote themselves).
I believe Al sits on the board of an organization that manages carbon-offset credits. Such companies are essentially middle-men between over-users and under-users of credits.
He's buying them from someone else who is being less wasteful. So to say he buys them from himself would not be accurate.
The challenge here is to have everyone be less wasteful. You may return to your regularly scheduled Gore hating.
NIGEL -- as always, thank you for your knowledge of obscure facts.
Nice to have you back! You were missed :-)
I randomly checked your blog and saw that you had posted. How fun! Anyways, my mom used to make me take showers like that and it was MISERABLE.
Hooray! I'm glad you're back!
This reminds me of the way my husband chides me when he says, "Let me get this straight...you need to buy more stuff to enable you to declutter."
(In my defense, it was organizing stuff--bins, containers, etc....)
Yay! Thanks to your mom for making you write again!!!
Great post, BTW. Goes hand-in-hand with the thought that finding more oil will make us less dependent on it. Huh?
The house that guilt built, mother's that is. :0 So glad you found inspiration.
LISA -- nice to be back. Thanks!
TIFFANY -- yeah, not so bad in summer, but miserable in winter.
RYNELL -- on my goodness, that is so me! The worst is when I buy stuff that's going to help me SAVE money. What???
SUZIQ -- yeah, doesn't make much sense, huh? I also heard that the Alaska Pipeline can only carry 2 million barrels of oil a day max and the US uses 20 million barrels of oil a day. So even if we get more oil out of Alaska, it's impossible to get it to anyone!
McMILLANS -- yes. Isn't it funny that no matter how old you get, you still do what your mother says?
I feel like such a dork... I've been thinking about you for weeks & FINALLY checked your blog for ole times sake... I sure have missed your wit!! :o)
SC MOMMIE -- so good to get a whole slew of comments! I've missed you.
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