Saturday, January 20, 2007

greener (2)

Still researching the green energy thing. I noted from a newspaper article that something like 80% of electricity use is commercial/government, not domestic. So no matter what individual households do (and I'm not arguing to let this be an excuse to do nothing), there's a wider issue to be addressed. Makes me wonder about my workplace, and the choices there, and the electric supply at other places/organisations with which I'm involved. Hmmm. If the choice can be changed to even 10% green with no financial penalty or contract changes etc, maybe that's worth asking about, to see if they can choose to green up even a tad.

Another small change: if this household wound back its consumption of drinks purchased in bottles (mostly diet cola, truth be known, or 'the black death' as some pals refer to it) and reverted (as has been done before) to cold water (healthier, easy to get from the tap, no transport involved) that would have several effects.

No transporting of the weight of bottled drinks from supermarket to home - some sort of minor saving on petrol/carbon impact? Tap water goes into glass bottles and then the fridge, instead of plastic bottles flowing into the house (and out again into the recycling bin, but even so). I'm sure it must take more manufacturing energy to make bottled drinks as opposed to the flow of tap water to the home - factory vs water treatment plant, and the energy involved in bottle production and ingredient production and transport of bottled drinks to the supermarket.

Tap water is also a cheaper drink, of course. Although sometimes the black death is just exactly what refreshingly hits the spot.

And the carbon involved in people breathing out their opinion of 'the black death' would also be reduced....

Hmmmmm. It's food (well, drink) for thought.

1 comment:

meggie said...

I was also going to mention the Tathra story- very impressive.

Here on the Central Coast, water is approaching gold, in value, & drinking it, almost seems a frivolous activity!
This house uses water for drinking, with, of course, the addtional bottle of beer or wine- all recycled!