Conflicted Consumers

Denver Post - November 13, 2007 - Douglas Brown
Posted by Caden


Hybrid cars, fluorescent lightbulbs , and organic foods. Are you buying all of these things just to make yourself feel better, just to make yourself feel "green?" Did you know that your hybrid car actually took more energy to manufacture than a regular gas-guzzling car? How about your fluorescent lightbulbs? These last much longer and conserve a lot of energy but contain a trace of mercury which is a byproduct of fossil fuel mining. What about your organic foods? Sure, they don't use chemicals that damage the earth but are they locally grown? If they're not, think about all of the fossil fuels used to ship them to your local grocery store. Is it really any better? These are all questions that green consumers need to ask themselves. It's nearly impossible to be perfect about being green. Joel Makower, a long time environmentalist, says that, "you should pick one significant battle." Some things you can do to do your part are bringing your own tote bag to the grocery store instead of using the cheap plastic bags that the grocery store provides which takes years to decompose. Carpool as much as possible to cut down on the amount of fossil fuels used in your daily commute. Remember, it's not easy being green and it's nearly impossible to be perfect at it so don't try to be or you will drive yourself and others around you absolutely crazy!