Umbra’s answers to my most anal enviro-related questions, discovered while scouring the archives this lovely holiday season –
- Don’t worry ’bout the lime wedge in your Corona bottle. But opt for bottled beer. Not only is Aluminum bad for your pits, it’s bad for the environment in general. And Chris, the beer activist, urges you to go local and organic. Change the world through your drinking habit!
- Unless you’re gonna be back in the room within 2 minutes, turn out the lights. Also, turn off the car engine, even if it’s just for a few minutes. And turn off your computer before going to sleep.
- While in the kitchen, throw your food waste in the trash, not the garbage disposal in the sink. And if you have an EnergyStar dishwasher like I do, know that the machine can wash dishes more enviro-efficiently than your hands.
- Use condoms, have fun.
- Avoid Exxon. Seriously.
And choices that’re not worth your worry time: paper vs. plastic. paper towels vs. hand dryers. Spend your time instead on the biggies, like travelling, habitating, and eating greenly.
Yes, I’m aware that Umbra has lotso advice for parents and homeowners and people who live in cold climates. None of those will be featured on green LA girl, because Siel’s a happily baby and home-ownership-free SoCal girl.
Happy holidays everyone — especially Umbra :)
I’m a fan of Umbra’s column too. One of the Christmas gifts I received this year was a copy of the book that is Umbra’s avowed Bible for many of her questions: The Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Choices by the Union of Concerned Scientists. I’m looking forward to digging into it. From what I’ve read in her column, Umbra echoes the focus of the UCS that consumers should prioritize their decisions to focus on the biggies that you mentioned. This prioritization will undoubtedly create the greatest change in the quickest fashion. I still think that the small steps serve useful purposes, though, in demonstrating your values to others in a visible way, empowering the bigger steps, and even in creating widespread change in ways that we can’t anticipate.
Happy Holidays!
Comment by lauren — December 25, 2005 @ 6:30 am
You’ll have to give us lil tidbits from the book as you read :) That book’s on my wishlist, but no one’s gotten it for me as of yet — though I’m hoping it’s stuck somewhere in the giant machine that is USPS…
Comment by Siel — December 27, 2005 @ 4:47 pm