introduction:
So you recycle ,you have a compost pile in the backyard and you but organic produce.
But you still feel helpless when you hear two words:global warming.
Americans alone produce 20 percent of the world`s output of greenhouse gasses.Each American produces about 40,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.The good news is
that the future of global climate change is not only in the hands of reluctant governme
nts
nts and multinational corparations.When you bring reusable bogs to the grocery store,
choose not to buy a piece of fruit out of season,or choose a campact fluorescent bulb
over an incandescent one.you`re helping cut down on greenhouse gas emissions,and
you´re making your voice heard.
To help reduce global warming when shopping ,ask yourself these questions:
Do I really need it?
In grocerdy stores and malls we have so many choices,endless varieties-a
consumer utopia? Not quite.The average American consumes 20 times the
resources as a person living in a less-devoloped country,and Americans
use more than one-fourth the world´s resources.If you´re reading this
magazine you probably understand the consequences of over and simply
isn`t supported by s ne Nevertheless,consumption.But the habit is to
break society through conscieous sgopping.You reject a least some of the notions of our consumer-based society and help reduce global warming.Ask yourself if the
productis something that satisfies real needs.For any nan-fooditem,evaluate the
product based on how many uses it win survive.You might pay more for products
that will last a decade...or a lifetime.But by keeping a product for a long time,you
help cut the demand for new products ,which leads to greater environmental
consequences.Each item you throw away represents more than the waste of the
product itself-ir represents the use of energy and emission of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gassses.If you cut down on garbage production by 25 percent,it world
save 1,000 pounds in carbon dioxide emissions annyally,because the largest sources
of anthropogenic methane production in the United States are landfills.
What is it made of?
When choosing goods, consider the life span of the product.Did its manufacture require energy
intensive extraction and refinemant?Is it easily recycled? How far was it trasported?
What about the packaging?
Disposable packaging,particularly plastic,represents an enormous source of greenhouse
gasses production.The United States uses nearly one billion barrels of oil to produce
enough plastc to meet American demands each year.That`s 200pounds per person .
Sixty percent of the plasticgoes to packaging each year,60 pounds of which is thrown
away immediately after packaging is opened.
Whether transported by ship,tail, airplane or truck , the transportatin of goods emits
carbon dioxide.A product made overseas is obviously tranported over long distances ,
creating more pollution and carbon dioxide emissions than a product made in your community
.Buy locally or regionally produced goods when possible.Specialty "green" retail shops
and natural foods stores carry many designed to have fewer environmental impacts.
Even if you dan`t live near such stores. You can do almost as well when you consider
the life of each product,wherever it`s purchased.
Keep in mind the effects of these common products:
Glass:
Glass packaging is easily recycled, making less energy intensive than the usual
alternative plastic. Every ton of glass recycled gollons of oil from being consumed.
While many nan-disposable glass products like kitchen ware cannot be recycled ,they
are mode from an abundant natural mineral-silica.Some natural food stores sell milk
in returnable glass bottles.You can cut down on your consumption of glass by washing
and reusing jars and bottles.I`ve us the same e peanut butter jar several times by
refilling it with freshground peanut butter at a localnatural foods srore.Glass jars are
also great for storing all kinds of things,like nails in the workshop or dried herbs in
the kitchen.
Plastic:
Plastics are made from a resource not generall known for being environmentally
friendly:petroleum.If that isn`t enouggh to scare you,consider that packaging accounts
for one third of all landfill space.More than half that packaging is plastic.
while some plastics are readily recyclabe(those labeled "1" and "2"), many are not.
Plastics are used for an ever in increasing variety of disposable as well as durable goods.
Plastics atr inexpensive to produce are versatile.
But tremendous energy inputs go into making, and they break down slowly.
When grocery shpping, try to avoid plastics, especially "squeezable" bottles that arte made of
multilayered plastic and cannot be recycled, Plystyrene (styrofaam) is another nonrecycleable
product.
Bring your own cloth bags (often sold for about $5.00each at natural food stores), so you
don't have to chose between paper or plastic.You'll also get between two and five cents back
per bag at most stores.You might try reusing plastic bread bags to buy bulk foods the next
time you shop.
Avoid disposable cameras. Again, the price of convenience is high.
Wood and paper
For evary tree cut down, he atmosphere loses another carbon-trapping "sink". That's not
good for global waiming.
Tropical rainforest are a singinicant carbon dioxide sink that is being rapidly destroyed.
Over two-thrds of the timber shipped from the Amazon comes to the United State.
Demand for the wood is so great that even preserve are being illegally logged to meet
demand.
When you must buy wood, avoid tropical woods, especially mahogany.
I play it safe and try not to buy wood products from tropical countries like Indonesia, the
Philippines, Sri Lanka and Brazil.
Metal
For non-food purchases, the durability of most metal products gives them an advantage over
other materials.
Although metals must be mined and processed at considerable energy expense, common
metals like aluminum, copper and steel are easily recycled, representing energy savings.
Be wary of food products packaged in metal for convenience.
The ubiquitous soda can, for instance, accounts for nearly 5 percent of househol waste in
some regions of the United states.
Me good news is recycling aluminum cuts air pollution by 95 percent over processing it from
raw materials
while some plastics are readily recyclabe(those labeled "1" and "2"), many are not.
Plastics are used for an ever in increasing variety of disposable as well as durable goods.
Plastics atr inexpensive to produce are versatile.
But tremendous energy inputs go into making, and they break down slowly.
When grocery shpping, try to avoid plastics, especially "squeezable" bottles that arte made of
multilayered plastic and cannot be recycled, Plystyrene (styrofaam) is another nonrecycleable
product.
Bring your own cloth bags (often sold for about $5.00each at natural food stores), so you
don't have to chose between paper or plastic.You'll also get between two and five cents back
per bag at most stores.You might try reusing plastic bread bags to buy bulk foods the next
time you shop.
Avoid disposable cameras. Again, the price of convenience is high.
Wood and paper
For evary tree cut down, he atmosphere loses another carbon-trapping "sink". That's not
good for global waiming.
Tropical rainforest are a singinicant carbon dioxide sink that is being rapidly destroyed.
Over two-thrds of the timber shipped from the Amazon comes to the United State.
Demand for the wood is so great that even preserve are being illegally logged to meet
demand.
When you must buy wood, avoid tropical woods, especially mahogany.
I play it safe and try not to buy wood products from tropical countries like Indonesia, the
Philippines, Sri Lanka and Brazil.
Metal
For non-food purchases, the durability of most metal products gives them an advantage over
other materials.
Although metals must be mined and processed at considerable energy expense, common
metals like aluminum, copper and steel are easily recycled, representing energy savings.
Be wary of food products packaged in metal for convenience.
The ubiquitous soda can, for instance, accounts for nearly 5 percent of househol waste in
some regions of the United states.
Me good news is recycling aluminum cuts air pollution by 95 percent over processing it from
raw materials
