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Archives for October 2014

Going Green Is A Scam

By Frugaling 12 Comments

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going-green-bike-ride

The World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) announced that the world lost 50% of species in the last 40 years. Directors at the WWF credit this to human consumption. For climatologists and scientists, there’s a bleakness to the future — one that includes starvation, exoduses from low-lying areas, droughts, and wild weather year round. It’s clear that we need to reduce our fossil fuel usage, but how we do that is still a complicated endeavor.

The flawed governmental approach

Going green is often framed as a decision to buy “certified organic” foods, choose energy-efficient technologies, and chuck your empty plastic bottle into a blue recycling bin. While these conscious choices are more environmentally friendly and better, they seem to ignore the very real consequences of our consumption. To illustrate this point, the U.S. government suggests, “switching all the light bulbs in a home from conventional incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs…” Going green is seen as an additional item; without the latest energy efficiencies, you’re not green.

Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb (CFL)
Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr

As the government site shows, they exclaim the ills of conventional bulbs and recommend purchasing CFLs. Unfortunately, that mass waste and consumption of a new product goes unnoticed and unaccounted for. By immediately trashing all your old bulbs for the latest and greatest green tech, you’re simply ignoring the true life of a product and upgrading before it’s necessary.

The U.S. government should be encouraging people to take full advantage of the natural lives of products; instead, we hear how we should switch every bulb in our home. They are training you to have a faster turnover and consumption rate. Eventually, they’ll be recommending you switch all the CFLs with LED lights, which last longer and take even less energy. This technology is definitely better for the environment, but each transition creates massive amounts of waste, and the new products require marketing, packaging, shipping, storage, warehousing, and a consumer that will likely drive (consuming fossil fuels) to purchase the new bulbs.

Big green is big business

For the federal government, going green cannot mean consuming less. Pro-business entities and lobbying groups would launch a massive critique and attack if that was stated. Our economy is not equipped for people to stop buying. This capitalistic system is predicated on infinite growth; a pyramid scheme that will end at some point, but whose leaders hesitate to bring its early demise. Unfortunately, the government can’t properly advise its citizenry regarding climate change prevention.

At some point, going green was co-opted by “big green” — the big business approach to energy efficiency. Big green needs you to keep spending, too. With this aim in mind, they’ve warped the dialogue into a justification to purchase more. The irony is that by buying more — in order to be efficient — we’re digging ourselves into a deeper hole.

Just look at the first sentence from this Huffington Post article: “Saving energy and water can be difficult, but now there are plenty of gadgets on the market that aim to make the process easier for you.” This comes from the “Huff Post Green” section! Articles like these (which are everywhere) advocate buying more gadgets and technology, and are only contributing to this horrible, repetitive consumption.

Even at my alma mater, Colorado State University, the institution had a habit of touting its green initiatives. All the brochures advertised the push to use renewable energy and active involvement in recycling. These are commendable efforts, but there’s a hypocrisy to it all. Throughout my years there, they were always building — I never knew the campus without yellow construction taped areas, sounds of construction, and digital photo representations on the buildings to come. All that development adds tons of pollution to the air and creates epic proportions of waste. Cranes, bulldozers, and industrial materials would all be necessary to complete the buildings. The carbon costs for these components often goes uncalculated and unnoticed.

Then there’s the story of the Toyota Prius. In 1997, the company released this awfully designed hybrid monster. Getting around 50 miles per gallon (MPG), the Prius became a popular vehicle with a clear message: “I care about the environment.” When considering the technology and energy that’s required to make it, it’s scary. The battery cells, which recharge when braking and coasting, harness energy that would otherwise be lost. But they are an environmental nightmare and difficult to dispose of properly. Moreover, the Prius gets about the same gas mileage as Honda Civics from the late 80s and early 90s. The Honda Civic Hatchback from 1992 got about 48 MPG; no hybrid battery cells needed, and for a fraction of the cost on your wallet and the environment!

Finding a real solution

We’ve been duped into believing the solution to climate change is another purchase. In reality, the better answer would be to say, “Stop where you are, turn off lights, protest for change, and don’t buy anything for a year!”

Cracked Earth Climate Change
Photo: Alosh Bennett/Flickr

Most moderate voices understand that we cannot become Luddites to combat carbon emissions. The world has become increasingly connected and globalized — it’s hard to imagine regressing whatsoever. Technological development is only ratcheting up, and people are embracing the progress fervently. But our course is not sustainable.

We need to consider movements to buy local crops and goods, collective markets and organizations, and ignoring the message to buy more to save. Going green doesn’t have to hurt your budget. It should be about consuming less and supporting sustainable development. What could be better for your budget?

Filed Under: Save Money, Social Justice Tagged With: carbon, change, Climate, Development, Economy, Going Green, Green, Growth, Honda Civic, Prius, Scam, Sustainable

My Bike Ride Disaster: Wet, Dirty, And Full Of Road Spittle

By Frugaling 11 Comments

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Bike ride through the city
Photo: Dustin Gaffke/Flickr

My first fall in fall

This summer I purchased my first bike in years. It quickly became an enjoyable habit. My body became stronger and I can now bike about an hour before getting really tired (backpack and all). It’s forced me to think about climate change and my impact on society; thankful too, because I’m individually reducing carbon emissions. But I’m also open to the elements like never before, and that comes with serious risks.

It was drizzling today, and the roads were riddled with puddles and rivers. If I still had a car, I wouldn’t have thought much of it. I would’ve been isolated from the elements. Cars are protective bubbles and creature comforts. My commute into work would’ve been simple and relatively safe. Instead, I took the first fall on my bike.

Every time I hop on my bike I realize all of the variables that are working against me: my brakes might not work, a car may hit me or otherwise cause me to lose control, a tire may pop, etc. Unfortunately, I wasn’t considering the most obvious possibility this morning: pedestrians.

As I made my way to campus, I took note of my increasingly moist bum. I reached back to check, and found a nice patty of road spittle. Yes, this wasn’t one of my favorite bike rides. Nonetheless, I had no other option at this point and needed to get into work on time. My legs peddled onward.

I crossed the river and was nearly there. The light was green and I began to turn right, when a group of pedestrians crossed illegally. My brakes squealed, as I squeezed to prevent hitting one of them. Then, the bike lost traction and I completely slid off and down. My entire right side was covered in dirt and rain and ominous road schmutz.

People called out, “Are you okay?” Despite the immediate feeling of road rash, I hadn’t hit my head or broken anything. Someone picked up my coffee mug, and handed it to me. I fixed my helmet, put my mug away, and biked another 300 feet into work.

My foreign, happy reaction

But despite this inconvenience, anger, and wetness, I’m curiously happy. Even I question that feeling, “How could I be happy after a group of pedestrians caused me to slip and fall? How could I be happy sitting in wet clothing?”

Well, I’ll tell you!

When I first bought my bike, I wondered how long it would be before I was craving a car. But that feeling never came. Aside from stealing a ride with friends here and there, I haven’t driven more than a handful of times since mid-summer. Each month, I’ve been able to save an extra $300 dollars per month by not having a car (loan, gas, insurance, repairs, maintenance, etc.). Selling the car and pocketing the savings led to a reversal in my net worth, too. I’m finally in the black! And from a future standpoint, each time I take a bike or bus, I am contributing to a different carbon economy.

Dealing with winter

The seasons are changing. And now that I no longer have a car, I feel it like never before. My clothes are soaked and my body is ice cold from the spill. Work feels a bit more uncomfortable with the growing bruise engulfing my right side.

The weather will worsen. Winter in the Midwest is a horrific tragedy of gray and cold. Biking consistently through that will not be possible. While there are some buses that run through the area, the timing of interchanges may lead to severe delays and time lost. It will be a major time to question transportation and work-life balance.

No matter what happens, I’ll be sure to update you on my choices and how they affect my budget. For my bikers out there, be safe and ride on! And, read this awesome article about bike safety from Grist.org!

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: Bicycle, bike, Biking, campus, debt, net worth, Ride, Road, savings, school, transportation, Work

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