8 weeks of clean living

Here’s another great guest article from my friend Lauren. I think it’s very appropriate given that I worried, with my last post, whether the tone was too preachy or normative. Enjoy!

I recently watched an interesting, if simplistic, video of a man outlining his view of global warming and what should be done about it. At the end, the man urges his viewers to do their part by sharing his video with others and spreading the word about what individuals can do to help slow global warming. His message started me thinking, yet again, about how to balance my desire to spread the word and my desire not to perpetuate the unfortunate stereotype of the self-righteous, superior environmentalist.

These days, I spend a very large proportion of my time thinking about the environmentally-friendliness of my actions. I feel good about some of the things I make an effort to do, like drying clothes on a rack and eating CSA food, and guilty about things I have a hard time stopping, like using hot water and producing garbage. Many of my closest friends feel as concerned about environmental issues as I do, so around them I don’t have to bite my tongue. But I have many times watched friends and roommates and co-workers throw paper and glass bottles in the trash, or leave the water running for ages, and I don’t know what I should do.

I feel very strongly that the man in the video is right. I can make various eco-friendly changes in my life and feel good about it, but if I am one of very few who do so, relative to the population, what effect can it possibly have? Without major changes in public policy (which I strongly believe can and must happen, but that will undoubtedly take years), it is going to require many individuals choosing to make personal changes to produce any positive effect on various environmental issues. Therefore, isn’t it my responsibility, if I feel strongly about these issues, to try to increase that population?

Somehow, despite my conscious knowledge of this responsibility, it still feels just wrong to reprimand someone in their home or office for doing something eco-unfriendly. Or even to suggest that they do it another way. The meager solution I’ve found so far is that I can only try to suggest changes when I judge that the person will likely respond positively, or at least neutrally. I of course end up leaving some situations feeling sad that I can’t comfortably do more to help others understand the consequences of their actions, but if I hope to prevent resentment and loss of friends I don’t really see another solution. Any ideas?

The very first guest writer here at 8 weeks of clean living is my good friend Lauren. Lauren is about to start a PhD at UC Davis in the ecology department, with a focus on environmental policy. Hopefully she’ll be a recurring contributor, and to start she’s going to consider the environmental impact of bottled water.

Last time I dropped off my recycling at the local center there was someone ahead of me in line depositing a strikingly large number of empty plastic water bottles. As suggested by this thirsty person (or perhaps her thirsty clientele), bottled water has become a very popular drink choice. Unfortunately, it comes with its share of environmental problems. Purifying bottled water takes large amounts of energy, as does transporting full bottles thousands of miles to be sold. In addition, the fossil fuels required to produce enough plastic bottles to satisfy America’s annual demand for bottled water could fuel 100,000 cars for a year. Finally, once bottled water has been consumed, as few as 14 percent of the bottles get recycled.

Early this summer San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order banning the city government from using city funds to buy its employees bottled water. This is a smart way for the city, whose municipal water is readily drinkable, to save the approximately $500,000 it spends annually on bottled water and reduce its generation of waste, in addition to helping wean its city employees from bottled water. The city of Los Angeles has instituted a similar policy.

Anyone who lives in an area with safe water can make the switch from bottled water by acquiring a reusable, washable water container such as the environmentally friendly ones made by Klean Kanteen. I like to keep my bottle in the fridge–the cold water tastes better and I get the added refreshment factor. In places with suspect tap water, one can get a water filter that fits in the fridge. Switching from bottled water to tap water is an easy change to make that saves money, energy and the environment.