
“Green” is . . .
- The choice to use less when presented the opportunity to use more.
- An unselfish concern of the future.
- Something you can’t put back by purchasing carbon offsets.
- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
- A lifestyle.
- Behavioral change.
- Anti-consumption.
- Sustainability.
- The choice to use more when presented the opportunity to use less.
- Selfishly living in the moment to make energy resource decisions.
- An electric vehicle to drive more.
- A sticker that certifies a product that we don’t really need.
- Installing energy efficient lighting to illuminate more.
- Recycling cans, bottles, and cardboard boxes from an endless flood of personal consumption.
- Flying less.
Here are some facts to help you answer those questions:
- Americans spend 4.2 billion hours a year caught up in traffic at a cost of $78.2 billion a year in wasted time and fuel costs--$710 per motorist.
- Let’s look at how much energy goes into bottled water: In 2007, U.S. consumers purchased more than 33 billion liters of bottled water, or 110 liters (30 gallons) per person. The total energy required to produce 33 billion liters is equivalent to 32-54 million barrels of oil (although not all the energy used comes from oil). Energy to produce bottled water accounts for about one-third of one percent of total U.S. energy consumption.
- According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, this distance has been increasing over the last fifty years, and now processed food travels an average of 1,300 miles.
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