Consume Less, Conserve More
In the west, we have grown used to an environment of plenty, with an enormous variety of consumer products always available and constant enticement to buy “more,” “new” and “improved.”
This consumer culture has become so intrinsic to our worldview that we’ve lost sight of the huge toll we are taking on the world around us. By cultivating a new awareness of how our shopping and lifestyle choices affect the environment and directly cause carbon emissions, we can begin to make positive changes to reduce our negative effects.
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[edit] Save money, buy less
Energy is consumed in the manufacturing and transport of everything you buy. A good way to reduce the amount of energy you use is simply to buy less. Before making a purchase ask yourself if you really need it. Can you borrow or rent? Can you find the item secondhand? For ideas on how to pare down, visit Newdream.org.
[edit] Buy things that last
“Reduce, reuse and recycle” has become the motto of a growing movement dedicated to producing less waste and reducing emissions by buying less, choosing durable items over disposable ones, repairing rather than discarding and passing items that are no longer needed on to someone who can make use of them. To find a new home for things you no longer need, visit Freecycle.org or Regionshare.org.
[edit] Pre-cycle: Reduce waste before you buy
Vast amounts of natural resources and fossil fuels are consumed each year to produce the paper, plastic, aluminum, glass and Styrofoam that hold and wrap our purchases. Give preference to products that use less or recycled packaging.
[edit] Compost
When organic materials are disposed of in the general trash, they end up compacted deep in landfills. Without oxygen to assist in their natural decomposition, the organic matter ferments and gives off methane, which is the most potent of the greenhouse gases, that's 23 times more potent than CO2 in global warming terms. By contrast, when organic waste is properly composted in gardens, it produces rich nutrients that add energy and food to the soil. See also Compost Recycling Tips.
[edit] Eat less meat
It takes far more fossil-fuel energy to produce and transport meat than to deliver equivalent amounts of protein from plant sources. In addition, much of the world’s deforestation is a result of clearing and burning more grazing land for livestock. For more information, visit Earthsave.org.
[edit] Buy local
It is estimated that the average meal travels well over 1,200 miles by truck, ship, and/or plane before it reaches your dining room table. One way to address this is to eat foods that are grown or produced close to where you live. As much as possible, buy from local farmers markets or from community supported cooperatives. See also Tips for buying local food
[edit] Offset emmissions
It is virtually impossible to eliminate our personal contributions to the climate crisis through reducing emissions alone. You can, however, reduce your impact to the equivalent of zero emissions by purchasing carbon offsets. When you purchase carbon offsets, you are funding a project that reduces greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere by, for example, increasing energy efficiency, developing renewable Energy, restoring forests or sequestering carbon in soil. For more information, visit the Carbon Emissions Offset Directory.
- Celebrate the Buy Nothing Day
