Blog Action Day: Paper or Plastic is the Wrong Question (Comments: 2)
Author: Julie
Date: 15 October, 2007
Category: Julie White, Take Action!
This essay is part of RocBike.com’s contribution to Blog Action Day
According to The Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Choices from the Union of Concerned Scientists, the 3 priority areas for consumers in reducing environmental impact are: transportation, food, and household operations. These are the 3 areas in which individual consumers can have the most impact, with transportation being numero uno.
The 5 specific recommended actions to reduce your transportation impact are:
1. Choose a place to live that reduces the need to drive.
2. Think twice before purchasing another car.
3. Choose a fuel-efficient, low-polluting car.
4. Set concrete goals for reducing your travel.5. Whenever practical, walk, BICYCLE, or take public transportation.
I admire people who are completely car-free, and aspire to be one some day. But I haven’t quite figured out how to make that happen. I have been able to figure out how to: live less than 2 miles from my place of work, drive a 12-year old car that’s well-maintained (at least as far as keeping it running clean; don’t talk to me about the rust), bike, walk, or bus whenever feasible (inconvenience is not allowed as an excuse, but needing to go to off-campus meetings, pick up and deliver offspring, carry very heavy loads, are allowed reasons for driving).
If you ask me, a much more environmentally significant question than paper or plastic is: Do you absolutely have to drive? Put another way: Bike, walk, or bus?
p.s. Another reason why paper or plastic is the wrong question–your own re-usable cloth bag is a better answer.
2 comments to “Blog Action Day: Paper or Plastic is the Wrong Question”