More and More ‘Stuff’: What Can You Do Without?
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08. 6.08
The folks over at Earth First are pointing out a cool chart showing just how much more stuff we have acquired, and increasingly consider to be a base standard of living, over the past century. The image is from Visualizing Economics and you’ll probably want to view a larger version to see it better. (There’s only so much one can see in a 468px width.)
“The Age of Consumption”
Earth First makes the eminently valid point that perhaps all of that consumer consumption isn’t so good for the planet. However, the thing I’d like people to think about isn’t the aggregate impact of all of this consumption (though that is the ultimate problem), but what you can do about it in your own life. Look at the chart: What items could you do without? What items could do double duty with others? What items could you share with relatives or neighbors? I'll go first:
Sharing Appliances
My apartment building has a laundry room, so I share those facilities with perhaps 100 other people. And while I would not be happy to give up my clothes washer, not using the clothes dryer is hardly a sacrifice. Clothes dry just as well on a line or on a drying rack, both of which require no energy usage whatsoever.
Less Energy Intense Options
Air Conditioning? Personally I find fans a much more enjoyable and less energy intense option for cooling. The added benefit is that by switching from using air conditioning to a fan my electric bills dropped by a two thirds in the summer.
Most Energy Efficient Methods
Dishwasher? It may be counter-intuitive, but dishwashers are probably more resource efficient than washing by hand. Just make sure you’re running it on the most efficient setting and when filled entirely.
Dual Use Items
Color TV, VCR (or DVD player), Computer, Internet? Convergence of capabilities in electronics products makes it easier to use fewer items. Just make sure to recycle them properly and resist the urge to upgrade every time a new model is released. And I probably don't have to remind TreeHugger readers about turning off the electronics you do own when not in use, right?
So what do other people think? What do you do to do more with less? Has product convergence allowed you to eliminate some electronics from your life?
via :: Earth First
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Looks like electricity is the culprit... down with the blue juice!
Re: Sharing Appliances
While I think that sharing resources is a fantastic way to help the environment, it is sometimes difficult to share with others, especially if you are a clean person.
After years of sharing kitchens, laundry facilities, and bathrooms, I am happy in my own house where I control the mess. Cleaning up after others every single day gets tedious. Using unclean facilities because you are tired of cleaning up after others is no fun. "Talking" to others who do not clean up after themselves does not work.
But I agree, as the price of everything increases and real estate becomes rarer, having your own appliances will become a luxury.
The bad part about electronic convergence is that when one part breaks (like the dvd player) you have to buy a whole new unit, or at least a new dvd player.
Some other things you can cut back on:
1 Share a lawn mower and other tools with your neghbors.
2 Instead of a deep freezer eat fresh food.
3 Link all of the computers in your house to a single printer via networking.
4 Cut back on TV's. I used to install cable. You wouldn't believe how many TV's people have in their house. Many houses had several more TV's then people!
Some good calls here, and definitely good to see people looking for ways to "solve problems" rather than just point them out.
One problem, however, kind of bugs me: sharing appliances. How realistic is it to expect homeowners to share appliances? While most apartment dwellers already do (out of necessity), how can we come up with good ways for homes to share washers?
It's a prescription that probably won't yield much. I think it's much more important to focus on the efficiency of those appliances, as well as focusing on making them last longer. It's much lower-hanging fruit.
OMG! I was without my dishwasher for about a week! I had to be real smart about doing the dishes. My husband and I decided to load the dishwasher with dirty dishes and when full I would fill one sink with hot soapy water and the other side with clear clean hot water. When the rinse side got dirty, I would "drain" it by using a pitcher and water my plants. Once done I would drain the water again with the pitcher to water the rest of the plants and trees. It was quite labor intense on my part but I felt better knowing the water was not going to waste. My dishwater is now fixed and overjoyed to be filling it to the brim.
The idea that we need separate computer, phone, TV, DVD player, radio, and so one is quickly becoming obsolete, at least among the younger generations (like me).
Regarding air conditioning:
Whether fans are a 'more comfortable option' is very much dependant on the climate where you live - having spent Boxing Day 2007 sweltering at 44.7 degrees Celcius (that .7 is important!) in Australia I can tell you that the desk-fan-and-squirty-bottle method of cooling is completely inadequate. I would much have preferred some air-conditioning, set at 25 degrees C, just to take the edge off.
Some suggestions just off the top of my head. Being a techie, I think these sort of apply best to wired lifestyles.
1. Libraries (instead of buying books, particularly from amazon.com, which uses a lot of packaging). We've started a little book exchange in the kitchen at work, where people drop off a paperback they've finished and trade it out.
2. Clothes Line and wash in cold water. A point not often brought up is that cold washing and line drying your clothes also makes them last longer so you buy less clothing.
3. Netflix instead of buying dvds and gamefly for video games. I started to realize that I was "collecting" a lot of things that I was only watching one or two times.
4. Read magazines and newspapers online. This is just personal preference, but I had a lot of paper coming in that was just lying around when I was skimming most of it.
5. Use itunes or amazon to buy music so you don't have cds being shipped and piling up. You can always back up a tone of music to a single dvd if you have a burner and reduce the number of discs in use that way.
Cool post.
Yeah, I plan on living in a micro-compact house and sharing a kitchen with 8 other like minded inviduals. Not only appliances, we could share chores, like a weekly cook, as well as tending the gardens that would feed us.
XVX for like, R.A.S.H. 'til death.
It looks as if the "auto" curve is beginning to go down! Is that a real effect??
"Yeah, I plan on living in a micro-compact house and sharing a kitchen with 8 other like minded inviduals. Not only appliances, we could share chores, like a weekly cook, as well as tending the gardens that would feed us."
Forget that! I would kill someone before the month was up.
And not to be contrary, but if you've ever dried clothes on a line you will quickly realize that they feel like cardboard. I typically use the lowest heat setting possible with the shortest time possible not only to save energy, but to make sure my clothes don't get ruined.
"sweltering at 44.7 degrees Celcius (that .7 is important!) in Australia I can tell you that the desk-fan-and-squirty-bottle method of cooling is completely inadequate. I would much have preferred some air-conditioning, set at 25 degrees C, just to take the edge off."
Taking the edge off would have been setting the AC at 35. At 44 outside, an indoor temperature of 25 would feel positively frigid. I'm not even sure that most air conditioners would be *able* to bring down the temperature that low under such conditions. Most of them just break down completely when it gets to 38 or so.
By the way, I completely agree that a fan doesn't condition air much when it's really hot. It's effectiveness goes to nothing when it's humid out too, as July and August are in practically all of the US east and south of North Dakota.
"And not to be contrary, but if you've ever dried clothes on a line you will quickly realize that they feel like cardboard."
You can buy "spin dryers" that work like a centrifuge to spin out 85% of the water and then line dry or put in a "real" dryer for 10 minutes or less. This keeps your clothes soft and saves a lot of energy.
I use mine for 2 minutes or so and then hang mine on a rack in my bathroom for 15 minutes or so. They dry so quickly despite the lack of ventilation or sunshine in my bathroom.
Spin dryers use a small amount of energy, so it's still better to just hang your clothes out. However, as an alternative to a conventional dryer, they save time, $, and energy.
Also: Hooray for micro-compact house people and those who conserve every extra drop of water: You're not alone. I am building a small straw bale home with private space for my mother-in-law, her sister's family, my family, and a few other close relatives, so we can all share the kitchen and conserve water together. Let's restore a sense of community by sharing and interacting! It's worth the effort.