Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Green Solutions from the Past


GSpotter Margaret has a new weekly column over at Plenty Magazine. Here is an excerpt from this week's article, which was posted today.

The economy. Energy. Burgeoning carbon footprints vs shrinking portfolios. Not an appetizing picture. Still, we gotta eat. To alleviate some of the stress surrounding these complex and confusing issues, let’s look to the past for simple, green solutions. During the Great Depression, consumers had to differentiate between needs and wants, and you may have witnessed the legacy of that frugal time in the spending habits of your grandparents and their friends. It’s time we all started buying like that generation.

Cutting some waste and expense is easy. Last year, Americans spent $15 billion dollars on bottled water, which is actually more than they spent on iPods. According to the Earth Policy Institute, making plastic bottles requires over 17 million barrels of oil annually. A Great Depression solution: Buy a reusable bottle and refill it with patriotic (i.e. tap) water. Or, to combat the 28 Billion disposable coffee cups Americans run through each year, buy a reusable coffee mug and brew your own at home. If landfill talk doesn’t worry you, how’s this for fear factor: One latte a day adds up to $1,200 dollars. Yikes.

To see the whole article, click here.

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