In this list, I particularly like the mercury content argument regarding CF Bulbs. There is a lot of chatter out there about CF bulbs being more dangerous because of the mercury content, but the savings in electricity and its use, must ALWAYS consider the method by which your electricity is predominantly generated. When the CS Monitor points out that “coal-based electricity generation is the single largest source of anthropogenic mercury emissions”, and in the case of Alberta, where I live, coal is the main source, its provokes thought on the issue. The myth of recycled paper has always been something I was aware of. Especially when I was a kid, and we collected newspaper to “recycle”, and much of it went to the landfill because there was no market, or no transportation for the raw paper. My conclusion, has not changed one bit, and it is still obvious that you cannot simply accept “green living” as a given fact, and should weigh all of it’s initiatives carefully before adoption. You must also consider the source, and the promotion of some of these initiatives. No matter where the issue settles out on dishwashers, I have washed my last dish by hand.
Later today, the website Climate Culture is releasing a list of the 2009 Top Green Myths, things that you do – or don’t do – because you’ve read or been told they’re good or bad for the environment – but which, surprisingly, may not be producing the green results you’re expecting.
Lots of these have been argued before — Is local food always greener? Are paper bags better than plastic? — and there’s not always one “right” answer to them. But let’s look at the list and then get your opinion :
1. Green myth: Recycled paper is better for the environment than virgin paper. Fact: Recycled paper can sometimes be more carbon intensive than virgin paper. It depends on where you live. If your home is in the Pacific Northwest or Maine, where much of the electricity comes from hydro power, you may be better off with virgin paper since plants that manufacture recycled paper are often near large metro areas where power is from less efficient sources. The “difference in emissions from electricity use in paper production can be larger than the emissions associated with cutting down the tree to produce paper in the first place,” notes Zeke Hausfather, executive vice president of energy science at Climate Culture.
2. Green myth: Local food is always greener. Fact: “The method of production and type of food is far more important than the distance traveled in determining life-cycle greenhouse-gas emissions. For example, chicken from the supermarket is likely greener than local beef from the farmer’s market.” That said, there are plenty of other reasons to buy locally produced food, Mr. Hausfather admits.
3. Green myth: Washing dishes by hand uses less water than a dishwasher. Fact: It depends. Often, people underestimate how much hot water they use when washing dishes by hand. The most environmentally friendly way: washing your dishes in cold water.
4. Green myth: It’s better to drive to your vacation destination than to fly. Fact: Not if your car is an SUV, station wagon, minivan, or truck. That may be mitigated, though, if you have the entire family in the car, or drive a car that’s fuel-efficient.
5. Green myth: Compact fluorescent lights CFLs result in mercury emissions; incandescents don’t. Fact: “CFLs generally result in less mercury emissions than conventional incandescents, since coal-based electricity generation is the single largest source of anthropogenic mercury emissions and CFLs save a considerable amount of electricity,” says Hausfather. While much has been made of the mercury dangers of broken CFLs, he notes that most of the bulb’s mercury is bound to the glass.
Read the rest of the story @ The Top 10 green living myths | csmonitor.com.
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