What Do Taking The Bus, Going Veggie, And Eating Organic, Have In Common?

by Renee Kjartan, Free Press Contributor

Should you reuse that tea bag? Recycle the lint in your clothes dryer and the bag of dirt in your vacuum cleaner? Is recycling worth the trouble? Which are greener -- cloth diapers or plastic? Or is the answer to not procreate at all? Myriad environmental groups tell how to go green, but what are the most significant things people can do to aid the planet? But first, which are the outstanding environmental problems? If this can be grasped, then people can apply their collective brooms to sweep up the worst messes, leaving the lighter dusting for later. Here is where the prestigious Union of Concerned Scientists steps in.

Two of their members, Michael Brower, Ph.D., and Warren Leon, Ph.D., have written The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists. To arrive at the most effective actions that consumers could take, Brower and Leon measured and considered vast mounts of data and studies. They concluded that there are four main consumption-related environmental problems: air pollution, global warming, habitat destruction, and water pollution. (Their methodology is copiously detailed in appendices to the book.) Then they determined what these problems are connected with: cars and light trucks; meat and poultry; fruits, vegetables and grains; home heating, hot water and lighting; home construction; and household water and sewage. Then the scientists listed 11 actions that people could take to most effectively solve the four problems. The "priority actions for American consumers" include:

Transportation:

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.

Food:

6) Eat less meat. 7) Buy certified organic produce.

Household Operations:

8) Choose your home carefully. 9) Reduce the environmental costs of heating and hot water. 10) Install efficient lighting and appliances. 11) Choose an electricity supplier offering renewable energy.

For a full explanation of each of these points, readers should borrow, barter, or if necessary, buy and share this book. The scientists focused on consumption-related problems because Americans "consume a disproportionate share of the earth's resources, energy, metals, minerals, forest products, fish, grains, meat, and even fresh water. The typical American discards nearly a ton of trash per person per year, two to three times as much as the typical Western European throws away." Brower and Leon point out that some Western environmentalists have mistakenly attacked the rapid population growth of the world's poor as the cause of the environmental destruction of the developing countries. This led to a division among environmentalists at the 1992 Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro, where a delegate from India is quoted as saying: "It is ironic that those who have exploited global resources the most are now preaching to those who have been largely frugal and sparing." To reach a consensus activists agreed that "In the South, the main problem is overpopulation; in the North it is overconsumption. Both of these problems must be addressed."

The same debate reared its head again about a year ago in the Sierra Club, where a resolution calling for banning immigration to the United States (in effect blaming immigrants for environmental problems here) was defeated. Of course, business and governments often pollute more than individuals, and individuals often have no control over what they consume. Brower and Leon acknowledge this, and point out that while their book is devoted to what individuals as consumers can do, they also urge people to get involved politically, to write letters to their representatives and to newspapers. They say people should change not only their own behavior but also should try to modify destructive practices in their neighborhoods, workplaces, or towns. In other words, the authors urge people to try to be leaders. They state: "Tens of millions of Americans care deeply about the environment. If just a small fraction of them were to spend just 10 additional hours a year trying to influence government policy, it could make a dramatic difference. We hope you will commit to becoming more politically engaged."