Don’t Confuse “Green” with “Clean” at The Brian Sullivan Blog

Don’t Confuse “Green” with “Clean” at The Brian Sullivan Blog By Brian Sullivan

A guest today on the 10am show discusses the difference between being “green” and actually being “clean.”

Woody Clark PhD of Clark Strategic Partners (and one of the Nobel Prize winning group of Al Gore)  makes the point that while many companies are seizing the national mood and marketing themselves as environmentally sensitive “green” companies, not much has really changed in the impact to the planet.   In fact, Woody’s view is that many of the so-called “green” initiatves are actually worse for the environment.

Case in point those energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs that retailers like Wal-Mart are heavily marketing.  Those bulbs do use far less energy than a regular incandescent light bulb.    That’s the positive - less energy use, less need for power generation and pollution.  Just don’t drop them.  They contain a small amount of mercury, a scourge to you and the environment.  In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, while noting the risk to your family is small, lists the following guidelines should you drop one:

Open a window and leave the room (restrict access) for at least 15 minutes. If you have fans, place the fans in the windows and blow the air out of the room. Note: If the room has no windows, open all doors to the room and windows outside the room and use fans to move the air out of the room and to the open windows.

Remove all materials you can without using a vacuum cleaner.
Wear disposable rubber gloves, if available (do not use your bare hands).
Carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard.
Wipe the area clean with a damp paper towel or disposable wet wipe.
Sticky tape (such as duct tape) can be used to pick up small pieces and powder.
Place all cleanup materials in a plastic bag and seal it, and then place in a second sealed plastic bag.
If no other disposal or recycling options are available, private residents may dispose of the CFL in residential garbage. Be sure to seal the CFL in two plastic bags and put into the outside trash.
Wash your hands after disposing of the bags.
The first time you vacuum the area where the bulb was broken, remove the vacuum bag once done cleaning the area (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag and/or vacuum debris, as well as the cleaning materials, in two sealed plastic bags in the outdoor trash or protected outdoor location for normal disposal.

Leave the room?  Use two plastic bags?  (isn’t it ironic that the EPA recommends using a plastic bag at a time when many retailers, recognizing the huge pile up of these bags in landfills, are eliminating their use or charging more for them?)   There have even been reports of people forced to call professional clean up crews to dispose of one broken CFL bulb, costing them thousands of dollars.

Next up, the Toyota Prius.   This hybrid car is beloved by those looking to reduce carbon emissions and save gas.   The problem: while the driver of the Prius is saving gas with its energy-efficient 55mpg, the total cost to the environment is much greater.   The reason?  The massive amount of energy it takes to mine and transport the 30lbs of nickel that are found in the Prius’ batteries.

From this month’s Wired magazine: 

Pound for pound, making a Prius contributes more carbon to the atmosphere than making a Hummer, largely due to the environmental cost of the 30 pounds of nickel in the hybrid’s battery. Of course, the hybrid quickly erases that carbon deficit on the road, thanks to its vastly superior fuel economy.  Still, the comparison suggests a more sensible question. If a new Prius were placed head-to-head with a used car, would the Prius win? Don’t bet on it. Making a Prius consumes 113 million BTUs, according to sustainability engineer Pablo Päster. A single gallon of gas contains about 113,000 Btus, so Toyota’s green wonder guzzles the equivalent of 1,000 gallons before it clocks its first mile. A used car, on the other hand, starts with a significant advantage: The first owner has already paid off its carbon debt. Buy a decade-old Toyota Tercel, which gets a respectable 35 mpg, and the Prius will have to drive 100,000 miles to catch up.

One study actually found that because of this, its actually nearly as ‘green’ to buy a Hummer than a Prius!

While that may be the extreme, the point is clear: if you want to be more environmentally conscious, make sure that “green” product you are buying really does have an overall benefit to the planet.   Doing your part is key, but if you are simply transferring the impact to another the net result is neutral. 

Read the entire article at Don’t Confuse “Green” with “Clean” at The Brian Sullivan Blog.