someone mentioned recently whether we should be discussing actions or steps
we can take, big or small, towards reducing emissions.
so, in terms of one small step:
what produces more emissions. buying music in a physical form (eg. cd) from
a shop, with all the packaging etc? or if you already own a pc and internet
connection, the energy it uses in downloading the song? as for playing, that
would depend on the device, i imagine many hi-fis take more power than most
pc's as they are heavy on current.
and what about newspapers? should we still be buying newspapers? they have
to be delivered each and every day all over the country. they consume vast
amounts of paper, half of which is dedicated to adverts. is it more
environmentally to read articles online if you already have a pc and have it
on at say work or somewhere else?
food: local organic or local over anything else? to reduce food miles, and
if organic, fossil fuel use (depending on methods a little). but what about
fair-trade? many fair trade products are imported by air over long
distances. is importing via ships viable environmentally and economically,
or should we accept that we cannot go on consuming coffees, orange juice,
chocolate, bananas etc as we do currently?
should we be discouraging the use of computers, even though the internet is
the medium for climate change awareness, discussion and engagement?
should we be trying to promote localisation? working within walking distance
of our shops, schools, work place? perhaps accepting what employment that
offers, and not choosing careers and choice of home/location as much as we
do currently?
just some thoughts to start the ball rolling.
cheers,
Jonathan
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