Just figuring out how to be green is tough a lot of the time. I read a story a week or two back about how scientists are realizing a lot of biofuels aren’t so environmentally friendly as they thought. Turns out the production techniques cause more environmental issues than the use of the fuels solves.
A lot of trying to live green is like that. You think you’re doing something right and it turns out to not be as good as you thought. Compact fluorescent light bulbs are more efficient and last longer than traditional incandescent bulbs, but they aren’t so good in terms of what’s inside them. How should we handle that waste? Which one is really better? I’m still not 100% certain.
Other things work a bit better. Organic gardening done right is very good. Buying organic produce can be good, but where did it come from? If it’s not local you aren’t being as environmentally friendly as you thought.
Living a greener lifestyle definitely means educating yourself constantly. Sometimes you think you have the answer and it turns out that the implementation is more harmful than doing things the old way. It’s a tough problem, and you can’t always spot these things up front.
Technorati Tags: biofuels, environmental education
I think the hardest thing about being green is that sometimes it actually costs you more to grow down the environmentally friendly route. So, do you take the cheap way and help yourself (and your family), or the expensive way and help the planet. It’s quite hard, especially when everyone around you is taking the cheaper route!
[…] OK, so I’m still trying to think where he’s done well. There isn’t much there. President Bush is at least interested in biofuels and nuclear power. The trouble with biofuels is that many of them actually pollute more when you consider the entire process. Nuclear power, while it is much better when it comes to carbon, has issues with disposal. […]
[…] I have nothing against biofuels, so long as they are produced in an ecologically sound manner. Growers need to find out which plants are the best choices, require the least fertilizer, pesticides and other harmful products while giving a good yield. It’s not something I expect to happen quickly. But it is one of many technologies that needs development and encouragement. […]