Every purchase decision is a Carbon Event with implications on the environment, but more importantly on your wallet. With each purchase, consumers have the option to go green and buy an eco-friendly product which is beneficial to the environment. And while some green products cost more than their 'Non-Eco Equivalent Products', or NEEPs, in the short term, the truth is that eco-friendly products end up saving the consumer money in the long run, while doing the same for the environment. As the economic downturn persists and the state of the environment becomes more critical, it is increasingly important to ditch those NEEPs in favor of a green breed of products.
Not all NEEPs are created equal, though, and it is important to understand what category they fall into to understand their true cost. Since Americans face increasing global competition, trade deficits, and tough financial times NEEPs can be classified in several ways.
The problem with NEEPs is that they are everywhere. They are in your home, your office, your car, and most strikingly, in your diet. The categories of NEEPs break down into Import NEEPs, Home Remodeling NEEPs, and Culinary NEEPs.
The Import NEEP
As America transitioned from a production society to a service-based society in the post World War II years, the products that used to be made in the United States began to be produced in other countries, most notably those of South East Asia. As a wealthy nation, the United States has long relied on money to deliver those goods we need, however the mass importation of cheap products from the Far East has a three-fold negative impact.
First, in order to transmit goods from one side of the globe to the other requires vast amounts of energy, causing even greater CO2 emissions that harm the environment. Secondly, America actually sells recycled materials to Asian countries that then convert them into products and ship them back to macro-American retailers like Wal-Mart. Finally, outsourcing the production of goods, as well as the processes for reusing these goods after recycling, deprives Americans of much needed employment.
Imagine the total cost and waste in buying a soda from a convenience store in the United States to then have it picked up by a recycling truck, processed in a plant, shipped 12,000 miles, fabricated into a broom handle, shipped back to America, driven to Wal-Mart and picked up by anyone in their cars and then driven home. Creating and buying American made products allows the demand to be increased, keeps jobs in the United States, and incrementally reduces our impact on the environment.
The United States faced a similar situation during colonial times, when they shipped cotton to Britain for the creation of clothing, only to buy the clothes back from the British. Once it was realized that the process could be vertically integrated in the United States, the American economy received a much needed boost.
The Home Remodeling NEEP
With over $300 billion spent annually in America on home remodeling, there are plenty of purchase events to save money and help the environment. Many families are reluctant to make a green upgrade to their home in fear of the larger costs of solar cells on their roof, or geothermal heat pumps. However, as most people are making improvements on a home in which they intend to live for some time, these investments will easily pay for themselves in a number of years.
For instance, a programmable thermostat, which allows homeowners to use less energy to heat or cool their homes when they are not in them, can be purchased for about $115 more than its NEEP. The programmable thermostat offers savings of $180 a year, paying the home owner back within the first eight months of purchase.
Or what about insulated air ducts, which prevent energy leaks as the hot or cold air is moved from one section of a home to another. The additional cost for this product is $450, which might seem like a lot to a potential remodeler, however insulated ducts over annual savings of $180, paying the owner back in two-and-a-half years.
The perception that going green will negatively affect one's savings or lifestyle is pernicious, and not supported by a simple Return on Investment Table.
The Culinary NEEP
Diets focus on how to trim a waistline, but not waste in general. It is important to understand the process behind the food one eats. For instance, farmers need about six gallons of water to grow a head of lettuce, but it takes over 1,000 gallons of water to produce a serving of beef, because the feed for the cows is so inefficient to grow.
In addition to conserving water, which will become one of the scarcest resources in the coming decades, stores have began to import food from local areas. In order to cut down on transportation costs of food, lowering our collective carbon footprint, some supermarkets have set up deals with local farms. Without having to pay the exorbitant costs of food transportation from one part of the country to the other, these markets can offer their products at a lower cost while pumping less CO2 into the atmosphere.
Lastly, bottled water must be addressed. Since the 1980s, annual plastic bottled water consumption has seen an annual increase from 1.5 to 9 billion units. With the added costs of shipping these bottles to the Far East, only to have them shipped back as broom handles, the effect is staggering. Home filtration systems, whether in the sink or the refrigerator, will save a consumer money and reduce their carbon footprint. Nalgene bottles or other non-disposable water bottles come in very handy and are easily refillable. There are even water bottles out there with a filtration system built in. With so many options to skimp on plastic bottles of water, the choice to do the right thing is painfully clear.
Life is full of choices and hard decisions. But if the perception that eco-friendly products are an unwelcome burden can be marginalized as the myth that it is, it is possible to make a lot of decisions about where and what we eat, buy, and do a lot easier.
Certain initiatives factor in multiples to cover the US average 2,500 sq. ft. home, and 'Additional Cost' is based on factors over and above the 'Non-Eco Equivalent Products'. See the calculation breakdowns, and suggestions for Home Remodeling at GREENandSAVE.com. Or, for more information on improving your carbon footprint, take a look at GREENandSAVE.com's Carbon Counter.
