{"id":431,"date":"2011-04-26T10:44:35","date_gmt":"2011-04-26T10:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/?p=431"},"modified":"2013-04-26T10:58:24","modified_gmt":"2013-04-26T10:58:24","slug":"green-fact-checking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/green-fact-checking\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Fact Checking"},"content":{"rendered":"

By P.A. Castro<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The first Earth Day was marked 40 years ago \u2013 specifically in 1969, when US Senator Gaylord Nelson called for the establishment of April 22 every year as a day for \u201cnationwide grassroots demonstration on the environment\u201d; though the United Nations, in a tradition started by peace activist John McConnell also in 1969, also started Earth Day celebrations on the March equinox, which is often on March 20.\u00a0The interesting thing is, in the case of environmental awareness, maturity does not come with aging \u2013 many beliefs that continue to persist about greening are fallacious.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Writing for the New York Post<\/em>, Max Schulz cites in Green Myths: Enviro \u201cFacts\u201d That Aren\u2019t<\/em> a recent survey by Zogby International for the Manhattan Institute, which found that, \u201cwhen it comes to energy and the environment, the public is more inclined to believe myths than to have a firm grasp of basic facts.\u201d
\nThus, especially during Earth Day, while \u201cenvironmental ecclesiasts will once again call on their flocks to take action. By all means, let us safeguard the environment \u2013 but with steps rooted in fact, not myth,\u201d Schulz says.
\nG Magazine looks at the truths that are not as far as greening is concerned.<\/p>\n

Myth 1: Going green is expensive.<\/h1>\n

Arguably the most often used argument against going green is that it is costly \u2013 which is, in a way, true, since you may have to invest more, often quite expensively, and that\u2019s even on something you may already have.
\nBut this is a wrong way of looking at spending for green, according to Ronaldo T. Villon, president of UniSolar Inc., one of the few all-Filipino companies to sell solar panels street lamps (with local government units as the main clients). For its maiden project, the company undertook the exclusive importation and distribution in the Philippines of solar-powered outdoor lighting fitted into a lamp post structure that is aptly called Steel Intelligentized Solar Street Light, which makes use of polycrystalline solar cells to capture the power of the sun, and then stores them in a deep recycle lead acid battery to power compact fluorescent light bulbs to emit light. ISO-certified, the entire fixture and all of its components function in all weather conditions, for up to over 20 years.
\nWhile \u201cit is costlier compared to electric outdoor lighting, it is more economical in the long term because of the savings in electricity and maintenance,\u201d says Villon, adding that, even better, \u201cour product has ROI (return of investment), which can never happen in electric lighting, as it also has residual value (through the possible interest money incurred on savings from expenses that using solar lighting cut).\u201d
\nThis way, going green is only expensive to begin with, but more than pays for itself in the long run.
\nWriting for guardian.co.uk, Dick Strawbridge, BBC TV presenter and green home expert, says that \u201cyou don’t have to be wealthy or a tree hugger to make energy efficient changes to your home.\u201d Yes, there are expensive green products; but, yes, there are also cheaper alternatives, so that \u201cif the cost is putting you off doing it, don’t think twice: buy the cheapest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Myth 2: Real effect can only be felt by grand efforts, not by small steps.<\/h1>\n

According to Dana Dratch, a freelance writer based in Atlanta in the US, in 10 Major Myths About Living Green (bankrate.com), \u201cone of your biggest weapons in the green movement is your own wallet. Recent numbers demonstrate that a few smarter buying decisions translate to big changes in the planet. One that’s fairly easy: When you buy household paper goods (like paper towels, napkins, toilet paper, and copy paper), look for products that use high percentages of recycled or post-consumer waste.\u201d
\nThis is because, Dratch says, quoting Jennifer Powers, spokeswoman for the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, \u201ca lot of the major paper manufacturers are cutting virgin forests to make the items you use. But some well-known green-label brands… use recycled materials instead. If everyone in the country elected to buy one package of 100% recycled napkins instead of the non-recycled variety, that act alone would save one million trees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Myth 3: Most eco-moves take decades to pay back the cost.<\/h1>\n

\u201cEvery time we decide to make an investment in an eco-project, the subject of payback comes up,\u201d Strawbridge says. But while \u201cit is possible to do the sums, and before we spend any hard earned cash, I like to make sure that it’s a good investment.\u201d
\nA good example, according to Strawbridge, is an investment in a \u201cDIY (do-it-yourself) solar thermal system to heat your hot water (at home. While it may only pay for) itself in four or five years, surely this is missing the point: when it comes to environmentally friendly projects we seem unable to accept the fact that it can be an investment and will add to the value of the house. What is the payback time for a new bathroom or kitchen? If you install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels (now), you can reasonably expect them to easily last 25 to 30 years. Everyone knows a new kitchen makes a house more saleable, but in the current economic climate, how much more saleable is a house that will cost the new owners very little to run or may even generate an income?\u201d<\/p>\n

Myth 4: You have to be some sort of a scientist to fully effect environmental strategies.<\/h1>\n

For Strawbridge, \u201cin the 21st century, there is no excuse for not being able to get stuck into any eco-project. Information is readily available and all the materials you need can usually be sourced within 10 miles,\u201d he says. \u201cOf course, I have to acknowledge that there is some sensible legislation that means you are not allowed to fiddle with mains electricity, or get involved with structural engineering, unless you’re suitably qualified. That does not mean you can’t do most of the work yourself, which is by far the cheapest way.\u201d
\nSimply, Strawbridge says, \u201cif you have running water and a desire to have a water wheel, all you need is to know that the angle of the bucket is 114\u00b0. With a little bit of common sense, anything is achievable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Myth 5: There is only one green solution for every green concern.<\/h1>\n

Not!
\nSays Dratch: \u201cThe paper or plastic debate is the best example of this. Not even the experts can agree which is a more eco-friendly way to carry home groceries. The better answer, of course, is neither: Bring your own cloth bags to the store.\u201d
\nThe problem is that \u201cconflicting information about what constitutes a green choice can leave many consumers stalled with indecision. The best way to break the logjam is to start by trying a couple of solutions that are doable and make sense to you,\u201d Dratch says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A quick run-through of the arguments against going green.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[226,212,214,225,227],"class_list":["post-431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinions","tag-denialists","tag-earth-day","tag-environmentalism","tag-going-green","tag-turning-green"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=431"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":434,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431\/revisions\/434"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}