Consuming is getting complicated
We vote with our checkbooks.
That notion takes a larger and larger role in my life as a
devoted American consumer, especially since politicians and policy
wonks began talking about our

carbon footprint.

Now that even the folks who came late to the table acknowledge
that human activity is tied to global warming, there’s more and
more talk about how our everyday actions leave behind a breadcrumb
trail of pollution in the form of greenhouse gases
– our carbon footprint.
Larger homes, more and bigger cars, the acquisition of
appliances and computers all carry a consequence, one that most of
us have not thought much about.
Consuming is getting complicated

We vote with our checkbooks.

That notion takes a larger and larger role in my life as a devoted American consumer, especially since politicians and policy wonks began talking about our “carbon footprint.”

Now that even the folks who came late to the table acknowledge that human activity is tied to global warming, there’s more and more talk about how our everyday actions leave behind a breadcrumb trail of pollution in the form of greenhouse gases – our carbon footprint.

Larger homes, more and bigger cars, the acquisition of appliances and computers all carry a consequence, one that most of us have not thought much about.

It’s just getting so hard to buy stuff.

Take automobiles, for instance. That shiny piece of engineering in the driveway is built of steel that was born as iron ore. It’s covered in chemicals and filled with toxic substances. Its tires will clog landfills long after we’re all pushing up daisies.

As nice as it may look today, someday it’s going to be 3,000 pounds of toxic junk.

So what’s the right thing to do?

That’s where life is getting so complicated.

Is hybrid the way to go? What about the effect of tossing out all those batteries? Maybe a subcompact is better? A new plug-in hybrid is linked to the source of each consumer’s electricity, so a car that gets juice from hydroelectric power is cleaner than one plugged into a coal-fired power plant.

A news story last week revealed that researchers have determined that charcoal barbecues have just about the same carbon footprint as propane grills.

There’s a “buy local” movement in produce circles. At first blush, it makes a lot of sense. Eating food produced by your neighbors is likely to mean that you’re eating fresher, more flavorful meals while supporting sustainable local businesses. It’s all good, or so it seems.

But some people who think more about “carbon footprints” than I do are saying that getting a box of produce that traveled a few miles to market may be linked to more pollution than buying a tomato from a Florida farm that arrived in California as part of a truckload of tomatoes.

The whole notion of responsible consumership has gotten so vexing that just hearing the question “paper or plastic?” is enough to give me chills.

I think the most valuable thing may be to buy only what we need, to use it until it’s used up and to reuse whatever we can.

And I’ll still take that local produce over a tomato that’s earned more frequent flier miles than I have.

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A staff member wrote, edited or posted this article, which may include information provided by one or more third parties.

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