Going Green.. How to figure out tradeoffs when making decisions?

I was inspired by the Saran Wrap thread started yesterday, and when DH and I were at home putting our lunches together I said that Id like to try to use less ziplocs and more resusable containers for stuff.

He said that was silly because all the water and energy wasted to clean the Rubbermaids would negate the good we were doing by using less ziplocs.

This went back and forth and we each had out points but didn't come to a conclusion.

I always read little tidbits here and there about this kind of tradeoff..I know I read somewhere that it is better for the environment to use a dishwasher instead of handwashing beacuse of all the water wasted (and all of the energy wasted to heat all of the water you are wasting!)

Is there a way to research this kind of stuff? A website that tells you what is better for the environment?

Re: Going Green.. How to figure out tradeoffs when making decisions?

You have a good point. I don't know the answer though. I think it's better to reuse the tupperwares because it doesn't fill up the landfills. We also have an engery star dishwasher .

Re: Going Green.. How to figure out tradeoffs when making decisions?

Also, the compact fluorescent bulbs have mercury in them, and there isn't really a way of conveniently recycling them at this point. You can mail them away to a place, but you have to pay to have them recycled.

That means, that there is going to be a lot more mercury in the landfills as the bulbs get disposed of.

I use them, but I'm hoping something comes around by the time they start to die on me.

Re: Going Green.. How to figure out tradeoffs when making decisions?

let me know if you find something- I have a few this vs. that situations, too.

But as for tupperware vs. saran wrap- I vote tupperware- less waste. Yes, you're washing, but otherwise you are wasting not only the saran wrap, but the box it comes in, and more energy is used to produce all the packaging components in a single use disposable product, than in washing a dish.

Re: Going Green.. How to figure out tradeoffs when making decisions?

Re: Going Green.. How to figure out tradeoffs when making decisions?

Re: Going Green.. How to figure out tradeoffs when making decisions?

Message edited 11/15/2011 9:24:38 PM.

Re: Going Green.. How to figure out tradeoffs when making decisions?

Posted by melbalalala

Posted by Goobster

Posted by melbalalala

He said that was silly because all the water and energy wasted to clean the Rubbermaids would negate the good we were doing by using less ziplocs.

This went back and forth and we each had out points but didn't come to a conclusion.

I don't see how he can rationalize this at all.

Using a bit of water and soap to wash a dish is far better than filling up a landfill with plastic that doesn't biodegrade. Far better to use tupperware and extremely helpful to cut down on landfill trash, which is a huge issue for our future.

That's what I said!! He said, however, that the waste being produced by heating up the water and running the electricity to do the dishwasher is more wasteful and has a bigger impact on the overall environment than a plastic baggie in a landfill... taking up 1 microtrillionth of space in the landfill. I wanted to argue back but I need some hard data.

Re: Going Green.. How to figure out tradeoffs when making decisions?

Posted by GoldenRod

Then he should get a solar water heater, and some organic soap!

(This seems like a clear-cut winner for washing the dishes vs. saran wrap.)
Plastic wrap needs the raw material collected and shipped to the factory. The factory needs to stay heated in the winter, and cooled in the summer, plus electricity to make and package the plastic. Then, it's shipped by truck to the warehouse. Then, shipped again to the retailer. It's then stored in a supermarket (more electricity to maintain the store), and picked up by a shopper, who uses more fuel to get it home.
Once you're done with it, it's put in the garbage, which is carried away by a gas-guzzling garbage truck.

I can't imagine that a few seconds of water usage would surpass that amount of energy!

Re: Going Green.. How to figure out tradeoffs when making decisions?

Re: Going Green.. How to figure out tradeoffs when making decisions?

Posted by GoldenRod

Then he should get a solar water heater, and some organic soap!

(This seems like a clear-cut winner for washing the dishes vs. saran wrap.)
Plastic wrap needs the raw material collected and shipped to the factory. The factory needs to stay heated in the winter, and cooled in the summer, plus electricity to make and package the plastic. Then, it's shipped by truck to the warehouse. Then, shipped again to the retailer. It's then stored in a supermarket (more electricity to maintain the store), and picked up by a shopper, who uses more fuel to get it home.
Once you're done with it, it's put in the garbage, which is carried away by a gas-guzzling garbage truck.

I can't imagine that a few seconds of water usage would surpass that amount of energy!