Sunday, March 23, 2008

Eat away CO2 emissions

A lot of my life choices have changed since beginning this class. I have curbed my driving, unplugged all unused appliances and replaced all the light bulbs in my apartment. One of our readings touched me even more than others, it stated that 25,000 people die of starvation daily, and that the majority of those are under age 5. Because of this, I have returned to eating vegetarian and choose only organic foods at the grocery store. I bought organic yogurt from Stonyfield Farms, and was surprised when I peeled back my foil top to read that Stonyfield Farms was the first business to offset all CO2 emissions from the production of their products. I read the back of the container while eating and was impressed that they have the largest solar array in New Hampshire on their rooftop, and use all of their waste product to create renewable energy. Through further research, I learned that their founder, Gary Hirshberg, began learning about global climate change in the 1970's and has been actively making a difference since then to do his part in reducing the carbon footprint. His sense of personal responsibility has led to a 50 kW solar array system that spans 120,000 square feet. I often get frustrated thinking that I can't make a difference, as an individual, by the choices I make. Reading about this helps reaffirm that small choices can indeed make a big difference.

1 comment:

L Passaniti said...

Good for you! This class has given me the "push" I needed to make a few changes. Nothing huge, but I think every little thing counts.

One my changes has been my diet. I'm eating organic and, though I'm not a vegetarian, I have been eating much, much less meat and making different choices when I do.