Conserve More Consume Less

This article http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/RaiseKids/TheCheapestWayToSaveTheEarth.aspx?page=1 on reducing our environmental impact by actually consuming less and taking reasonable measures to change our daily routine reminds me of one of Dr. Webber’s lectures. Dr. Webber explained the impact we could have on reducing petroleum use by doing a few simple things such as checking tire pressure, driving slower and getting regular oil changes. Taking radical measures and spending a lot of money on new technology and new appliances, cars, etc. is not always necessary.

The article, “The Cheapest Way to Save the Earth” gives examples of how our consumer-oriented society feels it has to buy more things in order to conserve. This may lead some people to feel they can’t contribute to conservation because they can’t afford to. This is actually very counter intuitive. The point of “conservation” should be to conserve – to use less. And even someone on a tight budget can do that. We don’t have to buy organic food or a hybrid car to make a difference. We can turn off lights, take public transportation and take better care of what we already have (like our cars). But if you can afford it, and plan to buy fruits and veggies anyway, you may as well go organic.

I feel the article says something significant about our society. It seems we try to solve a lot of problems by consuming and spending money. It’s probably one reason why our country consumes so much energy.