Would the planet (and its inhabitants) be better off without these five things?
If you view the world through a sustainability lens, it doesn’t take very long to notice products and practices all around us that aren’t very environmentally friendly.
So, more from summer musings on the deck than from any deep scientific analysis, here are my five nominees for Worst Invention of All Time, in random order – and presented with the hope that they may provoke reflection on how we live and how we could quite easily do it more sustainably.
- Bottled water: It’s amazing how tap water that’s put in a plastic bottle, trucked long distances and sold for good money has somehow displaced free tap or fountain water – especially in places like here in NB, where our water is so good! The carbon footprint of one bottle of water is equivalent to having a glass of tap water every day for about a year – plus the tap water is free. But as the marketers told Mr. O’Hare in The Lorax, “Our research shows that if you put something in a plastic bottle, people will buy it.”
- Ride-on lawn mowers: When I was a kid growing up on the farm, I always wanted to be the one who got to drive the tractor. Today, everybody gets to fulfill their secret tractor driving dreams, and that’s great – except that ride-on lawn mowers have enabled enormous lawns, and lawns in general are an enormous waste of resources: precious land, water, fertilizer, sprays, gasoline and perhaps most of all human time. They’re one of the biggest cultivated crops in the country, with a less-than-zero food output (they turn meadows into food deserts for pollinators). What would God think?
- Air conditioning: Prior to air conditioning, humans avoided places that were too hot. AC has enabled us to settle in places we otherwise couldn’t – but it has also enabled communities entirely dependent upon the outside world for energy and other resources. Think places like Phoenix, Las Vegas, Doha and Dubai, which consume huge amounts of energy trying to stay cool – all of which would be in big trouble if the power ever went out or the tap ever ran dry. But perhaps a closer-to-home impact of air conditioning is how it has become a default of convenience in parts of the world where it’s really needed only a few days a year. So now that it’s in cars and buildings, it’s usually on by default from about May to September, regardless of the weather, consuming enormous amounts of energy and even resulting in sweaters in July. What a paradox on a warming planet. I wish I could offer an easy solution; the best I can think of is more conscious decision making, so that fresh air becomes our default and AC is the less-used backup; plus more solar energy, because its power production matches AC demand; and perhaps thermostats that prevent AC from cooling below 25°C.
- Four-wheel drive: “You need four-wheel drive,” deep-voiced admen have been telling us, and it seems we’ve believed them (even though most places in Canada receive 5 cm of snow fewer than 20 times a winter and it’s questionable as to whether 4WD improves safety). The result: our Canadian vehicle fleet is the least efficient in the world, thanks largely to trucks and SUVs, most of which are four-wheel drive (which is a drag on efficiency). A secondary impact: now we’re more inclined to drive on days our grandparents would have chosen to stay home. Hopefully electric vehicles and the option of working from home can help swing the pendulum back in the direction of sustainability.
- Cryptocurrencies: The notion of a currency that exists only in cyberspace is mind-boggling. That it can be used to circumvent accountability, oversight or taxation seems wrong. But perhaps most repulsive is the amount of energy used by crypto ‘mines’, the large computer centers that manage transactions and generate new ‘money’. It’s estimated that Bitcoin uses more energy in a year than Norway. Proponents argue that much of this energy is renewable, but that simply means it’s diverting power from sectors that probably should have higher priority, such as the electrification of transportation. But what do I know? I’m still finding pennies in my top drawer.
The takeaway: sustainability is a culture; it’s a lens through which we view our world. Hopefully the above examples (and I didn’t even get to patio heaters, drive-throughs, leaf blowers, cruise ships, Keurig cups or Amazon!) demonstrate that, when we look more closely, there are many ways each of us can make a significant difference, and live more lightly on the planet every day.
Now over to you: what’s your nominee(s) for Worst Invention of All Time? Hit reply to share, and it just might show up in a future Green Ideas!
“Lead by example” – Terry Fox
Each September, I participate in the Terry Fox Run to raise funds for cancer research. When the pandemic cancelled in-person runs in 2020, I started doing beach cleanups instead. Last year’s was the most successful yet – and we were joined by Terry’s brother Fred! (Here’s a two-minute video.)
I’ll be doing my fifth cleanup on September 14, and I’d be grateful for your support. You’ll get a tax receipt for 100% of your donation, and you’ll be supporting two causes in one! Pledges can be made at my personal page or by emailing me for alternate arrangements. And feel free to make your donation in memory of a loved one; I add every name to my run-day t-shirt.
Thanks to my corporate sponsors so far: Cooke Aquaculture, DKB Enterprises, Epic Energy, Encorp Atlantic, Ritchie’s Carpet Warehouse and Hunter Wealth Management!
In the news:
“A cascade of challenges”: how fires, floods, heat waves and drought are putting food production at risk and increasing prices at the grocery store.
Half of all cars sold in China in June were plug-in – up 23% over last year – and EV price parity with gas vehicles looms closer as battery prices drop dramatically.
Wind turbines and solar panels have overtaken fossil fuels to generate 30% of the EU’s electricity in the first half of 2024!
Quotable
“Many individuals are doing what they can. But real success can only come if there is a change in our societies and in our economics and in our politics.”