Today, I got an oil change and a maintanance inspection. "Hold up!" you say. "Aren't cars and our dependence on oil bad for the world? Don't you remember BP and the Gulf of Mexico (BTW: another recent oil spoil)? Don't you know that they're expanding drilling to the arctic??? Aren't you concerned about the rich, arctic ecosystems? What about the polar bears? What about the narwhals!?!"
To you I say, "yes, I remember these things. And, yes, I'm absolutely concerned about polar bears and narwhals." HOWEVER, it's no big secret that our dependence on oil won't end overnight. It's also no big secret that many of us can't afford to run out and buy a new Nissan Leaf immediately. (Ideally, I would love to purchase a Nissan Leaf or a hybrid car.) In the meantime, I drive a '95 Honda Accord, and, as long as I drive a gas-powered vehicle, it's good for the world for me to take care of it for 2 reasons:
1) A well-maintained car is more fuel efficient, emits fewer air pollutants, and costs less money in repairs.
2) Regular maintenance extends the life of a car, which, in turn, reduces the number of unwanted cars that essentially become trash.
Still, in case you aren't satisfied with an oil change, here are some other 'G' thangs today:
Josh and I also purchased a 6-pack of New Belgium beer. New Belgium is known for being a model company with regards to social and environmental responsibility, so it's cool to support them. They make Fat Tire, but we're trying the Tripel tonight. I'll let you know how it is!
OH! I found out that Target carries a line of reusable gift bags for wrapping presents. They're only $1 more than paper gift bags, and they can be used as beach bags, lunch bags, purses, etc...after the present is opened rather than just being thrown away! Huzzah!
Seeing that Narwhal caught my eye and got me to thinking about alternative ways to change things that we often think are fixed and have few options or alternatives. One example is Microsoft Windows. Open Source programs (free)are the way to go these days and Ubuntu just released their latest open source operating system named Natty Narwhal. It's a free download from http://www.ubuntu.com/download
ReplyDeleteAlso another alternative for buying pricing laptops is the new Google ChromeBook http://www.google.com/chromebook/#features
available in June. You pay nothing up front for the computer except a monthly 30.00 fee and 50.00 Google license for three years.
These alternatives and those you've mentioned in you post are good ways to adapt to our ever changing environment.
So, I haven't always been a fan of Target [due to my own personal employee experience]but as you know, choosing where you spend your money is also choosing which business practices to support. Target is really putting forth some strong efforts to help the world, check out hereforgood.target.com. Also, the Better World Shopping Guide ranks them with a C+ (http://www.betterworldshopper.org/r-supermarkets.html) which is really the highest grade a large, national chain of its liking has received, as far as I can tell.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, just thought I'd share.
...And, you inspired my latest blog post. Ha! http://wp.me/p1xWTj-2i
ReplyDelete