On of the big theories in green thinking is that "every little bit counts." Rather than just give up on environmentalism because you can't make your home into a solar-powered lair, you're encouraged to pursue green living by making small changes everyday, like unplugging your electronics when they're not in use. But a quote in a recent NYTimes.com article from a University of Cambridge physics professor got us thinking...
Does Every Little Bit Count?
The article, about the emergence of an industry of eco-home consultants, includes this quote:
David J. C. MacKay, a physics professor at the University of Cambridge and author of the new book, “Sustainable Energy — Without the Hot Air” (UIT Cambridge, 2009), said gestures like unplugging the cellphone charger when not in use should be seen for what they are — tiny.“It’s like bailing the Titanic with a teaspoon,” Professor MacKay said. “The energy saved by unplugging the cellphone charger for one day is the same energy used when you drive your car for one second.” Topping his list: turning down the thermostat in the winter, flying less and buying less “stuff,” which he noted comes embedded with the energy it takes to make it and transport it.
It got us thinking about how our readers feel about the "every little bit counts" theory.
- Do you practice random acts of environmentalism everyday in the hopes that the little effects will add up to a big impact?
- Or do you try and focus on more sporadic but more meaningful big gestures?
Tell us in the comments!
Image from functoruser at FlickrCreative Commons License.
posted originally from: Unplggd
Comments (8)
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I think "little things do count." It is the lack of "little things" thinking that concerns me. If we don't think about turning off a switch when leaving a room or can't be bothered by unplugging cords to unused appliances how can we remember to think about our fuel supply, how we get to work, where our food comes from, or whether we should invest in solar panels, should we vote on wind mills, sell the country home and move toward the city? It is still planting a seed in the mind of others setting an example and a behavior ritual reminding to the self keeping true to your beliefs and if everyone does it, key here--if everyone does it, it can make a difference. I believe is it years and years and years of consumers and companies “little things” that have gone unchecked that has gotten us here along with the changing climate.
So is he going to tell me I don’t need to separate my trash now?
view loansi's profile
I would say (and have said, in fact) that "little things" can actually have a negative impact. Frequently, people who do "little things" let themselves feel better about their environmentalism, and then they feel less compelled to make a big change. They treat turning their lights off for an hour once a year as a panacea for all of the problems of the world.
view Cupajo's profile
yes small things do count....they might not matter if just one person does it...for small things to make huge deifferences on the whole...collective effort is what helps...i really hope t see a day in my life where atleast five out of ten people around me think green...cant tell u how frustrating it is to see the apathy around me...
view susrith's profile
I try to do both the little things and the big things, but I worry less about missing the little things.
view How Green Is My Valley's profile
I don't think it's about big or little things - it's about a shift in thinking. Once you accept that you need to do all you can, everything you do is important - and you have to do the little AND big things - unplug the cellphone charger AND turn the thermostat down, choose environmentally friendly products AND reduce or stop driving, etc.
It's not about "gestures," it's about looking at your life and seeing where you can make changes, and then methodically and diligently making the change happen.
view Very Miao's profile
I turn off the little things- but they are all connected via power cords in two different rooms for the most part- so I am not just turning off my cell phone, but my computer, printer, speakers, pda charger, internet, etc.
Just think- 60 people unplugging a cell phone cord they are not using is equal to one minute of a car being driven- they all do it for 60 days and that is an hour. That adds up.
view midnightskyfibers's profile
People saying things like 'It’s like bailing the Titanic with a teaspoon' really irritates me. Isn't every thing that you do just a tiny drop in the bucket when you look at the 'BIG PICTURE'. Even if you ride your bike/grow your own veggies/never buy from a big-box retail there are still BILLIONS of people that do all of those things. Anything one person does isn't going to make that big of a difference. It's got to be a lot of people doing a lot of little things.
Just because I can't afford solar panels, and can't ride the bus to work does that mean I should stop doing the 'little things' like composting, recycling and eating organic? I don't think so.
And if you DO have a solar-powered carbon-neutral house and ride your bike to the non-profit you work for does that mean you can ignore the little things and buy lots of paper towels and use chemically based house cleaners? I don't think so.
view Rolen the Great's profile
I am one person in a studio apartment who does not drive. I unplug my tv to plug in my radio and then i unplug the radio to plug in my lamp. I am careful to make a roll of paper towels last over a month. I try to remember to unplug my toaster after I use it. I have a small life, if I don't do what you're thinking of as the "little things" I'm not doing anything. Unplugging my cellphone charger may only be equal to one second not driving, but I have a whole life not driving. These things are all relative. I think we should make the changes that make sense for our lives.
view shlowzi's profile