Think beyond MPG*

Consider 2 different personalities below

I. Joe Redneck grew up in a small super conservative town of Midland, Texas. Thanks to striking oil in his backyard, Joe reaped riches and soon moved to Houston. Now Joe drives a 10 mpg Hummer, lives in a mansion consuming MW's of energy. He does not care about the environment and doesn't believe in conservation of our natural resources. He never recyles and doesnt care about running faucets in his palace. He has never set foot outside Texas and is totally illiterate about other culture.

II. Allene Green, grew up in the super liberal neighbourhood of Berkeley, CA. He now lives in the city of San Francisco in a small condo and drives a Prius which gives him 50 mpg. His small condo is lit with energy saving bulbs and he utilies only 1 light at a time in his house. He recycles all the cans, and never uses a plastic bag. He takes public transportation wherever possible. He is a conservationist and a tree hugger. Allene is also a big fan of travelling, and makes several trips to international and local destinations every year and is very well learned.

After reading the first 2 stories, it is very easy for a common man to draw the conclusion that Joe Redneck doesnt give a damn about the environment, whereas Allene Green is 21st century thinker who believes in preserving the natural resources of this world. Yet if you were to do a complete examination of their lifestyles, you would notice that the fuel consumed by Allene's international and domestic pleasure trips well exceed that of Joe's Hummers consumption. For example Allene' last weekend round trip to NY and back was equivalent of driving Joe's Hummer for 1250 miles** - a feat Joe accomplishes in more than a month! Thus in stark contrast to your assumptions based on two extreme cases presented above, Allene's carbon foot print is actually much more than that of Joe's.

If this result startles you, read more. Allene also spends 10 extra minutes in shower compare to Joe....and pray how is the hot water heated? Allene also has a voracious appetite and eats more than Joe. All forms of food be it meat or vegetables need enormous amount of energy for harvesting, transportation and packing. These are just a few examples from our daily lives where Allene consumes more energy than Joe.

Saving energy and natural resources are not simple as the mpg of your car. It takes a more holistic approach. We all need to realise, that at certain level all of us are hypocritical. Some may be aware of it, some may be denial...but at the end of the day the only way to conserve our resources is to do our bit. It might be as simple as recycling, or keeping the tap running for 1 less minute, or consolidating your dirty laundry to wash them all at once instead of washing 1 sock at a time.

* MPG - Miles per gallon
** Assumption - SFO -NY roundtrip is 6000 miles @ 48 mpg.