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Less is more. Although this proverbial phrase is most often associated with architecture and design, I like to think it relates well to environmental issues and actions.
Less driving -- more walking, biking and public transit.
Less fuel -- better mileage, clean air and money in your pocket.
Less electricity -- more energy conservation.
Less waste -- more reuse and recycling.
Less can be more when it comes to the environment.
On a recent trip to Europe, it was evident to me that many Europeans believe that less is more.
Let's talk about cars. Smart Cars, those zippy little Mercedes vehicles that get up to 41 miles per gallon on the highway, are just beginning to appear on Valley streets. In Europe, Smart Cars have been the norm and not the exception -- primarily as a result of the high cost of fuel abroad.
And for those Europeans who prefer mass transit and/or biking, the ability to get where you need to go is readily available. On the streets of Freiburg, Germany, I saw hundreds of bicycles parked at train stations -- they were, in essence, bicycle park 'n' rides.
Let's talk about waste. At the grocery store, European customers have had to buy plastic bags for years -- they are not included with purchases. The Trader Joe's-style, recycled bags caught on long ago. Outdoor markets are popular and buying fresh, and just enough, is preferred rather than the once-a-week trip to the grocery store. Recycle bins are often right next to the waste bins -- you don't have to search to find one.
Let's talk about electricity. The European hotel where I stayed required the use of a card key to turn on the electricity in the room. This keeps guests from leaving lights on when they are out and amounts to a significant energy savings. In homes across Europe, dishes are washed and dried the old-fashioned way. And clotheslines are commonplace, as dryers are considered a waste of energy and a poor substitute for fresh air and sunshine.
The reason for my trip to Europe was part of the Solar Energy Power Association's fact-finding mission to Germany. Germany has four times the solar output of the United States. Combined with the fact that this much smaller country has the sunshine equivalent to that of Alaska underscores Germany's world leadership in renewable-energy production.
So, how does Germany, with far fewer days of sunshine, create more solar energy?
The solar industry in Germany is highly subsidized. Utilities are required by the government to make monthly payments for 20 years to customers who install solar. The initial cost of the solar system is quickly recouped and provides a significant return on investment over the 20 years.
While there are many pros and cons to this type of a government mandate, it seems to be working well in Germany. They lead the world in solar-energy production, and many German companies are looking to the United States as a future market.
So join with me in adopting a less-is-more attitude. Whether it is driving a fuel-efficient car, bringing your bag to the grocery, or using less electricity, let's make stewardship of the Earth a way of life.
To learn more about how SRP can help you use less and be more environmentally friendly, visit srpnet.com/environment.
Lori Singleton, is Salt River Project's manager of Sustainable Initiatives and Technologies.
Copyright © 2008, azcentral.com
20 Comments so far
Show AllIf everyone had lived with the ethic of buying and using only what they needed, the environmental issues we face today would not exist. Humans have a propensity to take everything to excess. And, absent any compulsion for restraint, we don't exercise any.
For space heating (and cooling) the most practical solution on earth is a geothermal system. The heat from the earth is completely stable, reliable, inexhaustible and clean. The only drawback is the initial capital investment required for the installation of these systems.
With sufficient public investment and support, it could become a major source of energy in the future.
Menos Poblacion.
Si, claro. Con mucho gusto, usted puede vivir en Nuevo Mexico, que usted quiere. I used San Francisco, as an example, because that's where I live. I spend $30 a month on gas, water, and electricity.
Sure, San Francisco is more expensive, but when you add up all the savings, from not owning a car, not having a big grass front yard, back yard swimming pool, all which cost money and cause environmental damage. Then the difference is not that great. In fact, it may be even be cheaper, to live in a high rent city, instead of a low rent suburb.
Verde Retirement
If you get rid of your car. You will be able to save $200,000 more towards your retirement, and need $180,000 less, when you retire.
I use less gas through "hypermiling" and driving only when I have to. Even though my round trip is about 52 miles I use only 1.6 gallons of gas. That's roughly 32 mpg. That's 33% better than the EPA city rating of 24 mpg. My car is a 2000 2.2 L 4 cyl. Camry CE. My 5 speed manual transmission makes it easier but you can save gas in any car.
I can save even more gasoline by using a device called a ScanguageII. It is a small hand held computer display about the size of a cell phone that plugs into a wire harness found under the dashboards of all cars sold in the US from 1996 forward. This device can give you all sorts of information like engine temperature, system voltage, and so on but the most important feature to me is the fuel mileage your car is getting in real time. It also tells you how many dollars your spending per mile. When people are presented with that information they change their driving habits.
Siouxrose-and I read (yesterday) that by 2040, some models are projecting that all Americans will be overweight. Frightening. My husband's side are mostly obese and it is such a drain physically and emotionally on these lovely people.
Retire Green- If energy costs go up dramatically in the next decade, and I have every reason to believe they will, I think there will be a mass exodus from places that have extreme climates- both places with long, hot summers, and places with long, cold winters. Lots of people will want to escape Arizona and Texas, as well as Alberta and Buffalo. They will want to move to places without prolonged extremes of heat or cold.
I read the article at the link, and noticed they said the energy costs would be really low in San Francisco. I think they forgot to mention the housing costs there. Saving a lot by not needing A/C, but spending a hell of a lot more for housing, would be a negative net savings.
It would be good to live in a climate without too much heat or cold, but super-high costs to buy or rent in the location are a consideration. So, you can skip areas near the California coast, if you're not pretty rich. How about New Mexico? A happy-medium climate, reasonable housing costs (outside Santa Fe), metro areas with less than a million people, plenty of hiking and national forests nearby, so you can take "vacations" within 100 miles of where you live, instead of flying thousands of miles.
Hi Earl S....you've got it exactly right. We're using a way disproportionate share of the world's petroleum and now we hear how the problem is with the Arabs and other people who don't like us. I read that this story of blaming others for shortages is as old as history. If we can't rewrite it, we are doomed to finish off this magnificent big brain experiment in chaos, war, and ecological devastation. There is an IF here though. If enough of us can help the rest of us come to understand the ecological realities of our existence, there is no reason not to have a much better outcome, one worthy of our big brain.
www.StudentsForTheEarth.org
YES,YES,YES the rest of the world should do with less, but we are AMERCANS, defenders of all that is good; we deserve more, we are the chosen ones it's ours all, ours. l'll give up my Hummer when they pry my cold dead hands from the steering wheel. FTW!!!!
less wars, more peace
less lies, more truth
less work, more time
less dollars, more sense
less talk, more walk
less bush, more trees
Lori:
Another example of less is more:
If you move from Arizona, to a more temperate climate when you retire, you will need $81,000 less savings for retirement. That is the amount of additional retirement savings you are going to need to continue running your air conditioner in Arizona. Link to full article below:
http://www.iplanretirement.com/retirementblog
Where you live, has a big impact on your energy consumption, and on Global Warming.
Until we can halt and then reduce the population growth and confront the necessity for equity, our attempts at frugality are going to be out run by the increase in population and the increasing consumption taking place among the world's poor--4 to 5 billion of people and growing at 70 plus million per year.
This is not to argue against downsizing--far from it--but to get us to deal with the root causes so that there will even be an ecosystem to support the future human economy: over population, over consumption, and lack of equity.
www.StudentsForTheEarth.org
I have always respected conservation, and that's why I was able to live on a very low income for about a decade. Americans have been taught to respect what's big, and note the degree to which they have taken on that perception in how they look? The obesity in this nation is astounding. Lots of restaurants serve enormous portions. The places that have those "all you can eat" open bars are rich zones for a documentary film... I have watched people so fat they could barely navigate in their own bodies (some shop using the little supermarket carts available for the handicapped) go for 2nd and 3rd helpings.
Big, as in the overly sized homes that now will require costly fuel bills. Big as in the SUVS that are a ridiculous excess on the roads. It is clearly time for Americans to scale back and take stock of ALL that they already have! It is time to reclaim not only wonder, but GRACE! To the one who honors the gift of a simple meal, all wealth becomes irrelevant. And to the one who possesses great wealth and appreciates nothing, a poverty of the soul undermines their outer "status."
Since the US dollar is in free fall, issues around energy conversion of sustenance open to serious question, and global climate change gearing up... many will be cast to the fate of learning conservation the hard way, via necessity.
And how about replacing corn fed meat and diary with grass/pasture fed versions? At least with those, you can eat one and not have to ask for more unlike the corn fed shit. And don't forget about MSG and high fructose corn syrup.
And speaking of solar, wind, and even clothes lining to save energy and water, don't forget that those so-called "zoning laws" designed to be misused for political purposes are the MAJOR reason why solar, wind, and even water/energy saving ideas such as clothes line are not mainstream unless you live in the rural open space. It is time to STOP LETTING BIG GOVERNMENT MISUSE ZONING LAWS TO RESTRICT PEOPLE'S RIGHTS TO PUT SOLAR PANELS OR WIND TURBINES ON THEIR ROOFS AND PEOPLE'S RIGHTS TO SETTING UP THEIR OWN CLOTHES LINING TO LET NATURE DRY THE CLOTHES !
Less television
There are several other factors that make it difficult to implement a minimalist way of life here. One is most glaring is that the average worker changes jobs every five years or so and it is therefore very difficult to reside close to work, given the almost impossibility of selling ones house. Companies would rather let an employee go than reward their loyalty for a lifetime of service. On the converse; if you need them, they own you.
dwatkins9 August 8th, 2008 2:56 pm
Now thats the kind of information thats wothwhile. Many thanks for the heads up.
The SmartCar is not "zippy." It can barely maintain highway speeds. It has a kludgy self-shifting (not automatic) transmission that everybody hates. It has a one litre, 3 cylinder engine that puts out only 70 bhp. It holds two people only (US version). It requires *premium gas* (typically at least twenty cents more per gallon than regular) When it breaks, expect Mercedes style repair bills. It's not a car, it's a fashion statement.
There are several real cars out there for sale that hold four people + some luggage, cost about the same, are powerful enough to keep up with traffic, use regular gas, and get almost as good mileage. These other cars are not hybrids, btw - just standard, small, four cylinder cars.
The other thing that Europeans have, by and large, is a less stressful, more family-oriented society. They work fewer hours, take time to sit down and have coffee with friends, have more leisurely, healthy meals. They don't brag about how much they bought or how fancy their vacation is...and they have the security of knowing that if they are sick they will be taken care of without going backrupt. I think they may be happier!
Excellent article!
But remember many of the european solutions won't work here or are harder to apply simply because of where we live and what we do.
I saw a new Smartcar here in town yesterday. Pretty snazzy, but you won't see many ranchers or RFD dwellers driving them.
But getting by on less can be absolute fun. And very soul satisfying.
Lori-Our family adopted a "less is more" attitude almost a decade ago. Less driving and more walking/biking also equals less extra weight and more days of good health.
I love the hotel key card idea.