I'm not a big fan of websites that only provide simple tips on how you can be more sustainable. You know, the ones that say, "It's easy being green" or "Just unplug your electronics and you'll save tons of energy!". Here at Mapawatt, we try to give more detailed advice and not just tell people how to live more sustainable, but help them understand the "whys" and "hows" of sustainable living. I wrote about my frustration with simple "green tips" earlier in the month in our post "Understanding the Scale of Electric Power Generation":
I am currently reading Thomas Friedman’s new book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded. The book is a must read for anybody who is hoping to usher in a green revolution, as this is what Friedman calls for in the book. I am halfway through the book and just read a section that I agree with very strongly. Mainly the fact that there has been much attention in the media to “Go Green!”, yet the public has little understanding of what this truly means or how challenging the issues surrounding our energy policy and use really are.
Friedman states, “Sure, if you look at how far we have come in just the last five years, it can feel like we’re having a green revolution. But if you look at where we have to go in the next ten years, we’re having a party.” His point is that “going green” is no simple task and may require hard work. If we truly want to achieve sustainable energy practices we are going to have to do more than turn off lights and turn down the thermostat. We are going to have to sacrifice at points, come up with creative solution, or at the very least undergo a fundamental change in how we view energy consumption!
Luckily, there are other sites out there that help people with this same issue, and Stanford University's School of Earth Sciences has a great page on sustainability and how you can implement sustainable choices at the store, at home, and on the road. They have the classic definition of sustainability on the home page:
The ability to provide for the needs of the world's current population without damaging the ability of future generations to provide for themselves.
But they also break down each sustainable category into three sections to help the sustainable novices and the experts:
- Get Started
- Step It Up
- Go fro Green
I know one thing I need to do under the Home category is their tip under Step It Up titled "Refrigerator Coils". This section provides an overview, some tips, and links to other web resources about cleaning the refrigerator coils to help it run more efficiently.
The web needs more detailed resources to help individuals stop living like "lazy environmentalists" and reach the tipping point where they decide to make every effort to live sustainable lives. Luckily Stanford has provided a great one!