Paper or Plastic, Sir?

We have all faced that difficult choice at the grocery store checkout counter. Some of us may think, at once, that paper should be the more eco-friendly choice because isn't the whole world telling us to reduce plastic usage? Let us think again.

Where do paper bags come from? They come from many, many trees. Habitats are destroyed so that trees can be felled. Three tons of wood chips make only one ton of pulp! Paper making is an energy intensive process which involves washing and bleaching pulp, coloring, and mixing 400 parts of water with one part of pulp! Paper must then be shipped all over the world. Paper bags inked with soy or other vegetable based ingredients are best composted. Recycling is the other option, which involved re-pulping the paper and cleaning the fibers before they can be made into new paper.

What about plastic bags? Plastic bags are usually made from non-renewable sources such as oil, with the use of energy from coal. Although plastic bags can be recycled, the recycled product is usually of lesser quality.

If you really have to make that tough decision between paper and plastic, think about how you would use each bag. Paper bags typically hold one and a half times the amount a plastic bag can. And it can be reused a couple of times before it tears and has to be recycled or composted. Plastic bags, on the other hand, can be used numerous times before they make their way to the recycling bin outside the grocery stores.

The more paper bags that get recycled, the lower their overall environmental impact. However, because plastic bags use much less material and energy to produce, recycling them results in less waste.


So, what is an environmentally conscious person to do? Use a canvas bag, of course! They are durable, stylish, and can carry multiple times the amount of items a plastic or paper bag can.

Role Models!

Celebrities are beginning to ride bicycles instead of getting around in their luxury foreign cars! A bicycle is definitely a more useful accessory than a rat-like Chihuahua for Paris Hilton. Finally celebrities can use their fame, some more well-deserved than others, to promote a good cause.



For the scores of people who religiously read entertainment news, such photographs can have a significant effect on their behaviors. Hopefully some may try to emulate their favourite (now eco-friendly) celebrities by riding a bicycle to work. Its better to start such habits young and Miley Cyrus's teenage fans will hopefully start adopting greener habits.



Of course, even celebrities can't be perfect. As Kate Hudson here shows us that there is always room for improvement. Perhaps that plastic cup could be a reusable mug and that plastic bag can be a canvas bag.

Energy Reduction

Today, former United States Vice President, Al Gore, praised Obama’s stimulus plan for its investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy, environmentally friendly cars, and the harnessing of alternative energies.

It was Al Gore’s documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth, that brought to my attention the severity of global warming. The United States is one of the world’s most significant emitters of greenhouse gasses and it seems only logical that it be involved in a cap-and-trade system, which is an approach used to control pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in the pollution emissions. Unlike his predecessor, Obama is fully committed to this system and it is another step towards a greener America.

In addition to the construction of more energy efficient buildings, some part of the economic stimulus plan can be used to modify existing building to make them more energy efficient. There are over 300 billion square feet of existing built space in the United States alone. Retrofitting existing buildings will have a profound impact on energy reduction. Most un-renovated buildings today use up to three times more energy than they should. According to the U.S Energy Information Agency, the worst energy performers were constructed between 1959 and 1989. Maybe we could start there.

Obama Reverses Bush's Climate Policies

The day Barack Obama was inaugurated, America recognized the embodiment of a new generation of American leadership and prepared for change. One of the first things on the President’s to-do list was to reverse previous President Bush’s climate policies, as Reuters reported today.

It is about time stricter ceilings were imposed vehicle carbon dioxide emissions. We have more fuel efficient cars today than were thought possible a decade ago, and we have even found alternative ways to power our vehicles. We certainly have the technology to make our world a greener place. Tighter emission controls are a step towards the fight with climate change. Hopefully we can slow down the damage man had caused the environment, one car at a time.