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This touches on a point that I make in almost any discussion of the environment and our impact on it: no matter what we do, we are going to negatively impact th
by bmj 18y ago
This touches on a point that I make in almost any discussion of the environment and our impact on it: no matter what we do, we are going to negatively impact the environment. Yes, we can mitigate that impact (and I am completely in favor of doing so), but sitting around stressing about using Netflix isn't the way to do it. There's plenty of other low-hanging fruit that each one of us can pluck (sell your car, walk more places, cut down on general consumption).
I will say, however, that I appreciate Slate actually approaching this issue--many people seem to think that "electronic" equals "green" because there's no paper, no delivery, etc, etc. They forget, however, that there is a vast, (currently) energy dependent system that supports the internet.
- mdasen 18y agoYeah. Even when thinking about getting stuff shipped from Amazon I feel this way. UPS/FedEx are really efficient - they have to be. I mean, they choose their routes based on what will use the least gasoline! They have advanced software meant to save them money by limiting distances traveled, gasoline, trucks and labor used, etc. If I drive to Target, the goods still need to get to the Target in the first place and my driving isn't going to be as good as UPS'. I really try to cut down on the easy things. Getting rid of single serving containers from the supermarket, reusing containers, etc. A nalgene is a bottle just like the bottle of bottled water. While an environmental scientist might be able to calculate out precisely what Netflix and Blockbuster use, there are some no-brainers that most people don't do - like turning the thermostat down and putting on some nice wool socks. Plus, I'm cheap and those energy/waste savers also tend to save money!