What thing would you never give up to go green?
Xpress staffers and contributors on their guilty pleasures
By Xpress staff in Vol. 16 / Iss. 17 on 11/18/2009
Jon Elliston: My Mountain Xpress
"It's true that we recycle all of our leftover papers each week, and that the paper is printed with soy-based ink on 72 percent recycled materiel, of which 26 percent is post-consumer recycled paper. But there's no denying that our publishing and distribution operations have a sizable carbon footprint — a price I'm willing to pay to get my newspaper."
Brian Postelle: Long, hot showers
"Yes it's a triple whammy: long showers use more water, more gas to heat and more energy to pipe water in. All of which take a toll on our resources, as well as my utility bills, and none of which I can even begin to comprehend until I have spent a good bit of the morning beneath a hot, steamy shower."
Margaret Williams: Coffee
"It doesn't grow here. It gets shipped thousands of miles. Most of the world's coffee is not grown in sustainable or organic ways. And what is, still doesn't manage to pay the small growers and workers particularly well — even fair-trade coffee. So even when I'm sipping organic, fair-trade, rain-forest, locally roasted coffee ... I feel guilty. And I keep drinkin'."
David Forbes: Steak
"Yes, the meat industry's carbon footprint and environmental damage are considerable. Yet often lost in this city's brawls over animal flesh is that the 'industry' part is more a problem than meat itself. The conscientious omnivore will buy local whenever possible, eating smaller portions and healthier cuts. It's still delicious."
Jason Shope: Recreational driving
"Checking out the Blue Ridge Parkway on my motorcycle or taking a long road trip probably isn't the best for the environment, but it would be hard to give up."
Patty Levesque: CDs
"CDs are made of plastic and packaged in plastic. I know I'm buying plastic, but I love my CDs, just like I loved my records. They would be hard to give up."
Scott Lessing: Technology
"Technology is so integrated in my life that it would be near impossible to give up. Maybe they can make them more efficient, because I'm sure it's a drain."
Rick Goldstein: TV sports
"I'm a sports fanatic and I watch television every night, all night. Using all that electricity can't be good, but I can't give that up. I like to watch my sports on TV."