Eco Fraud Friday: Energy, Food, Water
Welcome the to first ever edition of Eco Fraud Friday.
Now don’t go getting all mad and everything. The truth is, I am a big believer in sustainability working hand in hand with personal finance, but unfortunately, as with all things profitable, there are those out there who will exploit the best intentions of consumers for the sake of making a buck, without providing the promised benefits. Or worse yet, doing the opposite.
Every Friday, Downturn Living will be exposing those stinkers in this column. And by Eco-Fraud, I mean both ecologically and economically, as it is my thesis that these two terms are inextricably linked.
Today we will focus on three basic consumer items that are considered by most to be vital components of a person’s daily life. Let’s begin with “Energy.”
Did you know Coal Mining is Sexy?
The following GE commercial promoting new “cleaner” coal production uses the slogan: GE-Imagination at Work…you gotta see this to believe it. I mean…uhhh, not believe it, but you might enjoy the fantasy:
In fact, while companies should be applauded for trying to discover ways to succeed that are cleaner and more efficient, the truth is; coal is neither. The cleanest coal plants in the world still create more sulfer dioxide than the environment can manage without creating acid rain and soil. And in the video it mentions that there is enough out there for the next 250 years..uhh, I think that means it isn’t renewable.
The coal industry and your utility company would like to convince you that coal is the cheapest form of energy without calculating the true costs. From Time Magazine:
In reality, we can’t really talk about clean coal — it doesn’t exist. Though the coal industry is right to point out that it has improved filters on coal plants, sending less traditional pollutants like sulfur dioxide and mercury into the air, the toxic waste that remains behind is only growing. The biggest advantage of coal power has been cost — in most cases, it remains much cheaper than cleaner alternatives like wind, solar or natural gas. But the cheapness of coal depends on the fact that external costs — climate change, or the health impacts of air and water pollution from coal — remain external, paid for not by utilities or coal companies but society as a whole. The coal industry itself estimates that taking better care of fly ash could cost as much as $5 billion a year — and if the government imposed a tax or cap on carbon dioxide, the price of coal would certainly rise. “For all the money the industry has spent to mislead the public, [The Kingston Disaster] shows that there really is no such thing as clean and cheap coal in the U.S,” says Bruce Nilles, the director of the Sierra Club’s National Coal Campaign. Read more:
And just like all of my favorite PF bloggers have written, when it comes to finances, you can’t save money by buying something that costs less today, but will kill you in the long run. Present and future benefit are vital calculations when it comes to assessing the true cost and value of anything.
Next: Food
How our food is produced is a little scary. The film, Food Inc. gives you a stark view of food production in America today. The trailer:
But is Organic the only answer? Not necessarily. Since the term Organic has become so popular in marketing circles, there have been some big changes in various large corporate entities to take advantage of the trend and this is a good thing. Unfortunately, it of course comes with some not so good practices because profits are still driven by speed of production and filling demand without driving up costs where possible.
For example, Walmart has become one of the largest sellers of organic milk, but they did so by relying on Horizon Organic Farms, which came under investigation in recent years for factory farming practices that were both cruel and wasteful. Hooray Walmart for providing an inexpensive organic alternative, but shame on them for doing so at the expense of humane and sustainable practices. To get this right, we have to make as many aspects of healthier food production sustainable and far less wasteful. Less waste actually means lower costs and family farms rather than factory farms translates to more small businesses that help support the economy.
Food that is flown or trucked into your area from the other end of the world may be certified organic, but the cost in fuel and subsequent pollution hardly makes it green. Not to mention the fact that increased costs of transportation, particularly with refrigeration are handed down to we the consumers.
The best course to separate the grain from the chaff (pun intended) when it comes to the food we eat is to become educated, and ethical consumers. Read labels and vote with your dollar when it comes to supporting responsible agriculture by buying local if possible and sustainable where discernible. You will save more than just money.
And finally, for this inaugural Eco-Fraud Friday (and because it is raining as I write this): Water
Are you familiar with Arrowhead Water’s Born Better campaign? They are proud of the fact that the new Arrowhead water bottles are better for the environment because they are making them with 30% less plastic. While I appreciate any effort, this one falls a little short for me since:
- $100 billion is spent on bottled water in the US each year
- Its 1,900 times the price of tap water
- 17 million barrels of oil used to make the plastic bottles (that could have fueled 100,000 cars for a year)
- 86% thrown out in our local landfills
- Bottled water is actually subject to less stringent regulations than municipal tap water (source)
So that’s it for today…remember, sustainable is cost effective and better for both the individual and the planet. This is good. Greenwashing and eco-fraud are bad. They are attempts to separate you from your money without any concern for your well being or that of future generations. It’s about greed, which I suppose could be defined as “all natural” but not really sustainable.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by JinzouTamashii: RT @Downturnliving: Eco-Fraud Friday http://goo.gl/fb/dz0Z...
I’m not sure I want to watch Food Inc! I travel a lot for a living and have little choice but to eat too much processed, who knows where you get it from.. foods!
As for the coal mine video, hmmm… if that’s what they look like these days, I’m thinking about a career change!
Honestly, very good and thought provoking post! I’d love to see more of these.
Don’t you worry, Coach! I plan to climb back up on this soapbox every Friday. Thanks for stopping by…
[...] talks about career advice and one of my favorite topics of whether to get an MBA or not.* “Eco Fraud Friday: Energy, Food, Water” by TJ talks about the realities of going environmentally friendly.* “Deliver Away Debt [...]
[...] “Eco Fraud Friday: Energy, Food, Water” by TJ talks about the realities of going environmentally [...]
Great post, Tracy. I watched the Food, Inc. movie a few weeks ago on Netflix and it was a real eye-opener. I’ve frequented farmers markets in the past but I’m definitely going out of my way to buy more food from them in the future. Another good documentary to watch is King Korn, it’s on Netflix as well.
I’ve been working in refineries as an engineer for the last three and a half years and I can tell you from experience that if coal mines and coal power plants are subjected to the same environmental restrictions as we are then we’re not in as bad of shape as we might think. One of the reasons we’re not making money (besides lousy margins, of course) is all the money we spend to meet EPA requirements. The refinery I’m at now has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade equipment so we don’t violate environmental limits. If the current administration is serious about the environment they need to commit funding to alternative energy plants like nuclear power plants, geothermal energy, etc.
I’m glad you pointed out bottled water. Arrowhead’s not the only company trying to get on the environmental bandwagon by saying their packaging uses less material and is therefore environmentally friendly. My barks-and-twigs cereal now comes in an EnviroBox because the manufacturer claims that since the box is smaller it has less of an impact on the environment. They neglected to add that since they use less material for the packaging they also save bunches of money. Plus numerous studies have shown that tap water is actually safer than bottled water in a lot of areas. I’ve taken to using a BPA-free bottle filled with tap water instead of bottled water.
Great post, keep up the good work!
To add to David’s point on tap water.
Water plants go through extensive treatment. US has some of the most stringent requirements.
You’d probably appreciate this TJ. If backpacking companies can produce water bottles for wilderness filtration, then tap water should be A-OK.
An added note. The byproduct, fly ash, is used as an admixture in concrete. Of course, does that mean we need more concrete structures in order to use up all the fly ash?? uh-oh…
Have you seen this site?
http://sustainablesources.com/
@David-You are right on about alternative energy. And I worry a lot less about US production facilities, than those in the Third World. Unfortunately distance doesn’t keep up safe from those less regulated. You have heard of the Asian Brown Cloud, right? http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/environment/brown_cloud.html. Now that’s icky…sorry for the strong language.
@FinEngr- Thanks for the link, I bookmarked it. Lots of interesting stuff at that site. As for the Flyash, less than 50% is currently being used in concrete, although the EPA is hoping that will improve with time.
From the Washington Post: ..The amount of coal combustion waste produced each year has increased by nearly a third since 1990, and there are now as many as 1,300 coal ash ponds across the nation. According to a report issued yesterday by the environmental law firm Earthjustice, each year about 25 million tons of coal ash are dumped into active and abandoned mines, where it often goes directly into groundwater. The EPA determined last year that coal ash has contaminated water in 24 states.
This is what happens when the holding pond goes wrong: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1870599,00.html
@ TJ:
You touch on an important, and often, overlooked component – groundwater. It’s like the “see no evil” phrase. Once contaminants permeate the ground, the water we DON’T see acts like the major arteries to the waters we DO see.
My dad is a hydro-geologist and focuses specifically on groundwater contamination. He’s also originally from Knoxville area, so I am familiar with the plant.
The thing I took from the article was the segment about the EPA report identifying the carcinogenic properties of ash, but not being labeled as HazMat.
“The thing I took from the article was the segment about the EPA report identifying the carcinogenic properties of ash, but not being labeled as HazMat.”
And we are back to Eco-Fraud…and money.
[...] Downturn Living will stop you in your tracks and make you consider the impact to not only your wallet but also the environment. Check back every Friday for a new installment of Eco Fraud Friday. [...]
[...] added this blog because of a weekly feature they have just started: Eco Fraud Friday (click for last week’s edition). With Green becoming more and more fashionable, more and more companies are trying to cash-in! [...]
If you are willing to buy a car, you will have to get the mortgage loans. Furthermore, my brother always takes a short term loan, which seems to be really fast.