Small Steps: How Little Things Add Up

This week, I chose to explore the blogosphere. Upon extensive research, I came across two different, highly intellectual, external blogs that caught my attention. I came across the first blog, entitled, Honda Looks Into Recycling Engine Waste Heat, written by Michael Graham, and the second entitled, The Footprint of Gmail: How Much Energy Would Deleting Email Save?, written by Sami Grover. Although these two blogs seem almost impossible to compare, upon closer look, one is able to determine that they have a lot more in common as they are situated on the same spectrum of environmentalism. This particular spectrum of environmentalism is one in which utilizing a pro-green attitude means looking beyond so-called big legislative changes for positive outcomes, and instead, focusing on implementing small changes within major corporations. Implementing small changes, gradually and with constant care, may help advance the cause of environmentalism in the long run.

These rather small sets of changes which will ultimately yield great consequences is advantageously off set as "the 2008 Investor Summit on Climate Risk, organized by the United Nations an NGO called Ceres, brought together institutional investors along with Wall Street types and CEO's to discuss the risks and economic opportunities associated with climate change." At the termination of this meeting on February 15, these investors pledged to invest $10 billion dollars over the next two years.

In both of these blogs, their main aim is to demonstrate how these major corporations, (Google and Honda) can lead the fight against climate change by incorporating environmentally friendly methodologies. As they become more 'green,' they simultaneously cater to the green-collar job market through extensive and lengthy research. Executing environmentally friendly changes means rethinking old concepts and theories and emulating their own formulas, while educating the public. As both Google and Honda persevere to reduce their carbon footprint, they are also shaping public opinion while simultaneously setting up a good foundation for further discussion. These seemingly small changes will pave the way for greater outcomes as they perpetuate eco-friendly changes starting from within. For your convenience, I have attached my comments below.

Comment 1: Honda Looks Into Recycling Engine Waste Heat
First off, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this blog entry since it imposes such an interesting fact: "only about 1% of the energy contained in a gallon of gasoline moves the driver of a car" and looks beyond to find a meaningful solution to such an outstanding problem. This fact leaves one dumb-founded because where does the rest of the energy go? As for someone who may be not be as science savvy as the rest, I was thoroughly shocked to read that the rest of the energy is lost as heat through the exhaust. At the same time, it is not surprising that the motor vehicle company Honda is eager to implement changes (although the technology is not yet perfect) given that they made the first vehicle to comply with the Clean Air Act of 1970. This blog is further thought provoking because you beg to ask the question: should we remain content with updating the old combustion engine as oil prices virtually rise every day?

In this situation, as it is the with the general consent of most of the readers, it would seemingly be more profitable for the sake of environmental preservation and protection to get rid of this great polluter, this so-called combustion engine. Even if combustion engines were to be able to utilize more per gallon of gas, they are still a big polluter and a major problem for the environment. The only obvious solution would be to invest more in eco-friendly (alternative energy) to fuel our vehicles. In the future, all our vehicles will surely be hybrid and electric vehicles, so why not cut our dependence on foreign oil sooner?

An additional step, on top of making hybrid and electric vehicles, is to use less plastic packaging that constantly fill up
landfills; "America generates more waste every year, growing from a 247 million tons of non-hazardous waste in 1990, to 409 million tons in 2001." The equation is complex; one would have to consider the amount of energy used in metals in modern-day vehicles, to the amount of energy that will be saved as combustion engines become more eco-friendly, to the amount of energy used in hybrid/electric vehicles. Whatever the outcomes, Honda automakers are setting the standard as they symbolize a forward-moving and progressive comapny. One only hopes that American automakers will be inclined to produce more eco-friendly vehicles in the future so that they may at least stand a fighting chance compared to their Japanese competitor.

Comment 2: The Footprint of Gmail: How Much Energy Would Deleting Email Save?
This blog entry made me realize how one company can assess a growing trend; transition from paper to digital storage, which is leading to major increases in energy consumption. In doing so, Google acknowledges it is "as much of an energy glutton as heavy industry." This heavy-handed remark is offset with the notion that deleting outstanding numbers of old emails, including the ever irritating spam, will help save energy. Even if managing our email accounts will merely save a miniscule amount of energy, this blog begs to ask the bigger question because "we do know that the internet uses around 3% of US electricity consumption- a pretty sizeable figure." As much as this blog encourage the brevity of our email accounts, it also encourages us to rethink and renovate our mediums that connect us to the internet and beyond. We must certainly do our part to make sure that our devices are working to their highest capacity while preserving energy.

An obvious remark to this is: doesn't Google constantly save our searches and emails for a certain period of time, for security purposes? Even if the answer is yes, Google is single-handedly contributing great funds to raise awareness about climate change, global public health and global poverty through their foundation as they annually contribute a chunk of their profits.

As the people of the 21st century are witness to the increased proliferation of information, in a highly globalized society, consumers should support companies that are doing more to preserve the environment. As we attempt to save as much energy from every dimension of our lives, and support eco-friendly companies, we will be well on our way to a more environmentally sound world. Google, one of the most visited websites, is pioneering great changes that will help mankind face a brighter future.

This provocative blog, makes both a micro and a macro argument. While the individual actions of each person are significant, the actions of a large sum of people become even more important. Think of the great outcomes as countless GMail users empty out their junk mails and so forth. At the macro level, which is the next step, we must think of ways to save energy in the private sector- homes, and in the public sector- businesses, and the government.