what is the greatest problem for green living at home and at work
4 thoughts on “what is the greatest problem for green living?”
Grandpa Tom
The greatest problem for green living is costs as most of us aren’t willing to pay more for green stuff.
However, prices are coming down and efficiencies increasing with new technologies. See some of the best at the site below as they stay on the cutting edge. Sign up for their newsletters to stay informed.
mattermatics
economically unsustainable without massive subsidies…
no other sources of energy can come close to gas coal or nuclear for reliability and value.
Vans Off The Wall
me
Marcia
There are very few of us who could not green up their transportation modes, practices, and more. On the other hand, the largest improvements can only happen with the cooperation of or through a partnership with their employer. Sometimes a shift change of even a few to 15 minutes means the difference between being able to use public or shared transportation versus a single occupant vehicle. If public transportation or shared transportation is encouraged and used, there are little available provisions should an emergency arise or an employee gets sick while at work. All too often office cultures reward the person who can chat a few extra minutes after work, put in an extra half hour or more, or go out for a spontanious drink or coffee after work; this is not as possible when using public or shared transportation.
Both at work and at home, probably the next biggest energy users are the heating, cooling, and air circulation systems; unless your work revolves around the use of transportation vehicles or large manufacturing equipment. For many, changing the thermostats a degree is not too big a deal but, one starts to meet resistance and a change of wardrobe when it is changed by 5 degrees. Businesses, more so than homes, tend to have temperature control issues. They are less able to change window dressings, close doors to un-used areas, open windows, and more. They are also much less likely to have an adequate zoning system in place both in monitoring the need for heat, air, or fans as well as in having enough zones to minimalize the need for the operation of the heater, cooler, and fans. And, even so, often many work places undergo more then one internal configuration, use, and equipment type before the building is "scrapped". Lastly, even if one could wave a magic wand for internal acceptance or a dictorial wand for reluctant acceptance, most businesses must also meet their customer’s expectations. wants, and needs. Face it, when you’re cutting back at home you come to want, need, and appreciate the business who is not all the more.
My bias is that at home, we are much more likely to be willing to recycle than at work; even if it means a little more effort or labor. Likewise, we tend to be far more willing to make multiple, small changes that may or may not return identifable results or savings. At home, we are much more likely to enforce or expect a similar green set of ethos, or at least behaviors, of all the members of the family and the visitors. And we are far more willing/able to listen and adhere to the assorted members of the family as opposed to the assorted worker inputs. All too often in the home we are more willing to try a change and then evaluate it for alteration or a return to the old ways; increasingly in the work place it seems as if it is an all or nothing with no built-in review and alteration process. Often, we are more likely to be appreciated for thinking out side of the box at home versus the work place.
Both the workplace and the home front, access to affordable alternatives remains a problem. This is particularly true of recycling. Also in terms of making purchasing decisions. Often initial cost is a problematic decision criteria both on the home and the work budget. Likewise, shifts in values and what one "appreciates" can be a difficult transition in both locations. On a personal level one must make decisions like just how much value they place in having a muscle car, SUV, or racing ATVs for fun. On the work front, the decisions may be more like what activities they spsonsor in the community and workforce, whether or not the shiny muscle car is actually an important status symbol in the work place culture and with respect to career advancement, and just how much they value the people who wear real versus faux fur. The cultural divide and decision making may be related to just how many different pairs of costly shoes one owns and wears. Or, that re-using a rubber band or paper clip is something that just isn’t done whether it be at home or in the work place.
The greatest problem for green living is costs as most of us aren’t willing to pay more for green stuff.
However, prices are coming down and efficiencies increasing with new technologies. See some of the best at the site below as they stay on the cutting edge. Sign up for their newsletters to stay informed.
economically unsustainable without massive subsidies…
no other sources of energy can come close to gas coal or nuclear for reliability and value.
me
There are very few of us who could not green up their transportation modes, practices, and more. On the other hand, the largest improvements can only happen with the cooperation of or through a partnership with their employer. Sometimes a shift change of even a few to 15 minutes means the difference between being able to use public or shared transportation versus a single occupant vehicle. If public transportation or shared transportation is encouraged and used, there are little available provisions should an emergency arise or an employee gets sick while at work. All too often office cultures reward the person who can chat a few extra minutes after work, put in an extra half hour or more, or go out for a spontanious drink or coffee after work; this is not as possible when using public or shared transportation.
Both at work and at home, probably the next biggest energy users are the heating, cooling, and air circulation systems; unless your work revolves around the use of transportation vehicles or large manufacturing equipment. For many, changing the thermostats a degree is not too big a deal but, one starts to meet resistance and a change of wardrobe when it is changed by 5 degrees. Businesses, more so than homes, tend to have temperature control issues. They are less able to change window dressings, close doors to un-used areas, open windows, and more. They are also much less likely to have an adequate zoning system in place both in monitoring the need for heat, air, or fans as well as in having enough zones to minimalize the need for the operation of the heater, cooler, and fans. And, even so, often many work places undergo more then one internal configuration, use, and equipment type before the building is "scrapped". Lastly, even if one could wave a magic wand for internal acceptance or a dictorial wand for reluctant acceptance, most businesses must also meet their customer’s expectations. wants, and needs. Face it, when you’re cutting back at home you come to want, need, and appreciate the business who is not all the more.
My bias is that at home, we are much more likely to be willing to recycle than at work; even if it means a little more effort or labor. Likewise, we tend to be far more willing to make multiple, small changes that may or may not return identifable results or savings. At home, we are much more likely to enforce or expect a similar green set of ethos, or at least behaviors, of all the members of the family and the visitors. And we are far more willing/able to listen and adhere to the assorted members of the family as opposed to the assorted worker inputs. All too often in the home we are more willing to try a change and then evaluate it for alteration or a return to the old ways; increasingly in the work place it seems as if it is an all or nothing with no built-in review and alteration process. Often, we are more likely to be appreciated for thinking out side of the box at home versus the work place.
Both the workplace and the home front, access to affordable alternatives remains a problem. This is particularly true of recycling. Also in terms of making purchasing decisions. Often initial cost is a problematic decision criteria both on the home and the work budget. Likewise, shifts in values and what one "appreciates" can be a difficult transition in both locations. On a personal level one must make decisions like just how much value they place in having a muscle car, SUV, or racing ATVs for fun. On the work front, the decisions may be more like what activities they spsonsor in the community and workforce, whether or not the shiny muscle car is actually an important status symbol in the work place culture and with respect to career advancement, and just how much they value the people who wear real versus faux fur. The cultural divide and decision making may be related to just how many different pairs of costly shoes one owns and wears. Or, that re-using a rubber band or paper clip is something that just isn’t done whether it be at home or in the work place.