The EE Sampler - Jefferson County Public Schools

Brian Durham
More Than Meets the Eye
Take care of the environment? Gee, that always made sense to me. After all, if we
use all our resources, trash our environment, and upset any of the infinite natural balances in
the world, we may very well endanger our own existence.
I have always been the first in line to carry items to first the recycling center, and
then to the bin on the curb. I chose to park my car for nearly seven years, preferring to walk,
to bike, or to take the bus or the train whenever I could. I reduced, reused, and recycled in
every aspect of my life. I was shocked to learn that some of my green choices may have
actually worsened the environment. Some choices I made seemed on the surface to better the
environment, while others actually consumed more energy and resources than I expected.
My intentions were in the right place, I think, but I never considered that there were better
ways.
For example, I love soda. Some people drink coffee, and some drink tea. Me? Give
me Big K Diet Cola with Lime or give me death! I felt good because I always drank from
cans that I recycled. I even carried them home from the schools where I teach so I would be
sure they would be recycled. How then, you ask, could recycling my soda cans be harmful?
Because I could so easily put them in a bin, put the bin on the corner, and pick up the empty
bin every Wednesday afternoon, I felt I was doing my part.
I had never considered how much energy it took to produce the can, transport the
finished product, transport the can for recycling, and finally to recycle it. Yes, everything we
consume goes through a cycle like this, but I soon realized that I was actually consuming
more because I could recycle! No, my cans did not go to the landfill or into my
environment, but think of the resources and energy required to feed my growing soda habit.
Though the aluminum and bauxite required to make the cans is saved by recycling,
enormous energy is required to melt them down and reconstitute them. Ultimately, less
energy is used than making a can from new.
What was different was me. Because I felt good about recycling, I bought more and
more aluminum cans. I knew they would be recycled. I did not consider that more cans—
recycled or not—meant more use of energy and resources, and therefore a much
greater effect on our environment. I never considered using a different type of container,
such as a reusable thermos.
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