Use less... less energy

A good deal of paper, or the case maybe pixels, is allocated to draw attention to the use of energy in our lives. Mr. Gore wants us to learn how to save the environment- this is a very good thing- and the National Academies has just released (June 2006) a report on the evidence for the increased temperature during the last few decades, being the warmest period in the last 400 years. The scientific debate continues and it should.

The premise for any debate on energy use and enviromental issues should begin with this basic notion that everything we use, uses energy. As a society, we are not going to "kick the energy habit" or "save the whales", if we do not learn to use less of everything. Take paper napkins; everyone I know uses them and plenty of "them" at home and away from home. A large portion of trash (read waste) that we produce is in the form of paper products. Imagine, if we disciplined ourselves to use less paper towels, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, and in restaurants. We will, collectively, save more on energy, and by producing less trash, of course, make for a better environment. Now, this is not going to make the disposable napkin industry all that happy.

Case in point is Japan; in Japanese restaurants, known for cleanliness, you're given ONE sanitary napkin before the meal is served. That is it. Somehow, everyone seems to be able to get by by one. In Japanese bathrooms, at least the public kinds, there are no wash cloth or tissues to dry hands after washing. You ask what do people do; most Japanese carry small hand towels with themselves. Now, I'm not suggesting this as a solution for this country, but you get the point.