|
Our Love Affair With Gadgets Costs More
Than Money
I was browsing an online store the other day
when I came across a gadget that I had gotten along pretty well without for 40
or so years. I suddenly experienced a burning need to buy it so it would
enhance my life. Well, that's what I was told it would do anyway.
Thankfully, the question "do you *really* need it?" sprang to mind.
I left that online store a little richer and the environment a little better
off for it. I'm pleased to report my life has not suffered as a result.
Some gadgets can make life a little easier, safer, more fun (depending on your
definition) or increase efficiency, but most households would have a
collection of various items gathering dust around our homes, or sucking
electricity unnecessarily.
In the kitchen, many of us have one or more appliances or tools that claim to
chop, slice, dice, mince, julienne and so forth. Some of them are an absolute
pain in the butt to clean and any time saved in the actually processing and
such is lost in doing so. In a Holy Grail-like quest, we might continue to buy
these appliances, hoping to stumble upon one that actually works as advertised
and doesn't require taking annual leave in order to clean it each time the
appliance is used.
Another gadget many of us have bought or acquired multiple instances of is the
mobile phone. While a cell phone is certainly a useful tool, we're upgrading
our phones at times without even really needing to. A new model of phone will
be accompanied by a lot of hoopla, but when it comes down to it, it might not
do anything new that we *need* or perhaps even use - upgrading simply becomes
a case of perceived obsolescence.
While cell phone recycling is a great idea, even better is not
buying/upgrading if it's really not necessary to. A phone is a complex array
of components made from plastics, rare-earth metals, heavy metals such as
mercury and other items that may be environmentally toxic.
TV's are another gadget that have gone from being a luxury to a must-have for
many of us. TV's have grown in size in recent years and while they have become
more energy efficient, screen size is chewing into those gains. It wasn't all
that long ago a 21 inch screen was enough for anyone. We would also have our
sets repaired when they went on the fritz and a new set usually wouldn't be
purchased until the TV was well and truly dead. TV's also seemed to last a lot
longer just a couple of decades ago - last year I wrote about an old color TV
set that had only just recently died which was manufactured in the 1970's.
Planned obsolescence has become far more pervasive in the last few decades.
It's not just the size of the TV's we buy or how often we replace them - it's
also the number we possess at any given time. When I was a lad, it was pretty
much one television set per house. Now it's common for there to be multiple
sets in homes so everyone can watch what they want. Viewing TV was once a
privilege in many households and if you didn't like what was being viewed by
the adults, you went and did something else; usually involving the imagination
or physical activity to some degree. Nowadays TV is a constant companion and
often left on even when it isn't being watched.
Cell phones and TV's certainly have their place - but then there are other
gadgets with very questionable functionality; such as disposable vibrating
mascara brushes, automated fly sprays and soap pumps.
Further down the ladder are the cheap gadgets that perform no useful function
whatsoever except to amuse - briefly, before whatever inane function they
perform becomes boring or they break. These are often purchased as gifts for
their "fun" aspect - the problem is all this fun is at the expense
of the environment.
The many gadgets we have, large and small, also often require electricity
while in use and in stand-by mode. A couple of kilowatt hours of mains
electricity and a disposable or rechargeable battery there all adds up. For
example, according to Britain's Energy Savings Trust, the love affair with
electrical appliances and gadgets in that nation could result in it missing
its carbon reduction targets for domestic appliance electricity use - by as
much as 7 million tonnes.
The Internet has brought a world of gadgets to our attention that we were
otherwise blissfully unaware of. Many of these can be purchased with a click
of the mouse button and a few keystrokes. As much as I love the web, giving
careful thought to purchase decisions has been somewhat compromised by 24/7
shopping from the comfort of our homes.
While it's sometimes necessary to acquire or upgrade gadgets and appliances
for one reason or another; the acid test should always be the question
"do I really need this?" or if it's more a case of want, ask
ourselves why.
Our acquisition and choice of gadgets is something we have a degree of control
over, this is where we can make a difference - it's one of the simple green
actions that work.
Courtesy : Michael Bloch
Green Living Tips.com
|
