Reducing Carbon Dioxide levels is Expensive?
Amongst the arguments levied against enforcing limits on Carbon Dioxide (CO2) levels, one argument is that it will cost too much. The large corporations who make this argument may find this to be the case, but for me, reducing the amount of CO2 I return to the atmosphere saves money in several ways.
First, our energy bills last winter were well-above normal. Yes, the winters have been milder, but we were spending more to heat our house. We've replaced our furnace and the savings will pay for the investment in a few years.
In the summer, our trees provide shade and reduce our need for cooling. We were fortunate not to have to purchase trees, but planting a tree is certainly cheap given the amount of CO2 it removes and the potential reduction in cooling costs.
We've found that flourescent bulbs save electricity and last much longer than regular incandescent bulbs. During winter I don't mind the extra heat provided by an incandescent bulb, but that is an expensive way to heat the house. Even though we spend more per bulb, the savings rapidly pays for the extra up-front cost.
Our front yard has a large oak whose leaves I gather each fall. These go into a compost pile that provides rich, black, and fertile top-dressing for my lawn. This saves the cost of oil-based fertilizers.
Walking and riding my bike to work avoids having to take the car. I already had a bike but I did have to purchase some accessories and I wear out my running shoes faster, but this investment was paid back more quickly than either the furnace or flourescent bulbs.
I'm not able to easily measure the reduction in my CO2 footprint, but I know that it's gone down. In addition, being less wasteful of limited resources correlates with reduced costs in this household.
There is a guy I ride bikes with who has one of the most economical houses in Atlanta. He has a website for his house that describes many of the cost-saving features he's built into his house. This does make the house cost more to build, but the energy savings are making his investment worthwhile.
I'm interested to hear other stories of how reducing your carbon footprint is saving you money.
First, our energy bills last winter were well-above normal. Yes, the winters have been milder, but we were spending more to heat our house. We've replaced our furnace and the savings will pay for the investment in a few years.
In the summer, our trees provide shade and reduce our need for cooling. We were fortunate not to have to purchase trees, but planting a tree is certainly cheap given the amount of CO2 it removes and the potential reduction in cooling costs.
We've found that flourescent bulbs save electricity and last much longer than regular incandescent bulbs. During winter I don't mind the extra heat provided by an incandescent bulb, but that is an expensive way to heat the house. Even though we spend more per bulb, the savings rapidly pays for the extra up-front cost.
Our front yard has a large oak whose leaves I gather each fall. These go into a compost pile that provides rich, black, and fertile top-dressing for my lawn. This saves the cost of oil-based fertilizers.
Walking and riding my bike to work avoids having to take the car. I already had a bike but I did have to purchase some accessories and I wear out my running shoes faster, but this investment was paid back more quickly than either the furnace or flourescent bulbs.
I'm not able to easily measure the reduction in my CO2 footprint, but I know that it's gone down. In addition, being less wasteful of limited resources correlates with reduced costs in this household.
There is a guy I ride bikes with who has one of the most economical houses in Atlanta. He has a website for his house that describes many of the cost-saving features he's built into his house. This does make the house cost more to build, but the energy savings are making his investment worthwhile.
I'm interested to hear other stories of how reducing your carbon footprint is saving you money.
posted by Jett @ 3:35 PM
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