Posted by Vince Wadhwani on Aug 05, 2007

You may have seen the article by the UK Daily Times Online where they interview environmentalist Chris Goodall and claim that "Walking to the shops 'damages planet more than going by car'". While it's true that he does make some interesting points, the article does the entire world a disservice by advocating the use of an automobile over walking or taking a bicycle and they should be ashamed.

At the most basic level, one has to ask how it is that using a 8000 pound vehicle to move 200 pounds of flesh is somehow considered positive for the earth. The answer according to Goodall is that the carbon that is created by producing food to replace your calories is more than that of driving and saving those calories. To make the point that growing food is a high carbon activity and that buying locally is a good idea is noble. To shock us into thinking we can skirt responsibility by instead hopping in a car is both irresponsible and moronic.

Would they have us sit at home and sleep our lives away consuming the least possible amount of calories possible each? Is that our civic duty now as environmentalists? Are marathon runners and athletes to be held in contempt like those who drive oversized SUVs or litter along the highway? Ridiculous. The truth is that humans (and really all other creatures) must both consume and expend calories to remain in proper physical condition. The amount of calories a person must consume daily is by no means fixed. But rather than alternate driving to your supermarket or sitting in front of your TV, allow me to make some other recommendations as to how to save carbon.

  1. Buy from independently owned shops. Unlike Chains, that indie shop may stock items from local producers in the community. Whether it's jewelry or a handbag made by a local artist or a beer brewed locally, your chances of finding something made closer to home are better when you buy indie.
  2. Go to the farmers market: Here Mr. Goodall is dead on. Food travels from across the globe to get to your supermarket. Consumers have become spoiled by having all manner of fruits and vegetables available 365 days a year that it necessitates shipping mangos from India, Bananas from Ecuador, and Tomatoes from Mexico. This transportation happens by ship, train, plane, and truck all of which require gasoline to operate and all of which emit carbon dioxide.
  3. Eat less meat. Raising cattle for beef production takes up an enormous amount of land and water while creating a tremendous amount of methane gas. As The Onion was proclaimed, Meat Now America's No. 2 Condiment. Sad but true, we now garnish meat with more meat.
  4. Walk. Yes that's right, walk. Sure you're burning calories, but the alternative is to drive (which produces greenhouse gases) or lie around and wither away. Your poor health will put you in a hospital (which requires a lot of energy), require you take medicine (which also creates carbon when produced, and may actually make you fat(it will be hard to scale down the calories consumed along with those expended and eventually you'll have more mass to fuel.)
  5. Drink from the tap. We now know that Aquafina and Dasani are nothing more than purified tap water, so why pay for the privilege? Enjoy water from your own tap with a Brita filter and save all the energy required to both produce, transport, and discard that plastic bottle.

These are just a few simple ways you can do your part. There are hundreds more, but driving to the supermarket is certainly NOT one of them.