Re: 50+ and affordable | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Lisa Poley (lpoleyvt.edu) | |
Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2007 08:06:56 -0700 (PDT) |
Brian, I am not sure how you arrive at your conclusion that price serves as a proxy for negative environmental impact. Although in some cases this may be true - more commonly higher prices are seen with new technologies and innovations that have not yet been able to take advantage of the cost savings that come from scaled up production. The higher 'resource' costs usually reflects higher priced labor inputs and initial R&D and capital outlays rather than greater quantities of natural or material resources used. Green/sustainable technologies and goods are currently struggling to carve out a niche in the market and they are rarely yet working at large economies of scale - so they can't spread their labor and capital costs out across as many units of production... The cheapest of goods are generally mass produced. They are frequently cheap because they take advantage of lax labor and environmental standards of production - particularly when produced in developing countries. Slave-wage labor and production plants that invest little in managing wastes translates into 'inexpensive' goods but terrible consequences for human justice and the environment. These goods' low market price also reflects the relatively cheap current cost of global commercial transportation. Purchase of cheap goods imported from far away has significantly negative environmental impacts that are not well accounted for in the final price of the good because we don't currently internalize costs of the environment of CO2 emissions from transportation into the price of the goods we purchase. This is another reason to support green and sustainable businesses closer to home -even if their products do cost more: You not only decrease negative environmental impacts of long distance transportation but you contribute to increasing the viability of 'local' green and sustainable businesses as global transportation costs increase to reflect the true environmental impacts and we are forced to rely on more local forms of production. "Cheap" certainly does not equal 'green' so please, please, please be careful about operating under that assumption in making your building and finishing decisions.... Best, Lisa Poley Shadowlake Village Blacksburg, VA -----Original Message----- From: Brian Bartholomew [mailto:bb [at] stat.ufl.edu] Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2007 2:12 AM To: Cohousing-L Subject: Re: [C-L]_ 50+ and affordable Marganne <marganne [at] macnexus.org> writes: > I waver on the importance of environmentally friendliness. I *do* > want to walk gently on this earth and encourage others to do the > same. But I've seen projects where 'going green' substantially > boosted building expenses beyond what I can afford. Price in money, even with all its problems, is the best measure we have for environmental impact. Those newfangled green materials cost more resources to make. Spending $100K in green tech to save $40K in utility bill is not a net improvement. Not for your pocketbook, not for the environment. Walking gently means walking *cheap*. Brian _________________________________________________________________ Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at: http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.9.6/866 - Release Date: 6/25/2007 9:43 AM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.9.6/866 - Release Date: 6/25/2007 9:43 AM
-
Re: 50+ and affordable Cindy T, June 29 2007
-
Re: 50+ and affordable Marganne, June 30 2007
-
Re: 50+ and affordable Brian Bartholomew, June 30 2007
- Re: 50+ and affordable Lisa Poley, July 1 2007
- Re: 50+ and affordable Brian Bartholomew, July 2 2007
- Re: [C-L] Walking Lightly Lisa Poley, July 2 2007
- Re: [C-L] Walking Lightly Stuart Joseph, July 3 2007
- Re: [C-L] Walking Lightly Kerry Strayton, July 3 2007
-
Re: 50+ and affordable Brian Bartholomew, June 30 2007
-
Re: 50+ and affordable Marganne, June 30 2007
Results generated by Tiger Technologies Web hosting using MHonArc.