Food grown locally, rather than far away, supports area farmers andis often fresher, but it makes little difference in the fightagainst climate change. How about e-readers vs. print books? Or opening a new car's windowsrather than running its air conditioner? The answer's the same ineach case: There's no big difference in which consumes less energyoverall, so don't sweat it. Those are the findings of a new eco-myth-busting guide to greenliving that quantifies the climate impact or carbon footprint ofhundreds of consumer decisions. It tallies the energy and resourcesinvolved in making and using a product as well as the heat-trappingemissions that ensue. It challenges Americans to cut theirfossil-fuel energy use 20 percent in the coming year. "You can get there faster by sweating the right stuff," saysclimate scientist Brenda Ekwurzel, co-author of Cooler Smarter, atwo-year study by The Union of Concerned Scientists, ascience-based environmental group. The book makes a plaintive call to action, arguing that climatechange has reached a dire point because of human use ofheat-trapping fossil fuels. "Our failure to address this problemwill imperil us all," it says. "I don't think that's true. There's not a consensus we're headingtoward catastrophe," says David Kreutzer, a research fellow inenergy economics and climate change at the Heritage Foundation, aself-described "conservative" think tank. He says Americans shouldcut their carbon footprint "if it makes them feel good," but notbecause they fear for the future. In touting the most effective eco-steps, Cooler Smarter takes onfive common myths: - Buy locally grown food. Many consumers may think this has climate benefits, but as itturns out, transporting food from the farm to the supermarketaccounts for only about 4 percent of the emissions involved in foodproduction. Most of the emissions occur at the farm itself, whereit typically takes a long time and lots of grain to raise cattle. That's why red meat has 18 times the carbon footprint as an equalamount of pasta. So a more efficacious climate approach, ratherthan buying meat locally, is simply buying less of it, the booksays. "But don't give up on the farmers' market," Ekwurzel says. She saysfruits and vegetables have a much smaller overall carbon footprintand transportation accounts for a higher share of their emissionsthan it does for meat, poultry or seafood. "What matters more than local or not local (for the environment) isthe production method used," says Chris Hunt, a senior policyadviser at Sustainable Table, a non-profit that advocates forhealthy, eco-friendly food. He says fewer emissions result fromgrass-fed beef on pasture farms compared to grain-fed beef onfactory farms. Ekwurzel agrees. - Keep the old stuff. This is not always best, climate-wise, when the products areenergy guzzlers. Ekwurzel says many refrigerators and cars havebecome so much more efficient that replacing old ones will causefewer emissions in the long run. If a fridge was made before 2003, she says consumers will recoup --in lower utility bills -- the cost of replacing it with an averagenew Energy Star unit within a few years. If buying a new or usedcar, she says look for fuel efficiency. Compared to a car that gets20 miles per gallon, a 40 mpg one will save 4,500 gallons ofgasoline if driven 12,000 miles annually over 15 years. - Drive a hybrid car . Not all hybrids are created equal. Some use hybrid technology toboost power, not lower fuel use, and get fewer miles per gallonthan 100 percent gasoline-fueled compacts. - You need to sacrifice comfort to cut emissions. Not so. Ekwurzel says Americans enjoy lifestyles similar to thoseof Germans and Japanese but use more than twice as much energy percapita. She says more efficient appliances and heating/coolingequipment can help close the gap. For example, she says new car airconditioners are more efficient than older versions, so consumerswon't save gas by choosing instead to roll down the windows, whichcreates air resistance that lowers fuel mileage. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as 101 Nourishing Shampoo Manufacturer , 101 Hair Regain Tonic Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits 101 Hair Regain Tonic.
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