What makes a bigger difference? Recycling or Green Power?

Green power makes at least as much difference, if not more, as that of recycling.
By: Rahul Chitrapu
 
March 23, 2010 - PRLog -- I have talked with numerous people who are passionate about the environment and who do their best to protect the environment. One of the activities they are most proud of is recycling. When I tell them about how green power is another great way to protect the environment, they simply give me a nod and say that it is true but not so much as recycling. (Disclaimer: EcoElectrons (http://www.ecoelectrons.com) sells green power, but only to corporations and not households). This frustrates me to a great extent. So here is a post that quantifies the environmental impacts that each activity can have. If you feel that I have overlooked anything or if you do not quite agree with the analysis, feel free to leave a comment and we can continue the conversation.

Recycling in a household

There are different types of wastes produced in a household. Metallic (think aluminum cans), glass, plastic (like Coke bottles) and paper are some examples. About 130 billion cans of aluminum are produced in United States each year. This would amount to 1100 cans per household per year. Recycling one can saves about 0.6 lbs of CO2. If a household recycled all the cans it used, about 700 lbs of CO2 would have been avoided from entering the atmosphere.

There is another kind of waste called Municipal Solid Waste or MSW. MSW is composed of all types of solid waste – paper, metal, plastic, glass, foodwaste and so on. Check out the national average composition of MSW on Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) website. Around 4,250 pounds of MSW are produced by each household each year and since recycling 1 pound of MSW saves 2.5 pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere, 11,000 pounds of CO2 would be saved if all MSW produced in a household is recycled. There you have it. If a household recycled all the waste it produced, 11,000 pounds of CO2 would have been avoided from entering the atmosphere each year. This is of course wishful thinking. Only a third to a half of all MSW can be recycled with today's technology.

Green Power in a household

An average household consumes 10,000 KWh of electricity each year. Greening 1 KWh avoid 1.6 pounds of CO2 as per the EPA. And greening 10,000 KWh would avoid 16,000 pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere each year.

Recycling and Green Power together make the biggest difference

I am not suggesting that you switch to green power and stop recycling since green power is at least twice as effective as recycling in terms of CO2 emissions. Recycling has other great benefits in addition to emissions reduction like reduction of landfills and conservation of natural resources that cannot be easily quantified. But, please recognize that green power also makes a significant difference.

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EcoElectrons supplies corporations with green power or renewable energy through certified Renewable Energy Credits.
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Source:Rahul Chitrapu
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Tags:Green Power, Renewable Energy, Recycling, Co2 Emissions, Carbon Emissions
Industry:Renewable energy
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