I could be a damn fine philanthropist if I had the money to give away. Everyone, it seems, wants to make money off or from me.
I went to Home Depot, which this entry is marginally about, to pick up a bag to hold my gardening implements. There's no sense in them being mixed up with my other bags, the ones for carpentry, wood working, automotive repair, or power tools, so I'm now the proud owner of a cheap bag that will hold whatever flavor of pruning shears I bought, my little hand hoe, and my weed eradicators. Also in there is a noxious mixture for use in removing stumps, but that's another story.
What surprised me when I went to Home Depot wasn't that I was immediately accosted by someone asking me what work I needed done: I'm used to that, but it's not as flattering as when some damsel in distress seeks me out in the aisle to ask for advice. I guess I look the part of a knowledgeable handyman, which I assume comes from the work boots I often wear.
No, what surprised me at the market was the stalls set up in the parking lot. Much like the little suitcases full of Rolex replicas or DVDs, people were selling all kinds of things. Not tools, which I would expect, but belts, hats, and probably food dehydrators. They were all my friend as long as they felt I would give them money, and in that they're just like everyone else on this planet.
When I was done filling my six bags of backyard growth I slumped in front of the TV and caught an ad for Home Depot. Kismet. They were enticing me to buy a new refrigerator, one that would save energy.
Now, I'm the first to admit that I used to be quite the little hippy, and even today I hold many of the same beliefs I did then. The thing is, this razzle-dazzle refrigerator was, I think, offering energy savings as a rationalization, as an excuse for consumption.
There's some research to be done, and when I get all that money the funds I don't give away will be used to hire a personal assistant. One of the things he or she will get to do is work with numbers and look stuff up for me. I have no idea how all this works, but to get this entry posted I'll make some up so my entry makes sense.
If I can save a couple hundred bucks a year in energy costs, that's a good thing. What I'm afraid of, though, is that replacing an existing refrigerator with one of these fancy ones is making things worse. I'm not doing the planet any good at all if I get a new refrigerator to save a barrel of oil a month in creating energy for it because I have a hunch that it will take more than a lifetime's oil savings to manufacture the damn thing and ship it to me.
Sure, there are those who will say that "every little bit helps," and they're right as far as they go, but not in any big sense. A few years ago I went to that website and learned I was using something like four planet's worth of resources. That sickened me, and I think I've managed to cut that way down and am now using a state or province less, and I'm talking a western state and not one of those piddly east coast ones. What disturbs me, though, is that we so easily look at immediate gratification and listen to sales people.
I have no idea how many barrels of oil it takes to dig up the raw materials and turn them into a refrigerator, but my personal assistant would find that out for me. I also have no idea how many barrels of oil I'd save in a year with a more energy-efficient one, but that would be good to know. I do think, however, that Home Depot will sell no few number of these new appliances, and the majority of those who buy them will smile, thinking they're doing good things for the planet.
Saving a smidgen of energy with something while being responsible for using much more to make it is a fool's argument. Yes, brushing your teeth during your Saturday night bath is better than never brushing at all, but saving a little bit of energy every day doesn't make much sense if it takes more than you'll ever save to make the damn thing in the first place.
I must be wrong about this, but I'll be damned if I can see my logic error.
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