apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

One week of combining all of your shopping trips into a single mapped out trip instead of continually popping out to go to this store or that saves more energy than unplugging all of your "stand-by" electronics every time they aren't in use for an entire year.

The "Every little bit" concept is annoying and much more trouble than it is worth.

Well... my feelings are a bit different than the previous poster...but I probably live my life differently as well. I designate one day every month as "shopping" day. I pick up groceries, dry goods etc and then park my car. For fresh things I walk to the farmers market. I keep everything unplugged until I need to use it save the fridge and the central air and heat which I keep at the same temp year round. I walk or ride my bike to work. If the weather is bad then I take the rail. This year my electric bill has dropped by 60%. For me the every little bit counts is a way of life...but I know it isn't for everyone.

if everyone did that 'tiny' little bit, it would make a huge difference!!
i know when i started unplugging unused chargers, turning off powerstrips, etc i cut my electric bill in half!

i hardly feel doing those small things are annoying or troublesome. it's like turning off the water while brushing your teeth or a light switch when you leave the room. not hard and it become second nature.

It does annoy me a little when people say things like 'bailing the Titanic with a teaspoon' because there isn't ONE thing a single individual can do to make a BIG difference. I know that you can't JUST unplug one power strip, but it's all the little things put together that make a difference. Other wise why recycle it's just ONE more bottle? Why fix the faucet it's just ONE small leak? Why hit the switch, it's just ONE more light bulb? Why walk it's just ONE more short car ride?
It's like saving your loose change in a coffee tin, after a couple years you have enough to go to DisneyWorld.
(I should add that I have a pretty tiny apartment but unplugging unused things got my electric bill down about $15 a month, results I'm not going to argue with)

Actually, check out his book. If everyone does a "tiny" bit then we'll accomplish... a small amount.

It's a pain in the ass to do things like unplug everything when not in use. You are far better off deciding to not buy one thing that comes in a box. That one decision will net more green benefit than plugging/unplugging crap for a year.

But people would much rather go buy a bunch of things to "green" themselves. If your green consultant drove (even a hybrid) over to do your consult you probably just blew the benefits.

Walk, take public transit, buy less stuff.

no, one person unplugging a device wont do shit..
one million people unplugging a device will actually accomplish something.

Will it change the world

Most certainly not.

But it will change people, it will reinforce a habit, an idea and hopefully a desire to do things that will enact change in our self's and those around us.

by people thinking "I'll unplug that" will also help them maintain a constant idea to be mindful of everything they do, I wont turn that on, I don't really need that, maybe it can last longer.

I hate this "thing" that is thrown about, that, your small daily acts will accomplish nothing.. its thrown about by those who are to lazy or to selfish to bother doing anything and they don't want to see anyone else doing it as well because they don't want to be reminded of there own selfish lazy attitude.

They want someone else to fix the problem.

But you know what, if we all out everything we can including the tiniest thing, it will eventually over the course of our life have an effect, indeed it is small and by its self is like a grain of sand, you wont feel it, but you would feel millions of them.

I like to unplug my power strips when I won't be home for a few days or longer. TV, DVD player, Xbox, harddrive, computer, display, router, modem, stereo, cable box. I don't know if it makes a difference but it seems like it would.

@ MIT Professor

You can't compare electricity in a home to a car because the electricity was likely produced by coal which creates much more pollution than that "one seconds worth of gasoline." Who is this guy and how did he get a job at MIT?!

Have two electric switches in every room. One for light, one for all other electricity.

So you dont have to unplugg all that single devices. You switch off an entire rooms electricity as easy as you switch off the light!