Tournament Round 1, Match 4 - (2) Reducing/Reusing vs. (7) Energy Star Ratings

(2) Reducing and/or Reusing vs. (7) Energy Star Ratings. Let's get this party started!

Reducing and/or Reusing

Alright!! We get to complete the triad that forms the basis of the most iconic symbol in the Green Movement! (With Recycling, being the third, of course). Ultimately, one of these stems from the other. If you are Reusing things instead of throwing them away, you end up Reducing how much you need to buy in the future. I've included these separate from Recycling, because Recycling has an actual set of process associated with it.

Impact on the Environment (13/15):
Reducing is an idea that is so far reaching that it is at the core of most (if not all) of the other ideas that you'll see in this Tournament. "I want to Reduce the amount of gas I use; I'm going to buy a hybrid car." "I want to reduce the amount of paper I use; I should try Paperless Living." These are just two examples. And the environmental benefits are too numerous to list here. Decreased use of landfill space, less land and water needed to cultivate crops and livestock, less plastic ending up in the oceans, less air pollution coming from manufacturing plants, etc. If Reducing/Reusing makes it to the next round, there will be a more in depth discussion.

Practicality (2/10):
"2 points????" you might be thinking loudly to yourself, "why only 2 points? This one is so easy! I just drive my car less or replace my TV every 6 years instead of 5!" Well, yes and no. As amazing as Reducing is for the environment, it comes into direct conflict that everything that we, (as the computer-owning, Internet-using, blog-reading) the richer part of the world, want to see in society: progress and economic stability. Let's say you do buy a car every 10 years instead of every 5. The environment will be happy that you're not taking as much iron and aluminum out of the ground, but I can guarantee that Toyota won't be all that happy with you. And if big companies like Toyota aren't happy, neither is the economy. This means higher unemployment, higher crime rates, lower tax revenues, poorer infrastructure and countless other problems. The economy moves forward fastest when we're being purchase-and-dispose consumers, even if it hurts the environment.

Sustainability (7/10):
Much to the chagrin of economists who would probably like people to be spending more, one of the things that the poor economy has taught us is how to live without certain things. If you've learned that you can save money by riding your bike to work and Reducing the amount of gas you use, hopefully you'll keep up that habit even after the economy improves. Odds are you won't, but I'm an optimist when it comes to human behaviors, so you never know.

Awesomeness (7/10):
They're not in the same league as Recycling, but Reducing and Reusing are part of the saying that everyone uses to talk about Going Green, so they are pretty awesome in their own right.

User Input (0/5):
Get those comments in, everyone!

Energy Star Ratings

When you think of Energy Star Ratings, you should really think of LEED certification, except for individual appliances and electronics instead of entire buildings. Created in 1992 by the EPA, the Energy Star system was created as a way to certify items that used significantly less energy than competing items in the market. Everything from light bulbs to washing machines can be Energy Star certified and are designated by the blue logo that says "Energy Star" on it.

Impact on the Environment (7/15):
Like LEED Certification, it's hard to say how much of an impact this has had on the environment. While I'd like to imagine that stores are more likely to stock Energy Star products and consumers are more likely to purchase Energy Star items, it's hard to say for sure how aware people are about Energy Star certification. I'd really like to see a study to see what percent of consumers take energy consumption into account when they purchase things, but for now, I'll give Energy Star ratings a fairly neutral 7 out of 10.

Practicality (5/10):
Again, it's hard to say if this really is practical. Are we wasting resources like time and money in order to certify things that people won't even take into consideration? Maybe. Maybe not.

Sustainability (8/10):
This rating system is fairly easy to sustain. Just as long as top government scientists are staying on top of current technologies in order to make sure that the best ideas are being rewarded fairly, this is something that can continue on for some time.

Awesomeness (5/10):
I don't know. Most people probably don't care one way or another if their product is Energy Star rated or not. The day I see someone walking around with a shirt with the Energy Star logo on it, maybe I'll change my mind, but for now, it gets a pretty neutral 5 out of 10.

User Input (0/5):
Get those comments in, everyone!

Alright, let's tally those scores!

Reducing/Reusing: 29
Energy Star Ratings: 25

Well, with that we conclude the first round of the Green Practices Region! Check it out later this week to see (1) Biking take on (8) Buses in the kick off of the Green Travel Region!