Personal decisions and their impacts on energy use and the environment |
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| Institution: | 1. Environmental Studies Program, Dartmouth College, 6182 Steele Hall, Hanover, NH 03755, USA;2. Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, 8000 Cummings Hall, Hanover, NH 03755, USA;1. Institute of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, 11F No.1 s.1, Ren-ai Rd., Taipei 10051 Taiwan;2. School of Pharmacy, Molecular Probes Development Core, Molecular Imaging Center, and Center for Innovative Therapeutics Discovery, National Taiwan University, 17, Xuzhou Road, Room 936, Taipei 10055, Taiwan;1. Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, 541004 Guilin, China;2. Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Technology & Systems, Education Ministry of China, Chongqing University and College of Opto-Electronic Engineering, Chongqing University, 400044 Chongqing, China;1. School of Chemical Engineering, Chonnam National University, 300 Youngbong-dong, Gwangju 500-757, Republic of Korea;2. Center for Vacuum, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, 267 Gajeong-ro, Daejeon 305-600, Republic of Korea;1. Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;2. Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran;1. Endocannabinoid Research Group at the Department of Experimental Medicine, Division of Pharmacology “L. Donatelli”, The Second University of Naples, 80138 Naples, Italy;2. Institut fuer Pharmazie, Martin-Luther-Universitaet Halle, Germany;3. Endocannabinoid Research Group at the Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Pozzuoli (NA), Italy |
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| Abstract: | With increasing frequency, individuals deliberately choose specific actions that they hope will lessen environmental impact. Given the complexity of modern society, it is not always easy to know how to minimize environmental harm without undue sacrifice. Government policies can have a role in helping individuals make decisions and encouraging them to act in certain ways. Recycling of solid waste materials is a personal choice made by many people in the USA guided by the belief that recycling is not only good for the environment but that it constitutes a major contribution to improving environmental quality. By using energy usage as a proxy for overall environmental impact, we show that the impact reduction achieved through recycling varies for different materials. It is small but significant for some materials, such as aluminum, and minimal for other materials, such as plastic, especially when compared to other choices that individuals have direct control over, such as the type of vehicle they drive or the amount they drive. While the recycling of certain materials, such as aluminum, does result in measurable energy savings, the net benefit of recycling is orders of magnitude smaller than the gains that can be achieved from switching to more fuel-efficient vehicles. Despite this, perception and policy in the USA have focused on recycling rather than personal vehicle choice and increased reliance on public transportation. |
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