In his book, The Conundrum, New Yorker staff writer David Owen ruffles the feathers
of energy-efficiency advocates with his argument that living
sustainably often means living, in his words, “pretty much the way I
live right now, though maybe with a different car.” He argues that no
matter how many Priuses, LED bulbs,
and vegetarian entrees we buy, we won’t save the planet, because we’ll
negate the energy (and money) savings by spending them on some other
energy-sucking activity.
Owen’s argument rings true to
anyone who’s rationalized leaving the extra-efficient lights on when
rushing out of the house (guilty) or eating a hamburger after a few
meat-free meals (guilty again). But there’s plenty of evidence that
consumption justified by sustainable choices doesn’t eat up all the
energy saved. A new bit of research makes that case for the Prius, a quintessential green purchase.
