"We all know that any activity that consumes fossil fuels leaves a big carbon footprint, but how about those little quotidian choices. Mike Berners-Lee, director of a British climate-change consulting company, offers a number of shockers in this combination consumer shopping guide and popular science manual. For instance, plastic bags (for which many Canadians are now charged a nickel a pop) have not merely half the carbon footprint of paper bags, but the lowest measurable impact of any of the many items Berners-Lee discusses. It’s also clear that we need to modify our desire for tasteless, non-seasonal fare; imported strawberries, for instance, have a footprint more than 10 times that of the tasty local version. Cell phones are not great emitters, unless you’re a chatterbox; one minute’s use is about the same as the energy needed to produce an apple. Biggest villains: children, swimming pools, deforestation and universities. As for bananas, they’re the most innocent of foods: no greenhouses, keep well, are transported by boat (not plane) and use no wasteful packaging."
Globe & Mail Quick Reads March 21, 2011
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How Bad Are Bananas