Going Green Cost Effectiveness
Going Green Cost Effectiveness
Trina L. Munson
South University Online
Going Green Cost Effectiveness
Americans are very aware of the importance of “going green” as it reduces pollution and protects the earth from global warming. Going green generally includes recycling, buying environmentally-friendly products, energy efficient electronics, and living off the land. However, the reality is there are many obstacles to going green; the primary of which is cost effectiveness (Outka, 2012). The United States is currently in an economic crisis, and most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to pay their bills. Therefore, when faced with having to purchase an expensive item such as an appliance or automobile it is difficult to look beyond the price tag at the going green investment. While most citizens believe they are making a difference by recycling, the truth is a large percentage of our curbside recycling is either burned or sent to landfills because it has been contaminated due to ineffective recycling procedures, or it ends up traveling long distances, which increases the cost and air pollution (Kaiser, 2010). All of these facts prove that going green is not cost effective because the products are expensive and it take time (sometimes years) to see a savings or value, curb side recycling is wasteful, and recycling cost a substantial amount more than trash disposal.
“The primary barrier to going green is the cost competitiveness between renewable energy and other sources of electricity” (Outka, 2012, par.39). The reason that most consumers do not purchase energy saving appliances is very simple, they cannot afford it. For example, an energy-saving refrigerator freezer can cost up to a third more than a non-energy-saving refrigerator freezer, and it can take up to 8.1 years for the consumer to see a return on their investment (Roberts, 2010). Currently green products cost more because of the new research and technology required to
Trina L. Munson
South University Online
Going Green Cost Effectiveness
Americans are very aware of the importance of “going green” as it reduces pollution and protects the earth from global warming. Going green generally includes recycling, buying environmentally-friendly products, energy efficient electronics, and living off the land. However, the reality is there are many obstacles to going green; the primary of which is cost effectiveness (Outka, 2012). The United States is currently in an economic crisis, and most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to pay their bills. Therefore, when faced with having to purchase an expensive item such as an appliance or automobile it is difficult to look beyond the price tag at the going green investment. While most citizens believe they are making a difference by recycling, the truth is a large percentage of our curbside recycling is either burned or sent to landfills because it has been contaminated due to ineffective recycling procedures, or it ends up traveling long distances, which increases the cost and air pollution (Kaiser, 2010). All of these facts prove that going green is not cost effective because the products are expensive and it take time (sometimes years) to see a savings or value, curb side recycling is wasteful, and recycling cost a substantial amount more than trash disposal.
“The primary barrier to going green is the cost competitiveness between renewable energy and other sources of electricity” (Outka, 2012, par.39). The reason that most consumers do not purchase energy saving appliances is very simple, they cannot afford it. For example, an energy-saving refrigerator freezer can cost up to a third more than a non-energy-saving refrigerator freezer, and it can take up to 8.1 years for the consumer to see a return on their investment (Roberts, 2010). Currently green products cost more because of the new research and technology required to
References: Humes, Edward (2012) Garbology, Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash (1st ed.) NY, NY: Penguin Group Kaiser, Klaus L. E. (2010, Mar). Convenient Myths: The Green Revolution – Perceptions, Politics and Facts Outka, U. (2012). Environmental law and fossil fuels: Barriers to renewable energy. Vanderbilt Law Review, 65(6), 1679-1721 http://search.proquest.com/docview/1266038496?accountid=13931 Roberts,Lindsey M (2010, March/April) Shaw, Jane S. (2003, Sept). Eight Great Myths of Recycling Retrieved from: http://perc.org/sites/default/files/ps28.pdf Tierney, John (1996,June) Recycling is Garbage. Retrieved from: http://web.williams.edu/HistSci/curriculum/101/garbage.html