My green sin is my love for super strong coffee (an Army thing again?) and it forces me into starbucks for a double espresso almost every day.

To replace juice boxes, in the summer we just do frozen fruit pops (at home) and we carry Klean Kanteens with flavor infused water or plain water.

Our biggest green sin would be showers… Mine are longer than they should be, although my husband is in and out in about 2 minutes, so he helps compensate. I also try to bath the kids together in what they call a shower-bath. We turn the shower on, put the plug in and they wash hair and body under the shower then turn it off and play in the water.

A 2004 analysis by Toyota found that as much as 28 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions generated during the lifecycle of a typical gasoline-powered car can occur during its manufacture and its transportation to the dealer; the remaining emissions occur during driving once its new owner takes possession. An earlier study by Seikei University in Japan put the pre-purchase number at 12 percent.

Regardless of which conclusion is closer to the truth, your current car has already passed its manufacture and transport stage, so going forward the relevant comparison has only to do with its remaining footprint against that of a new car’s manufacture/transport and driver’s footprint—not to mention the environmental impact of either disposing of your old car or selling it to a new owner who will continue to drive it. There are environmental impacts, too, even if your old car is junked, dismantled and sold for parts.

And don’t forget that the new hybrids—despite lower emissions and better gas mileage—actually have a much larger environmental impact in their manufacture, compared to non-hybrids. The batteries that store energy for the drive train are no friend to the environment—and having two engines under one hood increases manufacturing emissions. And all-electric vehicles are only emission-free if the outlet providing the juice is connected to a renewable energy source, not a coal-burning power plant, as is more likely.

Adam

We have a long way to go, and it’s great to see so much awareness about the problem. Let’s hope the sudden plunge in oil prices doesn’t make us dopey the way we got after the oil embargo of the 1970’s. Anyone who lived through that and later bought an SUV committed one of the greatest green sins of all.

Green sins… hmmmm… on the days I am able to get a shower (I have two small girls), I stay in it as long as possible. Anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes.

@MyGreenSide

One thing: I do take my bags right back out after I unload the groceries. I see it as the final step. That way I never have an excuse.

And two: The best thing each of us can do is to consume less. I know that means something different to each of us, but we should constantly question if we “need” something or merely “want” it.

Thanks!

I also have a few of those reusable shopping bags from the grocery store, but I haven’t used them since I got them… I just always forget them and then I end up coming home with 32973492 plastic bags