greenliving

And I’m not referring to french fries or MacDonald meals. Upgrading to a larger size has become an increasingly popular trend in North America. Take our homes for instance. From the 1970’s till the current years, our home sizes have increased by an outstanding 50%, while the residents who live here have decreased by 17%. Don’t believe it? Speak to your neighbours or friends over 50 years of age, and they’ll tell you how they and their children grew old together in a 3 bedroom, one bathroom home and very comfortably at that.

And how about cars? Not only have we upgraded to two or even three cars per family, but most of us will own at least one SUV amongst them. Even our RV’s are no longer small ‘towed by the family car’ trailers, but huge road dominating vehicles which carry all the comfort of our homes in them; including big screen plasma TV’s. Did you know for example, that a 42″ plasma screen consumes 400 watts of energy. Or that an LCD TV is more efficient than a plasma screen? If  you didn’t, then you’re not alone. Most of us will not do the research it needs to find out what is the most energy efficient path to take. Yet, as we continue to supersize our lives, we contribute to more and more greenhouse gas emissions, waste and dumping increases and a greater burden for the Earth to carry.

Consider sub-sizing your lifestyle, in small increments if need be. Smaller choices are often wiser choices; lower mortgages, lesser strata fees, fewer parking and petrol costs and a healthier and cleaner world for all of us.

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