Published December 12, 2011

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So, I’m feeling pretty virtuous.  I buy 100 percent renewable electricity from the Energy Cooperative in Philadelphia; it’s the real deal, all wind and solar with a smidge of low-impact hydroelectric.  So, when I switch on my Christmas lights, watch TV or run the central heating, I have a no-carbon, ultra-low pollution footprint.

And it’s the same price as the 50 percent coal-sourced electricity from the regular supplier!

AND – when I cook, I’m on propane, which is the cleanest burning of the fossil fuels.

So, I’m OK, right?

Well, sure, it’s a lot, lot better than the regular source, which as I say, where I live, is generated from burning coal (lots of particulates, mercury, noxious sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides) with more than a dash of nuclear.

But we have to realize that – in the words of an old campaign by the Friends of the Earth – “all power pollutes.”  Those wind turbines are made of a lot of metal, which was fashioned using a lot of energy, after digging up the landscape to get the metal ore in the first place.  Those solar panels have cost energy to assemble, and they too are made of silicon and other minerals (e.g., cadmium) that have to be mined and refined.

So, what to do?

Well, very few of us could live electricity-free.  And torturing yourself about the fact that you cannot be 100 percent ecological is fruitless.

Instead, do your best.  Every little does help.  And don’t forget, if your carbon/pollution footprint is giving you too much angst, planting a tree is a great way to help with Creation Care restoration.  Visit our site to learn more.

Our Lord came to Earth in the most humble of circumstances.

Buy less stuff, give more away, save what energy you can, and have a peaceful, low-impact Christmas!

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John Humphreys is a biochemist and long-time friend of Blessed Earth. Born and raised in Great Britain, he is an avid gardener, birder, and eco-evangelist.  John and his wife Nancy live in eastern Pennsylvania.

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