Salt of the Earth: I have met the polluter, and she is me!

Idea exchange
April 2001

I have met the polluter, and she is me!
"You are a polluter. Don't try to deny it," the happy blue web site with the ridiculous name—AirHead.org—accused me from the relative safety of my computer monitor.

"Na-ah," I thought to myself. "I recycle, I don't buy CFCs, and sometimes I even pick up the empty beer bottles littering the front lawn of my apartment building on Sunday mornings."

Not good enough, the Center for Neighborhood Technology's (CNT) web site seemed to respond. Rather than simply take the criticism without a fight, I decided to accept the site's challenge: I would measure the level of air pollution I, as an individual, produce each month, and I would use the site's own test to do it. Clicking through the Emissions Calculator I prepared to vindicate myself.

The first question asked how many people live in my house. Because I have three roommates I had to answer four, above the national average of 2.64. Next the site wanted to know how many miles I drove last month. Thinking back I figured it was in the 251- to 500-mile range. I don't drive to work, so that only left shopping and short weekend trips. I knew I was doing well so far. Then I had to say how many roundtrip airplane rides I took last month.

There was one, a flight to and from Washington D.C. for a social justice conference, but unfortunately my altruistic motives won't change the amount of pollution I produced. The test continued with questions about my electric bill (about $30), my gas bill (despite the astronomical national rates it came in under $15 last month, all for a gas stove), and the miles I walked or biked instead of drove (in the 26- to 50-mile range). Then it was time for the verdict.

After tabulating my answers, the web site created a color-coded chart, explaining my results and comparing them to the national average. I was just congratulating myself on finishing far better than the rest of the country when I read the figure at the top of the page: I had personally generated 1315 pounds of total emissions. That sounded awfully large. Of course, the major culprit was my plane trip, which produced 835 pounds of emissions. Then I realized the test hadn't even taken into account some of my other habits, like taking public transportation to and from work (which is, however, better than driving) or blow-drying my hair each morning. "You are a polluter!" I scolded myself. So what could I do about it?

Luckily, AirHead had plenty of suggestions for cutting my emissions. It told me I could take a train instead of fly, replace my standard light bulbs with energy-efficient Compact Fluorescent lights, or fill up my car after sunset (apparently sunlight triggers reactions between fuel and other pollutants that result in ground-level ozone). The web site also listed emissions data for hundreds of common goods like household appliances. Plus, if I registered with AirHead it would save my emissions test and let me see if I improved next month.

I decided I'd be back, but first I'd look into those light bulbs.

The AirHead web site is a project of the Community Energy Division of the Center for Neighborhood Technology. CNT, a community development organization formed to improve living conditions in urban areas, focuses most of its efforts on Chicago but also works in South Florida, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Pittsburgh.—Anne Graber

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