Environmental Cost/Benefit Analysis Chart
ACTION
Buy Local & Organic
 Shop at Farmer’s Markets
 Support local economy
 Food
 Produce (fruits & vegetables)
 Beverages
 Meat & dairy (no hormones, steroids,
antibiotics)
 Grass-fed beef
 Clothing
Avoid Plastic
 #3,6,7 plastic
 Baby bottles, sippy cups
 Reusable shopping bags
 Reusable mugs, cups, containers (no baggies,
disposable cups, etc.)
 Bottled water
Conserve Water
 Water plants/lawn morning or night to
avoid H2O evaporation
 Cut shower length, low-flow showerheads,
turn H2O off while washing hair
 capture water that normally goes down drain
and use to water plants, flush toilet
 fix leaks and dripping faucets
 flush less
Conserve Energy
 CFL bulbs
 Turn off lights, unplug electronics, and
switch off power strips
 Double-paned windows
 Adjust thermostat, reduce AC/heat usage
 Energy-efficient appliances
 Use cold water only for laundry
 Let hands, dishes, clothes air dry
Conserve Gas
 Walk, bike, bus, train, subway, car pool
 Fuel efficient vehicle (hybrid/electric)
 Improve driving habits
 Accelerate less, minimal idling and
AC/heat usage, stay under 55mph,
keep tires inflated
Conserve Paper / Save Trees





Stop using paper towels
Reusable cups/mugs/bags
Stop junk mail (www.41pounds.org)
Online banking & bill payment services
Plant trees
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
 Used clothes, electronics, music, books
 Compost
 Products made from recycled materials
 Toilet paper, notebooks, pencils,
paper towels, printer paper
BENEFITS
fossil fuels, air, ♥, H2O, oceans, trees
COSTS
$
*avg. food travels 1500 miles before consumption
*organic = cleaner freshwater & oceans from avoiding
fertilizers & sprays that enter run-off
*organic beef is leaner, contains more nutrients (♥)
*local produce is fresher, tastier
*curb global warming by reducing fuel use & increasing
pasture for cattle
*clothing made in USA supports fair wages & labor
-organic food is more
expensive because it
requires more human
labor, although that
creates more farming
jobs!
-clothing is more
expensive (unless it’s
used)
fossil fuels, air, ♥, $, oceans
effort
*plastic labeled 3,6, or 7 leaches harmful chemicals into
food/liquid (♥)
*plastic pollutes the air as it decomposes
*plastic ends up polluting oceans & harming sea life
*bottled water is not always cleaner than tap water;
very expensive; uses energy & petroleum to make
-buying reusable bags
and containers may
cost money initially
but ends up saving in
the long run
fossil fuels, air, ♥, H2O, $, time
convenience
*by using less water, less energy (fossil fuels) is used in
treating & transporting it to households…less energy
use leads to cleaner air which means healthier lungs
and fewer respiratory diseases (♥)
-requires conscious
effort to do things like
capture water as
shower is heating up
*shorter showers saves time
*using less water means lower water bills ($)
fossil fuels, air, ♥, H2O, $
*electricity is generated mostly from burning coal, by
far the dirtiest of all fossil fuels
*AC releases HFCs (which replaced ozone-depleting
CFCs) w/ 4470x the heat-trapping ability of CO2
*conserving electricity saves money on bills ($)
*cleaner air (♥)
*tax credits for solar panels in some states
fossil fuels, ♥, air, $
*no car/gas/insurance/parking payments, no tickets
saves thousands of $$ per year
*walking/biking/public transit (getting to and from
different stops) requires more exercise and eliminates
stress from driving and traffic (♥)
*fuel efficiency decreases exponentially over 55mph
fossil fuels, ♥, air, H2O, oceans, trees, $
*trees fight global warming by utilizing CO2 from the
atmosphere and providing oxygen (♥)
*trees are vital to the water cycle (increasing rainfall)
and absorb water to prevent flashfloods
* lots of energy, freshwater, and chlorine are used to
make paper
fossil fuels, ♥, air, H2O, oceans, trees, $
*86% of plastic bottles end up in landfills
*landfills are largest man-made source of methane
emissions in USA
*used clothes, electronics, music, books, and toilet
paper made from recycled paper are cheaper ($)
*reducing consumption by shopping less saves $$
time, convenience
-some actions require
an initial investment
(CFLs, appliances,
solar panels) but often
save money in the
long term
-there are companies
that will cover cost of
solar panels up front
time, convenience
-driving/flying are
usually the fastest
forms of
transportation
effort
-paying for service to
stop junk mail costs
money
effort
Environmental Journal Guidelines
Every Friday you will create a journal entry in which you record your impact on the
environment for that week. Major topics to think of are global warming, pollution,
deforestation, recycling, water conservation, organic and local food and
clothing, energy conservation, and alternative energy sources. You should
consult your “Environmental Cost/Benefit Analysis Chart” for ideas on things you
could start or stop doing to benefit the environment.
Questions to keep in mind when writing your journal entry:
 What could you do to improve your impact on the environment or
reduce your “carbon footprint?”
 What actions did you take that would be considered “green?”
 What did you do that is only adding to the problem?
 Did you read any books or articles related to environmental
challenges or solutions being proposed?
 Did you watch anything on the Internet or on TV that mentioned or
focused on the environment and conservation?
 Did you have a conversation with anyone to spread the word or learn
something new?
 How strongly do you feel about the impending threat to humanity
posed by the exploitation and destruction of our land, water, and air?