American Standard. And I got to thinking about the 1950's in America, when the symbol for our newly attained position as global leaders was our household appliances; and the energy to power these appliances was viewed as inexhaustible and without implications.
Take this conversation between Richard Nixon and Nikita Khruschchev in 1959:
Nixon: There are some instances where you may be ahead of us, for example in the development of the thrust of your rockets for the investigation of outer space, there may be some instances in which we are ahead of you-- in color television, for instance.
Khruschchev: No, we are up with you on this, too. We have bested you in one technique and also in the other.
[A few minutes later, they stand in front of a model kitchen in a model house.]
Nixon: You had a very nice house in your exhibition in New York. My wife and I saw and enjoyed it very much. I want to show you this kitchen. It is like those of our houses in California.
[Nixon points to a built-in washing machine].
Khruschchev: We have such things.
Nixon: This is the newest model. This is the kind which is built in thousands of units for direct installation in the houses.Nixon made an argument for American dominance by way of our superior kitchen appliances, color televisions, and washing machines. He tried to prove to our main competition, the Soviet Union, that the American standard for these items was the greatest in the world, and therefore made us the greatest country in the world.
Today, the debate about the American standard is taking place right here in America between those who want to conserve the dated standards and those who want to create new ones. Recently in a House floor speech, GOP candidate Michelle Bachmann called the efforts at capping carbon emissions an "arbitrary" attempt to "reduce the American standard of living." In the GOP debate last week, she claimed that as President she would repeal the Environmental Protection Agency. But Ms. Bachmann errs by failing to recognize how organizations like the Environmental Protection agency exist to enable better standards of living through improving American citizen's health and quality of life, and reducing our dependence on and financial support for foreign regimes who foster a great threat to national security. Just today, the EPA finalized the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule to reduce power plant emissions in 27 states. It described the health benefits for all American citizens that would follow:
The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule will help avoid tens of thousands of premature deaths and illnesses, achieving billions of dollars in public health benefits. By 2014, the required emissions reductions will annually avoid:
13,000 to 34,000 premature deaths
15,000 nonfatal heart attacks
19,000 hospital and emergency room visits
1.8 million lost work days or school absences
400,000 aggravated asthma attacks
Pollution reductions will also lead to improvements in visibility in national and state parks, and increased protection for sensitive ecosystems including Adirondack lakes and Appalachian streams, coastal waters and estuaries, and forests.The report also showed how being greener will save money for the treasury:
The final rule yields $120 to $280 billion in annual health and welfare benefits in 2014, which far outweigh the estimated annual costs of CSAPR of $800 million in 2014, along with the roughly $1.6 billion per year in capital investments already under way as a result of CAIR.
To bring this all full-circle, it was Republican Richard Nixon who created the Environmental Protection Agency during his presidency. Unfortunately, most Conservative platforms today, like that of Michelle Bachman's, hold a dangerous double standard for Americans by conserving the dated American standards that pose a threat to our nation, and denying agencies like the EPA any room to improve those standards and extinguish that threat.
If we want to remain the leading country in the world, as Nixon so eagerly implied we were in his 1959 meeting with Khruschchev, we have to address the energy-efficiency of the system used to create and power these devices, as it is now clear that our resources are not finite nor without implications.
But in the meantime, there are steps to take that can drastically reduce emissions without requiring a totally revamped system. I read an article in the New York Times today about the energy-sucking cable boxes and DVRs we have in the United States. These run full-fledged for 24 hours a day, which makes them one of the top energy drainers in American homes, moreso than even a refrigerator:
Some European companies have created a deep-sleep mode for these boxes, that saves 95% of their energy when not in use. The EPA encourages providers to offer this setting, yet none of the major providers have done so. Until this is changed through EPA's policy, the consumers themselves should turn off their boxes at night or when not using them. You not only reduce carbon emissions, but you save money: in the average American home, this reduces the monthly energy bill by about $10. This is a mid-week mini-pledge of mine to do this, and I am also writing to the EPA and the top three cable and DVR box providers in the U.S., Cisco Systems, Motorola, and Samsung, to encourage them to offer boxes with a deep-sleep mode. The format for my letter is below, followed by the appropriate email addresses. Please feel free to copy my letter and simply sign your name at the bottom:
For the EPA:
To Whom It May Concern:
I recently read the New York Times article about the inefficient, energy-draining cable and DVR boxes available to consumers. Many of these same boxes in Europe offer a deep-sleep mode that saves 95% of energy while not in use. I urge you to start regulating and requiring boxes to save energy in this manner.
Thank you for your time.For the companies:
To Whom It May Concern:
I recently read the New York Times article about the inefficient, energy-draining cable and DVR boxes you sell to American consumers. European providers of these same boxes are already a step ahead of you in offering a deep-sleep mode that saves 95% of energy while the boxes are not in use. I urge you to start offering boxes that can save energy in this manner.
Thank you for your time.EPA: hotline@energystar.gov
Motorola: responsibility@motorola.com
Cisco Systems: astokes@cisco.com, ddahlin@cisco.com
Samsung: samsungha@talktocurrent.com
This is just one example of how home appliances can be renovated to save you money and help the environment. The best way to know whether or not your appliances are relatively green, is to buy only government-regulated "Energy Star" models of appliances. You can easily search within the models available for various products at The Energy Star Product webpage.
I hope it is clear from this entry that there are three main components necessary for being greener: you, governmental agencies and policy change, and green, innovative technology. This is the only formula that will allow for a new American standard to emerge that is innovative and intelligent, and eventually leads to a new energy system of carbon-neutral appliances and resources. As nostalgic as we may be for our janky, old, noisy, energy-slurping washing machine that grandpa Nixon so adored, we are overdue for updating his generation's promise with a clean, green American dream.
(This blog is inspired by the summer internship I am doing with Oregon Environmental Council. Their website has a plethora of resources for becoming greener, from making non-toxic cleaning products to choosing more sustainable wines: http://www.oeconline.org/)
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