The Unintended Consequences of Conservation

We have all heard of the Law of Unintended Consequences, typically in reference to something negative that happens as a result of a law passed by the government. But an individual person’s actions can have unintended consequences too, and sometimes they can be positive. Witness the following conservation actions you can take and their potential positive consequences.

• Put your computer on a power strip to turn it completely off when you are not using it. This little step will not only save money and energy since it won’t be drawing a phantom power load (a tiny bit of power used by anything with a battery charger or a remote control), it will also make it ever-so-slightly inconvenient to turn it back on. And that inconvenience might spur you to choose to do something else instead, such as spend time with friends and family. Human beings are social creatures: we need actual, physical contact with one another to thrive, as opposed to instant messages, chat rooms, emails, social networking sites, or video phone calls.
• Eat your leftovers. It doesn’t matter whether they come from a restaurant or your own kitchen: if you fully consume every piece of food you buy, you will buy less food overall. Therefore you will consume fewer of the planet’s resources and spend less money. You may also decide to learn a few cooking techniques to make your leftovers more palatable. And once you perfect some recipes, you might invite some friends (or a potential love interest) over to impress them with your new skills, and who knows where that might lead?
• Drink water. Only water. And I don’t mean flavored, sparkling, or otherwise “enhanced” water. If you stop buying and drinking soda, juice, milk, coffee, tea, alcohol, and energy drinks, you will consume fewer calories, kick potentially addictive habits, and spend less money. You also may become concerned about the quality of the water flowing from your tap. If you become concerned enough, you can write to your local water commission and press for higher standards and better regulation.
• Keep your lights off as long as possible after the sun sets, saving energy and money by not using electricity. Then go outside (or at least take a seat by your window) and turn on all of your senses. Let your eyes adjust to the fading light and see if you can spot any creatures scuttling by, whether they are squirrels or neighbors out walking their dogs. Listen to the birds settling down for the night: their chirps are different from the ones you hear during the day. Inhale the fresh evening air, and feel how cool it is on your skin. By eliminating an artificial environment lit with electric bulbs, you can tune in to the natural one that has been there all along.