Green Onions?
March 1, 2010 5:17 AM Subscribe
Say I use half an onion. The only available storage option for the other half is to wrap it in cling film. Is it more wasteful and or/environmentally damaging to use some plastic to save the onion or to just throw the remaining onion away?
(A gross comparison using prices from a UK supermarket, and assuming that you use 20cm@1.8p/m of cling film to wrap 50g@35p/kg of onion suggests that the onion costs around 5 times more than the wrap, but that probably doesn't capture the external costs of things like pollution from intensive farming or plastics manufacture.)
(A gross comparison using prices from a UK supermarket, and assuming that you use 20cm@1.8p/m of cling film to wrap 50g@35p/kg of onion suggests that the onion costs around 5 times more than the wrap, but that probably doesn't capture the external costs of things like pollution from intensive farming or plastics manufacture.)
I use a bag from the bag of bags I save for uses like this, and twist the opening of the bag to seal up the onion. And after I've used up the half onion I'll put the bag away again for reuse.
posted by orange swan at 5:23 AM on March 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by orange swan at 5:23 AM on March 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
I'm not sure if this question is about the exercise of costing out these two particular solutions, or if it's about figuring out the best thing to do with your leftover onion. If it's the latter, you could store the onion in tupperware, or on a plate, cut side down, with a bowl overturned on top. Neither will preserve the onion quite as long as the cling film (it will dry out a bit), but they'll work for a couple of days.
posted by OmieWise at 5:23 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by OmieWise at 5:23 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Oh, and if I don't use the onion before it spoils, it gets composted. Do you have either a back yard and therefore space and use for a composter, or a green bin waste management program in your neighbourhood?
posted by orange swan at 5:24 AM on March 1, 2010
posted by orange swan at 5:24 AM on March 1, 2010
A just sit my half-onion on the refrigerator shelf, unwrapped. It'll keep for two days at least. And if the cut end dries out a little, you can throw the first slice away.
If you want to keep it covered, leave the skin on and lay it face-down on a plate.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 5:25 AM on March 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
If you want to keep it covered, leave the skin on and lay it face-down on a plate.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 5:25 AM on March 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
I, not A.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 5:25 AM on March 1, 2010
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 5:25 AM on March 1, 2010
I've had great success using the kind of tupperware that has a screw on lid. I've found that onions usually keep for 7-10 days this way, and I can just wash and re-use when I'm done.
posted by swashedbuckles at 5:27 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by swashedbuckles at 5:27 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I reuse plastic bags for this. Also for cut green peppers, tomatoes and cheese. Tupperware is another good idea, although maybe not for onions in particular unless you write "ONIONS ONLY" on the side.
Or maybe just use the whole onion. Can you make a double batch of whatever it is and store the rest?
posted by DU at 5:32 AM on March 1, 2010
Or maybe just use the whole onion. Can you make a double batch of whatever it is and store the rest?
posted by DU at 5:32 AM on March 1, 2010
Response by poster: Sorry, it seems like I should clarify. I know that there are less wasteful ways of storing the onion. The question is intended to examine the real cost of the two alternatives of throwing the onion away or wrapping in clingfilm. (thanks, though, to those who answered the other interpretation).
posted by Jakey at 5:35 AM on March 1, 2010
posted by Jakey at 5:35 AM on March 1, 2010
(A gross comparison using prices from a UK supermarket, and assuming that you use 20cm@1.8p/m of cling film to wrap 50g@35p/kg of onion suggests that the onion costs around 5 times more than the wrap, but that probably doesn't capture the external costs of things like pollution from intensive farming or plastics manufacture.)
You're absolutely right here; introducing variables like local/imported food, the transportation cost of both items, pollution in the creation of both the onion and the wrap, one-time use/reusable storage material makes this a really tricky problem. The reason that most people answer with an improved method of storage is that it is the only concrete answer you`re going to get; all other answers rely on externalities which are often hard to measure, location specific and constantly changing.
For example, an onion from my garden is not the same in this situation as an onion from somewhere in the U.S and where the wrap originates from has a bearing on its cost of transportation. You`re asking a variable specific question for which the only answer is "it depends."
posted by Hiker at 5:46 AM on March 1, 2010
You're absolutely right here; introducing variables like local/imported food, the transportation cost of both items, pollution in the creation of both the onion and the wrap, one-time use/reusable storage material makes this a really tricky problem. The reason that most people answer with an improved method of storage is that it is the only concrete answer you`re going to get; all other answers rely on externalities which are often hard to measure, location specific and constantly changing.
For example, an onion from my garden is not the same in this situation as an onion from somewhere in the U.S and where the wrap originates from has a bearing on its cost of transportation. You`re asking a variable specific question for which the only answer is "it depends."
posted by Hiker at 5:46 AM on March 1, 2010
Well, I was listening to a podcast from the San Francisco Zen Center, and he was talking about a prayer (of sorts) before eating that talked about the enormous amount of work and suffering that went into food production -- the labor of farmers, shippers, wholesalers, retailers, cooks, etc -- all of whom live in a world of suffering (or difficultly or dissatisfaction or what have you) -- and the injury to the plant itself (the onion, in as far as onions are capable of it, had other plans for itself besides you eating it).
I take this to mean that we should, as much as possible a) not waste food, b) do our absolute best to cook and eat it well, and c) appreciate it's (and our) place in a chain of events, cause and effect, and so on that make up life.
Not sure if that answers your question; maybe it's just best to do your utmost to enjoy the hell out of that onion....
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:52 AM on March 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
I take this to mean that we should, as much as possible a) not waste food, b) do our absolute best to cook and eat it well, and c) appreciate it's (and our) place in a chain of events, cause and effect, and so on that make up life.
Not sure if that answers your question; maybe it's just best to do your utmost to enjoy the hell out of that onion....
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:52 AM on March 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
onion costs around 5 times more than the wrap... suggests that the onion costs around 5 times more than the wrap, but that probably doesn't capture the external costs of things like pollution from intensive farming or plastics manufacture.
I'm going with the plastic wrap. You don't pay to pollute so you can't easily measure this cost, but you do pay for energy. As a measure of the relative energy costs that go into production, shipping, and storage it would seem retail price would be a reasonable indication of energy cost. Plastic wrap also receives no farm subsidy so the onion is perhaps even more expensive than it appears.
posted by three blind mice at 5:58 AM on March 1, 2010
I'm going with the plastic wrap. You don't pay to pollute so you can't easily measure this cost, but you do pay for energy. As a measure of the relative energy costs that go into production, shipping, and storage it would seem retail price would be a reasonable indication of energy cost. Plastic wrap also receives no farm subsidy so the onion is perhaps even more expensive than it appears.
posted by three blind mice at 5:58 AM on March 1, 2010
If you re-use something someone else has discarded (plastic deli giveaway container, grocery sack, sandwich baggie harvested after lunch) you opt out of the consumerist production cycle and rescue plastic destined for the landfill, which is a net gain all around.
posted by aquafortis at 5:59 AM on March 1, 2010
posted by aquafortis at 5:59 AM on March 1, 2010
I think it also depends on how your clingfilm & your onion are disposed of. I know that's taking things a bit extreme but if your onion is composted then added back into ground or potted plants or whatnot then some of the 'value' of the onion is uses/re-captured by the compost process. If the onion is landfilled then the onion may, with the other decomposing matter in the landfill, go on to produce unwanted by-products (off gassing and whatnot) while essentially being removed as a future resource.
Similarly, again in extended detail, if the plastic film is headed for an incinerator it may give off additional toxins while burned but may also contribute to the creation of energy at the incineration plant. Again sent to a landfill it may or may not create toxins/unwanted by products.
IMO -- composting the onion is the better solution as you essentially reuse the onion and can again grow an onion in the resulting compost.
If composting isn't an option -- using the cling film, I think, which reduces the volume of waste is my choice but not without thought given to the perils of disposing of plastic.
Really tho I think this is almost impossible to answer as neither the tossing of the onion or the using of plastics are desired.
posted by countrymod at 6:07 AM on March 1, 2010
Similarly, again in extended detail, if the plastic film is headed for an incinerator it may give off additional toxins while burned but may also contribute to the creation of energy at the incineration plant. Again sent to a landfill it may or may not create toxins/unwanted by products.
IMO -- composting the onion is the better solution as you essentially reuse the onion and can again grow an onion in the resulting compost.
If composting isn't an option -- using the cling film, I think, which reduces the volume of waste is my choice but not without thought given to the perils of disposing of plastic.
Really tho I think this is almost impossible to answer as neither the tossing of the onion or the using of plastics are desired.
posted by countrymod at 6:07 AM on March 1, 2010
The question is intended to examine the real cost of the two alternatives...
Like all such questions, there's unlikely to be any general answer. It's one of those wood-for-the-trees things.
The amount of data required to make a definitive judgement on this issue is staggering. Even defining what you mean by 'environmentally damaging' is going to be a big factor in this. Amount of CO2? Human suffering? Cost of cleaning up pollution? Where do you even start? And then tracking the costs involved in getting a single (or half) onion from seed to refrigerator would be a pretty huge task, let alone averaging that over the life-cycles of every single onion in the world (or a representative sample of the world's onions). Then you've got to go through a similar process for your cling film / wrap. And are you running that refrigerator for the sole purpose of keeping one onion? Silly question, but it'll have to go into the equation. How much methane will that onion release if you compost it?
If this is something you seriously think you need an answer to, I think you need to learn to step back and look at the bigger environmental situation.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 6:08 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Like all such questions, there's unlikely to be any general answer. It's one of those wood-for-the-trees things.
The amount of data required to make a definitive judgement on this issue is staggering. Even defining what you mean by 'environmentally damaging' is going to be a big factor in this. Amount of CO2? Human suffering? Cost of cleaning up pollution? Where do you even start? And then tracking the costs involved in getting a single (or half) onion from seed to refrigerator would be a pretty huge task, let alone averaging that over the life-cycles of every single onion in the world (or a representative sample of the world's onions). Then you've got to go through a similar process for your cling film / wrap. And are you running that refrigerator for the sole purpose of keeping one onion? Silly question, but it'll have to go into the equation. How much methane will that onion release if you compost it?
If this is something you seriously think you need an answer to, I think you need to learn to step back and look at the bigger environmental situation.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 6:08 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
If you re-use something someone else has discarded (plastic deli giveaway container, grocery sack, sandwich baggie harvested after lunch) ...
... you have to consider the environmental costs of cleaning it first.
posted by Jaltcoh at 6:14 AM on March 1, 2010
... you have to consider the environmental costs of cleaning it first.
posted by Jaltcoh at 6:14 AM on March 1, 2010
Onions are yummy, just use a whole onion next time. :-P
posted by ian1977 at 6:33 AM on March 1, 2010
posted by ian1977 at 6:33 AM on March 1, 2010
We wouldn't throw the remaining half of the onion away.
We would put it in the freezer with the other remains of fresh veggies and save it for vegetable stock for soup broths, that is, if we weren't going to end up using the other half in a timely manner. We do the same with carrot ends, celery, and so on.
It seems to me it's better to just not throw the onion out at all.
posted by zizzle at 6:41 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
We would put it in the freezer with the other remains of fresh veggies and save it for vegetable stock for soup broths, that is, if we weren't going to end up using the other half in a timely manner. We do the same with carrot ends, celery, and so on.
It seems to me it's better to just not throw the onion out at all.
posted by zizzle at 6:41 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
You could use an onion saver, although obviously it is made from plastic and has used resources to manufacture, distribute etc.
If you want to be greener and cheaper, there is a secondhand onion saver on ebay for the princely sum of 99p. It has 5 and a half hours left to run.
posted by MuffinMan at 6:44 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
If you want to be greener and cheaper, there is a secondhand onion saver on ebay for the princely sum of 99p. It has 5 and a half hours left to run.
posted by MuffinMan at 6:44 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Is it more wasteful and or/environmentally damaging to use some plastic to save the onion or to just throw the remaining onion away?
You would need to figure out all the psychological effects on your behavior to know the full costs and benefits. For instance, if you regularly have half onions in the fridge that are usable but starting to get old, this could encourage you to cook vegetable stock more often, which could in turn encourage you to generally cook more often (since stock is very useful). Getting into the habit of cooking from scratch is great for the environment.
posted by Jaltcoh at 6:46 AM on March 1, 2010
You would need to figure out all the psychological effects on your behavior to know the full costs and benefits. For instance, if you regularly have half onions in the fridge that are usable but starting to get old, this could encourage you to cook vegetable stock more often, which could in turn encourage you to generally cook more often (since stock is very useful). Getting into the habit of cooking from scratch is great for the environment.
posted by Jaltcoh at 6:46 AM on March 1, 2010
Clingwrap can be reused if you're careful with it, especially if you reserve a piece just for your onion. Wipe it down and fold it up carefully, takes about a minute to do, saves a lot on unnecessary plastic usage. Considering that, I would say that it's way more eco-friendly to cling wrap it than to throw away a perfectly good onion.
But I agree with le morte de bea arthur...in the grand scheme of things, whether you plastic wrap an onion or throw it away is really not all that important.
posted by kro at 6:50 AM on March 1, 2010
But I agree with le morte de bea arthur...in the grand scheme of things, whether you plastic wrap an onion or throw it away is really not all that important.
posted by kro at 6:50 AM on March 1, 2010
Couldn't you, in theory, re-use the same piece of cling wrap?
Really, though -- doesn't anyone have pointers to environmental cost estimating tools for things like average emissions per mile for a "vegetable shipping truck", or average distance to plate for produce in the US, or environmental impact of creating and packaging one million feet of cling wrap? Do these kinds of (admittedly inaccurate, but no worse than in most business plans) numbers exist anywhere?
posted by amtho at 6:52 AM on March 1, 2010
Really, though -- doesn't anyone have pointers to environmental cost estimating tools for things like average emissions per mile for a "vegetable shipping truck", or average distance to plate for produce in the US, or environmental impact of creating and packaging one million feet of cling wrap? Do these kinds of (admittedly inaccurate, but no worse than in most business plans) numbers exist anywhere?
posted by amtho at 6:52 AM on March 1, 2010
le morte and kro -- I doubt the poster is sitting there with half an onion waiting with bated breath for the answer to this question.
It hints at a larger issue: where are the tools to help society in general make these kinds of choices, which will be reproduced billions of times and make a real impact? Should everyone stop using cling wrap? That would surely have an impact -- but there's no reason to try to dissuade people from using cling wrap if we don't really know that it's a worse ecological choice than just composting leftover food.
The same types of tools would help us figure, and maybe prove to a better standard than now, whether it's environmentally better to use paper or plastic bags, use CFL or incandescent bulbs, run a space heater in two rooms sometimes or run the central heating all the time, cook meals in or eat at restaurants, buy a new hybrid or continue driving an existing car. I think I've seen questions asking about all of these, and more.
Sure, there have been articles and explorations addressing these decisions, precisely because it's not clear to the average person how to determine a best choice. Even the writing I've seen (and I admit I haven't seen everything) doesn't give very clear answers -- precisely because there aren't really good estimating tools out there. There's not even, as far as I know, methodology for comparing one thing to another cleanly.
***However, there may well be some group at some university or agency working on some kind of methodology, tool, and/or massive data set for precisely this kind of thing. How do we find them?***
posted by amtho at 7:03 AM on March 1, 2010 [3 favorites]
It hints at a larger issue: where are the tools to help society in general make these kinds of choices, which will be reproduced billions of times and make a real impact? Should everyone stop using cling wrap? That would surely have an impact -- but there's no reason to try to dissuade people from using cling wrap if we don't really know that it's a worse ecological choice than just composting leftover food.
The same types of tools would help us figure, and maybe prove to a better standard than now, whether it's environmentally better to use paper or plastic bags, use CFL or incandescent bulbs, run a space heater in two rooms sometimes or run the central heating all the time, cook meals in or eat at restaurants, buy a new hybrid or continue driving an existing car. I think I've seen questions asking about all of these, and more.
Sure, there have been articles and explorations addressing these decisions, precisely because it's not clear to the average person how to determine a best choice. Even the writing I've seen (and I admit I haven't seen everything) doesn't give very clear answers -- precisely because there aren't really good estimating tools out there. There's not even, as far as I know, methodology for comparing one thing to another cleanly.
***However, there may well be some group at some university or agency working on some kind of methodology, tool, and/or massive data set for precisely this kind of thing. How do we find them?***
posted by amtho at 7:03 AM on March 1, 2010 [3 favorites]
In the spirit of your question, I'd go with saving the half onion. The supply/value chain that went into bringing you that onion was a fair deal more energy and resource intensive than for the plastic wrap. Also, the fact that that one onion could contribute to two home-cooked meals means that the utility of the second onion half may help avoid future environmental costs (one less meal of take-out perhaps?) and provide health benefits for you.
posted by cross_impact at 7:21 AM on March 1, 2010
posted by cross_impact at 7:21 AM on March 1, 2010
It hints at a larger issue: where are the tools to help society in general make these kinds of choices?
I'm not sure that hinting at a larger issue is a very good use of AskMe.
The tools to help society make these choices don't exist, and never will; the very act of trying to measure them would have an environmental impact comparable with the thing being measured. You simply can't hope to micromanage your environmental impact in this way. By all means keep track of and try to limit your consumption of energy and materials, but this is overthinking a plate of delicious fried onion.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 7:57 AM on March 1, 2010 [3 favorites]
I'm not sure that hinting at a larger issue is a very good use of AskMe.
The tools to help society make these choices don't exist, and never will; the very act of trying to measure them would have an environmental impact comparable with the thing being measured. You simply can't hope to micromanage your environmental impact in this way. By all means keep track of and try to limit your consumption of energy and materials, but this is overthinking a plate of delicious fried onion.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 7:57 AM on March 1, 2010 [3 favorites]
Couldn't you, in theory, re-use the same piece of cling wrap?
I agree with you in theory: you could re-use an oniony-smelling piece of cling wrap.
In theory, communism works. In theory...
posted by Jaltcoh at 8:13 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
I agree with you in theory: you could re-use an oniony-smelling piece of cling wrap.
In theory, communism works. In theory...
posted by Jaltcoh at 8:13 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Since we use onion all of the time in every dish, we have a dedicated ziplock baggie that always has half an onion in there.
posted by fixedgear at 8:45 AM on March 1, 2010
posted by fixedgear at 8:45 AM on March 1, 2010
In the absence of better information, you can use the market price as a rough approximation of the environmental costs of many products. The cost of fuel and water to produce and ship the products is included in the price. Since the onion is five times the price of the plastic wrap, it is probably safe to say that the onion has a higher environmental cost. If the price difference were smaller, it might be a closer call. In this case it is obviously better to save the onion.
posted by JackFlash at 9:49 AM on March 1, 2010
posted by JackFlash at 9:49 AM on March 1, 2010
Best answer: You're talking about comparative life cycle assessments and the short answer is no, nobody has explored the cling film versus half an onion assessment and nobody ever will.
These questions are very difficult. The question of what inputs to include as you assess the cost of producing, using, and disposing of a product are ambiguous and often philosophical, even if determining the actual numbers once the decision was made was straightforward, which it is not. Examinations of real-world production is fraught with inconsistency. I have no doubt you would find substantial disparities in the production costs of an onion from farm to farm. You are faced with many apples and oranges comparisons. How do you assess the relative importance of the mass of ethylene used to produce a sheet of cling film versus the environmental impact disposing cling film in a landfill? Combine these sorts of issues with the fact that the people asking the question rarely do so without some ulterior motive and you have a recipe for bias in results.
So you will see this kind of analysis going on where there are major issues of policy (like the ever-contentious dueling assessments of the net energy of corn-based fuel ethanol or the whole production cost/energy use/life-span/mercury content issue with compact fluorescent light bulbs) or where someone has some particular motive for lauding or disparaging one option over another. The smaller and more discreet the comparison, the less likely that it will or even can be realistically compared. And your example is about as small and discreet as it gets.
posted by nanojath at 9:52 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
These questions are very difficult. The question of what inputs to include as you assess the cost of producing, using, and disposing of a product are ambiguous and often philosophical, even if determining the actual numbers once the decision was made was straightforward, which it is not. Examinations of real-world production is fraught with inconsistency. I have no doubt you would find substantial disparities in the production costs of an onion from farm to farm. You are faced with many apples and oranges comparisons. How do you assess the relative importance of the mass of ethylene used to produce a sheet of cling film versus the environmental impact disposing cling film in a landfill? Combine these sorts of issues with the fact that the people asking the question rarely do so without some ulterior motive and you have a recipe for bias in results.
So you will see this kind of analysis going on where there are major issues of policy (like the ever-contentious dueling assessments of the net energy of corn-based fuel ethanol or the whole production cost/energy use/life-span/mercury content issue with compact fluorescent light bulbs) or where someone has some particular motive for lauding or disparaging one option over another. The smaller and more discreet the comparison, the less likely that it will or even can be realistically compared. And your example is about as small and discreet as it gets.
posted by nanojath at 9:52 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
I think there are a lot of variables in the question about where the onion came from and where you're throwing it out. If you grew it in your yard, and threw it on a compost heap, it's probably better to chuck it. If you're throwing it in the garbage, it's probably better to reuse it, because it's my understanding that the landfills are so packed full of crap that even biodegradable stuff takes forever to decompose.
So I'm going to say the best option is to compost it, second best save it without plastic wrap (as someone mentioned above, you just cut a slice off and you're good to go). Third best, plastic wrap.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 10:04 AM on March 1, 2010
So I'm going to say the best option is to compost it, second best save it without plastic wrap (as someone mentioned above, you just cut a slice off and you're good to go). Third best, plastic wrap.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 10:04 AM on March 1, 2010
Best answer: No, there are no comparative LCAs for an onion vs. cling wrap. But I assure you that there are LCAs out there for each of these products.
Just doing a quick search, I found some data on what is required to grow onions. Take note that this study is based in Arizona, does not take transportation costs into account, and I believe it's industrial agriculture.
The energy requirements are 7589 kcal/pound and the water requirements are about 42 gallons water/pound. If we assume that an onion weighs about a pound, this is roughly 3800 kcal and 21 gallons of water. This website lists the top 50 pesticides that are used to grow onions in California on a per acre basis (about 36,000 heads can grow on an acre). Of course, if you compost the onion, you'll mitigate some of this impact.
Surprisingly, it's more difficult to find numbers for low-density polyethylene (what cling wrap usually is), but I'll be willing to bet money that the energy and water requirements for a very small amount of cling wrap (a couple grams?) are nowhere near those for half an onion.
I say kudos to you for even thinking about this issue. Yes, there are bigger environmental problems out there. But, hell, if we all took this much time and care to consider how we use products, we wouldn't be in such dire straits right now.
posted by kookaburra at 10:07 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Just doing a quick search, I found some data on what is required to grow onions. Take note that this study is based in Arizona, does not take transportation costs into account, and I believe it's industrial agriculture.
The energy requirements are 7589 kcal/pound and the water requirements are about 42 gallons water/pound. If we assume that an onion weighs about a pound, this is roughly 3800 kcal and 21 gallons of water. This website lists the top 50 pesticides that are used to grow onions in California on a per acre basis (about 36,000 heads can grow on an acre). Of course, if you compost the onion, you'll mitigate some of this impact.
Surprisingly, it's more difficult to find numbers for low-density polyethylene (what cling wrap usually is), but I'll be willing to bet money that the energy and water requirements for a very small amount of cling wrap (a couple grams?) are nowhere near those for half an onion.
I say kudos to you for even thinking about this issue. Yes, there are bigger environmental problems out there. But, hell, if we all took this much time and care to consider how we use products, we wouldn't be in such dire straits right now.
posted by kookaburra at 10:07 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
When you think about costs, add the cost of throwing it "away." In my town, garbage is incinerated. An onion is mostly water, so it uses power to get incinerated. I re-use deli containers, and storing a half onion incurs only a slight environmental cost for washing the container. I rarely use clingwrap or foil.
Actually, at my house the onion would likely get composted, after it sat in the fridge for 2 weeks and got icky. But your question is theoretical, and in theory, I would have remembered that onion and roasted it when I roasted other veggies.
posted by theora55 at 10:08 AM on March 1, 2010
Actually, at my house the onion would likely get composted, after it sat in the fridge for 2 weeks and got icky. But your question is theoretical, and in theory, I would have remembered that onion and roasted it when I roasted other veggies.
posted by theora55 at 10:08 AM on March 1, 2010
I think we're overthinking this. A bit of cling wrap is not the problem. Nor is plastic bags at the grocery versus reusable cloth bags.
People living 45 minutes from their jobs is a problem. People driving cars instead of taking trains is a problem. People building cities in the desert and then air conditioning their homes and watering their lawns is a problem. SUVs are a problem.
Focusing on a bit of cling film, or plastic bags at the grocery store, distracts from the much more serious ways in which we use too much energy. I bet lots of people who drive SUVs feel good because they have reusable cloth grocery bags.
Onions are good food, easily grown without a lot of fertilizer. They're largely immune from pests because they taste like onions. So, very little pesticides. They don't require a huge amount of water. That's why they're so cheap.
So I think you're entitled to a little cling wrap.
But don't worry about micromanaging your energy intake, because you'll miss the forest fo the trees. Focus on riding your bike whenever you can. Buy fewer new clothes, turn your thermostat down a degree or two, shut your blinds at night to keep in the heat, and don't buy a house in the suburbs. That will by far dwarf any amount of plastic you will ever use in the kitchen.
posted by musofire at 11:08 AM on March 1, 2010 [5 favorites]
People living 45 minutes from their jobs is a problem. People driving cars instead of taking trains is a problem. People building cities in the desert and then air conditioning their homes and watering their lawns is a problem. SUVs are a problem.
Focusing on a bit of cling film, or plastic bags at the grocery store, distracts from the much more serious ways in which we use too much energy. I bet lots of people who drive SUVs feel good because they have reusable cloth grocery bags.
Onions are good food, easily grown without a lot of fertilizer. They're largely immune from pests because they taste like onions. So, very little pesticides. They don't require a huge amount of water. That's why they're so cheap.
So I think you're entitled to a little cling wrap.
But don't worry about micromanaging your energy intake, because you'll miss the forest fo the trees. Focus on riding your bike whenever you can. Buy fewer new clothes, turn your thermostat down a degree or two, shut your blinds at night to keep in the heat, and don't buy a house in the suburbs. That will by far dwarf any amount of plastic you will ever use in the kitchen.
posted by musofire at 11:08 AM on March 1, 2010 [5 favorites]
musofire - Does it distract from more serious thinking, or is it a "gateway puzzle"? This onion/cling wrap choice is incredibly complex, as is pointed out, but I'd assert that it's not, contrary to popular sentiment, completely unapproachable. Figuring out how to find the solution might well give heuristics for working on other, bigger decisions.
The tools for solving this kind of conundrum -- even if they're just philosophical discussions that actually go somewhere, or databases for computing vague and not-very-accurate LCA's -- are the same tools which would help make the more complex problems of transit and green employment and lawns more approachable. Maybe it's a silly question to ask whether to throw away half an onion or save it with a bit of cling wrap, but, to me, the very elusiveness of a clear answer is like a huge banner saying "problem to be solved".
Thinking about a relatively small issue like this, which is much less emotionally weighted than where people should be "allowed" to build homes and how much they should be "allowed" to drive, is arguably a very good place to start a meaningful exploration.
posted by amtho at 11:38 AM on March 1, 2010
The tools for solving this kind of conundrum -- even if they're just philosophical discussions that actually go somewhere, or databases for computing vague and not-very-accurate LCA's -- are the same tools which would help make the more complex problems of transit and green employment and lawns more approachable. Maybe it's a silly question to ask whether to throw away half an onion or save it with a bit of cling wrap, but, to me, the very elusiveness of a clear answer is like a huge banner saying "problem to be solved".
Thinking about a relatively small issue like this, which is much less emotionally weighted than where people should be "allowed" to build homes and how much they should be "allowed" to drive, is arguably a very good place to start a meaningful exploration.
posted by amtho at 11:38 AM on March 1, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by runincircles at 5:19 AM on March 1, 2010