trucks or railcar, access to food for those who don’t live near
fresh sources of it. We should be thankful to live in a time
when we can cool our food (and our bodies) through the tech-
nology of refrigerants.
But here’s the rub. Ironically, cooling actually leads to
warming—global warming, that is. Number one on Project
Drawdown’s list of the most effective ways to reverse global
warming is actually “refrigerant management.” Sexy, huh?
But it’s serious business. What happens is that the chemicals
that chill, both in refrigerators and in air conditioners, warm
the atmosphere. Not because of how much greenhouse gases
they emit (it’s a fairly low level) but because of the way they
trap heat. HFCs, which is short for hydrofluorocarbons, have
anywhere from 1,000 to 9,000 times the warming effect that
carbon dioxide does. Nearly 200 countries worldwide have
already agreed to start phasing them out, but the issue is
carefully handling the destructive refrigerants already in cir-
culation. What does this mean to you as a consumer?
Enjoy your frozen foods conscien-
tiously. Check the temperatures
on your fridge and freezer. If
they’re lower than necessary,
you’re using a lot of excess
energy. According to the US
Department of Energy, aim for
35°F–38°F for the fridge part,
and 0°F for the freezer. And ask
yourself whether you really
need that extra refrigerator in
the garage. If you’ve got an old
one (going on fifteen or twenty
years), replacing it is a good
TO AVOID TO AVOID
USING EXCESS USING EXCESS
ENERGY, AIM ENERGY, AIM
FOR 35FOR 35°F TO F TO
3838 °F FOR F FOR
YOUR FRIDGE, YOUR FRIDGE,
AND 0AND 0°F FOR F FOR
THE FREEZER.THE FREEZER.Stuff that Comes from the Ground 69