Even in the dead of winter, I like to sleep with a fan running in the bedroom. I don't allow it to actually blow on anybody, but the white noise is very addictive when the neighbors dog is having a barking spell or the teenager's stereo has way too much bottom blasting out of the sub-woofer.
Last night, we had sudden fan failure. I tried to flip the switch on the fan in our bedroom with no results. There was a scramble to replace the fan right at bedtime which left me wired up and too awake to drift off very quickly. During this wakeful time I reviewed the situation and realized that this large floor fan was only one year old! That's a lot of plastic and metal to be dumping into the garbage for only one year's good service, isn't it?
To help you make a decision, I will tell you about the rotating fan that we pulled into service to replace our year old wonder. I had to run next door to mom's house to borrow a fan and she gave me a small table top model that her mom had bought to keep HER cool when she was born in the days before every house had air conditioning. The sad part is that this fan ran like a top and has been used year after year since the early 60s with no more than a tiny drop of sewing machine oil shot through a tiny hole for lubrication.
It came to mind that if companies still made stuff out of real metal parts and use quality construction, THAT would help to keep our landfills from filling up! Am I thinking correctly when I say that quality products even if they are more expensive are more eco-friendly because they last for years? I made a mental calculation at how much space 40-50 floor fans would take in the garbage dump and it was pretty alarming.
It caused me to make the mental note to buy quality stuff even if it costs more. How long can this throw away society keep going? I see how we can help the environment by recycling, but wouldn't it help to build machines and cars that LAST, too?
Wednesday
AN IDEA for SAVING the PLANET
Posted by Unique Baby Gear Ideas at 1:39 PM
Labels: cleaner environment, environmental concern, help the environment by recycling
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3 comments:
I run a fan next to the bed at night for the very same reason. It's a cheap plastic thing I picked up at Home Depot for $7.
Been running every single night for three years. Just a little WD-40 every year or so. Go figure.
I actually have a really nice antique metal table fan that I never use.. because it's antique or something like that.
There are actually two interesting topics that you have raised. First, I also use a fan in my bedroom for the noise and, in the summer, for the cooling. It really helps to circulate the air and keep the room fresh, especially with dogs in the house. Second, as to the quality of the product, I would not throw it away but would instead take it back to where you bought it. Even without the box, if you have the receipt, you may be able to exchange it and keep the junk out of the landfill.
If you consider the price of the fan that your mom been keeping since she's a child at present value it would be amazingly high. Your grandma probably could not have afforded to buy a fan use it for one year and throw it away..it was at least that costly. Now as the things are getting cheaper, the quality is deteriorating. And in the end they are adding up to the junkyard.
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