Butterfly Effect

What's lurking behind the fridge? We've all spent more times in our home over the past couple of years and perhaps for you like me its time to look behind the fridge. Its a task I would rather avoid as it involves awkwardly sliding the fridge out and then facing the dirty truth of the matter. I resolved to face my fears and cleaning the coils can help my fridge run more efficiently.

After reading Project Drawdown a couple years ago, I was surprised to learn that refrigerant management was one the biggest opportunities for us to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Refrigerants have a global warming potential that far exceeds carbon dioxide. Once release into the environment they act effective heat traps for our planet (more here). While cleaning the fridge might not seem like a big deal - it's the small acts that connect us to the larger picture.

Now, I can feel the critics asking me why does everything have to be a butterfly effect? I understand that the internet is full of people's voices and one silly blog post about refrigerator maintenance feels unnecessary. I can't offer a justification beyond it is helpful in that it keeps me accountable to my goals of implementing more sustainability into my own life.

Sustainable thinking demands that we act more responsibly about the materials and equipment in our lives. I feel like my grandparents would call much of this common sense, but my generation is facing challenges that weren't present in my grandparent's lives including a decreased amount of homeowners among millennials. Ownership is critical to upkeep which is critical to our success here on planet earth. Let's not pretend that it is just common sense we are lacking.

As an engineer I don't want to fall short on the upkeep of designed systems (i.e. the fridge). I ask that owners maintain the systems I design like stormwater facilities and I want to participate in this culture of upkeep which seems counterculture to the culture of consumerism that we are steeped in on a daily basis. 

So there you have it - a deep clean of the fridge leads to a deep dive values which are expressed through habits such as cleaning behind the fridge on a regular basis. In my own small way, this is the path I seek for 2022.