differing opinions

If it isn't just enough to digest all the green information that is everywhere these days, it seems you need a full-time-smarty-pants research assistant at your disposal to help discern fact from fiction! I am trying to learn as much as I can about the all the issues but sometimes I don't know which way to go. Here are some debates I would have them look into:

hybrids:
These are the "good" cars, right? Great mileage, low CO2 output, etc. But I was reading about how the making of the hybrid batteries is really taxing on the environment also. Surely this isn't true? Seems pretty suspect.

bring your own mug:
There was a debate recently on the Make blog about bringing reusable mugs to coffee shops. Some say that it is actually more energy efficient to use the paper cup. There are so many factors to consider it is mind boggling. There are good points on both sides and it forces you to consider the complete life cycle of a product (read the comments following the post in this link - good points!)

parabens:
While researching ingredients to avoid in body products, I came across some sites that say to avoid parabens, while other sites say they are actually safe.

In the end maybe it just comes down to finding out as much as you can, and doing what you think is right. In the meantime I'm going to keep digging for answers. Hopefully I can find a compelling source or more conclusive evidence. ( I just found a list from Consumer Reports about personal care product ingredients, and they say parabens should be avoided). I think I'll try to stay away from them until I know more.

Overall, some of these perspectives just seem so contrary to what you would think would be the right answer (seriously, disposable cups are better?) But in 10 years we might look back in amazement at how misinformed we were. For now I'm going to just do the best I can.

Happy Earth Day everyone! I am going to try to keep updating with new posts on the weekdays and use the weekends for research and sleep. See you Monday.