Smart Jugs

In an example of simple design changes bringing significant environmental and costs savings, Sams Club and other retailers are starting to use a new milk jug. Rather than needing to be packed in plastic crates, like old style gallon jugs, these can be stacked on top of each other and shrink wrapped. More gallons fit on a truck and no crates are used. The dairies cut labor by half, reduces trucking trips to the store from five times a week to two times a week, and reduce water use by 60 to 70 percent. The gallons get to the store quicker and fresher, and cost 10¢-20¢ less.

Lower carbon, pollution, and water foot print. Lots of savings. Nothing radical, just a simple design change.

Cutting our energy and resource use down is not so hard. It mainly takes a little thought and a willingness to do things differently. Generally, that also means a willingness to save a lot of money. We need to go farther than this--alternative energy for transport, zero waste production and packaging, organically raised cattle, and so on--but these kinds of efficiencies buy us the time to keep working it out.