Greens Gone Wild! These folks have turned their back on refrigerators

I've felt pretty good about some of the energy-saving moves I've made at home, including swapping out incandescent lightbulbs for more efficient compact fluorescents and keeping the thermostat below 68°F in winter. But after I read about some über environmentalists who've pulled the plug on their refrigerators, my eco-friendly efforts seem a bit wimpy.

A small segment of the green movement views the refrigerator as "an unacceptable drain on energy," according to "Trashing the Fridge," in today's New York Times. These refrigerator rejecters and practitioners of spartaneity are storing food in coolers and small freezers and outdoors when it's cold enough. (A refrigerator consumes about 8 percent of the electricity in an average home, says the U.S. Department of Energy. By comparison, heating and cooling account for about 43 percent of household energy use, the biggest chunk.)

As a result, one couple is buying less store-prepared foods and cooking more often; when they want a cold one, they toss beers in a cooler and wait for them to chill. (The ice is in the form of bottles of water they freeze in their small freezer.) Another person in the Times' story has had to schlep ice home from the office. The article also points out that fridge-free living works best for singles, people who don't cook large meals for a family, and those who live on a farm or within walking distance of a grocery store.

Could you get by without your refrigerator? Post a comment below. And check out the debate on Crunchychicken.com.—Kimberly Janeway

Essential information: If you're not ready to join the refrigerator-ditching movement, use these easy ways to save energy. (If you ever decide to toss your fridge, be sure to remove the doors before you move it to the curb.)

Comments

[Rebecca]

We still use our fridge but bought a brush and clean the refrigerator coils quarterly now and more significantly, we moved the fridge from our small kitchen where it stood next to the oven, to our unheated utility room next to the deep freezer behind the kitchen. The fridge doesn't need to work nearly as hard to maintain a cool temp and our electric bill has decreased appreciably.

[Therese Renehan]

When I was young I lived in a flat in London and put things out the bathroom window in the winter to keep them cold! I didn't have a fridge and never felt deprived! Later while living in Europe I often had a small fridge which was fine. After reading this I may rethink the need for my large refrigerator. Possibly I'll give it up for a week or so and see how I manage! My son will probably think it's great, my daughter on the other hand will think I'm crazy.

[Lazy Edna]

The new energy efficient fridges use less electricity than a 60 watt light bulb.
It's dumb to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

[Mike]

It'd be great to see Consumer Reports reviewing picnic coolers. Through personal experience I've seen some coolers maintain the ice much longer (sometimes for several days) while others have melted in less than 24 hours. Also, some have much sturdier hinges and others break in less than one season. What do ya say CR?