Lehman's Non-Electric Catalogue

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Home Design

Jul 23, 2007

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Green by Design. Lehman's Non-Electric Catalog is a source for green goods that has been around for a long time.

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cmei**, sure the human uses energy to crank the stuff, but at least your waste is biodegradable. also, you consuming food and subsequently operating the mechanical device is more sustainable than using coal to derive electricity to power the electrical device, which creates pollutants in the process. all in all, using the mechanical device is probably more efficient than the electrical device if it's fashioned to not use too much of your energy, since you are probably not using more than you would have had you been at rest. you could calculate the absolute energy expended, yes, but the human body is such an amazing thing in its variable energy efficiency that your answer might not be of much validity when you consider the total system time (a day, for instance). and thus, i believe these devices are probably greener.

i've heard your logic before. cali-nys on Jul 24, 2007

I've been buying from Lehman's for years. The hand cranking coffee grinder is great - not just for coffee but for nuts and spices as well. The apple peeler is fantastic for making pies.

But you know, even though you don't use electricity with these items, you have to consider the energy that goes into making them - how much water and electricity go into the production of each piece of the apple peeler? And what types of pollution are given off in the process? Where do the metals come from? How are the people treated in that place? Do they have rights? Do they have access to such products? Is their air and water safe to breathe and drink? And how many miles has each piece of the apple peeler traveled to get to Lehmans to be put together? And the company that does the shipment, how does it treat its workers? The list could go on and on. Of course, it's like this for every single product you buy, but the idea is that single purpose items with limited uses may not be worth the social, economic, and environmental effects caused by their production. So, maybe you shouldn't buy them...
On the other hand, I still buy from Lehmans because dang those are some sweet items (I hope to get the non-electric dehydrator next). kmswann on Jul 24, 2007