Then They Came For the Beer

Aplogies to Martin Niemöller - They first came for the cigarettes, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a smoker. And then they came for the sport utility vehicles, and I didn’t speak up because I drove a hatchback. And then they came for the trans fats, and I didn’t speak up because I ate healthy foods. And then . . . they came for my beer . . . and by that time there was no one left to speak up."

Beer fridges are additional fridges that are generally used to keep beer and other drinks cold on top of a household’s primary fridge for food. One in three Canadian households has a second fridge, many of which are ageing, energy-guzzling models, according to Denise Young, a researcher at the University of Alberta, Canada. Young suggests that getting rid of older models, in Canada at least, would have an impact on energy usage. Her study analyses industry data and the results of a national survey to look at the environmental effects of having beer fridges in Canada. "People need to understand the impact of their lifestyles," says Joanna Yarrow, director of Beyond Green, a sustainable development consultancy in the UK. "Clearly the environmental implications of having a frivolous luxury like a beer fridge are not hitting home. This research helps inform people – let's hope it has an effect".

You can have my Molson when you pry it out if my cold, dead fingers. And I'm not ever Canadian.