Living an environmentally friendly life ... is it possible? (a rant)

[crow_noir]

First off, thanks for the article to get people thinking.

As someone who cares it can get a bit depressing trying to weigh the amount of "evil" in each decision. As you said though... we just try to do the best that we can.

I re-use re-use RE-USE. People may laugh, but I'm proud. I even stitch up holes in undergarments. If i use a paper-towel for some food I save it in a pile for later grimy cleaning.

I also have tried to eliminate chemical cleaners from our household. Just about the only things left are shampoo and laundry detergent (which we use about 1/10th the recommended amount. We also don't use it with every load of laundry. Vinegar or baking soda usually.)

We mulch our lawn clippings and have our blade set higher for a nicer healthier lawn that retains more water.

S.O. car pools when he can. (unfortunately due to my failing health i can no longer ride my bike to work. *WAH!!!!* Insert long rant, pouting, crying and whining here.)

Probably a bunch of other things that have just become regular routine to me that i don't think about anymore.

Oh, and i can't sign off from this post with out saying... "Do you FreeCycle?"

12:00 Friday Mar 4 2007: I use manual tools instead of power tools when I can. Like I use a shovel instead of an electric or gas powered edger to edge the sidewalks.

LOL -- i wrote what you see above, and all links in that are things i found relating to the topics that i was discussing above

And by no means have I given up, and I know what impact I have on things -- its the recognizing part of it that helps to see where change can be implemented. For example, I dont eat store bought chicken or eggs anymore - i get them from an organic farm that my moms friend runs. I know how the animals are treated, and i know what the eat, and what her farm impact is on the area around it. I carpool to work, which is a step in the right direction, but not the full solution.

The thing i wrote above was to get some thinking out there, and see what people are trying to do to like a little more 'green'


Edit to add: What i wrote above is to get people to start seeing the 'next step' lets call it --- i'm doing X now, but it has Y impact. How can I make it better and achieve Z sort of thing

[smokey the elder]

The way I see it, small changes multiplied by a huge population gives a huge economy of scale. For example, one can calculate, for example, the amount of energy saved in BTU if everyone lowered their thermostat in the winter by 2 deg F, or, conversely, raised it in the summer by 2 degrees. Market pressures like peak vs. off-peak pricing for electricity can modify behavior. One can drive a higher-milage internal combustion car. There always is a cost to any human activity; Niven called it the TaNSTAAFL principle ("There ain't no such thing as a free lunch!")

What Blue Frog did was a type of cradle-to-grave analysis. These are two-edged tools. You need a lot of information to do these, and can get discouraged if you don't know all the inputs and outputs. Bottom line: do the best you can. I personally like the idea of planting more trees and having gardens on roofs. The tree is one of the most efficient CO2 sinks there is!

[Blue_Frog]

What Blue Frog did was a type of cradle-to-grave analysis. These are two-edged tools. You need a lot of information to do these, and can get discouraged if you don't know all the inputs and outputs. Bottom line: do the best you can. I personally like the idea of planting more trees and having gardens on roofs. The tree is one of the most efficient CO2 sinks there is!

Pretty much -- i've been too tied up in Product Development lately, and seeing how those principles tie into other things around us (like the environment). My company has been working towards more environmentally friendly products (recycled and biodegradable packaging, better production methods, etc.), however there is still a ways to go.

Just because something isn't perfect, it doesn't mean you give up. It means that you work harder to make it better, constant improvement. And the environment is the same on a much broader scale. Like, using Lady's Human light example ---

1. Right now? Incandescent bulbs.
2. The Improvement? Compact Flourescent, which still have problems for recycling, etc.
3. The Improvement? Lady's Human light example of LED and LED Film lighting (Light Emitting Diodes, look at the little green light on your PC tower, thats an LED) ... better.
4. The Improvement? ...

And so on -- There may not be perfection, but theres always 'Better' and 'Improving'

[DrKym]

Acording to my foot print, we will need 3.3 planets......and I actually thought I was doing pretty good, I walk alot of places , ride my bike, plant gardens etc.

Sigh. I guess I will blame the dogs for the extra methane.

[Cataholic]

I try to do my part. Maybe my part is less than someone else's, maybe it is more. I recycle, and am going to begin composting, again. I had some complaints from one neighbor about it, and let it influence my decision. I have also made a pact with myself to go without my dryer this warm season time. I buy organic for somethings, do go to farmer's markets, reuse, reuse, reuse, and conserve. I only wash in cold, I keep my thermostat at 60(now that Jonah is old enough to keep covers on at night), and won't turn on ANY air until June (let's see if I make that one). We take bike trips/stroller when we can, combine trips, plant a garden, and practice greener practices, in general.

I have found that going green is usually more cost efficient (with the exception of buying organic, but, since I don't eat meat- it kind of evens out) to the user.

[Edwina's Secretary]

I try...and I know there is so much more I could be doing. We use the "new" light bulbs, I walk on many of my errands, we recycle (there is more in our recycle bin than in the refuse bin) and I avoid bags. If I go shopping and get one bag, any other purchases I make go in the same bag. If it is a small item I ask if I can put it with the reciept in my purse.

I do not turn the heat or a/c but one or two days a year. Yes, that is easy in California, but my house gets down to 57 in the winter. I put on another sweater and the E's grow really thick coats.

Plastic water bottles concern me. I use a reuseable bottle for the gym.

Last week there was a big discussion about a silly suggestion made by a silly rock star. However, an important point was missed. Trees are renewable...albeit rather long cycle renewable, but paper processing -- even of recycled paper -- consumes a TREMENDOUS amount of energy and water. Raw materials are only one part of the equation in conserving. I have always like paper plates for parties and picnics. I have decided when my supply is depleted I'll give it up.

[Giselle]

Does anybody have links to environmental clubs? I tried to get involved in one, but it was more like an outdoors camp event. I'd like to try again but am having difficulty in finding a suitable club. I figure since "doing what we can" is so miniscule, I might as well aim higher and join a larger organization.

[crow_noir]

My mom's family re-uses plastic ware (eating utensils and plates) for common get togethers. When i brought the idea up with S.O.'s family (asked if the washed them or threw them away, when i was finished eating) they looked at me as if i was the most disgusting thing on the face of the planet. It's washed, it's clean, it's re-usable. His family even throws away birthday candles!!! I never knew any family that threw away once used birthday candles. (Sorry... this started out as just being a suggestion, but turned into my ranting stemming from me being ticked at how PROUD they are to not re-use anything.)

I try...and I know there is so much more I could be doing. We use the "new" light bulbs, I walk on many of my errands, we recycle (there is more in our recycle bin than in the refuse bin) and I avoid bags. If I go shopping and get one bag, any other purchases I make go in the same bag. If it is a small item I ask if I can put it with the reciept in my purse.

I do not turn the heat or a/c but one or two days a year. Yes, that is easy in California, but my house gets down to 57 in the winter. I put on another sweater and the E's grow really thick coats.

Plastic water bottles concern me. I use a reuseable bottle for the gym.

Last week there was a big discussion about a silly suggestion made by a silly rock star. However, an important point was missed. Trees are renewable...albeit rather long cycle renewable, but paper processing -- even of recycled paper -- consumes a TREMENDOUS amount of energy and water. Raw materials are only one part of the equation in conserving. I have always like paper plates for parties and picnics. I have decided when my supply is depleted I'll give it up.