A new level of insane

[sparks19]

Would be nice if it was against the law to pollute. An interesting concept, that's all.

Errrr?

and how exactly would that be enforced? They coudln't drive out to arrest you because their cars cause pollution.

You recycle? that causes pollution.

Do you wash your hair? that likely causes some kind of pollution on it's own... not to mention when you dispose of the empty bottles.

[Lady's Human]

Scrubbers for stacks?

They don't use a heck of a lot of energy at all, they're mainly electrostatic filters that pull the ash and other pollutants out of the smoke.

There are alternative, and given a couple hundred years of research probably cleaner alternatives.

What I'm saying about coal is don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. It is possible to burn coal in a clean manner.

If people keep letting emotion and assumptions rule how they think (and therefore vote) on energy issues, we're in a world of hurt.

[Catty1]

sparks19, I should have made it clearer in my post - I was referring to industrial polluting.

At the other end of this are some people who think that individuals don't need to do anything at all - it is the 'big companies' who should. But - 'big companies' are run by and employ individuals...there might a lot to be said for the ripple effect.

And you're right - everything we do will have an impact on the environment. I think that is why the term 'environmental footprint' was coined. Creating a smaller footprint that gives Mother Nature enough time to 'clean up after us' is what that is after.

I take out far less garbage than I used to. When I do, I now put it in kitchen-size compostable bags. I use the same kind of bags (doggy poop scoop bags) to clean out the cat box. One bag lasts me 2 - 3 cleans. That gets thrown out too.

Before, I used regular plastic grocery bags. They take 100 years to break down. These compostable ones break down in less than a year, and do so completely, not just into wee bits. Some break down in less than 40 days (BioBag - haven't found those in my area yet). There's even a warning to tell you to use the bags within a certain time period!

Getting to where we hoomins can live comfortably and still let Mom Nature room and time to clean up I think is a realistic goal. Balance.