How 'green' are you?

sleeper wrote: Jim Garten wrote: sleeper wrote: I'm still highly sceptical towards global warming and whether its got much to do with mankind or not Have to say I'm with you on that one - I seem to remember reading the eruption of Mt St Helens in the 1980s did more damage to the atmosphere in 5 days than mankind has done since the beginning of the industrial revolution... Still - if we do our best to be as 'green' as possible, at least we're not making things worse Good responses all, many thanks - keep 'em coming! I may be very sceptical about man made global warming (personally I think its far more likely to be driven by the sun, that giant flaming ball of nucelar fusion that determines whether life is possible or not in the first place), but as I said, that is absoulutely no excuse to push our luck. ANyway, I think its been acknowledged that water vaper is a far more dangerous green house gas.

Don't know what to think, really. Contradictory studies are never nice. But I think that it serves its purpose (true or not) in that we at least try to live in a more sustainable way. Which is what really matters. The greenhouse effect is of course what we hear about the most, but there are so many other (truly substantial) environmental problems that need to be dealt with as well.

All in all, it's a development we should be happy about


Edited by LinusW - May 24 2008 at 12:19

I re-cycle everything I can, and our local authority manage this quite well, with reliable pick ups and separate bins etc. My house has got those f ing awful energy saving lightbulbs throughout, and they DO make a difference to your electric bills. My walls and loft are all fully insulated too.

However, I now run a car, and I make numerous short hall flights each year; about three to Newcastle, three to Dublin and 3 or 4 to Switzerland, so not so good on that score. So all in all I think I'm fairly green. Certainly no where near as bad as many people I know.

Slartibartfast wrote: Seriously though, I love seafood and this scares the crap out of me.  Just because other natural causes can cause global changes more drastically doesn't mean that we haven't risen to the level of being able to have that impact ourselves.

My thoughts exactly. I can't believe that over 6 billion people and the volume of pollution they produce have no impact whatsoever on climate changes. Those who doubt the reality of global warming seem to forget one very simple fact, which many of us have witnessed firsthand: mountain glaciers everywhere are shrinking (not to mention polar icecaps, which are considerably bigger), and in some cases disappearing altogether. It's been happening here in the Alps, and I suppose in other mountain areas as well.

I am a bit skeptical of the global warming causes too, but I do believe in making this a great place to live so I do my best to lower my impact on the Earth.  Turn off stuff I don't use (lights, water, computer, TV, etc).  I do drive a car, but it gets a decent amount of gas use (Mazda 3).  I love riding my bike, so I take that out quite a bit to run errands and stuff.  RECYcle always, and reuse paper that isn't filled up for whatever I could possibly use it for, before (or if) it gets ditched. 

I don't buy meat anymore.  Well I do, but only at restaurants for a meal.  I haven't been getting it for home cooking use.  Which I guess doesn't do much, but whatever.

I don't turn on my heat or a/c.  I have sweaters and shorts.

Apparently, there was some study done on the Prius and Hummer which showed that the Hummer was actually better on the environment because it lasts longer, and doesn't need go to the shop as much. While the Prius tends to go into the shop more, and also the lithium battery inside it is pretty bad for whatever reason.  Although, the Hummer is certainly big, useless and unnecessary, and guzzles gas.  I'll have to check what group conducted the research and the results to be more clear. 

Also I've been quite opposed to the whole Ethanol craze which is now being opposed in as quick a time as the same people were praising for its use.  There were studies well before people started going all out for ethanol that said it was not good on the environment which is why its use was banned in some states. Not to mention the food cost hikes which are becoming apparent.  Of course, all the who's who's of whateverland had to make Ethanol the "it" fuel to cut down on gas usage without think or I guess bothering to look at the available information out there.

I recycle, never litter, try not to make a lot of garbage.
I drive, I rode public transport all during high school and it SUCKED!!
Dirty, smelly buses, never on time, rude bus drivers.
It's way better having a car, but again I live in Los Angeles.

By the way, I hate the marketing term "going green".
Even Fox is going green.
Although I do like green as in Kawasaki green.



Edited by king of Siam - May 23 2008 at 19:59

By the way if you don't think we're causing global warming, there is no doubt we're causing this

Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Plastic Turning Vast Area of Ocean into Ecological Nightmare

http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Ocean/Pacific-Garbage-Patch27oct02.htm

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/the-worlds-rubbish-dump-a-garbage-tip-that-stretches-from-hawaii-to-japan-778016.html



"The second angel poured his bowl into the sea. It became like the blood of a dead body, and every living thing in the sea died."

Edited by Slartibartfast - May 23 2008 at 18:54

Would you believe we have to pay extra to participate in the county recycling program?  Screw that!  There's stuff that our local farmer's market takes ("Your Dekalb Farmers Market" hey if it's mine, why do I have to pay for the dang food?!?) and the Publix grocery chain takes stuff they don't take, so we go that route. 

Public transportation in Atlanta is fairly sucky.  If I used it, it would quadruple my time in transit to work each way.  Fortunately I have I a reasonably short commute, but biking would also quadruple my time in transit.  I don't drive a guzzler, though I still feel the pain at the pump.  Really tempted to hold my hands up the next time I fill up.

We live on a nice green lot between two creeks, love to grow our own vegetables.  Lots of trees, keeps the cooling cost down nicely during the hot season.  I don't mow the lawn excessively.  Use reusable shopping bags rather than paper or plastic.  Yellow/mellow brown/down.  Compost...

Had a small carbon footprint before the term was coined.

Did I mention green was my favorite color as a kid?


Edited by Slartibartfast - May 23 2008 at 18:27

sleeper wrote: I'm still highly sceptical towards global warming and whether its got much to do with mankind or not

Have to say I'm with you on that one - I seem to remember reading the eruption of Mt St Helens in the 1980s did more damage to the atmosphere in 5 days than mankind has done since the beginning of the industrial revolution...

Still - if we do our best to be as 'green' as possible, at least we're not making things worse

Good responses all, many thanks - keep 'em coming!

positively viridian