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How 'green' are you?

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by Craven Morehead, Aug 30, 2011.

  1. Doris

    Doris Getting Tilted

    Only now I remember, how I tried to be green, when our first son came along. I used fabric diapers, that could be washed in the machine. Oh, the smell... and they didn't keep baby bottom dry.
     
  2. Fremen

    Fremen Allright, who stole my mustache?

    Location:
    E. Texas
    I vaguely remember my sister wearing cloth diapers in the 70's.
    She would wiggle outta them suckers fast as lightning and dash out the door and down the driveway before we could catch our breath.
    We once got a call from our neighbor who said she spotted my naked sister trotting past her house down the middle of the road.

    The point I was making, was that cloth diapers were/are evil. :eek:
     
  3. We never had problems with cloth diapers, we used a diaper service. Each week they would pick up the soiled diapers in a plastic bag. The smell of a week's worth of soils baby diapers was strong enough to peel the paint of the walls. I probably will never forget it.
     
  4. fflowley

    fflowley Don't just do something, stand there!

    Cool thing I have done the past few months:
    Just turn the shower on and get in. Immediately. No waiting for hot water to flow.
    We live in upstate NY and the well water is pretty damn cold.
    But it takes only a minute or so to get the hot flowing and you save a few gallons of water plus some heating oil.

    I will admit that I'm not likely to be continuing this during the winter.......
     
  5. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    Cloth diapers have come a LONG way. There are different styles of cloth diapers--all-in-ones (the absorbent part of the diaper and the cover are all together, like a disposable), pocket diapers (where the absorbent piece is separate, and you take it out of a pocket), and prefolds (you fold up the diaper, and put a cover over it). I may have missed some, but those are the ones I've worked with as a childcare worker. I really like the all-in-ones and pocket diapers. In terms of handling them or putting them on a child, they aren't that much different than a disposable.

    Some things about cloth diapers that I like include: children get fewer diaper rashes when wearing cloth because it's more breathable, and they're easier to toilet-train because they have grasped the "I'm wet" concept long before their peers in disposables. Disposables these days are made up of layers of wicking materials and filled with superabsorbent polymers. Until they poop, it really doesn't feel uncomfortable for a child in a disposable. Yes, they can be a pain to deal with in terms of smell, but if you have a diaper service--there goes that problem. There is also a flushable liner you can use that goes over the top of the absorbent piece that you just peel off and flush, waste and all: http://weebunz.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?pg=101. Over the long run, they can be much cheaper than disposables. Some cons are that they don't do as good a job sometimes of containing atomic poops (they do a fine job of containing infant runny breastfeeding poop though). If your child has atomic poops--and nearly every child goes through an atomic poop phase, it seems--disposables are best.
     
  6. ASU2003

    ASU2003 Very Tilted

    Location:
    Where ever I roam
    I live in a world full of people who don't care. They don't care about their health, the don't care about their family, the don't care about their neighbors, and they don't care about the one planet that we live on. It is sad.

    When you learn the truth about what we have to do to get the oil, natural gas, cheap meat, and coal it is pretty stupid how wasteful we are. And it's not just the air and water pollution, but the foreign policy and money side of things that is ridiculous.
    ---------------------------------------------------

    Let's see, I generate 1.8 kW of solar power, I have 8 LED lights, and 14 CFL ones, I don't need to use A/C, I turn off my refrigerator when I'm not home, I ride my bike to work and to the stores, and I grow some food in a garden. I recycle aluminum cans, car batteries, paper, cardboard, glass and plastic. I compost food waste. And I don't eat that much meat (fish, ham, and chicken occasionally).

    And I won't buy another car until they come out with a electric car with Thorium generators. http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/03/thorium-lasers-could-make-nuclear-cars-a-reality/
     
  7. FelixP

    FelixP New Member

    I've purchased some products and NOT purchased others because they were 'green'. One example each would be CFL bulbs (for better clarity and increased longevity) and water bottles with extremely thin caps (pain in the butt to get open).
     
  8. Remixer

    Remixer Middle Eastern Doofus

    Location:
    Frankfurt, Germany
    I am most likely the least "green" member of TFP.

    In Kabul, have a huge 120kVA Diesel Generator in the backyard and a 2004 Toyota Landcruiser in the driveway. Not very green.

    Depending on where I have my second residence, I always leave A/C on 24/7, and I never turn off my TV or PC.

    I fly very regularly all over the world. My proportionate amount of exhaust gases released by planes must be massive.

    My household doesn't recycle. Sorting the trash? Get out of here.
     
  9. ASU2003

    ASU2003 Very Tilted

    Location:
    Where ever I roam
    More people who are part of the problem.

    And planes are like sky buses. If everyone had to drive, or take boats to where they are going, the amount of fuel used would be much higher.
    --- merged: Sep 7, 2011 5:09 AM ---
    More people who are part of the problem.

    And planes are like sky buses. If everyone had to drive, or take boats to where they are going, the amount of fuel used would be much higher.
     
  10. jerseyboy Vertical

    I recycle regularly and use CFLs in most of my light fixtures. Its the least I can do considering I drive 20+ miles each way to work everyday.
     
  11. actinic New Member

    Location:
    Toronto, ON
    We try to be as "green as possible", recycling, composting, switching out incadescent lights w/CFL and halogen MR12/16 w/LEDs.

    The wife offsets the "electrical savings" by having all the lights and TV's on while she's been spending the evening in one room of the house, or sitting in bed watching TV when I come home late. What ires me the most is that she has the oven on for an hour or two prior to putting anything in to cook/bake or using the oven to when the toaster oven will suffice. Overall, the electrical use is the same as now she can have all the lights on as she wishes. Happy wife, happy life as they say..dunno whether to laugh or cry on that one.
     
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  12. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    In the grand scheme of things, though, I think much of the green marketing going on is misleading in terms of the high profile placed on certain things that are going to only marginally "green" your lifestyle. In the worst-case scenario, this is like rearranging the deck chairs on a sinking ship.

    Those individuals, groups, or organizations that are encouraging the most "greening" are the ones encouraging us to cut back on or eliminate driving and meat, eggs, and dairy. Those are a couple of great places to start. But it's not like auto manufacturers are going to choose cutting back on driving over touting how awesomely green their new models are.

    You know how it is.
     
  13. Smackre

    Smackre Vertical

    Location:
    Ghutt, Ohio
    I try and be as green as possible but I also have two computers running alot. And a big screen TV. I did buy all LED lights for my place. Love them. They are a little $$ but I would buy them again. They are cool looking lol. I have been looking into stuff like solar panels and wind mills but neither looks great for my area in ohio.
     
  14. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    My carbon footprint has dropped to approximately 1/3 that of the average American since becoming vegan.
     
  15. Charlatan

    Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

    Location:
    Temasek
    I don't know what my footprint is but we try to conserve where we can. In a place where aircon is almost mandatory, we don't have it and don't use it. We do run ceiling fans though.

    There are not a lot of options when it comes to locally grown food. Nearly everything has to be brought in and I don't worry too much about it. While we eat meat, we have cut down the amount of meat. A good number of meals are vegetarian (though not vegan).

    We recycle what we can and tend to buy foods with less packaging (ie we don't buy ready made meals).

    We don't own a vehicle and use public transit.

    I wouldn't say I am green, just a little more careful about what I purchase and use.

    A note on diapers: I read once that when deciding between cloth or disposable, one should take into consideration where they live. Do you have issues with fresh water supply or issues with landfills? Cloth diapers add to water issues in that diaper services use things like bleach to clean them. In Toronto, diapers could be added to our green box (the compost box). It made me feel a lot better about the number of diapers being tossed in the trash.
     
  16. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    Same. Thanks for bringing this up again.
     
  17. chevyjunky77

    chevyjunky77 New Member

    I despise the "green" movement simply because it is being forced on us. I believe there are a number of "facts" used to propel the movement that are total crap. The government control machine has already outlawed some incandesent lights, where will it stop? CFL's are unsafe. They contain Mercury, give off dirty energy (cj2112 can attest to that), and give off the most harmful UV light. The white coating in the lightbulb itself is the only safegaurd so if you have one that has scratches or thin spots in the coating discard it.

    I dont believe emissions produced by human inventions are the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases that is leading to global warming. I blame the human practice of clear cutting of wooded land throughout the world. Most have noticed while driving through the country how much cooler it is opposed to being on concrete or asphalt. Manmade material such as these absorb heat and shed it at a slow rate. How about persuading construction companies to only clear what is required to complete their product. Take roads for example there is no need to clear two hundred yards of tree line on either side of a new road. Ever driven in the Northeast? Many of their roads were constructed with minimal impact on the environment. Trees right up the the edge. This provides shade to the road surface reducing heat which damages road surfaces. Plus it makes for a nice ride.

    I dont understand how becoming a vegetarian contributes to the green movement. In reality all you are doing is boycotting the the livestock industry. Help the environment out by becoming a hunter. You can still have your meat and you assist in population control. Win-Win. Hasn't being a vegetarian proven to be unhealthy? Read studies that prove it.
     
  18. Plan9

    Plan9 Rock 'n Roll

    Location:
    Earth
    I'd be a helluva lot more "green" if I could figure out the three seashells.
     
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  19. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    CFL bulbs are your argument for the green movement being forced on you? That's it? That's why you despise it?

    Although the mercury in CFL's are a problem in terms of disposal, the health risks otherwise aren't that bad. Just don't sit so close to them and take precautions if you break one.

    Depending on the jurisdiction, forests will either be a well managed or poorly managed resource. Clearcutting practices have received a lot of flak publicly. In Canada, at least, the practice has been on the decline. In the past, it was the practice employed to the majority of harvesting, whereas now selective practices are the majority. (Our BC is probably similar to your Northwest in terms of significant forestry industries.)

    Over the same period, recycling practices have improved significantly. For example, in the Canadian book trade, the majority of products are made with recycled paper. The quality of recycled paper has improved substantially.

    Generally speaking, practices today are far better than they were, say, 30 years ago, and they are still improving.

    Ironically, clearcutting of rainforests is one of the major effects of meat production in Central and South America. The U.S. imports a lot of meat from those countries.

    Generally, the environmental impact of meat production is significant. The impact on land use, water resources, ocean/river ecosystems, fuel consumption, and emissions is well documented.

    I imagine that if we all became hunters, the impact would be less. Even then, the hunting land would have to be rigorously managed to prevent the depletion of species. The end result would be the same: eating less meat is better for the environment.

    And in principle, being vegetarian isn't any more or less healthy than not being vegetarian. What's healthy is getting the proper balance of nutrients. This is possible on a vegan or vegetarian diet. Whether the diet is healthy is up to the individual.

    As far as studies are concerned, I've seen some that warn about possible deficiencies, normally regarding vitamin B12 and iron, but those are easily managed. Again, it comes to individual responsibility.

    I've seen other studies demonstrating that vegetarian diets are generally good for substantially reducing the risk of heart disease and certain cancers, so there are, in my opinion, far more benefits to being vegetarian than there are disadvantages.

    A plant-based diet has far less environmental impact than a meat-based diet, because the resources required to produce food, pound for pound, is much higher for meat than it is for plant-based foods.

    I don't think it's feasible for us all to become hunters and consume the same amount of meat we do. The average American eats over 270 lbs. of meat each year. That's likely only possible with factory farms (and imports) if you take into account both production/harvesting and economics.
     
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  20. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    I keep track of my micronutrient balance pretty closely--both before I was vegan and after. My micronutrient levels are much, much better as a vegan. There are very few vitamins and minerals we need to get from animal products. The same goes for amino acids. I eat a variety of proteins throughout the day, and thus, get all of the amino acids I need.

    Fabulous article by Marion Nestle: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/a...-is-a-nutrient-not-a-synonym-for-meat/250964/
     
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