How active are you protecting the environment?

I've engaged in some discussions in another forum about things people can do to protect the environment and thought it would be nice to see what you all here think about it and do. I grew up in Germany, when I was a kid the movement to recycle and protect the environment started, now some 25 plus years later Germany has come a great way in comparison to the US, the great thing is that it has become part of daily life, people don't think about it anymore or feel it's a huge inconvenience. I am talking about little things one can do at home but when I mention it to people at work they look at me like I am from another planet. I don't think you can change the world overnight, like I said it's been a long process in Germany but one has to start somewhere, right?

Here are some things I do
- I bring my own shopping bags to the Grocery store so I won't have to use tons of unnessary plastic bags.

- I recycle paper and batteries

- I use bio degradable soaps and cleanning products (Try a brand called METHOD, they sell it at Target etc. it's great)

- I never ever use or buy styrofoam cups or plates

- I don't buy paperproducts with print etc. on it and use papertowels sparingly.

- use energy efficient light bulbs

- switch off lights etc. when I am not at home


Here are some things I wish would change
- get rid of all that packaging materials. A lot of products could be packed with less and more enviro friendly materials.

- higher taxes for SUV's and Trucks

- higher tax on gas which will be used to improve public transportation

- better infrastructure to encourage people to walk and use their bikes instead of driving

- more energy efficient appliances (dish washer, washing machine etc.)

Ok, these are just some of my thoughts, I would love to hear from you

 

Good post, Chi. Great ideas. A few more simple steps...

- don't leave your car running unneccesarily.
- when printing, do double-sided on recycled paper.
- use public transportation or car pool if you live too far from work to walk or bike
- another great responsible corporation that develops "green" products is Seventh Generation. Check out their blog below.

http://www.inspiredprotagonist.com/

What are some other ideas?

 

Because of lousy service we get from providers here in the UK, I don't do shit for the environment!

This is against what most people preach nowadays but I don't jump on banwagons that easy.

I read on several occasions that people who recycle have been prosecuted for accidentally placing items in bags outside of recycling boxes because they are full. They were caught on camera. Then there's the guy who had a memb er of the public place something with his name and address on it into the wrong container for recycling. He now has a criminal record after being tracked down and 'dealt with' and vows never to recycle.

This over zealous attitude to the working man by authorities shows no sign of slowing down. The most I do is to rebel against their dictatorship.

Just off to dump some batteries in the local supermarkets garbage. Let it be someone else's problem.....

There's so much carbon in the atmosphere from volcanoes which produce millions of tonnes of the stuff. Then there's China who open a new filthy power station every five days. Now we have to pay more taxes for the supposed wast we produce. Yet more of my already taxed wages to go to the government. Fuckem.

 

Very!

I use cloth nappies on my daughter and wool nappy covers where possible. I use a "mooncup" or cloth san pro for my own periods.

I recycle everything I can.

I compost.

I don't drive and use a bus service that runs on bio diesel.

I use soapnuts for my laundry.

I make a lot of my own home cleaning products, or use eco friendly and ethical products.

I use mostly natural, organic toiletries.

I make my daughter's nappy balm and massage oils.

I take part in an organic fruit/veg box scheme from a company who are carbon neutral.



I'm sure there are lots more, but I don't want to boast!

 

Wow Iffy I am impressed...

 

I recycle all materials that can bew recycled. I don't, under any circumstances, litter. If i have to, I'll carry my empty coffee cup or whatever around until I find a garbage can. I use a divacup for my menstral periods, and I'm glad to know another woman uses a similar product, because I don't know of anyone besides myself who uses such things. i am very energy efficient, there's no lights on when I am home alone. I know there's more I could do, but it's a start. [/list]

 

Unfortunately, this man isn't very environmentally conscious. :?

 

My family was never environmentally-conscious while I was growing up. I just developed the habit when I moved out on my own. It does take some effort, but don't worry, LC, I won't really bitch you out about abusing Mother Earth unless I really get to know you. :lol: :lol:

 

iffey'swifey- Just been on the mooncup website as have been interested in them for a while now. Nice to know that there is only a 3mm difference in size between the sizes recommended for women who have given birth and those who havent....!!!

 

Kinky - the mooncups are so flexible that a few mm here or there really wouldn't be noticed! Also, have a think about reusable sanitray towels/liners - there are some BEAUTIFUL ones!

 

wow Chi, i wish i was as environment conscious as you are i've always hated seeing litter on the street, and i would hardly ever litter myself because of it (i have to say hardly because i am guilty of the occasional litter..lol). one thing that i wish could be changed though, is the amount of smoke and pollution that all of the factories are still creating. i know that they're trying to change things with the fuel efficient cars, but what if anything can be done about smoke factories i wonder??

 

A lot can be done, Bryant, unfortunately, the corporate monster wins every time. Money is more importnat than preserving mother Earth, it seems.

 

Going to run E85 in the SRT-4. Don't really have a space to make it myself, still working on that. But I will buy it at the pump when its finally available here.

Cheap Race Gas - 105 octane

Can't beat that!

Our "blue" recycle cans always have more in it than our other cans, we're doing our part.

I can't wait to build my house, being green doesn't have to be corny, funky or geeky.

It can chic, cool and impressive.

Radiant Heating
Solar Power
Tank-less Water Heaters
LCD Lighting
Computer Control Climate Control System

All those things can reduce your energy use by 40-50% or with enough solar panels or solar roof tiles can generate all the energy one would use in a house.

Check it out - http://www.solarhouse.com/

They haven't paid a light or heating bill since the house has been finished...

I'm also big on Bio-Diesel and actually have been talking to a friend of mine about building a car based around linear electric motors and a small displacement bio-diesel engine to turn a generator, like modern Diesel-Electric Trans.

The goal is 100mpg and it has to be possible to mass produce this with current technology.

Think Forward, Not Backward

 

very active, with second home off the grid, only organic local eating, recycle everything, home is green based, only drive on weekends and holidays

 

You may have seen the news lately re bottled water (I could never understand why ANYONE would buy purified water in the first place) but anyway. Figured this was a good article in the NYT

Editorial
In Praise of Tap Water
On the streets of New York or Denver or San Mateo this summer, it seems the telltale cap of a water bottle is sticking out of every other satchel. Americans are increasingly thirsty for what is billed as the healthiest, and often most expensive, water on the grocery shelf. But this country has some of the best public water supplies in the world. Instead of consuming four billion gallons of water a year in individual-sized bottles, we need to start thinking about what all those bottles are doing to the planet’s health.

Here are the hard, dry facts: Yes, drinking water is a good thing, far better than buying soft drinks, or liquid candy, as nutritionists like to call it. And almost all municipal water in America is so good that nobody needs to import a single bottle from Italy or France or the Fiji Islands. Meanwhile, if you choose to get your recommended eight glasses a day from bottled water, you could spend up to $1,400 annually. The same amount of tap water would cost about 49 cents.

Next, there’s the environment. Water bottles, like other containers, are made from natural gas and petroleum. The Earth Policy Institute in Washington has estimated that it takes about 1.5 million barrels of oil to make the water bottles Americans use each year. That could fuel 100,000 cars a year instead. And, only about 23 percent of those bottles are recycled, in part because water bottles are often not included in local redemption plans that accept beer and soda cans. Add in the substantial amount of fuel used in transporting water, which is extremely heavy, and the impact on the environment is anything but refreshing.

Tap water may now be the equal of bottled water, but that could change. The more the wealthy opt out of drinking tap water, the less political support there will be for investing in maintaining America’s public water supply. That would be a serious loss. Access to cheap, clean water is basic to the nation’s health.

Some local governments have begun to fight back. Earlier this summer, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom prohibited his city’s departments and agencies from buying bottled water, noting that San Francisco water is “some of the most pristine on the planet.” Salt Lake City has issued a similar decree, and New York City recently began an advertising campaign that touted its water as “clean,” “zero sugar” and even “stain free.”

The real change, though, will come when millions of ordinary consumers realize that they can save money, and save the planet, by turning in their water bottles and turning on the tap.

 

It is now mandatory in my home province of Nova Scotia to recycle and compost. :d

 

Chigirl,

you pretty you !!!

this is a very good thread. a couple of years ago, i bought a hybrid in my bid to be green, clean, and efficient. it was a tough decision since the hybrids have not generally been stunning. indeed, they have invariably been odd, quirky, or small in appearance. nonetheless, i decided to make the personal statement with the emphatic prius !

in california, we recycle a lot. all of my trash leaves the house appropriately bucketed (plastics, paper, etc). while i'm just as liberal, and progressive as the next cali guy, i'm not a hippie-bohemian [however much in love i harbor for them]. the data about global warming is overwhelming, incontrovertible, and almost irreversible. luckily, enough of the world's population has been convinced enough to act so that the green movement is no longer fringe. the movement is substantial enough that we just might be able to turn the tide on global warming in the next 50-yrs.

 

Conversations/Environment.

Recycling, and even walking instead of driving can help a little .At the supermarkets I may grab a bag that I can use over and over instead of just throwing things away.I'm not the biggest advocate in the world because being in music, we're pretty consumptuous of resources...lol....but.........I'll do a little where I can.