Jump to content
Join the Unexplained Mysteries community today! It's free and setting up an account only takes a moment.
- Sign In or Create Account -

How are you actively thwarting


Michelle

Recommended Posts

I would like to know how people are actively and personally thwarting global warming. I hear a lot of preaching about what "people" should do, but very little about what they are personally doing.

I recycle (don't get me started on how ineffective that really is) have a cistern to flush toilets and water the garden, have a high mileage car that I rarely drive, only use the heat/air unit when absolutely necessary and have fluorescent light bulbs (even though they are more of an environmental hazard). Not to mention our company has done extensive environmental clean-up for Halliburton, W.R. Grace and various oil companies having designed and built aspiration oil water separators.

What are you guys up to?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 32
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Michelle

    7

  • gabe

    4

  • Lt_Ripley

    4

  • Cetacea

    2

Travel collectively?

I don't know how much more I can do. I see it as more of an industrial and governmental responsibility, finding clean fuel and friendlier production methods.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did several things. As first measure I exchanged my gas guzzling American 4x4 for a less guzzling Russian 4x4. The next thing I did was install solar panels on my house and feed back the excess energy into the net. And last but not least, I exchanged my 85 hp gasoline boat engine for a 36 HP diesel.

My carbon footprint was reduced by 75%.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

we no longer have a gas lawn mower but an electric one. we also have a compost pit which is great for our tomatoes . I shop all with green bags now... just leave them in the trunk. We rarely use our car ... a 99 with 25,000 + miles !! Only use it when we have too. In winter our home is always on 65 degrees. Gran doesn't like it but I tell her get a blanket or sweater. ( although when it does get sub degrees I'll hike it to 68 ). Detroit doesn't have recycling.. but a center which my neighbor frequents and we add our meager output to theirs. And imagine if there were no recycling at all . yes it does matter.

our plumbing is low flow. ( personally I prefer our old tear the skin off your back flow shower and strong enough to flush the cat toilet )

all our bulbs now , save the one by the couch that the dog and cat tend to knock over when going crazy chasing each other , are those energy saving bulbs. I love em !! Even though we've always been a house that shuts off the lights , there are a couple we leave on for security reasons at night even when home - Bathroom. and those have been in about a year at least now without replacement. Well worth it.

All laundry ( except for grans messes) are washed in cold water now.

I know there's other small things.. most have become habit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Travel collectively?

I don't know how much more I can do. I see it as more of an industrial and governmental responsibility, finding clean fuel and friendlier production methods.

Every individual can do their part..you can't leave it to someone else.

I did several things. As first measure I exchanged my gas guzzling American 4x4 for a less guzzling Russian 4x4. The next thing I did was install solar panels on my house and feed back the excess energy into the net. And last but not least, I exchanged my 85 hp gasoline boat engine for a 36 HP diesel.

My carbon footprint was reduced by 75%.

I forgot that we got rid of our ski boat and bought a sailboat. :lol: We couldn't find the time to get out on it this summer. :hmm:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Every individual can do their part..you can't leave it to someone else.

Someone else has to do it as well, otherwise it won't work emot-colbert.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

we no longer have a gas lawn mower but an electric one. we also have a compost pit which is great for our tomatoes . I shop all with green bags now... just leave them in the trunk. We rarely use our car ... a 99 with 25,000 + miles !! Only use it when we have too. In winter our home is always on 65 degrees. Gran doesn't like it but I tell her get a blanket or sweater. ( although when it does get sub degrees I'll hike it to 68 ). Detroit doesn't have recycling.. but a center which my neighbor frequents and we add our meager output to theirs. And imagine if there were no recycling at all . yes it does matter.

our plumbing is low flow. ( personally I prefer our old tear the skin off your back flow shower and strong enough to flush the cat toilet )

all our bulbs now , save the one by the couch that the dog and cat tend to knock over when going crazy chasing each other , are those energy saving bulbs. I love em !! Even though we've always been a house that shuts off the lights , there are a couple we leave on for security reasons at night even when home - Bathroom. and those have been in about a year at least now without replacement. Well worth it.

All laundry ( except for grans messes) are washed in cold water now.

I know there's other small things.. most have become habit.

I use the plastic grocery bags as garbage bags. It doesn't make sense to me to buy bags to put garbage in and throw away.

Everyone that comes to our house in the winter keeps their coats on because they aren't used to the chill. lol We turn the heat up for overnight guests and a few older people.

I've been washing clothes in cold water for probably 25 years.

I haven't given up my hard shower though, but I try to be quick.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Someone else has to do it as well, otherwise it won't work emot-colbert.gif

Well, you could join the crowd of us that have. :yes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those burlap shopping bags are pretty sweet, but I wish there was more room in them, since I only carry one with me at a time :/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some things are doubling as cheaper and more environmentally friendly, always good when environmentally conscious is actually cheaper :D

We have energy efficient light bulbs, and only replace the ones we need (ie. the lamp in the living room has 5 bulbs, we only keep one working as it is bright enough).

We don't have a dishwasher.

We wash cold and don't tumble dry (or iron apart from one or two shirts a year, though admittedly laziness is a factor there but every little helps ;) )

We don't drive, do not own a car, walk everywhere and use public transport. Although may be forced to change that shortly due to job prospects. Defintely looking at fuel efficient models though and am determined not to drive anywhere I can reach by foot in half an hour if I don't have to carry heavy loads.

Only turn the heating on when thick long sleeved top is not enough to keep out the cold.

I reuse plastic shopping bags as garbage bags too but tend we are running quite low as we try to take reusable bags with us for the most part now.

Trying to buy food with low food miles that is in season(never mind high welfare, fair trade, sustainably sourced).

Switching water heater and most other electric outlets off when not in use, switching unneccesary lights of as well obviously, no night lights for me ;)

Last time I flew it let me offset carbon emissions for an extra charge, need to look further into that and if it's really effective but seems better than nothing.

Showering instead of bathing although I do love a soak occasionally.

Most of my notebooks for Uni are from recycled paper, also reuse scrap paper, ie. backs of bills, printouts with wingdings etc for note taking. Review uni lectures on the PC rather than printing them out, rarely use printer generally.

If I do buy bottled water, I refill it rather than buying a new bottle the next time. Exceptions are obviously airports :rolleyes:

Not massive things but as we are renting we can't actually do much (or for that matter afford to do much)to the house. I have blocked cracks under the doors with towels in the past when it was extremely cold outside to reduce heat escaping.

That's all I can think off right now.

Edited by Cetacea
Link to comment
Share on other sites

All you people saving power who don't rent, you know that switching to green energy basically removes the carbon footprint caused by electricity?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We don't have a dishwasher either, but did you know that a dishwasher actually doesn't use as much water as hand washing? I hang clothes out to dry and put them in the dryer for about five minutes with a damp towel to get the wrinkles out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use the plastic grocery bags as garbage bags. It doesn't make sense to me to buy bags to put garbage in and throw away.

Everyone that comes to our house in the winter keeps their coats on because they aren't used to the chill. lol We turn the heat up for overnight guests and a few older people.

I've been washing clothes in cold water for probably 25 years.

I haven't given up my hard shower though, but I try to be quick.

we used to use smaller bags for garbage , but then we ended up with like 500 small plastic bags filled with plastic bags ! everywhere ! a sea of them. It got to be too much.

Plastic bottles are rarely brought in the house. For years I've done the reusing my old water bottles with britta . only toss them when they are no longer able to be kept hygienic. you know ,,, eeewwww.. lol. glass would be great but with my unsteadiness and grans ? we've gone through alot of glasses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would like to know how people are actively and personally thwarting global warming. I hear a lot of preaching about what "people" should do, but very little about what they are personally doing.

I recycle (don't get me started on how ineffective that really is) have a cistern to flush toilets and water the garden, have a high mileage car that I rarely drive, only use the heat/air unit when absolutely necessary and have fluorescent light bulbs (even though they are more of an environmental hazard). Not to mention our company has done extensive environmental clean-up for Halliburton, W.R. Grace and various oil companies having designed and built aspiration oil water separators.

What are you guys up to?

Passing less gas. :P

:devil:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I have to drive someplace, I ride my Harley Davidson Iron 883 which gets 50mpg instead of my saturn, which gets 40 mpg.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We've always used reusable grocery bags, or just loaded into the cart, the cart into a pair of wash baskets in the back of the car, and then into the house. Easy. We use energy saving bulbs only when its too dark to see where you're going. We keep the AC at 78 in the summer and the heat at 63 in the winter. Putting on a sweatshirt and socks is green and free. :)

We have a veggie garden in the summer and freeze a lot for over winter. Do a lot of scratch baking and cooking - less packaging. We reuse EVERYTHING except toilet paper. ;)

Next year, we plan to get a couple of solar panels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I have to drive someplace, I ride my Harley Davidson Iron 883 which gets 50mpg instead of my saturn, which gets 40 mpg.

:tu: god I miss my bike !! ok so it wasn't a hog , but still miss it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hehe its so sad that i did the reverse...

we have coal made from trees because lpg gas here in the Philippines are more

expensive..common people like our family only afford coal from trees..

which means adding heat to the world at the same time deleting trees which prevents it

i hate to continue it..but its our only way to cook

:no:

Edited by nohands
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We don't have a dishwasher either, but did you know that a dishwasher actually doesn't use as much water as hand washing? I hang clothes out to dry and put them in the dryer for about five minutes with a damp towel to get the wrinkles out.

I did hear that a while ago but thought it was too good to be true lol! It does use less electricity though so I guess it's a close one, especially if there is only two of you and it would unlikely to be full when turned on as it would take to long to fill up. Unless you get a special small one which I think are less energy efficient.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmmm, I live in the PNW, recycling, green, conservationist land... LOL. I do next to nothing, yet do a LOT.. huh?

My biggest saver is that I own a very very small home, less than 1000sq ft. It simply uses less heat, less water, less of everything--It was a conscious choice on my part, I could have a home three times the size. In my city, we're forced to recycle and in fact can get in trouble if we don't. We have three regular sized garbage bins, one for all recyclebles, one for garbage and one for yard/food waste. So that's easy. (although, I'm not convinced that recycling paper is such a fantastic idea... my dad worked in paper recycling plant about 20 years ago... if you saw how paper was recycled you'd wonder if it did any good too).

I have a great big gas guzzling V8 car (which passes california emissions every year)... BUT, I never drive more than about 6 miles a day total, if that. No need to buy anything smaller or more efficient with as little as I drive. I'll probably heat my little house with space heaters until about december...at that point, I'll fire up my natural gas sucking furnace... the little electic heaters are actually more efficient than my gas furnace believe it or not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I approach this as a bit more inclusive than just global warming. GW is important, but my environmentalism reaches beyond that - it would be great to keep the climate in the right zone, but if that is done at the expense of breathable air or allowing litter to pile up on the side of the road, I don't think we have gained much.

So I try to lead a personally environmentally conscious life. I go out of my way to buy only "Green" products, I reuse and recycle, I volunteer for cleaning up parks and such when I can and instead of driving everywhere I use my bicycle (that way I not only don't add to air pollution, I also work off some calories).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hehe its so sad that i did the reverse...

we have coal made from trees because lpg gas here in the Philippines are more

expensive..common people like our family only afford coal from trees..

which means adding heat to the world at the same time deleting trees which prevents it

i hate to continue it..but its our only way to cook

:no:

Well ya gota be able to cook and have heat. No matter what we need those things. As far as what I do for the enviroment, well I guess I'm with sweetpumper on this one. I do next to nothing but then again my carbon footprint is pretty damn small to do much about it. Solar panels would be cool and so would a little garden hmmmm next spring maybe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do not now, nor have I ever, owned a herd of cattle. My current methane production is 0%. (unless you count the day after having chili) :lol::tu:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whenever I need a new car/truck battery, instead of just tossing the old one in the dumpster, I'll take it in with me to the place that I purchase the new one from. They usually give me some credit for it.

But since I think that man-made global warming is a bunch of bunk, my habits really haven't changed much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.