Your environmental footprint- what do you do?

[CS Martin]

Many talk about their Carbon Foot Print, others go on about ecology and environmentalism, only to press harder on that gas pedal. Some soothe their sole by proudly anouncing their latest purchase of a Toyota Hybrid or other such status symbol. A campaign, long ago dropped by the media, advised that we all find one item a month to permanently become part of our daily lives. I'm not a tree hugger or environmental activist, but finding one thing to change in your life each and every month has become quite easy:

1) Last month: Installed new dual pane entrance sidelites in my front entryway.
2) This month: Installed mechanical timers on lights I tend to leave on.

Previous months: Use of environmentally friendly chemicals for washing. Install CFL and/or LED lighting throughout the home.

This thread is not a contest or a way to promote what a good environmentalist you've become. Rather who knows, maybe something posted here will stick in your life.....

 

[IamNY]

I walk to and from the train station every morning leaving the car at home, when I arrive in the city, I walk to and from the train station to my office in Manhattan, when playing golf I never take a cart unless I have to, when I have to drive somewhere I always consider taking my motorcycle instead. Around my neighborhood I always walk to the deli, supermarket, coffee shop, etc. It doesn't take much of an effort to reduce your carbon footprint. I'm a huge fan of the outdoors. I'm not a tree hugger or enviormental activist either, just looking to do my part.

Walooo

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

Good thread, CS. I drive a Prius, which I've driven for six years. (Yes, I got it, in large part, because of my regular trips to Montreal.) It is, by the way, not a status symbol, nor particularly pretty after 100,000 miles.

I almost never drive while I'm in Montreal, where I now live half time, instead using my bike from April through November, public transport the rest of the year.

While I do have, and heat, two homes, they are both small and I keep my thermostat at 66 (19 centigrade) in the winter time, lowering that heat to 50 (10 centigrade) while one or the other is empty.

 

[Dragon]

We all have to be conscious of are footprint. I use to always do at least 120 km/h on the highway, so one way to help is to reduce your highway speed (of course, when you're not stuck in traffic) to 110 Km/h.
It's a nice cruising speed, and the fuel saving is significant - up to 10%. You're still going to get there in about the same time and will have save fuel, wear on your car/tire.

Later
Dragon

 

[CS Martin]

While the most intensive way to help is energy, other forms of consumption are also important. We pollute our environment with all types of chemicals from those we spray on our lawn to what literally goes down the drain. For those who think they've already done quite a bit (and I applaud these efforts) you don't need to think macro (large). Just set your goal on one additional small adjustment each month.

For instance, several months ago I took an afternoon to re-engineer the insullation molding on my side door. Tested it with both light and air pressure. Thats it, $22 in materials and the thing is airtight. Nothing big, just a little bit each month. No resting on your laurels, just a little thought each month.

I offer a program of retrofitting my properties to all of my tenants. It requires their participation and you can tell which ones care from those that just belly-ache about power bills. One went from over $400 per month to about $200 for an entire family.

 

[JH Fan]

Is Jerking off on my plants once in a while (instead of buying fertilizer)... ok ?

Seriously... there's all kind of calculator (good or bad) if you want to feel better...for ex:
http://calc.zerofootprint.net/one_minute/personal
http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx

But it won't matter anyway until the whole world really get serious about it !
And that would mean reverse eng. on the 'industrial revolution'.

You can always dream at being in a 'new century' because of the 'environmental revolution' or the previous 'digital revolution' but we are still thinking the same way as people did since the start of the industrial one. As long as we based our politics on opposing 'liberalism' and 'conservatism' it will stay the same.

We need somethin' really huge and bad in order to reverse the climate changes and human 'carbon' footprint significantly in order to make a real 'difference' .
WWIII for instance or some huge epidemic with at least 3 to 10% casualties (around 300M-700M).

Have fun !

 

[Ducon]

Cycling whenever possible, otherwise public transport, I rarely burn any petrol myself.

Then, it's all the indirect pollution that's difficult to evaluate:
whatever you buy was made by generating more or less pollution, and you usually have a choice.
It's not easy to evaluate, but here is an obvious example :
getting your proteins directly from vegetable sources is much more efficient than getting it from animal products (because there's fewer intermediates)
Also, the meat production chain is a major reason why brazilians are destroying the amazon right now:
It requires a bigger surface because of its inherent inefficiency.

Apart from that, if you live in Montreal, obviously heat insulation of your place makes a huge difference,
but that's mostly hydroelectricity being consumed, and it's not the biggest environmental threat right now.

 

[CS Martin]

As long as we based our politics on opposing 'liberalism' and 'conservatism' it will stay the same.

We need somethin' really huge and bad in order to reverse the climate changes and human 'carbon' footprint significantly in order to make a real 'difference' .
WWIII for instance or some huge epidemic with at least 3 to 10% casualties (around 300M-700M).

Not sure I agree here. Is personal conservation a liberal or conservative ideal? The thread was conceived based upon that little something extra we all can do. Incremental change in one's own life. My theory is make these changes slowly over time (once a month for me) in order that they become part of a positive change in lifestyle. For instance, you go to the store to buy one or two small items. The checkout person reaches for a plastic bag. Simply say, "don't waste the bag, that's why our creator gave us hands". Say it nicely in a cheerful way and all associate it with good attitude rather than a instructive edict. Hopefully someone will notice and incorporate it into their lexicon.

 

[JH Fan]

Not sure I agree here. Is personal conservation a liberal or conservative ideal? The thread was conceived based upon that little something extra we all can do. Incremental change in one's own life. My theory is make these changes slowly over time (once a month for me) in order that they become part of a positive change in lifestyle. For instance, you go to the store to buy one or two small items. The checkout person reaches for a plastic bag. Simply say, "don't waste the bag, that's why our creator gave us hands". Say it nicely in a cheerful way and all associate it with good attitude rather than a instructive edict. Hopefully someone will notice and incorporate it into their lexicon.

Well CS maybe I should have sad this way :
It can matter to you personaly and just like courtesy, savoir vivre, hygiene and self-discipline should have never went away in our society... what you can do for the greater cause can surely bring you more pride.

I myself come from a place where land was never own by anyone and where animals and plants have the same importance than men...
Yet, society and getting a 'western' education brought me to a place and culture where individualism prime over the greater cause.

Traveling a lot, seeing what is happening all over the world and I can only tell you that you are doing somethin' good.... yet unfortunately it won't matter until people will grasp the reality and the consequences of this 'individualism'.

Up here in Canada, the mess in the tarsands and the high north will be the legacy we leave to futur generations which will take thousands of years to clean up.
And the rate of the pollution is well over 10 times faster than any anti-pollution measures that the total combine population of North America can exercise individualy.

And you're not even counting the majority of the world population living in emerging economies.

To me this fight is over. Way too late !
The ultimate alarm was Kyoto and instead of getting serious about it we went ahead full steam in the wall.

As if in a landing crash... 'Just brace yourself, pray and hope' !
But don't kid yourself.... even the pilot can't do aything about it anymore !

Here's the real definition of what's happening : The scientific consensus on climate change is "that climate is changing and that these changes are in large part caused by human activities, and are largely irreversible."

Anyway my contribution tonight will be to close this up since I finished my report and shut down this computer.

BTW Here is a fun meter to watch... then multiply by the energy cost for each one of them...
http://www.worldometers.info/computers/

Cheers

 

[CS Martin]

Up here in Canada, the mess in the tarsands and the high north will be the legacy we leave to futur generations which will take thousands of years to clean up.

You see I have very little faith in the scientists, politicians or the press. So quoting anyone of them is like spitting in the wind. I've been threatened, lied to, harrassed etc...(recent example was a Bank of America Employee representing herself as a FNMA representative. The bitch couldn't even keep her lies straight**). So respectfully the claims and assertions in your post are meaningless at best. We do agree on the damage to the tarsands and high north. The pictures and my personal interviews create a vivid picture.

**No wonder BOA is having trouble, they can't even hire employees who can lie well!!!

 

[daydreamer41]

The premise of this thread is non-sense like the subject. Carbon is not a pollutant, hate to break the news to you flat earth no growthers. People and animals emit carbon and plants use it to grow and live, just like we take the Oxygen that plants emit

The earth has experienced "climate" change for millions of years. The earth has had several ice ages which have lasted thousands of years in places. The recent changes in weather may be because of changes in the sun.

Anyhow, there may be another reason for conversation. As the world gets more affluent, people will require more resources. The population of humans have been increasing at a good pace. We currently have over 6 billion living people on earth. For people to live decent lifestyles it will require an increasing amount of natural resources and space. Do we have enough for the increasing population?

However, there is technology that is being developed, but not perfected yet that may solve alot of the resource problem called nano-technology, which changes the structure of molecules into the same as materials of resources that we need. Example, changing trash into oil or gasoline or vegetables. This may be a partial solution.

I think conservation is good for individuals to practice. It is good for the soul to lighten your load. But I don't think it should be forced on people.

 

[CS Martin]

The premise of this thread is non-sense like the subject. Carbon is not a pollutant, hate to break the news to you flat earth no growthers.
I think conservation is good for individuals to practice. It is good for the soul to lighten your load. But I don't think it should be forced on people.

The title to this thread is "environmental footprint" NOT "carbon footprint". The subject of the thread was clearly stated as those small things that each of us can do in our daily lives to lessen our OVERALL impact on the environment. Again the term OVERALL means not only energy, but water, polution of the land, etc....etc... It's not political and not meant as a debate, although some seem to want to turn it into their debate forum. The thread is meant as a simple peaceful thread about the little things like riding your bicycle to the store, alternatives for damaging pesticides, personal conservation of water & power. The thread is not meant as a method to force people to conserve, but to give them ideas they can incorporate into their daily lives TO IMPROVE THEMSELVES WITHOUT BEING FORCED.

For instance: When I replaced all of the lights in my home with CFLs or LEDs, I didn't just go to the store and buy them. I did a little research (self-education) into the best alternative, selected each item online for the best fit. I didn't replace one of the bulbs in the living room lights as I was unable to obtain a like performing alternative. The change was made WITHOUT daily sacrifice on my part, thus not feeling like I've been forced into anything. Why do people (yes, even conservatives....LOL) avoid making these personal choices? Simple, they're asked to sacrifice comfort. The purpose of this thread is to give each of us ideas on smarter living vs. living by sacrificing our comfort. Doing it at a self-determined pace (mine being once a month), thus avoiding an unpleasant experience.

 

[Dewar]

To do my part I make it my policy to only hire outcalls who arrive on a Bixi but unfortunately I haven't found any yet...

 

[CS Martin]

To do my part I make it my policy to only hire outcalls who arrive on a Bixi but unfortunately I haven't found any yet...

But, are you using enviromentally friendly condoms. We wouldn't want some innocent bird to get the latex wrapped about his beak.....

 

[reJ]

I dont believe in "pollution" I think its and elitest scam .

reJ

 

[daydreamer41]

The title to this thread is "environmental footprint" NOT "carbon footprint". The subject of the thread was clearly stated as those small things that each of us can do in our daily lives to lessen our OVERALL impact on the environment. Again the term OVERALL means not only energy, but water, polution of the land, etc....etc... It's not political and not meant as a debate, although some seem to want to turn it into their debate forum. The thread is meant as a simple peaceful thread about the little things like riding your bicycle to the store, alternatives for damaging pesticides, personal conservation of water & power. The thread is not meant as a method to force people to conserve, but to give them ideas they can incorporate into their daily lives TO IMPROVE THEMSELVES WITHOUT BEING FORCED.

For instance: When I replaced all of the lights in my home with CFLs or LEDs, I didn't just go to the store and buy them. I did a little research (self-education) into the best alternative, selected each item online for the best fit. I didn't replace one of the bulbs in the living room lights as I was unable to obtain a like performing alternative. The change was made WITHOUT daily sacrifice on my part, thus not feeling like I've been forced into anything. Why do people (yes, even conservatives....LOL) avoid making these personal choices? Simple, they're asked to sacrifice comfort. The purpose of this thread is to give each of us ideas on smarter living vs. living by sacrificing our comfort. Doing it at a self-determined pace (mine being once a month), thus avoiding an unpleasant experience.

My answer in my post was yes to reducing consumption on a voluntarily basis. I think many people are or will move in this direction.

 

[Ducon]

The premise of this thread is non-sense like the subject. Carbon is not a pollutant, hate to break the news to you flat earth no growthers. People and animals emit carbon and plants use it to grow and live, just like we take the Oxygen that plants emit

The earth has experienced "climate" change for millions of years. The earth has had several ice ages which have lasted thousands of years in places. The recent changes in weather may be because of changes in the sun.

Instead of insulting people and making condescending comments, you might want to make sure you know what you're talking about.
With a quick research, you'll find out that
1. Ice ages are irrelevant, because their rate of temperature change is much slower than the one we're experiencing now.
2. Scientists have already determined that sun activity can only account for a small fraction of the current warming.

This is why I think some things have to be forced on people:
They just don't know what's going on, they don't listen to scientists (or only to the small minority of scientists that say what people want to hear).
Sometimes they do know but don't give a damn because future generations can't sue them anyway.

 

[daydreamer41]

Instead of insulting people and making condescending comments, you might want to make sure you know what you're talking about.
With a quick research, you'll find out that
1. Ice ages are irrelevant, because their rate of temperature change is much slower than the one we're experiencing now.
2. Scientists have already determined that sun activity can only account for a small fraction of the current warming.

This is why I think some things have to be forced on people:
They just don't know what's going on, they don't listen to scientists (or only to the small minority of scientists that say what people want to hear).
Sometimes they do know but don't give a damn because future generations can't sue them anyway.

Really, Ducon. Do you know what you're talking about? Why don't ask Professor Phil Jones, Global Warming proponent, who says there hasn't been any global warming since 1995 and he made a few data errors.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-warming-email-row-admits-data-organised.html

 

[wilko26]

I changed my vehicule from a V6 to a 4 cylinder last year, I try to reduce as much possible the consumption of energy at home. I try to walk or use metro when possible.

But honestly in last two year I went twice thailande, once china and once India... we can do all the recycling possible over here but when you see whats going there its a drop in the ocean. But it's not a reason to stop...!

 

[Ducon]

Really, Ducon. Do you know what you're talking about? Why don't ask Professor Phil Jones, Global Warming proponent, who says there hasn't been any global warming since 1995 and he made a few data errors.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-warming-email-row-admits-data-organised.html

Haha, using the Daily Mail as a source. Good one!