"Going Green"

I don't really like the term, but it's what people are using as more and more become environmentally aware, so I used it.

Do you care about "going green" or reducing your impact on the environment? Green is the new "in" thing and is everywhere. There's a new channel called Planet Green (now my new favourite channel) dedicated solely to ways to help and save the environment (as well as money) and it seems that most major sites/new sites have their own green section.

I've been environmentally conscious since I was 16, in Geography class learning about the melting of the Polar ice caps and how we're running out of fossil fuels. It scared me, so I've been trying to do my best to have as little of an impact on the environment as possible. Living in the western world it can be difficult, but when my parents offered to get me driving lessons at age 17 I refused on the grounds of it being bad for the environment (10 years later I still haven't learned to drive for the same reason). Everyone laughed at me (my dad still makes fun of me for it) but I'm proud of it.

Are any of you doing anything to save energy or reduce waste, emissions, water use etc?

Some of the things I'm doing

[listcb4c554b0c][bcb4c554b0c]Changed all my lightbulbs from incandescent to Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs), reduces energy, saves money and they last for years.
Unplug all appliances not being used for more than 10 minutes (computers, TVs, stereos, dvd players, game consoles overnight and when at work)
Charging my iPod and mobile phone through the computer when it's turned on instead of plugging into the wall
Open windows and doors on cooler days instead of using the AC
Taking 5 minute showers
If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down (the average toilet uses 6 litres with every flush)
Not running water when brushing teeth
When washing my hands anywhere that doesn't have a towel, I let them air dry instead of using paper towels or heat dryers
Installed aerators on all faucets to reduce the amount of water being used (looking to upgrade my shower head)
Window tints to reduce heat gains in the summer and heat loss in the winter
Recycle everything from plastic, to paper, to cardboard, to lawn clippings, to electronics, clothes, magazines, glass and more
Turn off lights when not in use
Using a reusable furnace filter which can last months and be washed or vacuumed to clean (perform better than the filters you buy every month, last longer and don't produce waste by throwing away)
Only wash clothes once a week (ensures you're washing a full load), after 10pm (cuts down the demand on the grid) in cold water (works just as well as hot water and uses less energy)
Not buying bottled water[/bcb4c554b0c][/listucb4c554b0c]

Things I am in the process of doing or plan to do

[listcb4c554b0c][bcb4c554b0c]Upgrade the appliances to Energy Star ones
Make a "toilet brick". Not sure what the proper name is, but you get a 2 litre soda bottle, cut the top off, fill it with stones or rocks, tape the top back on and place it in your cistern. It displaces 2 litres of water and still allows enough to flush whilst saving water
Install solar panels (the ones I'm looking at are $1k a pop but it'll be worth it)
Change the water tank to a tankless water heater (costly but worth it), in the meantime....
......insulate the water tank
Weatherstrips for all doors
Trying to wean my mother-in-law away from paper plates
My work doesn't have a recycling programme so I'm trying to set one up where I'd collect all of their recyclables and drop them off at local recyclers
And a lot more I can't think of at the moment[/bcb4c554b0c][/listucb4c554b0c]

Anyone else with me?

haha wow never knew you were so environmental friendly. crazy..you still don't know how to drive? O woweeeeee

i agree the stuff you say isn't that hard to do, but i have a problem with this one

If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down (the average toilet uses 6 litres with every flush)


jeez man thats just not appetizing loool

i thought this thread was about getting greened from freebie websites

TSJ, I am exactly the same way. I'm Wiccan so I focus on trying not to harm the enviroment and those around me.

I have a trick for ya that will let you flush your tiolet every time you use it. And the tiolet brick trick does work! Its best to get a 3 liter though!

[quote55d85ffe9a="akalic"]i thought this thread was about getting greened from freebie websites[/quote55d85ffe9a]

the best part of this "going green" is you don't need a PPD mentor or trainer to help you do it. and you don't hear the term "IFW" when you do it either.

[quote8748b3c1a8="CollidgeGraduit"][quote8748b3c1a8="akalic"]i thought this thread was about getting greened from freebie websites[/quote8748b3c1a8]

the best part of this "going green" is you don't need a PPD mentor or trainer to help you do it. and you don't hear the term "IFW" when you do it either.[/quote8748b3c1a8]

lulz

[quotef4d58ea081="tylerc"][quotef4d58ea081="CollidgeGraduit"][quotef4d58ea081="akalic"]i thought this thread was about getting greened from freebie websites[/quotef4d58ea081]

the best part of this "going green" is you don't need a PPD mentor or trainer to help you do it. and you don't hear the term "IFW" when you do it either.[/quotef4d58ea081]

lulz[/quotef4d58ea081]

<3

Ever since being in the "real world" of college. I've been trying to be environmentally green. I actually got started recycling plastic, cardboard, etc. after seeing my grandpa recycling most of the material left over from a computer box. I've been able to cut our garbage going to the dump by over half. We only have 1 or 2 small trash bags a week. Fortunately, we have a curbside recycling program.

We also have the CFC bulbs (started on a SD deal a while back). I think we already have minimum flow toilets and showers. Any other shower I'm in feels like high-pressure jets o Let's see, can't do the AC thing (just turned mine on) as the high is usually in the upper 90's. I also do a couple other things you mentioned, but not consciously. Other than that, we always donate clothes, appliances, etc.

I really like the idea of a Planet Green channel. Getting big celebs/pop artists to participate in the greening will encourage all the young'uns to do their part. That's also my new favorite channel wink

The cynic in me still thinks they take recycling to the same place as regular garbage, but that's me. My dorm had recycling bins on every floor, so it was easy to recycle. I never leave the water running while brushing my teeth, and my showers are usually quick, but that doesn't mean I don't like to relax from time to time. No AC is a no can do for me, I have very bad seasonal allergies (ragweed, tree pollen, grass, dust, pretty much everything BUT animals and mold), and the AC is the only thing that keeps me from wanting to kill myself.

Why not get a air purifier?

I am not green at all, too much work. It is always 90 to 95 degrees with 70-100& humidity, so that is out of the question. I do not live in the city, even though I am in the middle of the city the parcel of land I am on is outside of the city limits, even though right next door both ways is in the city so I do not have city garbage and it costs extra for them to come recycle for you.

[quote8a9d4c7e50="CollidgeGraduit"][quote8a9d4c7e50="akalic"]i thought this thread was about getting greened from freebie websites[/quote8a9d4c7e50]

the best part of this "going green" is you don't need a PPD mentor or trainer to help you do it. and you don't hear the term "IFW" when you do it either.[/quote8a9d4c7e50]

God dammit. Then where the hell am I going to get a newbie trainer for this?

http//www.torontohemp.com/hempuses.jpg[" alt=""/img4e921501c5]

If only they made Biodiesel hybird cars, legalised industrial hemp in the US, and set aside some funding for biodiesel fuel; we would be all set.

For more information on hemp, why not watch the 1942 film created by the United States Department of Agriculture?

"Hemp For Victory"

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne9UF-pFhJY

It is worth noting that I have been slowly transitioning towards "being green".

So far, I have recently been purchasing pure hemp clothing (socks, boxers, pants, shirts, coats, etc.) and donating any of my non-hemp products to the salvation army (hemp is a stronger, more durable fiber than cotton and is in fact the strongest fiber in the plant kingdom). For my daily cup of coffee I take with me to work, I have been using a special blend of hemp coffee brewed in my coffee machine using a reusable hemp coffee filter (which saves trees).

I have been using 100% biodegradable hemp soap for washing my hands and washing my laundry using cold water, and there are several other things I do to stay [b4e921501c5][color=green4e921501c5]green[/color4e921501c5][/b4e921501c5].

I'm going green by doing referrals for free.

We recycle and we have a hybrid sedan. I'm starting to wish my car was a hybrid. x

That and I punch my friends in their faces when they litter.

[quote5ffff68af4="TryinToGetPaid"]Why not get a air purifier?

I am not green at all, too much work. It is always 90 to 95 degrees with 70-100& humidity, so that is out of the question. I do not live in the city, even though I am in the middle of the city the parcel of land I am on is outside of the city limits, even though right next door both ways is in the city so I do not have city garbage and it costs extra for them to come recycle for you.[/quote5ffff68af4]

Why is it too much work? Too much work to change some lightbulbs? You could spend 10 minutes changing all the bulbs in your house and never touch them again for years (save energy and money at the same time), or spend 1 minute changing each bulb every couple of weeks or so and constantly having to be buying more bulbs, using more energy, generating more waste.

Too much work to unplug your computer or TV or gaming console when it's not being used, or charge your phones/iPods through your computer, taking shorter showers, turning off lights when not in use?

Do you pay for garbage and refuse pickup? Even when I didn't live in the city our recyclables were picked up, so we recycled then too, but maybe if you saw the impact that your lack of recycling has on the environment, you might think otherwise.

For me, I have a couple of little recycling bins in my room that if I finish a bottle of soda or something, I just turn round and put it in the bin, then when I take the garbage out (which I have to do anyway), I take out the recyclables too. It's only a case of carrying one more small bin out with me.

People think it's too much work, but once you change just a few things, even attitudes, you come to see that it's not that much work at all.

There's a show on PlanetGreen called Wa$ted. Watch it once and see if it doesn't change your mind a little.

Or, check this out

http//www.myfootprint.org/en/about_the_quiz/what_it_measures/[]http//www.myfootprint.org/en/about_the_quiz/what_it_measures/

[quotec985c2e5df="h3x"]If only they made Biodiesel hybird cars, legalised industrial hemp in the US, and set aside some funding for biodiesel fuel; we would be all set.

For more information on hemp, why not watch the 1942 film created by the United States Department of Agriculture?

"Hemp For Victory"

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne9UF-pFhJY

It is worth noting that I have been slowly transitioning towards "being green".

So far, I have recently been purchasing pure hemp clothing (socks, boxers, pants, shirts, coats, etc.) and donating any of my non-hemp products to the salvation army (hemp is a stronger, more durable fiber than cotton and is in fact the strongest fiber in the plant kingdom). For my daily cup of coffee I take with me to work, I have been using a special blend of hemp coffee brewed in my coffee machine using a reusable hemp coffee filter (which saves trees).

I have been using 100% biodegradable hemp soap for washing my hands and washing my laundry using cold water, and there are several other things I do to stay [bc985c2e5df]green[/colorc985c2e5df][/bc985c2e5df].[/quotec985c2e5df]

That's cool, man.

Where do you get your hemp clothing from?

damn you and your overly sized avatar TSJ!

too...horizontal...liexplodesli

[quotec129342a1d="theysayjump"][quotec129342a1d="h3x"]If only they made Biodiesel hybird cars, legalised industrial hemp in the US, and set aside some funding for biodiesel fuel; we would be all set.

For more information on hemp, why not watch the 1942 film created by the United States Department of Agriculture?

"Hemp For Victory"

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne9UF-pFhJY

It is worth noting that I have been slowly transitioning towards "being green".

So far, I have recently been purchasing pure hemp clothing (socks, boxers, pants, shirts, coats, etc.) and donating any of my non-hemp products to the salvation army (hemp is a stronger, more durable fiber than cotton and is in fact the strongest fiber in the plant kingdom). For my daily cup of coffee I take with me to work, I have been using a special blend of hemp coffee brewed in my coffee machine using a reusable hemp coffee filter (which saves trees).

I have been using 100% biodegradable hemp soap for washing my hands and washing my laundry using cold water, and there are several other things I do to stay [bc129342a1d]green[/colorc129342a1d][/bc129342a1d].[/quotec129342a1d]

That's cool, man.

Where do you get your hemp clothing from?[/quotec129342a1d]

There is one online store that I have been shopping at recently. It's not cheap, but all of their products are Certified Organic European Hemp and every article of clothing made is Fair Wage/Fair Labor. So you have the peace of mind in knowing that your new hemp shoes weren't made by some poor 12 year old Chinese boy in a sweatshop (in fact, none of the products are made in China to begin with. All products are made in the US, Canada and Europe).

http//www.rawganique.com

If you're interested in other hemp stores, I can give you the links to those as well.

(The problem with cotton is the chemicals needed. From what I understand, it takes a 1/4 pound of chemicals just to make 1 cotton t-shirt. Hemp requires absolutely no chemicals or pesticides whatsoever. The plant is very gentle on the soil and it deposits trace nutrients back into the soil for the next harvest).

TSJ, but with that Avatar...you are making people hope you DON'T post in their thread. lilolli

I'm so glad to see so many people doing their best to make less of an impact on the world. If we don't take care of this place, it won't be here to take care of us or our children. I mean, the way we are going and if we don't change our ways. I give it another 500-1000 years, and every resource will be poisoned if we keep it up.

[quote4473767416="ESMcCready"]If we don't take care of this place, it won't be here to take care of us or our children. I mean, the way we are going and if we don't change our ways. I give it another 500-1000 years, and every resource will be poisoned if we keep it up.[/quote4473767416]


you give it that long???

i give it till 2012

[quote48f0ab99cf="h3x"][quote48f0ab99cf="theysayjump"][quote48f0ab99cf="h3x"]If only they made Biodiesel hybird cars, legalised industrial hemp in the US, and set aside some funding for biodiesel fuel; we would be all set.

For more information on hemp, why not watch the 1942 film created by the United States Department of Agriculture?

"Hemp For Victory"

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne9UF-pFhJY

It is worth noting that I have been slowly transitioning towards "being green".

So far, I have recently been purchasing pure hemp clothing (socks, boxers, pants, shirts, coats, etc.) and donating any of my non-hemp products to the salvation army (hemp is a stronger, more durable fiber than cotton and is in fact the strongest fiber in the plant kingdom). For my daily cup of coffee I take with me to work, I have been using a special blend of hemp coffee brewed in my coffee machine using a reusable hemp coffee filter (which saves trees).

I have been using 100% biodegradable hemp soap for washing my hands and washing my laundry using cold water, and there are several other things I do to stay [b48f0ab99cf]green[/color48f0ab99cf][/b48f0ab99cf].[/quote48f0ab99cf]

That's cool, man.

Where do you get your hemp clothing from?[/quote48f0ab99cf]

There is one online store that I have been shopping at recently. It's not cheap, but all of their products are Certified Organic European Hemp and every article of clothing made is Fair Wage/Fair Labor. So you have the peace of mind in knowing that your new hemp shoes weren't made by some poor 12 year old Chinese boy in a sweatshop (in fact, none of the products are made in China to begin with. All products are made in the US, Canada and Europe).

http//www.rawganique.com

If you're interested in other hemp stores, I can give you the links to those as well.

(The problem with cotton is the chemicals needed. From what I understand, it takes a 1/4 pound of chemicals just to make 1 cotton t-shirt. Hemp requires absolutely no chemicals or pesticides whatsoever. The plant is very gentle on the soil and it deposits trace nutrients back into the soil for the next harvest).[/quote48f0ab99cf]

Those are expensive, at least for me. I rarely go through clothes or have the need to buy new ones, so maybe when I need some new clothes I could invest in some these.

What other hemp stores do you have?

http//www.fairhemp.com/
http//www.hemp.com
http//www.globalhempstore.com

The Sativa Store (http//www.thesativastore.com) sells some interesting things.

If you have a Zune or iPod, some gal set up a shop with all sorts of strange cases for your devices and she sells pure hemp cases for those (inclduing one for the iPhone).

http//www.cute-cases.com/organic-hemp.html

There are hundreds (if not thousands) of shops all over the world, a simple google search for a particular hemp item should yield plenty of useful results.

Though if you are having a hard time finding a certain item you want, then let me know (I know some people that can find it).

I can honestly say that I don't believe in global warming, and I believe you should read Michael Crighton's [iccb2a5ada1]State of Fear[/iccb2a5ada1]

A vegan who drives a Hummer is better for the environment than a meat eater who rides a bicycle....

[quote29ea0c1186="mnx12"]A vegan who drives a Hummer is better for the environment than a meat eater who rides a bicycle....[/quote29ea0c1186]

That doesn't make any sense.

Meat eaters are saving the animals from having to endure pollution.

TravMan162, yeah man... 2012, mayan doomsday. looks like we're screwed lol.

but anyway... I don't really do too much to help the environment. I guess I do more than the average person though. We recycle in my household, and I try to carpool as much as possible... thats mostly just due to the cost though. but still, when you think about it... its helping the environment too. instead of 4 cars driving somewhere, my friends and I usually just carpool into one car.

and EatChex89, I too am not fully convinced. I think that the earth is getting warmer... but to blame humans for the rise in temperature is absurd.

Those hemp clothes are actually really cool. I like the Fair hemp and may get the wifey some bags for shopping on there. thanks for the links.

Its taking use 100s of years to get the Earth to the state it is now. I don't think we can cave it in another 4 years.

The first thing to go would be clean water I think...then I say gas...

With the global warming thing, I don't believe humans are the only cause of the warming but I do believe we are a part of it and pretty much the stone that dropped into the lake to cause the ripples.

I think I saw on the Discovery channel that the ice caps have melted more in the last 5 years then it has in the last 50. liponders itli

On second thought...maybe we won't make it to the year 2012...

Also, another tip for recycling. I take all my decompose-able trash (banana peels, orange peels, egg shells, spoiled meat, etc.) out into the forest behind my apartments and spread them around the bottoms of the trees. This way less trash that goes to the dump, and it makes for nutrients for the trees, and food for some local animals.

[quoteaf980c3066="Gman14"]TravMan162, yeah man... 2012, mayan doomsday. looks like we're screwed lol.

but anyway... I don't really do too much to help the environment. I guess I do more than the average person though. We recycle in my household, and I try to carpool as much as possible... thats mostly just due to the cost though. but still, when you think about it... its helping the environment too. instead of 4 cars driving somewhere, my friends and I usually just carpool into one car.

and EatChex89, I too am not fully convinced. I think that the earth is getting warmer... but to blame humans for the rise in temperature is absurd.[/quoteaf980c3066]

yes, we have only been documenting for the past 100 years or so.

I only believe the earth has been around for 20,000 years or so, but for those who believe it's been around for billions, how do they know that it hasn't gone thru this same cycle before? Survival of the fittest, right?

lmao are you serious chex? The earth is not 20,000 years old and it's not a matter of "believing" how old it is. lol

Sorry, I'm not trying to sound condescending or anything but it's been known for a long time that the earth is about 4 and a half billion years old. This is from testing moon rocks, meteorites, and etc. through radiometric dating. Through correctly using the scientific method and piecing together evidence we can tell that the solar system (including earth - not the universe though; the universe is much older) was formed around that long ago.

edit ---

And no, natural selection does not have anything to do with geologic formations of the earth or its weather cycles. But yes, we haven't really been documenting the weather for that long so yeah it could be natural.

[quote0639d10c18="roberto"]Those hemp clothes are actually really cool. I like the Fair hemp and may get the wifey some bags for shopping on there. thanks for the links.[/quote0639d10c18]

I really like these heavy duty hemp grocery bags (a bit pricey but it pays itself off and is a great way of "going green")

http//www.reusablebags.com/store/images/products/HEM-04-NT-KIT.jpg[" alt=""/img0639d10c18]

http//www.reusablebags.com/store/heavy-duty-hemp-grocery-p-82.html

In America alone, we use over 100 billion plastic bags each year. It takes 12 million barrels of oil to produce that many bags (that is just for America), so you can see the effect it has on the environment.

There are a ton of uses for these hemp grocery bags. I plan to buy the set of 4 bags sometime soon and keep them in the trunk of my car for whenever I go to the store and use them around the house (laundry, yardwork, and so on).

[quote2a92f38391="EatChex89"]
yes, we have only been documenting for the past 100 years or so.

I only believe the earth has been around for 20,000 years or so, but for those who believe it's been around for billions, how do they know that it hasn't gone thru this same cycle before? Survival of the fittest, right?[/quote2a92f38391]

Yea Chex, its not a matter of "believing" the Earth has been around that long. NOW, human life can only be DOCUMENTED about 20,000 years ago but not how long the Earth has been around.

And you are right, when human life really started to flourish, we were coming out of an ice age. And I do believe some of the warming that is happening IS because of nature but I'm not about to say that we aren't the cause of some of it.

Did you know all that pollution we have put up in the air helps insolate the atmosphere? Meaning all that smoke, smog, and everything else we put into the air, is actually keeping all the heat in from the sun to body heat.

I mean, it is because of us, human beings, that the clean water supply is depleting faster and faster. You might be thinking there saying, "Well we can always make clean water..." but thats not the case.

I think only 20% of all the water on the Earth can be converted over into drinking water. Back in the 1500s, if we had water filteration back then, 87% of all the water on Earth could have been converted into drinking water.

I, myself, can actually vouch for seeing how populated our water has become. I grew up in a small town called Crisfield, which sat on the very opening of the Chesapeake Bay. I remember I use to go out to the docks and could see the bottom of the Bay. It was shallow water, about 15-20 yards to the bottom but I could see oysters and crabs and jellyfish swimming around there. That was when I was 7...by the time I turned 18. I couldn't see the bottom anymore. In fact, I couldn't even see 5 yards down anymore.

My Great Grandma use to tell me back when she was a little girl, even out in deep water, you could see down to the bottom. She was talking when she was about 15. She said she remembered going out to Smith Island when she was 40 and she could no longer see the bottom out in deep water. My Great Grandma was 76 when she died so do the math.

All in all, its very naive to say we AREN'T the cause of the Earth decomposing around us. No, there is too many other factors that could be causing the rise but we ARE the stone thrown into the pond which caused the ripples.

[quote69bb78b43f="EatChex89"][quote69bb78b43f="mnx12"]A vegan who drives a Hummer is better for the environment than a meat eater who rides a bicycle....[/quote69bb78b43f]

That doesn't make any sense.

Meat eaters are saving the animals from having to endure pollution.[/quote69bb78b43f]

Ummm, no. You couldn't be more wrong. Read this


"The use of large industrial monoculture that is common in industrialised agriculture, typically for feed crops such as corn and soy is more damaging to ecosystems than more sustainable farming practices such as organic farming, permaculture, arable, pastoral, and rain-fed agriculture.

According to a 2006 United Nations initiative, the livestock industry is one of the largest contributors to environmental degradation worldwide, and modern practices of raising animals for food contributes on a "massive scale" to air and water pollution, land degradation, climate change, and loss of biodiversity. The initiative concluded that "the livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global."

Animals fed on grain and those which rely on grazing need more water than grain crops. In tracking food animal production from the feed through to the dinner table, the inefficiencies of meat, milk and egg production range from a 41 energy input to protein output ratio up to 541. The result is that producing animal-based food is typically much less efficient than the harvesting of grains, vegetables, legumes, seeds and fruits, though this might not be largely true for animal husbandry in the developing world where factory farming is almost non existent, making animal based food much more sustainable."

[quotea0a158b8ea="mnx12"][quotea0a158b8ea="EatChex89"][quotea0a158b8ea="mnx12"]A vegan who drives a Hummer is better for the environment than a meat eater who rides a bicycle....[/quotea0a158b8ea]

That doesn't make any sense.

Meat eaters are saving the animals from having to endure pollution.[/quotea0a158b8ea]

Ummm, no. You couldn't be more wrong. Read this


"The use of large industrial monoculture that is common in industrialised agriculture, typically for feed crops such as corn and soy is more damaging to ecosystems than more sustainable farming practices such as organic farming, permaculture, arable, pastoral, and rain-fed agriculture.

According to a 2006 United Nations initiative, the livestock industry is one of the largest contributors to environmental degradation worldwide, and modern practices of raising animals for food contributes on a "massive scale" to air and water pollution, land degradation, climate change, and loss of biodiversity. The initiative concluded that "the livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global."

Animals fed on grain and those which rely on grazing need more water than grain crops. In tracking food animal production from the feed through to the dinner table, the inefficiencies of meat, milk and egg production range from a 41 energy input to protein output ratio up to 541. The result is that producing animal-based food is typically much less efficient than the harvesting of grains, vegetables, legumes, seeds and fruits, though this might not be largely true for animal husbandry in the developing world where factory farming is almost non existent, making animal based food much more sustainable."[/quotea0a158b8ea]

You're forgetting the factor that I absolutely love a thick, juicy steak.

a schwinn and a cheeseburger please.

-dan



[quote55bcdf4ad4="mnx12"]A vegan who drives a Hummer is better for the environment than a meat eater who rides a bicycle....[/quote55bcdf4ad4]

http//www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/images/bigpot6.jpg[" alt=""/img084dce7913]

[quote1fed442979="mnx12"][quote1fed442979="EatChex89"][quote1fed442979="mnx12"]A vegan who drives a Hummer is better for the environment than a meat eater who rides a bicycle....[/quote1fed442979]

That doesn't make any sense.

Meat eaters are saving the animals from having to endure pollution.[/quote1fed442979]

Ummm, no. You couldn't be more wrong. Read this


"The use of large industrial monoculture that is common in industrialised agriculture, typically for feed crops such as corn and soy is more damaging to ecosystems than more sustainable farming practices such as organic farming, permaculture, arable, pastoral, and rain-fed agriculture.

According to a 2006 United Nations initiative, the livestock industry is one of the largest contributors to environmental degradation worldwide, and modern practices of raising animals for food contributes on a "massive scale" to air and water pollution, land degradation, climate change, and loss of biodiversity. The initiative concluded that "the livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global."

Animals fed on grain and those which rely on grazing need more water than grain crops. In tracking food animal production from the feed through to the dinner table, the inefficiencies of meat, milk and egg production range from a 41 energy input to protein output ratio up to 541. The result is that producing animal-based food is typically much less efficient than the harvesting of grains, vegetables, legumes, seeds and fruits, though this might not be largely true for animal husbandry in the developing world where factory farming is almost non existent, making animal based food much more sustainable."[/quote1fed442979]

He was joking. lol

But uh... yeah sorry I can't give up meat. shrug

Animals exist for our consumption. Natural selection bro.

i only eat things that once had a face

[quotea92000b309="tylerc"]Animals exist for our consumption. Natural selection bro.[/quotea92000b309]

survival of the fittest.

also animals exist for other animals consumption. It's our nature to eat meat. I do respect the moral convictions of vegetarians; just don't force it on me too with statistics.

[quotea92000b309="ESMcCready"][quotea92000b309="EatChex89"]
yes, we have only been documenting for the past 100 years or so.

I only believe the earth has been around for 20,000 years or so, but for those who believe it's been around for billions, how do they know that it hasn't gone thru this same cycle before? Survival of the fittest, right?[/quotea92000b309]

Yea Chex, its not a matter of "believing" the Earth has been around that long. NOW, human life can only be DOCUMENTED about 20,000 years ago but not how long the Earth has been around.
[/quotea92000b309]

No? It's not? Isn't that what you are doing? "Believing" the earth is 6 billion years old? No one can know how old the earth really is.

[quotea92000b309="ESMcCready"]
And you are right, when human life really started to flourish, we were coming out of an ice age. And I do believe some of the warming that is happening IS because of nature but I'm not about to say that we aren't the cause of some of it.
[/quotea92000b309]

[quotea92000b309="ESMcCready"]
Did you know all that pollution we have put up in the air helps insolate the atmosphere? Meaning all that smoke, smog, and everything else we put into the air, is actually keeping all the heat in from the sun to body heat.
[/quotea92000b309]

I have two things to this. First what do you mean by body heat? It sounds to me like you are saying that there are too many humans. Should we off some to protect the environment?

Also, can you quote me a reliable source that states that smog and smoke are insulating and not just spew stuff you heard from a friend?

[quotea92000b309="ESMcCready"]
I mean, it is because of us, human beings, that the clean water supply is depleting faster and faster. You might be thinking there saying, "Well we can always make clean water..." but thats not the case.

I think only 20% of all the water on the Earth can be converted over into drinking water. Back in the 1500s, if we had water filteration back then, 87% of all the water on Earth could have been converted into drinking water.

I, myself, can actually vouch for seeing how populated our water has become. I grew up in a small town called Crisfield, which sat on the very opening of the Chesapeake Bay. I remember I use to go out to the docks and could see the bottom of the Bay. It was shallow water, about 15-20 yards to the bottom but I could see oysters and crabs and jellyfish swimming around there. That was when I was 7...by the time I turned 18. I couldn't see the bottom anymore. In fact, I couldn't even see 5 yards down anymore.

My Great Grandma use to tell me back when she was a little girl, even out in deep water, you could see down to the bottom. She was talking when she was about 15. She said she remembered going out to Smith Island when she was 40 and she could no longer see the bottom out in deep water. My Great Grandma was 76 when she died so do the math.
[/quotea92000b309]

I didn't know that they were researching water filtration in the 1500s and documenting how much clean water the earth had. I thought they were still discovering new land/continents. (Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492, btw).

Once again, where are the sources for your information?

Every science book I read gave detailed information on the recycling of water. I mean, rain doesn't just come from the sky. It comes from the ground first. Oh, and, even if they don't have plants that can filter the water right now, guess what. The future is there and I'm sure they'll come up with something.

[quotea92000b309="ESMcCready"]
All in all, its very naive to say we AREN'T the cause of the Earth decomposing around us. No, there is too many other factors that could be causing the rise but we ARE the stone thrown into the pond which caused the ripples.[/quotea92000b309]

No it's not naive to say that at all. There is very little proof of global warming. There is quite a lot of information on the contrary (research). Global warming is a big hype that is being spread by environmentalists; a scare, if you will.

Does that mean we should just let the world go to shit? Absolutely not. Going green is excellent and I too practice in bag saving and water saving and shit. It's always good to conserve no matter what you are doing; or what you are doing it for.

Thank you.

Myself, I haven't looked into this much, but why can't it just be a phase of the earth? We realise that there was an Ice Age right? Sure the ice now a days is melting faster than it did back then and I'm sure all the emissions and stuff doesn't help, but I don't know if it is 100% resposible. Cavemen had there time, dinosaurs had there time, the ice had it's time, humans won't be around forever. I'm not saying it's going to end soon, but the earth keeps changing.

We were talking about ways to go green, and all I was saying is that vegetarianism is a great way. I wasn't at all trying to "convert" you...

I didn't make this thread so it could turn into some lame fight, I made it so people could discuss ways to go green, discuss going green, how to do it, how you do it etc.

Back on topic, eh?

Old archival footage of Henry Ford's 1941 Hemp Car.

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rgDyEO_8cI

Did you know that the United States is the [b8b2279b8a0]only[/b8b2279b8a0] industrial nation where hemp is illegal?

Want to go green? Legalising industrial hemp is a huge leap in the right direction. Then start investing in some Plug-In Biodiesel hybirds (they already have conversion kits for the Prius and they can achieve 100+ MPG). Just think of what could be achieved if they produced a Diesel version of the Prius and combine that with the Plug-In option.

[b8b2279b8a0]171 MPG Prius PHEV[/b8b2279b8a0]

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5WmcnSkUTw

chex, take your ignorance somewhere else, or I'll get out the graphs and statistics again.

I am ready for the government to issue a 'one child per family' rule.

[quote83ce77dd33="h3x"]Old archival footage of Henry Ford's 1941 Hemp Car.

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rgDyEO_8cI

Did you know that the United States is the [b83ce77dd33]only[/b83ce77dd33] industrial nation where hemp is illegal?

Want to go green? Legalising industrial hemp is a huge leap in the right direction. Then start investing in some Plug-In Biodiesel hybirds (they already have conversion kits for the Prius and they can achieve 100+ MPG). Just think of what could be achieved if they produced a Diesel version of the Prius and combine that with the Plug-In option.

[b83ce77dd33]171 MPG Prius PHEV[/b83ce77dd33]

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5WmcnSkUTw[/quote83ce77dd33]

Yeah, hemp is awesome. Why is it illegal anyways?

I don't think that hemp is illegal but rather having the plant that it comes from.

I believe Hemp comes from the Male plants and mary jane from the female plants, correct me if i'm wrong though.

Because in the eyes of the U.S. government, hemp = marijuana. As ZR has said, buying/selling/possessing hemp itself isn't illegal. It's growing it that is illegal.

Some more fun facts

[quote265acdb062]li All schoolbooks were made from hemp or flax paper until the 1880s; Hemp Paper Reconsidered, Jack Frazier, 1974.

[b265acdb062]li It was LEGAL TO PAY TAXES WITH HEMP in America from 1631 until the early 1900s; LA Times, August 12, 1981.[/b265acdb062]

[b265acdb062]li REFUSING TO GROW HEMP in America during the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries WAS AGAINST THE LAW! You could be jailed in Virginia for refusing to grow hemp from 1763 to 1769; Hemp in Colonial Virginia, G. M. Herdon.[/b265acdb062]

[b265acdb062]li George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers GREW HEMP; Washington and Jefferson Diaries. Jefferson smuggled hemp seeds from China to France then to America.

li Benjamin Franklin owned one of the first paper mills in America and it processed hemp. Also, the War of 1812 was fought over hemp. Napoleon wanted to cut off Moscow's export to England; Emperor Wears No Clothes, Jack Herer.[/b265acdb062]

li For thousands of years, 90% of all ships' sails and rope were made from hemp. The word 'canvas' is Dutch for hemp; Webster's New World Dictionary.

li 80% of all textiles, fabrics, clothes, linen, drapes, bed sheets, etc. were made from hemp until the 1820s with the introduction of the cotton gin.

[b265acdb062]li The first Bibles, maps, charts, Betsy Ross's flag, the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were made from hemp; U.S. Government Archives.[/b265acdb062]

[b265acdb062]li The first crop grown in many states was hemp. 1850 was a peak year for Kentucky producing 40,000 tons. Hemp was the largest cash crop until the 20th Century; State Archives.[/b265acdb062]

li Oldest known records of hemp farming go back 8000 years in Persia. Hemp industrialization began 5000 years ago in Central Asia and North Africa, in ancient Persia, China and Egypt.

li Rembrandts, Gainsborough's, Van Gogh's as well as most early canvas paintings were principally painted on hemp linen.

[b265acdb062]li In 1916, the U.S. Government predicted that by the 1940s all paper would come from hemp and that no more trees need to be cut down. Government studies report that 1 acre of hemp equals 4.1 acres of trees. Plans were in the works to implement such programs; Department of Agriculture.[/b265acdb062]

li Quality paints and varnishes were made from hemp seed oil until 1937. 58,000 tons of hemp seeds were used in America for paint products in 1935; Sherman Williams Paint Co. testimony before Congress against the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act.

li Henry Ford's first Model-T was built to run on hemp gasoline and the CAR ITSELF WAS CONTRUCTED FROM HEMP! On his large estate, Ford was photographed among his hemp fields. The car, 'grown from the soil,' had hemp plastic panels whose impact strength was 10 times stronger than steel; Popular Mechanics, 1941.

li Hemp called 'Billion Dollar Crop.' It was the first time a cash crop had a business potential to exceed a billion dollars; Popular Mechanics, Feb., 1938.

li Mechanical Engineering Magazine (Feb. 1938) published an article entitled 'The Most Profitable and Desirable Crop that Can be Grown.' It stated that if hemp was cultivated using 20th Century technology, it would be the single largest agricultural crop in the U.S. and the rest of the world.[/quote265acdb062]

http//www.venusproject.com/ethics_in_action/Real_Reason_Hemp_Illegal.html

yeah i was waiting for your response...lol

[quotee9ee97bc88="EatChex89"]

[quotee9ee97bc88="ESMcCready"]
I mean, it is because of us, human beings, that the clean water supply is depleting faster and faster. You might be thinking there saying, "Well we can always make clean water..." but thats not the case.

I think only 20% of all the water on the Earth can be converted over into drinking water. Back in the 1500s, [be9ee97bc88]if we had water filteration back then[/be9ee97bc88], 87% of all the water on Earth could have been converted into drinking water.

I, myself, can actually vouch for seeing how populated our water has become. I grew up in a small town called Crisfield, which sat on the very opening of the Chesapeake Bay. I remember I use to go out to the docks and could see the bottom of the Bay. It was shallow water, about 15-20 yards to the bottom but I could see oysters and crabs and jellyfish swimming around there. That was when I was 7...by the time I turned 18. I couldn't see the bottom anymore. In fact, I couldn't even see 5 yards down anymore.

My Great Grandma use to tell me back when she was a little girl, even out in deep water, you could see down to the bottom. She was talking when she was about 15. She said she remembered going out to Smith Island when she was 40 and she could no longer see the bottom out in deep water. My Great Grandma was 76 when she died so do the math.
[/quotee9ee97bc88]

I didn't know that they were researching water filtration in the 1500s and documenting how much clean water the earth had. I thought they were still discovering new land/continents. (Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492, btw).

Once again, where are the sources for your information?

Every science book I read gave detailed information on the recycling of water. I mean, rain doesn't just come from the sky. It comes from the ground first. Oh, and, even if they don't have plants that can filter the water right now, guess what. The future is there and I'm sure they'll come up with something.

[quotee9ee97bc88="ESMcCready"]
All in all, its very naive to say we AREN'T the cause of the Earth decomposing around us. No, there is too many other factors that could be causing the rise but we ARE the stone thrown into the pond which caused the ripples.[/quotee9ee97bc88]

No it's not naive to say that at all. There is very little proof of global warming. There is quite a lot of information on the contrary (research). Global warming is a big hype that is being spread by environmentalists; a scare, if you will.

Does that mean we should just let the world go to shit? Absolutely not. Going green is excellent and I too practice in bag saving and water saving and shit. It's always good to conserve no matter what you are doing; or what you are doing it for.

Thank you.[/quotee9ee97bc88]

You know EatChex...next time you quote me. Actually read what I wrote. I didn't SAY we had water filteration back tyhen, I was saying IF we had water filteration back then THAT would be the percentage of water that COULD be converted over.

Our water is filtered to drinking level through man-made plants placed all around the world. The water you drink from your faucet, unless you have a well, comes from a plant where they add chemicals to get rid of the bad stuff and ion-dize it some before it gets pumped out over the city grid.

Regular filteration CAN get rid of the toxins in the other 80% of the water supply...but it would take 10 years of filtering it over and over and over again before it would reach drinking level. But the time one batch of water is clean, we would have already populated 5x times that amount of water.

And about 7% of the water we dump right back down the drain can't be refiltered.

And what if they don't figure out a way to filter the water...and the other 20% goes done to 0. What will we do then?

Also, I haven't seen you state any resources either so is all your information made up to?

But I'm not here to agrue with you Chex. I posted in this thread to give ideas about how to go green. Not to debate with someone who doesn't fully understand how much we, as human beings, affect this earth.

Anywho...

I remembered another great way to go green. If you have a swimming pool, its an good idea to look into having sea salt treated water instead of chemical water. Not only is it better for your skin and bathing suit, but all those chemicals you would have to dump down the drain won't do any harm to the enviroment. Plus, the sea salt is enough to prevent germs and such from growing in your pool. That is, if you have a filteration system on your pool. One that mostly work like a fish tank filter would.

I also know a man who sells pool heaters that keep your pool at decent feel while at the same time cooling down your house without installing any solar panels.

His name is James! His MySpace profile is http//www.myspace.com/337887432[]http//www.myspace.com/337887432

An average sized, 3-feet deep pool has enough chemicals in it to destory 1 acre worth of 25 year old trees of medium height OR 3 acres worth of corn OR kill a lake worth of small fish.

Salt pools are way better. More expensive upfront, but down the road saves you a ton.

[quoteed65d2d6cb="TryinToGetPaid"]I am ready for the government to issue a 'one child per family' rule.[/quoteed65d2d6cb]

i would definitely vote for some sort of regulation. I mean, something, whether it be a two kid maximum, a necessary license, something like that, you know?

It sounds crazy, I admit, but I don't know, I guess I don't have a good solid reason for why I feel that way and I'm sure it's going to go over like a fart in church, but agree to disagree, right?

Cool topic! I put bamboo floors throughout my entire house, have all EnergyStar appliances, recycle, use my own shopping bags, and a bunch of other "little stuff" (like the lightbulbs and turning off water while brushing teeth). It's at the point now where most of it is done without even thinking so it's no effort at all. Really hope it all makes a difference somehow...

well i think it's crazy how ''going green'' has become a trend, it is now ''cool'' to be green and thus not flush the toilet P

seriously, that is the only thing i really disagree with...and paying the earth for ''green'' clothes that have been ''sustainably'' produced...companies should do that without making you pay more.

but yeah, everyone is making money out of the ''green'' trend and it is not such a bad thing, except maybe because it tends to take away from the seriousness of the issue by making it an actual trend, thus people might do it because it's cool and not bc they care about the earth.

[quote114acca1ed="TravMan162"][quote114acca1ed="TryinToGetPaid"]I am ready for the government to issue a 'one child per family' rule.[/quote114acca1ed]

i would definitely vote for some sort of regulation. I mean, something, whether it be a two kid maximum, a necessary license, something like that, you know?

It sounds crazy, I admit, but I don't know, I guess I don't have a good solid reason for why I feel that way and I'm sure it's going to go over like a fart in church, but agree to disagree, right?[/quote114acca1ed]

i'm thinking this as a joke by ttgp... but anyways, how would it be enforced? I remember a book when I was in something like 5th grade where some area was restricted to 2 kids, and any past that were killed or something, and there were 2 families in the same area hiding an extra without knowing about it... it was a crazy book, i don't remember much about it...

I wouldn't say there should be a regulation of how many kids you should have but maybe the government shouldn't provide assistance to people that have over a certain amount.

Example I mean, if you have 4 kids and you haven't been able to take care of them by yourself past 2, once the 5th kid comes, you should be cut off of government assistance once the child is 6 months.

I also think that maybe there should be a government program that is un-bias about giving out birth control.

I was 19 going to the health department for birth control. I checked out for everything except high blood pressure, which is genetic for me and I take medication for it. The doctor refused to give me ANY birth control just because of it. Then the program charged me $300 for something I didn't even get saying I made too much money.

I was working at a grocery store as a cashier making $6 an hour. How is someone suppose to be able to afford $300 birth control pills making $6 an hour?

Anywho...if birth control was more easy to access, population rates would be better and less babies having babies. I mean, most health/medical insurance plans DON'T cover birth control testing and birth control. You would have to pay an extra $60-$100 a month just to get it since birth control is consider in the "maternity" section, which I think is bullshit!

Anywho, I plan on having a big family, if I can afford to have one, which I hope I can.

It is enforced in other countries who do the same thing. And no it is not a joke. It would cut down on the poor community who have 15 kids to get more money from the government and all 15 of those kids end up in jail for some heinous crime.

If you have 1 kid, and have another that child is given to a family who can not have kids and you are fined for it. Not only will teen pregnancy drop, but the morning after pill will start being used more, since the Catholics finally realized it does not kill anything it simply keeps the egg from dropping.