In This Thread...We pick apart a 'green' textfile

[Trousersnake]

http://www.totse.com/en/politics/green_planet/101.html

It's a small read with it consisting of short, concise points.

[Trousersnake]

Part One

IN YOUR HOME

Recycle everything you can; newspaper, cans, glass, aluminum foil and pans,
motor oil, scrap metal, etc. In the Portland area, many recyclables get
picked up at your curb.

Investigate local recycling centers that take items your garbage hauler
doesn't (scrap paper, plastics, appliances).

Save your kitchen scraps for the compost pile.

Avoid the use of household pesticides. Fly swatters work very well.

Clean your windows with vinegar and water instead of chemical products.

Use cold water in the washer unless it's necessary to use warm or hot.

Use washable rags, not paper towels, for cleaning spills and other household
chores.
Crumpled newspaper are great for washing windows.

Use cloth diapers. The plastic in disposable diapers doesn't break down in
landfills.

Use cloth, not paper napkins.

Don't put hazardous substances down your drain or in your trash (paint thinner
furniture polish, etc). Dispose of them on designated hazardous-waste
collection days.

Don't use electrical appliances for things you can easily do by hand.

Reuse brown paper bags to line your trash can instead of plastic liners.
Reuse bread bags, butter tubs, etc.

Use reusable containers to store foods - not plastic wraps and foil.

Write to companies that send unwanted junk mail...ask them to take you off
their list.

Save your coat hangers and return them to the cleaners.

Take unwanted, reusable items to a charitable organization or thrift shop.

Don't leave water running needlessly.

Install a water-saving shower head.

Set your water heater at 130 degrees.

Have your water heater insulated free of charge by your utility company.

Turn the heat down and wear a sweater.

Lower your house temperature by one degree per hour every hour you'll be
away or asleep.

Turn the lights off when you're out of the room. Ditto with the TV.

Get a free energy audit from your utility company.

Burn only seasoned wood in your wood stove or fireplace.


#1

The 'kitchen scraps' for the compost heap should clarify exactly what can't be included like meat, cooked foods also tends to attract rodents

#2

Fly swatters involve you squashing dirty fly insects, not the best image in the eyes of peoples health. Instead I'd promote the use of sticky paper that flies and insects get stuck to...and taking appropraite measures to exclude the bastards in the first place. Don't leave your doors wide open and make sure you have fly screens on things like your doors and windows - If it gets damaged replace it.

#3

The rag for cleaning spills is another iffy one, you are potentially spreading bacteria around the place if you don't clean the cloth after every use. Perhaps use paper towel (recycled) and put in the compost heap afterwards depending on what you wiped down.



The other points are pretty well right at first glance.

I think it's important to take note of

-The recycling parts

-Turning off the switches to lights and things like the television (and Computer) when you aren't using them.

-The part about installing a water saving showerhead (and now-days toilet flush. You can also buy small folding buckets that you ahave at your feet in the shower that collect the water and you can put on your garden

-Not using electrical appliances when you can do something by hand - My favourite is the can opener and electric whisk. You have to buy these items and then continue to pour electricity into them and if/when they stop working you're buying another at whatever price.

I'll end this part with saying I really liked the idea of using a bread bag to put rubbish in...I get bread all the time, I may as well use the bag thoughtfully. To be honest I never considered it...just passed my mind all this time somehow.

[Prometheus]

Not all places are good locations for compost piles. Apartments and mobile home parks are notoriously short on space.

Yeah, flyswatters. That works well on an angry nest of hornets.

Ok, I'll grant that vinegar and newspaper does wonders on windows, and is cheap too.

Paper towels have their place. Like picking up stuff so nasty you'd never want to see your rag again.

Cloth diapers? Really? Whoever said that has obviously never used cloth diapers.

Paper bags are fine for lining a bedroom trash or whatever, but are too small for real garbage.

Have you ever used a water saving showerhead? You never feel clean without proper pressure.

Hehehe, yeah, my Con-Ed is really going to insulate my water heater for free. That's funny.

Ditto for the energy audit.

What the hell does seasoned wood have to do with anything? Don't burn pine like a fool though.

Natural insect controls. Good in theory, next to useless in practice.

Beer traps are awesome, especially when the wildlife gets drunk. Sloshed squirrels are hilarious.

The problem with traveling with reusable cups and whatnot is that you have to find somewhere to wash them.

Smaller campfires MY ASS! I'll make them as big and awesome as I can get away with. That wood would have just laid on the ground rotting anyway.

Public transit? The bus is slow and usually smells funny. Not practical unless you've got time to kill.

You hide the throw away cups, people demanding coffee cups will throw away your hide.

Stairs. Ok. Climb 17 flights of stairs and then try telling me that's a good idea. Even if you can do it, you can't do it without getting sweaty, and that's no good at work.

I've nothing against buying non-toxic items, as long as they get the job done. I'll go as toxic as I need to get that stain out.

The problem with bulk buying is that many people don't have the storage space.


In general, most of these are good ideas, as long as you don't get fanatic about it.

[Trousersnake]

Cloth diapers? Really? Whoever said that has obviously never used cloth diapers.


What the hell does seasoned wood have to do with anything? Don't burn pine like a fool though.


Public transit? The bus is slow and usually smells funny. Not practical unless you've got time to kill.



When/if I even have kids I'm going for cloth diapers. I can't stand disposable ones, you're buying them all the time, they fill up peoples rubbish bins, etc. I hate all the lazy bitch mothers that change their babies in car parks and dump the diaper and drive off (in case you didn't know, it happens).


Seasoned work burns properly, mentioning it was in keeping with resource saving. Smokey chimneys are the result of a fire not burning hot and the smoke is the un-utilized potential energy escaping. When it happens the carbon will start clogging up the chimney...it becomes a fire hazard, and it'll need cleaning.

I love public transit 90% of the time - It's cheaper because you aren't filling a car up with gas, and maintaining a car, it can take you to places you'd probably otherwise get lost in if you drove, no parking fees and fines, a lot of places have designated 'bus' lanes so even with the stops it gets you where you're going faster and the driving is done for you....But yeah I'm sure we all know of some of this options downfalls.

[Eagle Bay]

Cleaning your windows with newspaper does not fucking clean them, it leaves ink on the glass. Don't do that shit. Use a rag or something.

[Prometheus]

When/if I even have kids I'm going for cloth diapers. I can't stand disposable ones, you're buying them all the time, they fill up peoples rubbish bins, etc. I hate all the lazy bitch mothers that change their babies in car parks and dump the diaper and drive off (in case you didn't know, it happens).


Seasoned work burns properly, mentioning it was in keeping with resource saving. Smokey chimneys are the result of a fire not burning hot and the smoke is the un-utilized potential energy escaping. When it happens the carbon will start clogging up the chimney...it becomes a fire hazard, and it'll need cleaning.

I love public transit 90% of the time - It's cheaper because you aren't filling a car up with gas, and maintaining a car, it can take you to places you'd probably otherwise get lost in if you drove, no parking fees and fines, a lot of places have designated 'bus' lanes so even with the stops it gets you where you're going faster and the driving is done for you....But yeah I'm sure we all know of some of this options downfalls.

Yeah, I've seen the diaper ditch thing done before too. Ugh.

Ok, I'll grant you the whole smoky wood point. However, I did say not to burn pine. That is the main reason why chimneys catch on fire, because of the creosote buildup.

I do ride the bus, because I generally do have time to kill. However, today I took the bus to my sister's place for the first time, for my niece's birthday. Normally would have gone with my brother, but he was working. Here's my major point about bus transit:

I had to wait at a bus stop for 40 minutes for a transfer.
In 20 degree (F) weather.
In a shady area of Pontiac. (People in Michigan know exactly where I mean, since Clutch Cargos was across the street.)
Directly in front of a homeless shelter.

Then, I suppose I could have killed those 40 minutes at one of the strip clubs, pawn shops, or crack dens conveniently available.

[deus-redux]

I love public transit 90% of the time - It's cheaper because you aren't filling a car up with gas, and maintaining a car, it can take you to places you'd probably otherwise get lost in if you drove, no parking fees and fines, a lot of places have designated 'bus' lanes so even with the stops it gets you where you're going faster and the driving is done for you....But yeah I'm sure we all know of some of this options downfalls.

Your public transport must be better than ours.

It cost me £70 to get to London by train last weekend. I could have driven there for £20, and not had to put up with delays and annoying kids.

I'm all for public transport, but our government needs to pull its fucking finger out if it expects people to use it, never mind pay for it.

-deus-