The Green Thread.

[W3H5]

Before a rant comes along about global warming being myth and that this thread should be else where or that consumerism is powering the destruction of the Earth.........Stop. Read. Think. I'm not saying anything like that.

I'm not opening up debate on the issue here (it's be in the opinion section if I was), hopefully not anyway. I simply wish to point out that being "green" as it's so called has many benefits to our finances and is just generally a matter of common sense.

I'm a bit of a tree hugger but am on no quest to save the Earth alone, hell, I consume more than I need and am quite wasteful. This is why I wish to stop, because I know the money and time I'm wasting just by being environmentally unfriendly!

Once more for the record; I'm not crusading to ban Jeeps, won't convince you vegan is a better life choice and certainly won't blame anyone for being wasteful. What I can do is address the waste issue.

How do you save waste, money and time? How can you save these things?

I'm looking for ways myself to improve my quality of life by consuming less and being more thoughtful of my surrounding.

How do I start?

Well, I recycle and get money back from it, I cycle to work often saving £££ on fairs, I've had the same pair of Levi's for 13 years!

My main problem is consumption. I spend money on shopping bags every time I go to the super market. I spend loads on fast food take always costing lots and making loads of unnecessary waste. I spend money I needn't on taxis just because I woke up late for work. All of these things can be addressed with a little effort on my part and can save me money and energy.

So how about you? Do you consume tons or are you relatively "green"? What can you do to improve or how can you help others. Any ideas about cutting cost and energy? After all, I'm only environmentally conscious if it pays to be. I'm sure there are many more in the same boat.


So here's the question. - "Green", it's just common sense, right?

 

[TankAss95]

I'm quite green I suppose, but being green isn't really a priority of my life to be quite honest.
I recycle and only really buy stuff I need (or strongly want).
I suppose I should be more careful about energy use. I use a lot of electricity, I shouldn't leave lights on, etc.

 

[Dravonic]

OH MY GOD!!! MY EYES!!!

Ahem... anyway, I never really think of being green, but I do have a 'greenish' lifestyle. Mostly due to how I don't like wasting money, so I rarely buy things I don't really need.

 

[W3H5]

Sorry about the lairy colour!

The main reason I bring this matter up is that I really try to be as economical as I can but I really struggle to keep it at the forefront of my mind.

Apart from trying to be "green" I don't actually do a lot of doing. This is why I was wondering if anyone else manages to do it even in the slightest way.

 

[Recon]

Well, I guess I could be greener. We do spend a lot of money on food that gets eaten in a few days after it was bought. The car: A 2009 Hyundai Tuscon, not very good fuel economy. Probably the only thing we're efficient about is using those twisty light bulbs, and feeding our dog the leftovers, as well as her kibble

 

[Dennisch]

I came into the thread thinking of an other green thingy.

But on the topic, I used to be green. Turning of lights, electronics etc. I don't use. But then I visited a friend who lives in a HUGE house (he rents a floor there). And that house has a warmed swimmingpool, at a constant 30 degrees celsius. The whole year round. And the pool is used 2, maybe 3 times a year by the grandchildren of the landlord.

So, the electricity I save is being wasted 10 times over by a single swimmingpool. 👎

 

[W3H5]

So, the electricity I save is being wasted 10 times over by a single swimmingpool. 👎

That is kind of the way I see things but I really wish I could see a way to improve without comparing myself to others.

The thread title is a bit misleading.

 

[TankAss95]

So, the electricity I save is being wasted 10 times over by a single swimmingpool. 👎

Sad, but pretty funny .
I remember seeing a pink hummer limo passing a nissan leaf once, it was hilarious while being quite devastating. (BTW you do actually get those cars in the UK. The pink hummer limo is hired and the Nissan leaf is rare, but I've seen a few around.)

 

[Liquid]

I turn lights off, turn switches off, turn taps off, recycle bottles, reuse bags and walk whenever I can.

I am also a meat eater, a great consumer of non-renewable energy and non-recycleable material.

It's common sense to me. It's not a case of tree hugging, it's knowing that things won't last forever and being sensible enough to conserve what you can when we can. I'm part of the generation that will live through the eradication of oil, so the next 50 years will be interesting.

 

[Dennisch]

And the biggest poluting countries on the planet aren't very font of the Kyoto agreement.
It's all pointless.

But then again, I do have energy saving lightbulbs in my house, not a single classic bulb.
My garbage is split into plastics, green stuff, paper and the rest. And I always shower less then 10 minutes a day.

But still, pointless.

 

[TankAss95]

But still, pointless.

It kinda reminds me of a sinking rowing boat filling up with water. The tree-hugger tries his best to get rid of the water filling up the boat with his hands, but it's pointless.

I'm not trying to cause arguments but I'm honestly not sure about global warming (at least I'm not sure if humans are actually causing it). I think that nature is important, like I think that wildlife along with forests should be protected, so you could call me a tree higher in that aspect.

 

[Dennisch]

I think they should shoot anyone who cuts down a tree in the rainforest. But on the other hand, there isn't a single patch of land in the Netherlands that isn't touched by mankind. So who am I to say that developing countries can't expand their industry.

Still pointless!

 

[noisiaturismo]

Gadhaffi also was very green.

Anyway, some people go to far with saving energy. Don't go to far. Enough is enough.

 

[Liquid]

Plenty of tribes engage in logging too, don't forget.

Global warming/cooling happens in cycles according to solar flare activity theory. (The great european freezes during the 17th-18th centuries?). Whether it's a natural process that will sort itself out or not, it's undeniable that we are speeding the process along in some way.

 

[Max Powers]

I triple plastic bag my groceries, then use a paper bag, then another plastic bag on the outside...safety first, ya know.

ordinary muslim man agrees with you guys though

 

[Frostyboys]

I counter this green with orange

 

[Pagey279]

Im not very green if im honest, i have a bit of a lead foot when driving, not good for fuel. Stanby lights stay on, we have halogen bulbs in a few lights, not good for energy. However we do recycle.
The way i look at is it: how can i make a difference? I can make a difference to my wallet but tbh money isnt really an issue. Can i make a difference to the environment? No
If everyone lived green lifestyles, using as little energy as possible then yes. But at the end of the day cities use so much energy pointlessly lighting up shop fronts at 3am, huge billboards with thousands of bulbs...las vegas springs to mind. All that kind of makes our efforts useless does it not?

 

[Adamgp]

I'm not a greenie-weenie by any means. I do like to save money, but living comfortably comes first to "saving the planet".

At the same time, I am also not about to condemn the human race for causing climate change.

 

[homeforsummer]

Anyway, some people go to far with saving energy. Don't go to far. Enough is enough.

I'd be interested to see how you define "too far". Surely if someone still has a happy life and doesn't impact on anyone else's, then there's no such thing as going "too far"?

I'd consider myself reasonably green, at least as an individual. I recycle pretty much everything (live in an area that collects most waste separately, save for general household rubbish/food waste), turn lights and computers off when I'm not using them (and since I use a laptop, at least 50% of my computer time is battery power rather than mains).

I drive a reasonably economical car reasonably economically (and don't drive that often either), and I don't buy more than I need. Also tend to use re-usable bags for shopping. And any journey under a few miles I'll walk, since I quite like being healthy too.

When I'm living alone it tends to be in an apartment which is less energy- (and space-) intensive than a house, and I tend not to use the heating system, since it's easier (and cheaper) to just stick another sweater on.

I'm certainly not perfect. Simply by owning a laptop, car, and all the other perks of modern life I'm not being as green as I could be, and although I'm not about to start living in a muddy hole in the ground, I'm happy to do my bit here and there. If they didn't cost so damn much I'd even consider an electric car, at least as a day-to-day thing. Would still need something fun in the garage for weekends.

I've never quite understood the "I can't make a difference" attitude, and it's a failing of human nature. Yes, the human race uses a lot of energy, most of it unavoidably, but the only reason we don't make a difference is because millions of people collectively think "I can't make a difference". If each and every one of those people did do something rather than cop out, you'd probably be surprised. Let's be honest, most of the stuff above - recycling, turning off lights, using re-usable bags etc - is ridiculously easy to do and hardly impacts negatively on your life. Not doing so is essentially just laziness.

 

[Adamgp]

I'd be interested to see how you define "too far". Surely if someone still has a happy life and doesn't impact on anyone else's, then there's no such thing as going "too far"?

It would probably be someone like Sheryl Crow, who wants everyone to use one square of toilet paper per visit to the can.

 

[Pagey279]

If each and every one of those people did do something rather than cop out, you'd probably be surprised.

In reality is every one of them going to? Especially when turning things off at the plug it takes a very long time to re-boot. I made the mistake of switching everything off at the plug the other day. I lost all the settings on my Hi-fi, my virgin media box took 20 minutes to load up. One of a few reasons why i dont bother

 

[homeforsummer]

In reality is every one of them going to?

That's not a good reason not to yourself. See my previous post. Assuming others aren't going to doesn't mean you shouldn't make the (miniscule) effort to do basic stuff yourself.

Especially when turning things off at the plug it takes a very long time to re-boot. I made the mistake of switching everything off at the plug the other day. I lost all the settings on my Hi-fi, my virgin media box took 20 minutes to load up. One of a few reasons why i dont bother

I'm not advocating turning everything off. Turning your cable box off is a pain in the butt and I wouldn't suggest doing that, but there's no reason to leave PCs running all night (how long does a modern PC take to boot up? Like, ten seconds?), nor leaving lights on in rooms you aren't using.

Seriously, I'm just referring to the massively simple, basic stuff, which many people still manage to ignore.

It would probably be someone like Sheryl Crow, who wants everyone to use one square of toilet paper per visit to the can.

I'd agree that's too far, but that also impedes upon the "not affecting someone else's life" caveat I mentioned too. I'd be happy for Cheryl Crow to get brown fingers every time she went to the bog if she wasn't preaching for others to do the same.

I know not to ever shake her hand if I meet her now, though.

 

[Northstar]

I'm sort of green I guess. I walk to work as I enjoy walking(also don't have a car, but even if I did I would still walk) and use a drawstring backpack if I'm only getting a thing or two from a store(it's more out of convenience as a regular bag is a pain when walking). I also like it cold so the heat usually isn't high and I'm not a huge fan of AC unless it's 95F or above as I prefer fresh air(and a fan usually does the trick).

 

[W3H5]

HFS, very well put. 👍

I really think if each person had one piece of education about one minor thing it could make a lot of difference.

It's laziness/ convenience that makes lots of waste. If McDonald's didn't offer me a plastic, one use bag to carry my cup in for take-away I wouldn't take it. Fact is they do, it's highly unnecessary but I take it anyway.

 

[Lissa]

Getting rid of our freezer was one of the best things we ever did. We only have a small fridge so now shop for food nearly every day, and only buy what we actually need rather than masses of stuff that don't got eaten. We only live a ten minute walk from town, so it really is no hardship to amble there and back and it makes us get exercise and eat fresh, both of which can only be a good thing.

Our car is fairly economical, but Pete car-shares to work and I walk, as it's only a couple of miles.

We recycle, all our light bulbs are energy efficient, and we shower rather than having a bath.

 

[Skython]

Supermarket with plastic bags? What about shopping trollies, then put them into your own bags that can be reused every time you go to the food shop. That's what we do. Also we recycle and have compost piles.

At night I stumble around the house not to turn on lights too. I use other lights. Like when I open the fridge for a drink at 1.30 in the morning I use the fridge light to light up the space. I only ever have one light one at any point.

 

[E28]

HFS, very well put. 👍

I really think if each person had one piece of education about one minor thing it could make a lot of difference.

It's laziness/ convenience that makes lots of waste. If McDonald's didn't offer me a plastic, one use bag to carry my cup in for take-away I wouldn't take it. Fact is they do, it's highly unnecessary but I take it anyway.

That's the problem. If you're offered something then you'll probably take it...

 

[W3H5]

That's the kind of thing I need to stop doing though. I thought immediately after taking it what a wasteful thing it was and how it probably adds the the price of meals overall.

 

[homeforsummer]

That's the problem. If you're offered something then you'll probably take it...

Depends. There's been an attitude change in shops anyway. Most used to offer you bags, now many don't. In most shops I won't take a bag anyway, even if they offer. Not exactly hard to say "no" if you don't actually need it. If I walk into town I tend to take a small rucksack thing big enough for magazines or a Greggs pastie, and if I'm just popping to the local shop then I'm rarely buying enough not to carry in my hands anyway.

Apart from anything else, plastic bags are a pain in the butt. I'm surprised we've stuck with them for so long. They're uncomfortable to hold when they're full, and unless you bin them straight after you get home - which is obviously pretty wasteful - they just sit cluttering up the house. I've got three or four reusable ones, which don't split when you put heavy stuff in them and they're more comfortable to hold when you do. Plus, they don't fall over in the boot of my car when I go shopping.

 

[Gturbo5]

Hi