Anyone here eco-friendly?

[Parris]

I am constantly looking at ways to cut back my carbon footprint, reduce energy wastage and cut back on materials that are non-biodegradable. To that end I have actually sold my car, had it scrapped (it was a Volvo and therefore a high percentage was recycleable).

This time last year I even went as far as moving from an old property (100yrs old) which was hard to maintain, heat and as it was a flat on the 3rd floor it was difficult to adapt to more efficient energy savings etc.

We ran an energy audit in this house, changed suppliers for both gas & electricity to ensure a higher percentage of our fuels were from renewable energy sources. We installed a completely new boiler and a far better clock timer system, plus we did away with conventional bulbs before the EEC changed the legislation.

We recycle a lot, but I never feel that it's enough. I'm not sure how everyone else on the boards feel about these issues and I am certainly not about to preach. The purpose of this query is to find out what other solutions people on here have perhaps found, maybe what their local government require from you to cut back on energy usage etc?

Have you found a great product, device or service? For instance are you one of the few that have bought a solar panel to recharge batteries for your PSP (for instance) and does it work?

Or, like me, when you fire-up a cumbersome PC do you look at it and think "Damn, I really need to reduce the applicances I have in my house" i.e. switching to perhaps internal devices rather than a pile of external stuff etc.

[babu]

well I do recycle, and yesterday I tried to rebuild my linux servers kernel to reduce power consumption ^_^
not so impressive but it's always something :P

[AntiPasta]

Well, I rarely turn on the heating, don't have airco, take cold showers at times and I don't have a car - I use public transport or my bicycle to get around. I'm not that conscious about it (ie, not doing most of this specifically out of an ecology point of view), I just like it that way.

[Barc0de]

there's nothing ecofriendly about cities and human civilization i m afraid, moot point as I see it really.

[Parris]

there's nothing ecofriendly about cities and human civilization i m afraid, moot point as I see it really.

I don't think the answer lies in either going back to living in the dark ages or perhaps culling 2/3rds of the planet's population. The way I see it, we already have all that is required to reduce the carbon emissions pumped out by overzealous users (be it individuals or organizations).

Considering the amount of methane produced by farm animals, I don't think that necessarily cities are just the issue. Living in the countryside with less public transport, infrastructure spread more widely and the necessity to have access to private means of transport, such as 4x4 or even just cars, you might be surprised to see that the country living lifestyle for the majority of individuals is actually less ecofriendly than someone living in a city and using public transport.

If it can be done once (with the hole in the ozone layer) it is potentially possible to reduce, if not avoid the consequences of our actions.

As I say, I ain't preaching! Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

I'm merely asking what steps if any people have tried, decided against or whatever.

[marshallh]

there's nothing ecofriendly about cities and human civilization i m afraid, moot point as I see it really.

With so much of the world populated as it is, we are pretty much screwing our environment. I could go out of my way and waste a lot of time & energy but the difference would be imperceptible.

The best way to reduce energy use is implement built-in energy throttling when products are manufactured, because people won't do it themselves. The Energy Star spec th at started appearing on PC equipment years ago is an example of this.

[Parris]

With so much of the world populated as it is, we are pretty much screwing our environment. I could go out of my way and waste a lot of time & energy but the difference would be imperceptible.

The best way to reduce energy use is implement built-in energy throttling when products are manufactured, because people won't do it themselves. The Energy Star spec th at started appearing on PC equipment years ago is an example of this.

Imperceptible as one perhaps, but with many just thinking "what the hell"......

I totally agree that the bulk of this should come in legislation which forces manufacturers to re-evaluate their products, packaging and the consumption during lifespan. People have short attention spans and busy lives. They may be green at heart but just simply find the whole lifestyle of making sure everything is just so, done properly, converted, recycled or whatever a fad! It should be made to happen.

One thing I find really irritating is that various EEC countries have very different policies and really someone should be looking at this and saying "Well that works, that doesn't, this could be better" and we should start singing off the same hymn sheet.

There is no point there being a product which is bought in Germany that demands the packaging is recycled when my local refuse guys then just landfill it for instance.

My mother lives 2hrs from me. Her local council accepts cardboard packaging in the recycle bin. Mine doesn't. Someone in England was "fined" for having put 1 item in the wrong bin! That to me is insane and bound to deter people and make them think that most government / council intervention is just a tax raising exercise.

If the "provider" rather than the "end user" were responsible and got big tax breaks for cutting back, you bet your arse we'd all be breathing healthy air and seeing bigger icecubes at poles again!

[Parris]

Anyhoo.... just wondering what people have tried / failed / loved or hated.

[Perkunas]

I know a guy from work that saved more than a quarter on his energy bill by switching off lights, turning on the pc only when needed, changing bulbs,..
Then he got a letter from his energy company stating he hadn't used as much as before so they'd actually have to charge him more for his energy than before...

Where's the fucking logic in that? Energy companies want you to cut back on energy usage, only to screw you by raising the price per kW...

[Barc0de]

cattle emissions are much worse than any Co2 emission. The gas from those animals is contributing to the destruction of our planet more than any Co2 activity we carry on.

Blaming me and you is the easy way out for activists and governments, that's just it.

[andoba]

I do recycle. :D

[APE]

My parents installed solar panels on our roof, makes electricity cost only $200 a year as opposed to a month.

[madhatter256]

Don't buy carbon credits. Nothing but a scheme.

[Tomcat]

Both here and my home in the uk as much as poss is recycled. Just a shame Stockport Council don't take plastic bottles or cardboard. I turn of all the lights ect and the heating never really goes on. We are currently looking to getting a solar panel but thats a long way off.

[Taucias]

Good on you Paris, every little bit helps. Naysayers be damned! I try to be as economical as I can, partly because of my upbringing in the UK (where I feel people are much less wasteful than the USA) and partly from my continued interest and education in the environment. I still drive a car - something that is not really optional if you don't live in the inner city in the USA, I recycle as much as possible and I try to use environmentally conscious products wherever possible, including local produce. I'm not anal about organic products, but I think it is important to support less-industrialised production. A huge amount of vehicle carbon comes from the transportation business.

In terms of the PC, I use a laptop these days, which is less power hungry. Home applicances are all Energy Star efficient with the best rating we can find. We don't leave lights on around the house and we keep the heating fairly low in the winter and wear more clothing, something I am trying to encourage my American family to instigate. It has been a terribly hot summer this year, so the airconditioning has been on constantly, unfortunately. However, the kettle has been boiled far less than it would have in the UK and less tea has been consumed, so the energy requirement has been offset a little :lol:

Once we move, I'd like to have a house designed with as much a green footprint as possible, including possibly solar panels on the roof, recovered materials and core infrastructure. In some states in the US there are now regulations that require a builder to use a set percentage of recycled/reclaimed materials and to install energy efficient appliances, which I think is fantastic. That hasn't reached my state yet, but it looks to be improving. Another really positive change I am seeing here in the US is more of a focus on fuel efficent cars. People seem to be buying smaller vehicles that offer more MPG. Not in every state, but in general that seems to be the trend.

On journeys I try to combine as much as possible in that one trip to save on petrol/gas and reduce the trips I take in the car. It is surprising how much money that can save you and the amount of time it takes to go out and do those odd jobs and errands willy-nilly - combine it all and you have a lot more time spare for gaming or whatever hobbies you enjoy!

In the UK my Grandfather always tried to save water - he had 3 huge rain barrels in the garden which collected every drop of rainwater he could manage. From this he had enough water to feed the plants, clean the car, etc. It is surprising how small changes can make a big difference and actually save you a fair old chunk of change.

Before the local council picked up recycling, we would make weekly trips a recycling area in the car park of a local super market, which accepted cardboard, newspapers/magazines, bottles, plastic, even old clothes. Most cities have these kinds of collection points, so if your local town does not offer a comprehensive recycling scheme you can almost guarantee that somewhere does if you're willing to investigate and then make the trip.

You have to be proactive and positive about anything you do, from small acorns great oaks do grow they say, and it's true. Nothing is hopeless, nothing is without merit. One person won't make a huge impact, but you can play your part.

[madhatter256]

I do what I can. I'm buying a laptop that will use about 90watts of energy compared to my 420watt PC. We just bought a new fridge that consumes less electricity per year than our old one that is over 15 years old and didn't even have an Energy Star Rating because that wasn't a problem back then. Even though I have a car that gets 19miles to the gallon I always use it when I need it and always try to do my errands all on one trip. it's mainly do to gas prices, but it also helps out in putting out less emissions, of course. The TV is more like a big CRT monitor, and really old. It doesn't have the Energy Star logo on it and I always unplug it so that it doesn't consume power in stand-by mode.

People can do many little things that can create a big impact. A lot of devices now, especially PCs, A/C Adaptors, etc. always consume about 1-3watts when not in use, but are still plugged into the wall-outlet. Simply unplugging them or switching off the surge protector cuts that power. People need to start realizing that saving money on energy also goes hand in hand with saving the earth.

Our local government doesn't take cardboard, which pisses me off because it is recyclable and can save lots of money on companies. I'm currently trying to get my job to start recycling because we throw out so many plastics and cardboard from computer parts, that they can be saving a lot of money on taxes, as well as the earth.

Global Warming, etc. is an entirely new science field. The book on it is constantly getting rewritten and everybody who thinks they have the wonder-cure wants to chime in. Regardless, 100 years from now, everything will have to be recycled and reconstituted because there won't be anything left.

Third-world countries who are starting to modernize, like China are having a hard time going from the inexpensive, but highly toxic, method of producing energy to more cleaner methods, but are a lot more expensive than what they can afford. The world will get warm regardless of what we do because of other people.

I think carbon credits are a sham and really do not do anything to help. It's like buying your way out of pollution, but mother-nature really doesn't get any of that money, get what I'm saying?

I do agree with barcode, it ultimately is a moot point. We can slow the progression of a polluted earth or let it happen much quicker. Unless someone can genetically alter trees to consume more CO2 than normal and put those in major cities around the world, create rain that chemically changes smog in the air and cleans it, then there is great hope to still have nature where it is now.

Another thing scientists are finding out is that the pollutants we are putting in the air is also helping the earth cool. So, as you can see, this is a completely new field of observation. We can't really compare CO2 readings found in ice that dates back 100years ago and compare them to today. What they didn't tell you is that there are parts of the ice with more CO2 in it, than there is currently today.

[neull]

My house doesn't have AC or heating, so that cuts costs a whole lot. I also recycle as much as i can. I really wish that solar panels would come down in price, since currently it takes about 15 years for them to pay for themselves.

[PhreQuencYViii]

MAN I love to litter. I also love turning all my lights and hot water on at once and conducting symphonies with toatsers and garbage. I also occasionally enjoy blasting the AC and heat all at once.

[marshallh]

MAN I love to litter. I also love turning all my lights and hot water on at once and conducting symphonies with toatsers and garbage. I also occasionally enjoy blasting the AC and heat all at once.

:110: :icon_toil

[Unorthodox]

cattle emissions are much worse than any Co2 emission. The gas from those animals is contributing to the destruction of our planet more than any Co2 activity we carry on.

Blaming me and you is the easy way out for activists and governments, that's just it.

I can blame you, because most of them cattle are bred for meat :110:.