Going Green

[mrblunt]

Okay, I don't think this thread is about the carbon credit/government incentive portion of "going green". It's pretty much undeniable fact that when you install things like fluorescent light bulbs, instantaneous water heaters, digital thermostats, room occupancy sensors, etc. etc. etc. that your initial investment is fairly quickly returned through lower energy consumption and longer functional product life. The same can be said for geothermal heating ( cool stuff ) and other things.

 

I don't think many people deny that some of the gov't regulations and incentives regarding "going green" are a little sketchy, but there are many obvious easy and effective ways the average joe can save some money and energy around the house.

 

It would be nice to see some tax credits for people who invest in some of the high ticket items like wind turbines. I'm not a hippy but being conscience about the environment isn't a bad thing like some of you make it out to be. It's almost a joke to some people.

[Ramsey]

I think going green is a crock of shit. Half of the stuff it requires uses more energy to produce than it saves.

 

truth

[Devils Advocate]

So its obvious that there are more positive things than negative things that happen when you're nature conscious, right?

 

 

 

......So why wouldn't you do it?

[spankis]

I think going green is a crock of shit. Half of the stuff it requires uses more energy to produce than it saves.

 

This is definitely true in regards to the prius, at least in regards to it's production being hypocritical.

 

I'm sure many people have seen this:

 

http://clubs.ccsu.edu/recorder/editorial/editorial_item.asp?NewsID=188

[Ramsey]

Thanks to going green, the price of grain has sky rocketed.

[Akula]

wow, derailed topic

 

I just wondered if people tried to make their footprint less. If you use less energy you are at some level making an impact, or less of an impact.

 

I enjoy things like air, clean water, you know ... creature comforts.

 

I am not a 7th level tree hugger or anything, I just wondered if anyone was making attempts to be more friendly.

[Adam]

So its obvious that there are more positive things than negative things that happen when you're nature conscious, right?

 

 

 

......So why wouldn't you do it?

 

seriously, not sure why someone would argue against being smart

[Supplicium]

wow, derailed topic

 

I just wondered if people tried to make their footprint less. If you use less energy you are at some level making an impact, or less of an impact.

 

I enjoy things like air, clean water, you know ... creature comforts.

 

I am not a 7th level tree hugger or anything, I just wondered if anyone was making attempts to be more friendly.

 

Im a skeptic to the whole green movement, but I agree with you.

 

Actually, the company I work for just created a "green team" I decided to take leadership role in the group and we are figure out better ways to do things.

 

For instance we pay 800-1200 a month in waste management fees (pick up the dumpsters). We found a company that will pick up our trash dumpsters for free, then if we let them put a recycle dumpster on our property we can throw all of your metals,glass,alum,cardboard etc in they actually pay us cash. Win Win for us, no more fees and we are recycling.

 

Another project I took up at work is eliminating as much paper work as possible. I bought a bizhub, we are starting to use EDI, we make PDF's of all paper work and archive it instead of everyone making copies of it and everyone filing it themselves.

 

We have a couple other things in the works like more fuel efficient company cars and trucks.

 

It might not save the earth but I feel a little bit better that I and the company are trying our best to just do the right thing.

[Dave1647545494]

I read the title to this and thought you were going to tell us you retired and started smoking dope

 

all kidding aside I use the new light bulbs try to leave stuff turned off when I'm not using it keep my beater tuned up etc....

[ODoyle]

I use the swirly light bulbs and i am looking into a tankless water heater since ours is leaking..i live in a tiny condo so there isnt much i can do...I dont plan on turning the AC on at all this year

[excell]

We're slowly switching to CFL's as bulbs burn in the house.

 

Other than the obvious turning lights off, etc., my fiancée has got me recycling and using reusable shopping bags (though I insisted we pay a couple more dollars for made in the U.S.A. bags). We carpool about once a week, and while not a big deal, it's all about the small steps. If every family who could carpool would do it once a week then the impact would be huge. We also buy a lot of sustainable products, food, and produce.

[Akula]

One of the things some companies can go for is letting their employee's work from home. No commute means less fuel burned. Plus when you work from home you tend to get more done.

[martindc1]

wow, derailed topic

 

I just wondered if people tried to make their footprint less. If you use less energy you are at some level making an impact, or less of an impact.

 

I enjoy things like air, clean water, you know ... creature comforts.

 

I am not a 7th level tree hugger or anything, I just wondered if anyone was making attempts to be more friendly.

 

We are using CFLs. However our dimmer lights are still Edisons. I haven't found any dimmable CFLs for under $12 per bulb yet.

 

We try to take our own grocery bags to the grocery too. However, if you take your old bags back to Kroger they will recycle them.

 

Hilliard requires its residents to pay around $75 per year for waste disposal. This includes garbage and yard waste as well as a recycling service. If you go to the city building they will give you the bins for free. We started recycling and it cut our trash bags per week from 4+ to 1-2.

 

I want to improve the insulation in my house as the budget allows. Also we try to unplug as much appliances as we can when we are not using them because many use power even when they are off. Your tv is a good example of this. When a tv is off but plugged in, it stays in a "standby" mode where it consumes power so that when you turn it on it takes less time to warm up.

 

We also do the usual turn lights off when leaving a room, turn heat down when gone etc.

[nurkvinny]

This is definitely true in regards to the prius, at least in regards to it's production being hypocritical.

 

I'm sure many people have seen this:

 

http://clubs.ccsu.edu/recorder/editorial/editorial_item.asp?NewsID=188

 

This is how they are able to make that claim -

 

"The Prius costs an average of $3.25 per mile driven over a lifetime of 100,000 miles - the expected lifespan of the Hybrid. The Hummer, on the other hand, costs a more fiscal $1.95 per mile to put on the road over an expected lifetime of 300,000 miles."

 

I could pick a couple parts from the Hummer and show all of the countries those parts were shipped to and from.

 

Back on topic - my DD gets 36mpg. I have a tankless water heater. I am a prick when it comes to people leaving lights and appliances turned on when not in use. I recycle my beer cans ($30 worth 2 days ago) . I grow a lot of my own veggies. I could recycle more. I need to plant a lot of trees. I have 2 acres, and only 2 tiny little trees.

[martindc1]

I need to plant a lot of trees. I have 2 acres, and only 2 tiny little trees.

 

Somewhere I read that you can plant trees to help your heating and cooling system be more efficient. I can't remember all the specifics but it goes like this: Plant deciduous trees on the south side of your house, when they lose their leaves in the winter they allow the sun to hit your house, thus warming it and they shade it in the summer. Plant evergreens on the north side, they serve as a wind block in the winter and shade in the summer. I get the east and west sides confused, but you put deciduous on one side and evergreens on the other. I think it is evergreens on the west because it blocks the wind and snow in the winter and blocks heavy storms in the summer, but you get the point.