Green

[slakjaw]

so what do you do to be green ?

[notfarnow]

Most of the stuff we do to be CHEAP is also "green"... kind of a bonus

- Clothesline and dry rack instead of the dryer... we maybe use the dryer once a week
- cloth diapers
- free used veggie oil instead of diesel
- heat with wood

[LeeH]

My wife buys toilet paper that contains a high level of recycled material. Personally, I think they could find a better use for all that glass and metal.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Krylon spray paint works.

[HardDrive]

I smoke most of the green that comes my way, but sometimes I......

OOOOOhhhhhh.....THAT green....

[jyl]

CFLs in almost every lamp and fixture. In winter set the thermostat for 62F except a brief blast of 68F when everyone is getting up. In summer use fans and shades more than the AC. Put 80% of our miles on the 40 mpg car. Recycle glass, plastic, metal, paper. Fix things when practical. Buy a fair bit of stuff used. Can't think of anything else. All of this stuff saves money anyway.

[KaptKaos]

I'd really like to know what's "green"?

Is buying a used car greener than buying a new one? If so, how much MPG does the old car need to get before it becomes less green (assuming new cars get better MPG).

Does recycling really make a difference? Does all of the energy that goes into recycling really reduce the amount of "waste". (side note: there seem to be bands of people emptying the cans from people's recycling bins in our neighborhood for the deposit money).

Are CFLs, which contain mercury better than plain old incandescent bulbs when you add in the manufacturing and new waste (mercury).

Are hybrids, with their battery packs, better than a non-hybrid that gets similar mileage?

Why aren't we building more nuclear power stations? If CO2 is the real problem, wouldn't that make sense?

If plug-in electric cars are in our future, will they be more efficient than gas or diesel cars given the amount of electricity we'll be sucking down to charge them and the fuels (coal, natural gas, nuclear, etc..) that we'll need to generate to power them? What about the transmission losses in power lines compared to the refining and shipping costs in gas/diesel?

Until someone can answer these questions, I am not sure what it means to be "green".

[dd74]

Originally Posted by KaptKaos

I am not sure what it means to be "green".

This guy might help you figure it out.

[dd74]

The fact is about being "green," I'm all for it. Or was. Now it's beginning to seem like a marketing ploy if not a whole holier than thou cultural movement, particularly in L.A.

There's the infighting - Prius people don't like Jetta diesel people and vice versa. If you're not recycling you're a criminal of humanity. If you drive a V8, you're evil. Hell, it's even gone into the cycling community, where people with titanium frames are shunned because it takes more energy to build that over carbon or steel.

Yada, yada, yada.

You have to compost, you have to use reusable goods, you have to grow your own victory garden, raid In n' Out burger for french fry oil, onward and onward.

And if one claims they don't have the time or energy for such endeavors, they're thought of as not caring for the environment and their fellow man.

Green has become a nasty socio-cultural phenomenon IMO of "us vs. them."

That stuff is very unattractive to me.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by slakjaw

so what do you do to be green ?

Well it's been a while, but...

[jyl]

Of course, you could always do the research yourself and arrive at your own conclusions. As an alternative to waiting for someone to tell you.

I'd really like to know what's "green"?



Is buying a used car greener than buying a new one? If so, how much MPG does the old car need to get before it becomes less green (assuming new cars get better MPG).



Does recycling really make a difference? Does all of the energy that goes into recycling really reduce the amount of "waste". (side note: there seem to be bands of people emptying the cans from people's recycling bins in our neighborhood for the deposit money).



Are CFLs, which contain mercury better than plain old incandescent bulbs when you add in the manufacturing and new waste (mercury).



Are hybrids, with their battery packs, better than a non-hybrid that gets similar mileage?



Why aren't we building more nuclear power stations? If CO2 is the real problem, wouldn't that make sense?



If plug-in electric cars are in our future, will they be more efficient than gas or diesel cars given the amount of electricity we'll be sucking down to charge them and the fuels (coal, natural gas, nuclear, etc..) that we'll need to generate to power them? What about the transmission losses in power lines compared to the refining and shipping costs in gas/diesel?



Until someone can answer these questions, I am not sure what it means to be "green".

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by LeeH

My wife buys toilet paper that contains a high level of recycled material. Personally, I think they could find a better use for all that glass and metal.

OMFG!

[slakjaw]

Originally Posted by kaptkaos

i'd really like to know what's "green"?

Is buying a used car greener than buying a new one? If so, how much mpg does the old car need to get before it becomes less green (assuming new cars get better mpg).

Does recycling really make a difference? Does all of the energy that goes into recycling really reduce the amount of "waste". (side note: There seem to be bands of people emptying the cans from people's recycling bins in our neighborhood for the deposit money).

Are cfls, which contain mercury better than plain old incandescent bulbs when you add in the manufacturing and new waste (mercury).

Are hybrids, with their battery packs, better than a non-hybrid that gets similar mileage?

Why aren't we building more nuclear power stations? If co2 is the real problem, wouldn't that make sense?

If plug-in electric cars are in our future, will they be more efficient than gas or diesel cars given the amount of electricity we'll be sucking down to charge them and the fuels (coal, natural gas, nuclear, etc..) that we'll need to generate to power them? What about the transmission losses in power lines compared to the refining and shipping costs in gas/diesel?

Until someone can answer these questions, i am not sure what it means to be "green".

+1

[slakjaw]

Originally Posted by dd74

The fact is about being "green," I'm all for it. Or was. Now it's beginning to seem like a marketing ploy if not a whole holier than thou cultural movement, particularly in L.A.

There's the infighting - Prius people don't like Jetta diesel people and vice versa. If you're not recycling you're a criminal of humanity. If you drive a V8, you're evil. Hell, it's even gone into the cycling community, where people with titanium frames are shunned because it takes more energy to build that over carbon or steel.

Yada, yada, yada.

You have to compost, you have to use reusable goods, you have to grow your own victory garden, raid In n' Out burger for french fry oil, onward and onward.

And if one claims they don't have the time or energy for such endeavors, they're thought of as not caring for the environment and their fellow man.

Green has become a nasty socio-cultural phenomenon IMO of "us vs. them."

That stuff is very unattractive to me.

That is why I am asking what people do. I don't do anything to be green. I try not to be wasteful but I also don't make special trips to recycle either.

[URY914]

"Green" has become just a marketing ploy. There is an ad on TV for a bank. They said banking on line with them is "green" because you don't write checks. On-line banking has been with us about 15 years but now it is "green".

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by dd74

The fact is about being "green," I'm all for it. Or was. Now it's beginning to seem like a marketing ploy if not a whole holier than thou cultural movement, particularly in L.A.

There's the infighting - Prius people don't like Jetta diesel people and vice versa. If you're not recycling you're a criminal of humanity. If you drive a V8, you're evil. Hell, it's even gone into the cycling community, where people with titanium frames are shunned because it takes more energy to build that over carbon or steel.

Yada, yada, yada.

You have to compost, you have to use reusable goods, you have to grow your own victory garden, raid In n' Out burger for french fry oil, onward and onward.

And if one claims they don't have the time or energy for such endeavors, they're thought of as not caring for the environment and their fellow man.

Green has become a nasty socio-cultural phenomenon IMO of "us vs. them."

That stuff is very unattractive to me.

I just spend all of my money on Al Gore carbon credits to offset my guilt for being an American consumer. Oh yeah, and I dump my waste oil in the storm drain instead of the yard.

[Jim Richards]

Any new "direction" creates opportunies for capitalism. Why complain? Look for the opportunities!

[onewhippedpuppy]

I also removed the air pump and EGR from my Land Cruiser, is that green?

[Jim Richards]

Of course! You're reduced weight on your LC, so it'll take less gas to move it on down the road!

[onewhippedpuppy]

Once I gut my cats the evolution will be complete! I think I'll improve on my current 13 MPG, so that should be worth something.