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So what the hell have you done to prevent global warming???

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jpak Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:12 PM
Original message
So what the hell have you done to prevent global warming???
Waiting around for "someone" to "do something" isn't going to work.




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Deja Q Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:14 PM
Response to Original message
1. Well
* live close to work
* drive only when I need to and avoid needless trips
* be a social feeb so there's no point in going out

With most people not being social feebs, there's little any normal person can do.
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villager Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:14 PM
Response to Original message
2. well, you first...
n/t
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jpak Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:26 PM
Response to Reply #2
12. Live within walking/biking distance of work/shopping/bars/restaurants
Edited on Tue Jul-25-06 04:40 PM by jpak
Use <6 gallons of gasoline a month.

Use 100 kWh or less of electricity a month.

Use my city's woefully inadequate public transit system to get to my organic food coop (which is not within walking distance).

Vegetarian and purchase locally grown produce in season.

Recycle and use recycled products.

Actually think about the impact of my daily activities on the environment.

That's a start...

(your turn)

edit: since my Southern Company affiliate utility doesn't have a Green Energy program, I purchase enough Green Tags each year to cover my annual electricity consumption...
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villager Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 08:00 PM
Response to Reply #12
27. Fair enough! Also in SoCal
Eat vegetarian,
use very little energy, relative to most Americans (fairly heat resistant,
even through the latest heatwaves)
live close to work, w/ high mileage car
take transit whenever I can (i.e., recent trip to downtown L.A.,
recent trips to San Diego)
recycle
buy/obtain most of my "stuff" from thrift shops, Freecycle, Craigslist, etc.
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jpak Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jul-27-06 11:52 AM
Response to Reply #12
50. My To-Do list
Replace the ancient fridge at my camp in Maine with an Energy Star model and switch to Maine Clean Power.

Replace my current ride with a Yaris.

Replace my iMac with MacBook Pro and buy a 26W Notepower PV system to run it.

http://www.sierrasolar.com/prod_store/LAP_laptop.html

Replace my current DYI emergency power PV system (which can run two 11W DC CF lights, a 12V DC TV/radio and a 12V fan) with one of these...

http://www.solarsense.com/Products/1-Complete_Systems/3-NOMAD_1500/NOMAD_1500.html



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Boomer Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:17 PM
Response to Original message
3. More like what I haven't done
No kids. Zero population growth from my genome; no spawn and grand-spawn to further drain earth's dwindling resources.
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hashibabba Donating Member (894 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:21 PM
Response to Reply #3
9. LOL, no spawn
I also have no spawn to destroy the earth
I recycle
I only drive my car once a week
Run my A/C very high and my heat very low.

Not much, but its a start.
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YOY Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-26-06 08:13 AM
Response to Reply #3
41. Thanks for insulting those of us who have a responsible # of kids
Or are only FReeps and allowed to breed?
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ThomCat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:18 PM
Response to Original message
4. I only use public transportation.
I don't air-condition my home.
I buy green energy from my electrical utility.
I use energy efficient bulbs and appliances.
Whenever possible I don't buy stuff encased in plastic.
I have a 2 liter plastic jug that I continually refill with filtered water so that I don't buy bottles.

What do you do?
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yurbud Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:18 PM
Response to Original message
5. drive a crx, don't use hairspray, fart less...
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melnjones Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 08:53 PM
Response to Reply #5
28. ROFL
:rofl:

fart less...
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yurbud Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 09:41 PM
Response to Reply #28
32. or fart into jars.
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Dora Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:19 PM
Response to Original message
6. We do what we can
1) Reduce, reuse, recyle.
2) Live close to work, carpool to campus together, ride the bus home.
3) Adjust our thermostat.
4) Use compact florescent lightbulbs.

I might be able to come up with more, but it's your turn now.
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phantom power Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:20 PM
Response to Original message
7. Whatever I've done is evidently fuck-all compared to the problem.
We moved closer to work. We use mostly CF bulbs. When it isn't 118F, I occasionally use my bike or walk. We upgraded insulation on the house.

I voted for Gore, for all the good that did.

Yeah, given the scale of the problem, approximately fuck-all.
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phantom power Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:34 PM
Response to Reply #7
15. Oh yeah, and I also telecommute. For all the good it does.
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PaDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:20 PM
Response to Original message
8. glad you asked, tell me what you think of this............
Today I wrote to my state representative(Dem)about this very issue. I basically stated that our federal government is failing future generations by it's inaction on this important issue. I then noted that many local communities have decided to do something about CO2 emissions through policy at the local level. I asked if anything has been considered at the state level with regards to reducing emissions, and if the answer is no, I challenged him to introduce legislation. I noted that this would send a particularly strong message to Washington. I also noted that support for corrective measures is slowly building througout the corporate community, and that corrective measures and a robust econonmy can co-exsist.

You think action at the state and local level is viable? We don't have time to wait for a new administration and a more progressive congress in my view.
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Amy6627 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:22 PM
Response to Original message
10. After seeing An Inconvenient Truth. I decided to stop being a hypocrite
and I bought a Toyota Prius. I don't make un-necessary trips in the car, walk more, and I starting recycling.
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TechBear_Seattle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:22 PM
Response to Original message
11. Since you asked...
In no particular order:

* I gave up my car. Now, I rely on walking and public transportation and, when really in need, borrow a car from an automobile cooperative.

* I keep my trash separate into recycleable and non-recycleable. Seattle has a pretty good program with curbside pickpup and I don't even have to separate into plastic, glass, metal, etc.

* I take what steps I can to reduce my electricity use, such as keeping the television off most days, using energy efficient appliances, replacing incandecent light bulbs with energy efficient flourecent bulbs, etc.

What do you do?
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longship Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:27 PM
Response to Original message
13. Telecommute!!
Saves an awesome amount of energy.
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bigmonkey Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:31 PM
Response to Original message
14. Here's my efforts:
Live close to work, so commute by foot.
Use public transit, have no car.
When traveling long distance, take the train if at all possible
Replaced all light bulbs with low-watt compact fluorescents
Decline bags at stores if at all possible
Keep lighting to usable lighting only.
Use air conditioner sparingly.
Turn computer off at night.
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girl gone mad Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:37 PM
Response to Original message
16. What the hell have you done?
Edited on Tue Jul-25-06 04:39 PM by girl gone mad
We live in a small house on a big lot.

We landscaped with all native xeriscape plants, grasses and trees, plus we built habitats for native wildlife on our property.

We work from home and own only one (very fuel efficient) car.

We use fluorescent bulbs, keep the thermostat high, keep the refrigerator full, have ceiling fans in every room (use only when the room is occupied) and have a plan to get off of the grid within 3 years.

We reuse, recycle and compost.
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depakid Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:38 PM
Response to Original message
17. Reduced my ecological footprint
Edited on Tue Jul-25-06 04:52 PM by depakid
through biking & public transit;

Replaced tungsten with energy saving bulbs (though the damn things are made in China).

Buy in season local produce.

Use bins and purchase used or avoid overpacked items whenever possible.


I'm sure there's half a dozen others- not that one can make a ton of difference in America's wasteful society these days- the country and its willfully ignorant population will NOT change until it has to- and it's destined to learn the hard way.
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mom cat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 05:32 PM
Response to Reply #17
25. But if we all do more of these things, we can make a big difference!
We are the most wasteful country in the world, so we are in a position here to make the greatest changes in the world global warming crisis. And we the people can do it!
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blueinchicago Donating Member (45 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jul-29-06 06:23 PM
Response to Reply #17
55. Stopped eating corporate beef
Really big part of the problem.

Now only eat grassfed beef once in a blue moon, bison once a month, chicken or vegetarian the rest of the time. I also support CSAs.

I'd like to suggest that eating is not only ecological, its also political. The people making the money that supports the right wing agenda are largely Big Ag. Big oil profits from the 50% of imported crude swallowed up in Big Ag. Big Ag the reason behind the dead zone in the Gulf. Water over-irrigation due to factory farmed and feedlot beef.

I love red meat, but I hate the Right more, so I sacrifice. If you have to target one thing on your daily diet, make it right-funding corp. beef.

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XemaSab Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jul-29-06 10:50 PM
Response to Reply #55
56. You don't think corporate chicken and corporate eggs
cause problems?
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blueinchicago Donating Member (45 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-30-06 10:36 AM
Response to Reply #56
57. not to the extent
corp beef does. The University of Chicago study proved that.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=1856817&page=1

By the way, despite what vegan sites say, the vegetarian and poultry-based diets were in a tie for having the smallest ecological footprint.
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XemaSab Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-30-06 01:11 PM
Response to Reply #57
58. One of my colleagues worked at a CAFO
and she said there was a MOUNTAIN of chicken waste outside every shed, and the ammonia levels inside the shed were so high that you really needed to wear a respirator.
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depakid Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-30-06 04:19 PM
Response to Reply #55
59. That's a healthy choice
I haven't eaten cattle for over 20 years.

Aside from being one of the most most environmentally destructive practices mnkind engages in, I'm convinced that the US beef supply has long been contaminated with BSE. My only question is how many tens of thousands- or hundreds of thousands- of cases there will be in the coming decades, and what the clusters and the epi curves look like.

On a similar nore- I used to like ham and pork tenderloin a lot- but I will NEVER support the abomonations known as factory hog farms.
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megatherium Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:39 PM
Response to Original message
18. I live 1.5 miles from work.
But I admit I drive my car to work.
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thereismore Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:41 PM
Response to Original message
19. I got on a vanpool to work. nt
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hatrack Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:53 PM
Response to Original message
20. Bus to work today and tomorrow - probably Thursday, too
When I have to drive on Friday, it'll be in a hybrid car.

Working in the garden tonight, dusting off the canning jars, and getting ready to assemble some beehives this weekend with my Dad.

Nothing sexy or high tech about it - it's more a state of mind than a "lifestyle".
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mom cat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 04:56 PM
Response to Original message
21. I only wish I could do more:
*Got rid of the car so now I walk or take public transportation.
*No AC
Thermostat set at 50F during the winter. I only used 300 gallons of bio diesel last winter for a four bedroom house in Boston
*Recycle everything I can and have drastically reduced the amount of things that I buy that need recycling
*Insullated the house
*got a new energy efficient furnace.
*fridge is an energy star.
*energy efficient lightbulbs throughout the house ... and only one bulb is on at a time
* all my computer's spare capacity is going to research on global warming: http://bbc.cpdn.org/ Check it out.
*starting to grow some of my own food
*use rainbarrels
* Made my own non-toxic exterior housepaint
this year from an old Finnish recipe. It Works!
http://www.sateenkaarivarit.fi/uk/index.html
On the home page, go to the column on the right. Click "General Instructions". Scroll down the page to "Cooked Paint"! I avoided supporting the petrochem industry and put real wholesome paint on my house. The ingredients were:
-Water from my rain barrel
- hemp oil from Canada
- Organic whole wheat flour from my co-op
- pigment that came from a mine reclamation project in Pennsylvania: http://www.environoxide.com/index.html
- a pinch of sea salt
- and a little zink sulphate to retard mildew. It is also used as a soil enhanser to add more zink to the soil.

No solvents, never cracks or peels,cleans up with warm water and soap, and it is beautiful.

*I still need to do some tweeking and would love to have solar hot water, electricity and pre heating for air to the furnace. I have made these a priority over any other "things".
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jpak Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 05:14 PM
Response to Reply #21
22. I think we have a winner
:)
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mom cat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 05:28 PM
Response to Reply #22
24. I still have a lot more to do, but I have to.
My other planet is not ready yet!
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progressoid Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-26-06 08:31 AM
Response to Reply #21
42. cool links!
got any more?
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Maat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 05:15 PM
Response to Original message
23. Well, we work out of the house, so our driving is minimal.
I just bought my Prius, and use it for our few trips.

I've replaced virtually every lightbulb in the house with flourescent (low-energy) bulbs.

I recycle.

We are planning an environmentally-friendly home, powered largely through solar energy.

Our current pool is heated via solar energy.

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suziedemocrat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 07:04 PM
Response to Original message
26. Replaced the 4 light bulbs we use most with compact florescent bulbs
Every new appliance we buy we make sure is energy star rated. When I bought my first clothes dryer I went to the US department of energy to find out they don't make energy star dryers - but look for one with a moisture sensor to prevent over-drying. That's what we got. Not much, but our bills have gone down.
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kestrel91316 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 09:07 PM
Response to Original message
29. Live where I work (3 miles away) so I can bike or bus/walk when it's
NOT 119 outside.

Raise a lot of my own fruit and veggies. Cook from scratch. Hand laundry in the sink and hang out to dry.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE - endlessly, since 1991.
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bananas Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 09:07 PM
Response to Original message
30. 2 more votes needed to get this on the greatest page.
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Massacure Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-25-06 09:26 PM
Response to Original message
31. I walked to and from my middle and high school.
A normal 10-15 minute walk can turn into a very long walk when there is snow and ice and it is cold and dark at 4 PM, let me tell you. ;)

I'm going to a local college this fall, but it isn't so local as to be within walking distance. But on the bright side I will get to vote. :)
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comtec Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-26-06 03:07 AM
Response to Original message
33. Probably not as much as I could.. but i'm broke...
My computers use low-energy/heat processors and flat screens.

My wife's car is for going to n from work (no choice on that but it's diesel and gets decent KM-age) and I bike everywhere or take the train (I'm The Netherlands public transportation is a very real reality. Expensive but very usable).

Our house is brand new, and has excellent insulation. all our appliances are grade A or A+ (Here in europe a letter A-G is given for energy.water efficiency. with an A rating you get a small bonus from the government for using a high-efficiency device).

We would eat organic but it's too damned expensive. it costs 2-3x what normal does, and we just can't afford it.

I turn lights out that are un needed and use natural lighting as much as possible (being from california this is second nature to me).

Our next car will be a hybrid. I would prefer a diesel hybrid, but no one seems to have had that great idea yet :(. I am saving my used fryer oil to use in a grease car (if I can't afford a hybrid, an old diesel running grease will do just as well - except it's actually illegal here!)

I reduce, reuse, and recycle when I can.

I admit to having been disheartened with over-drive recycling when I saw rather compelling evidence that fuck-all is actually done about recycling much of the time at the dump :(. Maybe it' was just Penn N Teller bullshitting more. I dunno.

Here they have a good idea but don't go far enough, there is no public aluminum recycling, but every bottle is recycled to collect the 25 cent tax. even beer bottles, so there is little glass waste.

>plink< my 2 euro cents.
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rman Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-26-06 06:52 AM
Response to Original message
34. It's to late to prevent it. At best it can be slowed down a bit.
The climate will change, and we'll have to adapt to it.
It's hard to say what exactly the effects will be, which current agricultural areas will disappear and which new opportunities will arise. In all likelihood most governments will not be kind in how they will handle the crisis.
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klook Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-26-06 07:04 AM
Response to Original message
35. Replace light bulbs, telecommute...
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IdaBriggs Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-26-06 07:12 AM
Response to Original message
36. I've been trying to organize an event where Al Gore speaks to
800 of the automotive industries top AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS with a "private" invitation only reception event between him, top industry leaders and top environmentalists.

Want to know the hold up? Vice President Al Gore receives 70 plus invitations a day, and this one is having a hard time getting any traction at his office. (Yes, I have everyone else on board -- the automotive engineers are with a group that sets the industry standard, and are a very prestigious, respected organization in the industry. Its completely flabbergasting that this group isn't on the "top ten" list for VP Gore and his people, but apparently I am just a simple computer programmer who doesn't understand the politics involved with talking to the automotive industry.)
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joefree1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-26-06 07:16 AM
Response to Original message
37. I strongly support population control with money and actions.
Edited on Wed Jul-26-06 07:17 AM by joefree1
Until we reduce the footprint of humankind on this planet any other action is just pissing in the wind.



"There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew."
- Herbert "Marshall" McLuhan
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Canuckistanian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-26-06 07:26 AM
Response to Original message
38. Incandescent bulbs are banned in my house
We don't have a clothes dryer or an air conditioner.

I recently acquired an evacuated tube solar water heater and am planning to use it as a water "pre-heater".

Next year, we're looking at getting a Smart Car.
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eppur_se_muova Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jul-31-06 11:44 AM
Response to Reply #38
66. http://banthebulb.org/ !!
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NMDemDist2 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-26-06 07:35 AM
Response to Original message
39. we have gotten rid of one car, changed all our bulbs to CFBs
changed our lifestyle to remove a 90 mile a day commute and now work from home

we are changing our heating from a 15 year old gas furnace to highly efficent econoheat electric units

composting will start soon

my families footprint is MUCH smaller in the last year and we hope to add solar panels within 24 months
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YOY Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-26-06 08:09 AM
Response to Original message
40. Take clean public transport to work
Walk everywhere save on the weekend (and only go shopping then.)

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ehrnst Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-26-06 08:36 AM
Response to Original message
43. Here's what I do:
Carpool in my Prius
Have a subscription to a CSA
Grow some of my own vegetables
Am on the recycling committee at work
Working on a plan to get our office building (downtown DC) a green roof
Shop at a grocery store that buys wind power shares
Reuse or buy used items
Recycle anything that can't be reused

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lostnfound Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-26-06 09:31 AM
Response to Original message
44. Not enough yet
Edited on Wed Jul-26-06 09:34 AM by lostnfound
Slowed consumption.
Replaced bulbs with CFB.
Raise thermostat in daytime.
Started recycling again.

Fought with SO over buying fuel-efficient car; but lost. :(

On edit: I paid a couple thousand dollars to restore the solar water heater on my RENTAL house because I believe it's such a great idea and it works so well.

On my house, when the AC needed replacing, I got a Puron-based system -- not sure if that helps global warming or just helps reduce CFCs.
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badgerpup Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-26-06 11:15 AM
Response to Original message
45. I try to do my bit...
No kids- don't feel my genes would improve the pool and not sure I'd be that good a parent.*
Obsessive recycler for everything that city allows...cardboard, aluminum, tin cans, paper;
Drive a Cirrus, but not much, keep it tuned up, don't use the A/C (except for the 4/55 type);
Compost all my organic kitchen waste;
Buy stuff with as little extraneous packaging as possible;
Use 'pump' instead of aerosol whenever choice is offered;
Try to bring this kind of thing to other people's attention!

*No disrespect intended for those who have kids, quite the contrary in fact. I don't know how you do it.
:toast: :patriot: :thumbsup:
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roguevalley Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-26-06 11:31 AM
Response to Original message
46. energy efficient light bulbs. turned off every light I don't need since
1970's, Kenmore Elite washer and dryer that are AWESOME: $15 a year to run each and they use about 1 tenth of the water of normal washers. a lot of other stuff but I'm too shy to list them right now. ;)
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Hun Joro Donating Member (511 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-26-06 04:10 PM
Response to Original message
47. I'm working on it...
I am vegetarian

All the lights in the house that I use with any regularity have compact fluorescent bulbs

I bought an umbrella clothesline and have been hanging my laundry out on days when it isn't raining

I keep reusable mesh shopping bags in my purse and use those when I buy anything

I recycle

I compost

I give careful thought to what I buy, how much packaging it has and whether the packaging is recyclable, and whether I really need it

I turned my AC up

I bought organic cotton handkerchiefs and napkins in order to minimize my use of paper products and use recycled paper products when I can find them

Do most of my grocery shopping at a local fruit/veg stand

I have planted as many trees on my property as I can find room for (species native to my area)

I keep my driving to a minimum but agonize over the fact that I have a 30-minute drive to and from work and in the semi-rural area where I live there is no public transportation - there are two towns closer to my employer, and one has property way out of my price range and the other is quite economically depressed :( - my Corolla does get good mileage though
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PaulaFarrell Donating Member (840 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-26-06 05:43 PM
Response to Original message
48. I walk to the train station instead of driving
I try to avoid consuming - you wouldn't believe the number of nearly dead things I own because I won't buy a new one until the original one gives out...my vacuum cleaner has been to the shop 3 times

buy local fruit, veg + meat; try not to waste food; avoid packaging

freecycle!!!

and proselytise - gotta convert those unbelievers


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lvx35 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jul-27-06 03:23 AM
Response to Original message
49. Biked and bussed almost exclusively for the last 5 years.
Edited on Thu Jul-27-06 03:38 AM by lvx35
This is due to a great friend that woke me up to the evils of car life, and also being lucky enough to live in a town where its possible, with a great biodiesel bus system.
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midnight Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jul-27-06 02:18 PM
Response to Original message
51. I do not spray my yard with chemicals.
I do mow down the weeds. I use a clothes line to dry my sheets, and clothes. I do not grill my food outside.
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Digit Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jul-28-06 11:19 PM
Response to Original message
52. My list
I just saw An Inconvenient Truth this evening with a church group.
I told them about DU and the tips I have learned from this group.

I recycle (I have been doing this all along)
Replaced all my windows which were leaky anyway, with triple pane low E argon gas windows
Added insulation to my attic
Had my home checked for leakage and repaired where necessary
Put full bottles of water in the tanks of my toilets to reduce water consumption
Replaced most of my bulbs with CF bulbs
I even found a CF bulb to replace the one in my security light in my carport (and it is on a timer)
I recycle clothing, toys, books and whatever else I can
On my dishwasher, I use "air dry" instead of the heating element to dry dishes
When I replaced my a/c, I went with a higher efficiency than was recommended
Added solar tubes in several rooms to reduce the need for artificial lighting
Hardly ever use chemicals on my lawn
Recycle hazardous waste in proper manner (paints, etc)
I have plenty of trees and natural areas which don't require much upkeep
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mod mom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jul-29-06 09:56 AM
Response to Original message
53. Bought a prius, try and walk/ride bike more, push lawn mower and have
worked with my children on understanding the significance of their actions. We also just purchased a high efficency soap stone wood stove (rec'd on this forum) which is should be installed in August. Our property is very shaded and hardly ever use Air Con and problem is high heating usage in winter. We also replaced west sliding door with low e glass new one. He have high efficiency products including a tankless water heater. We do not use chemicals on our plants and buy organic whenever possible. We recycle as much as possible and buy used clothing often.

BTW my husband practices green architecture and is the designer of (hopefully-not finished yet) the first Platinum LEED approved Childrens Hospital in the country.
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Coyote_Bandit Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jul-29-06 02:31 PM
Response to Original message
54. What I could - but still not enough
Since March 2004 I have put less than 11,000 miles on my only car - and that includes several trips to visit aging family members in another state. Outings are planned and combined as much as possible.

I added about 60 bags of insulation to the attic.

I had my furnace worked on and I'm told it now burns at about 98% efficiency.

I have altered my thermostat settings - about 4 degrees warmer in the summer and about 6 degrees cooler in the winter.

I've started growing some of my own veggies.

I installed a water filter and no longer buy bottled water - and I quit drinking carbonated drinks and colas.

I change the vent filters more frequently.

I dropped my health club membership and instead use the neighborhood park.

I use nearby service providers - the vet and dog groomer, for example, are about a mile away instead of across town.

I quit attending religious services. I save a bit of gasoline and no longer have the aggravation of listening to the deceitful authoritarian a$$ who still occupies the pulpit.

I started playing an acoustic guitar and retired the amplifier.

I cut back on the amount of tv I watch and other home entertainment. The two tvs ad all the CD players here are probably on less than 20 hours weekly combined.

I decided my plants (outdoors) needed to start developing deep root systems for their future survival. That means that I only water twice a week.

I quit buying books and started checking them out at the library.

I only use rechargeable batteries.

I've limited the amount of stuff I print from the computer. Helps keep the clutter under control as well as conserving resources.

I don't mow as frequently - maybe every 10 to 14 days instead of every week.

I'm replacing incandescent bulbs with energy efficient bulbs as they burn out.

I started buying stuff in bulk whenever possible. Less packaging and fewer trips.

I don't cook everyday. When I do cook I prepare larger quantities and keep some for future use.

I turn off lights and appliances unless they are being used.

I planted some new trees in the yard.

I reuse and recycle. I should do better with this.

I would like to do more. I'm hoping to find an end of season bargain on a high efficiency air conditioner. I am contemplating adding still more insulation to the attic. I would love to move to the middle of nowhere, build a high thermal mass passive solar house and live mostly off the grid. Not sure how to finance or sustain that though. But, hey, I can dream can't I? In the meantime I will do what little I can for mother earth....
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Pooka Fey Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-30-06 04:33 PM
Response to Original message
60. I'm praying for a new Ice Age.
I'm doing what I can do; but I think it's too late, and there is too much social control over the US and Western and wanna-be Western nations - too much pressure to consume, consume, consume. I think the best hope for the earth is a climate flip-flop a la Day after Tomorrow. Freeze everything before we have enough time to kill it all.
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XemaSab Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-30-06 05:44 PM
Response to Original message
61. I drive a car that doesn't suck gas down.
I eat low on the food chain. (I've been eating a lot of fish lately, but I've been cutting back on the dairy and eggs.)

The only things in my house that are consistently on/plugged in are the fridge and the computer. I only turn on lights when I am in the kitchen or bathroom at night.

I've been trying out local wines lately. :D
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Codeblue Donating Member (466 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jul-31-06 12:28 AM
Response to Original message
62. Not even a driver's license
I don't even have a driver's license, so if my friends want to do something with me, they have no choice but to carpool me.

If a friend can't get me where I'm going I use public transportation, or take it as far as I can and then get off and walk the rest of the way.

I try to eat as much organic food as I can, but as I'm in college and barely make enough money for anything, it's hard to eat exclusively organic.

I never use AC and hardly ever turn on the heat....that's what sweaters and blankets are for.
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lakeguy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jul-31-06 04:48 AM
Response to Original message
63. just a few things...
sold my car and bike/walk most of the time. borrow a car if i need too or could get one from a coop (i think anyway)

buy organic/free range/local products

down to eating any kind of animal to ~once a week

live in a small apartment (~500 sf) with no AC

pay extra on my electric bill by checking the box that says i am buying wind generated electricity

reuse and recycle

always bring bags and bulk food containers from home when grocery shopping

stopped buying crap i don't need (reduce), which allows me to live in a smaller, cheaper place

buy clothes and things i do need at second hand stores

donate extra money saved by not buying crap to groups focusing on conservation and the environment

:things i want to do in the future:

go off the grid, but it's hard in an apt.

start growing my own food and making other products like that cool, non-toxic mentioned earlier

buy even LESS crap
...................

one thing i've found out is that by living like this you can save TONS of money. i can get by, if i had to, at almost poverty level wages. luckily, i make a bit more than that so there is some left over for investing and donating. not having a car makes it difficult to do things like taking trips for canoing/camping or other fun trips but you can always rent. having friends that have vehicles makes this easier but i guess that's sort of cheating.

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sushil_yadav Donating Member (1 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jul-31-06 07:40 AM
Response to Reply #63
64. Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment
Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment


This is about the link between Mind and Social / Environmental-Issues. The fast-paced, consumerist lifestyle of Industrial Society is causing exponential rise in psychological problems besides destroying the environment. All issues are interlinked. Our Minds cannot be peaceful when attention-spans are down to nanoseconds, microseconds and milliseconds. Our Minds cannot be peaceful if we destroy Nature.


Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment.

Subject : In a fast society slow emotions become extinct.
Subject : A thinking mind cannot feel.
Subject : Scientific/ Industrial/ Financial thinking destroys the planet.
Subject : Environment can never be saved as long as cities exist.


Emotion is what we experience during gaps in our thinking.

If there are no gaps there is no emotion.

Today people are thinking all the time and are mistaking thought (words/ language) for emotion.


When society switches-over from physical work (agriculture) to mental work (scientific/ industrial/ financial/ fast visuals/ fast words ) the speed of thinking keeps on accelerating and the gaps between thinking go on decreasing.

There comes a time when there are almost no gaps.

People become incapable of experiencing/ tolerating gaps.

Emotion ends.

Man becomes machine.



A society that speeds up mentally experiences every mental slowing-down as Depression / Anxiety.

A ( travelling )society that speeds up physically experiences every physical slowing-down as Depression / Anxiety.

A society that entertains itself daily experiences every non-entertaining moment as Depression / Anxiety.



FAST VISUALS /WORDS MAKE SLOW EMOTIONS EXTINCT.

SCIENTIFIC /INDUSTRIAL /FINANCIAL THINKING DESTROYS EMOTIONAL CIRCUITS.

A FAST (LARGE) SOCIETY CANNOT FEEL PAIN / REMORSE / EMPATHY.

A FAST (LARGE) SOCIETY WILL ALWAYS BE CRUEL TO ANIMALS/ TREES/ AIR/ WATER/ LAND AND TO ITSELF.


To read the complete article please follow either of these links :

http://www.planetsave.com/ps_mambo/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&Itemid=75&func=view&id=68&catid=6

http://www.earthnewswire.com/index.php?option=com_forum&Itemid=89&page=viewtopic&t=11


sushil_yadav

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eppur_se_muova Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jul-31-06 11:41 AM
Response to Original message
65. I've only had a car for the last seven years. Put low mileage on it.
I got through college and grad school without owning a car. Amazes me to see my students treat their car as a birthright -- have to bring it to school and tie up a parking space all week, even if they only use it to drive home *every* weekend. Of course, I went to school in cities that were well set up for pedestrian life -- seldom had to use buses or cabs (2-4 x a year!). Almost every job I've had since has been in a more rural area where things were spread out more, and residence within walking job was unavailable. Right now I live within long walking distance, but am moving to someplace where commute is ~8.5 miles -- my absolute longest ever, and the best I could do due to a really, really tight/expensive housing market. Ticks me off to think I'll be wasting that time every day, AND producing CO2 to get there (maybe I can afford a new car on this job -- would certainly consider a Smart if it were available, Prius or Insight otherwise).

Probably nothing would save more energy, or cut GHGes more, than more thoughtful layout of cities, with housing and offices/stores 'interleaved'.

(Oh, yeah, all CF's, no AC, which is painful right now. Always set heat low/off when I'm away.)
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4dsc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-02-06 06:57 AM
Response to Original message
67. Quit being a CONSUMER!!
IMHO, the best way to help prevent global warming is to quit buying CRAP you don't need!! Quit driving to the malls to waste your time SHOPPING!! Quit thinking you need to KEEP UP WITH THE JONES and just have to get the latest gadgets..

Become an anti-consumer..
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