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As to other suggestions on the thread above:
Do not put out bird feeders. According to our state's wildlife division, birds need to find their own food, just like other wildlife. People tend to put out bird feeders for their own pleasure so they can watch the birds, but it is actually harmful, just like feeding the bears. And bird feeders do draw bears in areas where they live, which then hurts the bears.
I don't know whether you are, but where I am there has been a significant decrease in bird habitat. Suburban NY has been overbuilt and has too many manicured lawns over treated with toxic chemicals.
The essential elements such as food, water, shelter, and mates for reproduction have been drastically reduced. When a berry producing shrub has fruit, it is gone in a day. There aren't many options for birds other than feeders.
We live in a semi-arid climate, where water savings are a big deal. Rainwater catchment (it's legal here, as opposed to Colorado) is the big thing, when one can afford to install it. We certainly can't afford the big tanks to go off grid, but we do have a wash system set up to send the house roof rainwater into our swimming pool and spa (was here when we bought the place), which cuts way back on commercial water usage. The garden shed empties into big barrels for garden watering.
We have switches on our shower heads and take Navy showers, just like we did on our sailboat many years ago, and how we do it in our RV today. I will not have a "garden tub" under any circumstances, as that is a major waster of water. I can barely tolerate the one small bathtub in the house as it is -- grew up understanding one does NOT waste water, and a bathtub definitely wastes water.
When we have to replace the roof, we'll go with a metal roof. It will not need replacement for the rest of our residence here (and then some).
The house is already super insulated, and the electric savings from replacing all the windows and doors in our unique fixer upper have already paid for them. The nice thing about our climate is we rarely have to use a heater. Most of the cold days, the super efficient fireplace (a local design) or a heavy sweatshirt is all we need to be quite toasty. When we run the air conditioner, it's set to 74 or 76 degrees during the day, and 68 or 70 at night, with the ceiling fan running above the bed. Our electric bill is now pretty small for this region.
We do have a small generator; in case of a major power outage, we can at least run the refrigerator and freezer. Everything else, we can live without until the power's back. In case of an EMP, we're just as screwed as everyone else...
We do not water a lawn. Lawns in a semi-arid or arid climate are stupid. If the native grass gets enough rain, it turns green within 24 hours and gives the deer something to eat. We are working on a butterfly/hummingbird/pollinator garden to supplement the meadow plants, since we are directly under those critters' migratory paths. But all those plants are native, so we don't have to water beyond getting them established -- and that will be via rainwater whenever available.
In case of a major range fire (pretty common here), the local fire department knows where every swimming pool, spa and pond are located, so they can fill their trucks without having to go back to the station. Since we've lived here, they've only had to do that once, on the other side of our lake.
We do not generate more than one sack of actual trash per week. Can't really come up with a way to make even that smaller, since trash is trash. Unlike some locations, we do still have recycling, including electronics and hazardous materials. I know that the electronics are passed to a local firm, which pulls the precious metals out, then sends the plastic parts to a USA firm that melts it down for reuse. Not certain about the other stuff, but the county keeps assuring us that the firms they use don't ship anything overseas or dump into landfills. I'm still reserving judgment on those claims, but until the county stops recycling, I'll keep sending it on and not trashing it myself.
We have a composter for stuff we can compost, and every spring put the results into the garden. Very healthy garden. We use cardboard as garden path covering. It gradually decomposes into the soil, while keeping weeds from sprouting, and is considerably cheaper than the garden cloth sold at garden centers.
I have a sack of plastic straws. I use and reuse them until my bottle brush just can't clean them anymore, then they go into recycle. If/when I finally run out, I'll find paper straws big enough to replace them, but until then, I'll not lose any sleep over using plastic straws. So there.
And what makes you think I'd be functional at a temperature anywhere near 66? Perhaps if you are unable to function at certain temperatures, you should not be calling anyone else's kettle black as far as the temperature they prefer, eh?
Quote:
Originally Posted by MNTroy
Aren’t you glad to be born ? Isn’t it strange that everyone that complains about too many people on earth have already been born ?
Nope. Not at all. You find me a time machine, and I'll gladly go back and make my mom take her birth control at gunpoint.
I can't turn the clock back and unborn myself and I am not going to kill myself. All I am saying is the planet, as in all species including humans, will be better off if humans used judicious birth control and family planning. We are a species that is out of control, living beyond its long term sustainability.
I would never suggest that anyone kill themselves. We definitely live in interesting times though. Want to reduce population? Family planning is one idea as you suggested. The other idea is to raise the standard of living around the world. The more developed a nation is, people have fewer children.
The future is a place where there is not enough electricity for the demand. If everyone would acknowledge the future and take little steps that are a most a minor inconvenience.
Yes, that's right. There won't be enough electricity to go around, which is why we need to work feverishly on perfecting cold fusion.
I don't know whether you are, but where I am there has been a significant decrease in bird habitat. Suburban NY has been overbuilt and has too many manicured lawns over treated with toxic chemicals.
The essential elements such as food, water, shelter, and mates for reproduction have been drastically reduced. When a berry producing shrub has fruit, it is gone in a day. There aren't many options for birds other than feeders.
That's your area. That's why throughout these threads I talk about living in a less populated area of the US where there is still plenty of woods, ponds, wildlife, birds, frogs, toads, bees, etc. Live in a place where you can allow nice natural habitats, where you can encourage wildlife health and reproduction.
The future is a place where there is not enough electricity for the demand. If everyone would acknowledge the future and take little steps that are a most a minor inconvenience.
Yes, that's right. There won't be enough electricity to go around, which is why we need to work feverishly on perfecting cold fusion.
People use less electricity when it costs more. Whether you ration electricity or limit people's ability to afford it, they will either produce their own or buy less of it. Just like any other commodity. Because I produce some of my own I consider grid power to be a convenience, not a necessity. If they turn it off, I'll be fine. If they make it too expensive, I'll stop buying it. Maybe they jack the price WAY up and I start selling some of mine to the neighbors. Free market always wins.
Mr. Coldjensens, your post is full of suggestions to take us back into the past. You are trying to revert everyone to an era which is gone. The way things are is the way of the future. You have to let go of what was, and instead look to what will be, and what could be implemented accordingly. The actions you are suggesting are not viable, and are way out in left field in regards to actual performance of these little changes. You can't "unplug" everything in your house, my goodness. People just aren't that way anymore, and society is moving too fast for even one person to consider slowing down. You slow down now, you're out.
Nice try though.
Some of them are extreme or crazy, but some have good principle if not worded best.
-Getting rid of the extra fridge
-Taking stairs (if you can in certain situations)
-Conserving water
-Walking when possible for errands
-Exercising
-Not needing to buy new phone (or any specific tech gadget) each year.
-Carpool when possible. Also taking the bus/train when possible for sole travel.
This one is hard but I've read traveling less.
-Air Travel is hard to give up
(necessary for work travel in many cases, visiting family, once a year vacations, and helps tourism in certain places that depend on it.)
Cruise travel is probably easier for our society to eliminate, and it is very harmful for the environment. Anyways, cruises suck anyways, just that's my opinion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by twinkletwinkle22
Well at least the OP's list got people talking haha. Yes it seems very "in your face" to do everything listed but there are some good ideas.
My small efforts:
1. Remember to bring my cloth bags to the grocery store. Habit improved 95% since starting.
2. Keep things out of landfill by donating them to non-profit thrift stores or offering "free" on craigslist.
3. Eat less meat. Buy chocolate and other products that don't use child or slave labor and don't decimate the rainforest (palm oil) or remove animal habitats.
4. One car for 2 of us, easy now we're retired.
5. No irrigation or chemicals for yard. It took a while to get this right but worth it.
6. Eliminate petro-chemicals from household cleaning. Healthier for me.
7. Go to library for best seller books, patience required for waitlist
My bigger efforts to make larger improvements:
1. Contact my elected officials about specific laws being presented I want them to support.
2. Donate to political campaigns on local, state and national levels that support clean energy, environmental protection.
3. Speak up without being rude and let others know where I stand. On Facebook, letters to the editor, letters to people of influence. I am 60-something now, retired and won't lose my job for doing this. I have to do it because many cannot speak up.
These are good points:
For food,
-use reusable bags at the grocery store
-avoiding food products with palm oil is a good one
-eating more natural and organic foods
-less or no meat.
-less takeout. (I avoid eateries that package in styrofoam).
This morning I sent an email to a restaurant chain where I suggested they find an alternative to Styrofoam containers for people taking the uneaten portion of their meals home with them. Why would someone need to keep their leftovers warm when they`re going to refrigerate the food as soon as they get home?
Perhaps the restaurants could have smaller helpings so that people do not need to take their excess food home. It is unusual to do that here from sit down restaurants and I have never seen it done in Europe.
Sydney has just gone onto level 2 water restrictions because of our drought.
So we can only water gardens with a bucket or watering can, before 10am or after 4pm.
Drip irrigation can be used for 15 minutes a day.
Pools can be topped up for 15 mins a day.
Vehicles can only be washed with a bucket and sponge.
No hard surfaces can be hosed except for safety reasons.
It is requested that showers be limited to 4 minutes.
All this is needed but we are a city full of filthy dirty cars because of the massive smoke from bushfires that we had had for weeks. I just got back from Japan where the pristine black and white cars amazed me.
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