I will gladly accept money from any Liberals that care about mother earth and donate it to greenpeace.

I think "No Impact" is pretty much impossible. Minimal Impact, maybe.

Part of me says it's unfair to do that to a 2 year old, but then again, people used to live far more simply and I don't think of that as cruel.

Honestly, though, I'm not willing to give up much.

The idea is that we are making a better life for future generations by "saving" the Earth. Well, why invert the equation? Cause that's all that family is doing. Suffer now or let someone else suffer. I vote for someone else.

LOL, kidding, kidding.

I'm with you on the toilet paper, too. I get in trouble with Adrian because he thinks I use too much. Toilet paper is important!

I agree that no impact is impossible. Even the act of breathing has an impact.

People did live for centuries without toilet paper so it's possible to do so again, but then they also didn't have their toilets inside their houses either. Even if one washes after each use, they're using valuable water.

I think a more sane approach is to purchase toilet paper made from recycled paper (that's what I do), as well as paper towels of recycled paper and using the paper towels infrequently.

Unplugging the fridge seems a bit extreme to me. How do they keep their beer cold?

Using stairs instead of an elevator is a good idea as far as I am concerned. I rarely use elevators as climbing stairs is far healthier (even if it does hurt my bad hip).

In my opinion (for what little that is worth) the biggest thing people can do to help the environment is to reduce waste as much as possible and to drive as little as necessary. If people walked or rode bicycles more this would be a great boost for the environment as our motor vehicles are the single largest impact we make.

I'd gladly give up my car to help the environment.

Oh wait, I already did that.

I'm with you, I wouldn't willingly give up toilet paper. I don't even know that I could reduce it to a couple of squares. I think Mason's idea of buying recycled paper is a step in the right direction. I do use paper towels to clean. It was part of our training as a daycare providers on a military base. You spread less germs if use paper towels instead of a dishrag or sponge. Also I think it's a health issue to use kleenex instead of a handkerchief, those are full of germs.

I guess I am spoiled because when I watch shows like frontier house or 1800 house, I can't imagine all I would have to give up. Even things like hand lotion and shampoo. Ugh. Though that is not so much about environmentalism as it is a lesson in history.

I have seen a few news pieces about the no impact experiment and I think it is great even if just to get people thinking about all the choices we make that really could make a difference. Changing to the compact flourescent lightbulbs, buying a reusable water bottle instead of throwing away tons of plastic bottled waters, buying energy efficient appliances, install bamboo flooring instead of harwoods, turning off the water when you brush your teeth. There are so many changes that really are not a big change of lifestyle and if everyone would do them it would make a significant difference. I think a lot of people are willing to make changes if they are easy and not too much more expensive than the non-green option.

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Sponges are great if you sanitize them properly. You wet them and then place them in the microwave for 1 minute. It's been shown in studies that it kills everything in the sponge. I clean my sponges that way every time I use them.



I prefer and use handkerchiefs as they are not disposable. The trick is to use a clean one every day (assuming you used it). Unless you have a cold you aren't likely to use one much anyway, and if you do you should be washing your hands a lot more to keep from spreading it to others anyway.



I agree wholeheartedly. Things like the CFL bulbs seem more expensive when buying them but their much longer life span combined with reduced energy usage results in a pretty substantial savings. I really like them and have them in all of my fixtures.

The way I see it there are two things that are really holding a lot of people back from making a lot of the simple changes. The first is a lack of intelligent and usable information, and the second is the association conservation still has with the loons.

Sadly, the loons (whose intentions are good) have done far more harm to their cause than they have done good. When people see the extreme, radical environmentalists behaving like thugs, idiots, and crazy people, and hear them say things are way outside of reasonable or patently false they have no desire at all to hear their message or to in any way be associated with them.

Conservation and environmentalism needs to become acceptable by the mainstream, Joe Sixpack if you will, before any real impact is going to be seen. That's going to require presenting them in a reasonable, sane, and common sense way.

Progress is taking place, but it's being hindered in a large way by the whole "global warming" camp who simply do not make sense or seem reasonable to the Joe Sixpack crowd. The best thing they could do for their cause is shut up and work on presenting conservation and environmental responsibility in a more common sense way.

I walk to the grocery store a lot and crush and recycle all my beer cans so geez, Louise! What more is there to do?   

Reply By: ModeratemanPosted: Monday, May 14, 2007I will gladly accept money from any Liberals that care about mother earth and donate it to greenpeace.

! I'm sure they would be happy to get the donation!


Tex:

I'm with you on the toilet paper, too. I get in trouble with Adrian because he thinks I use too much. Toilet paper is important!

Exactly, we're not insane! Give me the toilet paper!

The idea is that we are making a better life for future generations by "saving" the Earth. Well, why invert the equation? Cause that's all that family is doing. Suffer now or let someone else suffer. I vote for someone else.

! I agree!

Reply By: MasonM

People did live for centuries without toilet paper so it's possible to do so again, but then they also didn't have their toilets inside their houses either. Even if one washes after each use, they're using valuable water.

I know! And as I stated, I have experienced that so I know it's possible! But just the very thought......give me modernity!

think a more sane approach is to purchase toilet paper made from recycled paper (that's what I do), as well as paper towels of recycled paper and using the paper towels infrequently.

Thank you! Why couldn't they just do that? That's quite acceptable and what I do too!

In my opinion (for what little that is worth) the biggest thing people can do to help the environment is to reduce waste as much as possible and to drive as little as necessary. If people walked or rode bicycles more this would be a great boost for the environment as our motor vehicles are the single largest impact we make.

Oh, very important! But yeah, reducing waste, they are doing that, is important!

Reply By: LocamamaPosted: Monday, May 14, 2007I'm with you, I wouldn't willingly give up toilet paper. I don't even know that I could reduce it to a couple of squares. I think Mason's idea of buying recycled paper is a step in the right direction. I do use paper towels to clean. It was part of our training as a daycare providers on a military base. You spread less germs if use paper towels instead of a dishrag or sponge. Also I think it's a health issue to use kleenex instead of a handkerchief, those are full of germs.

Exactly! And ditto on everything else you said!

I think a lot of people are willing to make changes if they are easy and not too much more expensive than the non-green option.

Yes. Going green is not cheap though, as I think JillUser pointed out in her article recently!

and the second is the association conservation still has with the loons.

I agree M! Some people cannot get past that bit!

Reply By: ShovelheatPosted: Monday, May 14, 2007I walk to the grocery store a lot and crush and recycle all my beer cans so geez, Louise! What more is there to do?

! That's good, walking makes you fitter Joe and crushing the can, as long as you recycle!lol!

I think I'll wait til this guy's book comes out... steal a copy and use the pages for toilet paper... that way the book would at least have some value. I know the guy wouldn't mind me stealing the book, since he's into it to educate us all anyway. Even Abbey Hoffman suggested we Steal His Book, so I would expect this guy to be at least as "green" as an old dead hippy. ;~D

If I get arrested for the theft, then I'll be doing my part for the environment by not driving or littering the streets for 5-10.

See what I'm willing to do for the environment! ;~D

recycle all my beer cans so geez

YOu could buy a keg and then not have to worry about waste.

LOL! You are one good person who will take it for the Mother...Mother Earth that is!  





Then use the keg for something else! Now that's reusing and not abusing!