Who Is going Green?
Answer:
The purpose of reducing energy usage is to stop the component of Global Warming and Global Climate Change that is caused by carbon dioxide emissions.
To stop the component of Global Warming that is caused by carbon dioxide emissions requires that burning of fossil fuels be banned world wide.
We do not have the political will or the military ability to enforce such a ban.
We do not even have the political will in the United States to enforce such a ban.
To accomplish a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions to zero we would have to abolish all forms of transportation, that is all automobiles, all buses, all trains, all airplanes and all shipping.
We would next have to ban the production of all electricity by the use of fossil fuels.
Next we would have to ban all manufacturing and all cement production.
Next we would have to ban the heating and cooling of homes, the cooking of food and the heating of water.
Just imagine how long you and the rest of the residents of the United States would be willing to bathe in cold water.
The answer is not very long.
What this tells you is that it is not realistic to think that we can stop the Global Warming that is caused by carbon dioxide production.
The environmentalists say that we can stop Global Warming by recycling more, buying hybrid automobiles and turning out the lights.
These will not even reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere by a measurable amount.
These are nothing more than insignificant public relations gimmicks designed to convince the Supporters of the environmentalists that they can stop Global Warming without making any real sacrifices.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Essentially in a modern society we cannot cut back enough on our use of fossil fuels to even make a measurable difference in carbon dioxide levels and Global Warming.
Instead we need to accept the fact that Global Warming is a consequence of modern society and make arrangements to ameliorate the consequences.
The sea level will rise.
Fortunately we can protect most low lying areas with dikes, similar to those in Holland that are used to hold back the sea. We need to help the poor countries with this.
For those areas that we cannot protect we can help the populations move to higher ground.
There will be more hurricanes and there will be stronger hurricanes. We need to upgrade our disaster preparedness accordingly. We need to help the poor countries upgrade their disaster preparedness.
There will be more areas of the world that suffer droughts. We need to help those areas most likely with desalination plants.
Personally I would not make yourself uncomfortable cutting back your energy use. There is no point to doing that.
Instead I would start planning how we can help the rest of the world adapt to the changes in our climate that we will have due to Global Warming and Global Climate Change.
You make a good point. I think we're all conserving fossil fuel energy so that Al Gorilla can keep his Tennessee mansion in high style. In many cases, developing countries have the least "green" technologies. I don't know whether their lower consumption balances this out, but energy is like everything else in life: rich people will always have more of it. Oh well. Keep smiling!
I think you're right I'm always thinking about turning off the heat in the cold and the a/c in the heat and for what so the rich "spoiled" people can use the same energy I could have been using. Then again if I would have used that energy then it would add up with the rich people's.
Lets say you, an average person use 10 units of energy per day. (being hypothetical and overly simplified) And lets say a rich person uses 50 units of energy. Even if they do not make any change in their consumption, which many wealthy people ARE doing, by lowering your impact there is still a net affect on the entire system. You have to decide for yourself what you think is enough to do in order to be energy responsible. Don't make choices in life based on what others are doing.
This is nothing new.
A lot of people try to 'Go Green" by riding bicycles instead of driving, myself included. Bicycle riders get beer bottles thown at them, get cursed at, and sometimes even run off the road. The Police in the ninth precinct of New York City PD have been confiscating bicycles and arresting anyone who asks questions, even tourists from Pennsylvania.
I myself have a few electric mopeds. I actually built some of the first electric mopeds in North America. I made some money, but no one wanted to lend me money to expand production. Now the Chinese are building 16,000,000 electric mopeds per year. My Daughter Mellisa designed this:
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/...
electric moped in 1991. I knew it would make money. Chinese people must be smarter than Americans.
Bicycles should get more respect. Bicyclists get very little respect. Somehow , some people think that if you ride a bicycle, you don't have a car. That is wrong, 99% of bicyclists have a car, while only 60% of non-bicycling people have a car. Cycling should be encouraged in school. If one learns the rules of the road on a bicycle when they are 12 years old, those skills are downpat by the time they are 16. I obtained my driver's liscence on the first try. I don't know where people get the idea that automobiles and bicycles are very different. Bicycles are very similar to automobiles. Bicycles can attain the speed of an automobile, it just takes effort. Bicycles use the same roads as cars, except some freeways and expressways.
Any debate over what is better, bicycles or cars, always ends with the motorist shouting and leaving in a rage. We didn't even discuss a compromise; Motorcycles? Gee, if we're having a discussion, and I point out all the great things about bicycles, and he points out (snotty and ostentatious) that cars are nice, we could reach a compromise and agree that a Motorcycle would be the best of both worlds.
My Daughter designed a fine prototype hybrid vehicle. Her moped was running with a generator under the hood in 1997, two years before Honda or Toyota had hybrid vehicles to offer.
I dissagree with Mike, he is basing his entire argument on a misconception that we must bring carbon dioxide levels to zero. That is not the case or is it possible. Everything has carbon and when things die and decompose or burn then naturally that CO2 will return to the atmousphere, however the earth has natural means of sequestering co2.
The goal of conservation and reducing energy use and emisssion is to reduce the net co2 by (i believe the last figure was 6% by 2015). Personally I beleive it can happen, but i doubt the government will enforce anything to hit this number.
I think the best thing to do is use our buying power to help change the market to a green marketplace. By using energy efficient techniques and products you not only reduce emissions, but you can save alot of money as well. T
hat is the key factor that makes green living so cool. Its the fact that I can live in the same comfortable conditioned environment that you live in, but for half the cost, because any number of energy efficient measures, alternative energy systems have been used to achieve this.
Everybody is different with different lives here are a 101 Ways To Live More Ecologically,may be you find something that applies to you
1. Avoid disposable in favor of reusable
items.
2. Avoid drying rags in a clothes dryer.
3. Avoid power appliances when handpower works.
4. Avoid highly processed foods.
5. Avoid using styrofoam—it can't be recycled.
6. Avoid watering driveways and sidewalks.
7. Be responsible and creative with leftover foods.
8. Buy in bulk goods to reduce wasted packaging.
9. Buy energy efficient electric appliances.
10. Buy foods without additives.
11. Buy foods without preservatives.
12. Buy food and goods from sources you trust
13. Buy large quantities to reduce shopping trips.
14. Buy living Christmas trees.
15. Buy locally grown food and produce.
16. Buy organic, pesticide-free foods.
17. Compost your food scraps.
18. Discover and protect watersheds in your area,
19. Don't burn trash or other smoky materials.
20. Drain cooking grease onto paper bags, not paper towels.
21. Drive a fuel-efficient car.
22. Drive less: walk, bicycle, carpooland use public transportation.
23. Eat foods low on the food chain; avoid meat.
24. Eat more natural, nutritious foods.
25. Educate elected representatives on ecology.
26. Exercise regularly.
27. Explore and learn about your bioregion.
28. Grow your own food, even a small amount.
29. Hang dry some or all of your clothes.
30. Heat your home less and wear warmer clothes.
31. Heat your home more with renewable energies.
32. Hold a potluck dinner to discuss local ecology.
33. If you use a dishwasher, turn off the drying cycle.
34. Install a water-conserving device in your toilets.
35. Install a water-conserving showerhead.
36. Insulate your home to maximum efficiency.
37. Invest for social responsibility as well as profit.
38. Invest in solar power, where practical.
39. Invest in well-made, long-lived clothing.
40. Keep hazardous chemicals in safe containers.
41. Keep appliance motors well adjusted for efficiency.
42. Mend and repair rather than discard and replace.
43. Oppose meddling in ecological balance.
44. Oppose private development of special areas.
45. Oppose roadside use of defoliants.
46. Organize or join a neighborhood toy exchange.
47. Pick up litter along streets and highways.
48. Plant native trees and shrubs around your home.
49. Plant trees throughout your community.
50. Plant your living Christmas tree.
51. Practice preventive health care.
52. Practice responsible family planning.
53. Prepare only as much food as will be eaten.
54. Protect your favorite distinctive natural areas.
55. Purchase goods in reusable/recyclable containers.
56. Put a catalytic converter on your wood stove.
57. Put toxic substances out of reach of children.
58. Recycle aluminum.
59. Recycle glass.
60. Recycle newspaper.
61. Recycle old clothes.
62. Recycle plastic.
63. Recycle used motor oil.
64. Recycle your unneeded items.
65. Re-use paper bags.
66. Re-use plastic bags for storage and waste.
67. Save up for full loads in clothes washers.
68. Save up for full loads in dishwasher.
69. Shop by phone, then go pick up your purchases.
70. Speak out about your values in community groups.
71. Support efficient energy sources in your bioregion.
72. Support elected representatives on ecological issues.
73. Support energy conservation in your bioregion.
74. Support global ecological improvement efforts.
75. Support local credit unions.
76. Support local merchants before large chains.
77. Support neighborhood food cooperatives.
78. Support proper waste water and sewage treatment.
79. Support the cultural diversity in your bioregion.
80. Support the plants and animals in your community.
81. Take shorter showers.
82. Teach your children ecological wisdom.
83. Turn down the thermostat on your water heater.
84. Turn off the lights when not needed.
85. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth.
86. Use biodegradable soaps and detergents.
87. Use cloth diapers.
88. Use cloth table napkins.
89. Use less tapwater whenever possible.
90. Use non-toxic pest control.
91. Use only medications you trust/understand.
92. Use rags or towels instead of paper.
93. Use rechargeable batteries.
94. Use the second side of paper for scratch paper.
95. Use water from cooking vegetables to make soup.
96. Volunteer for work in a community garden.
97. Volunteer to maintain local parks and wilderness.
98. Wash clothes in cold water.
99. Wash dishes in still, not running water.
100. Weather-seal your home.
101. Work to unlearn poor ecological habits.
http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/1996/ip960321...
we should buy solar panels. when you aren't using any appliances they are making electricity and sending it out on the power lines for someone else to use and spinning your electric meter backwards. then the rich people use that solar energy and don't harm the environment.
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