What can all of us do to help our planet

I think this is a topic that now is becoming a part of everyone's lives if we know it or not.
Within this, topics can be added. Post links from your area & let everyone know what you are doing to help.
It can be small things even, & it's those that help. ie; cycling to work, Bus, changing to power smart light bulbs etc. It's endless really. So post away with any planet saving & energy saving ways you may have. Cool

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Last edited by Drummer Dave on Mon Apr 28, 2008 10:21 am; edited 1 time in total

Fisrt post ! Woo Hoo ! Smile

In my area ive been invovled with the " David Suzuki Foundation " for about 5 months now.
He has been the leader in ways to help energy saveing ways we can all help. Simple things i do now is when im going out for 2 or 3 hours i put my computer in power save mode. Things you just dont think about.
Bought energy saveing light bulbs for my room & others. There are so many subjects that can be covered in this post to help out. So once again people, any subject related to this is welcome, even your own ideas on what people can do to help > GO GREEN < Cool

. Cheers

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Last edited by Drummer Dave on Mon Apr 28, 2008 7:10 pm; edited 1 time in total

Lets see, I use Compact Fluorescent light bulbs which save on energy and try not to use lights unless its dark. When at home and cold, I tend to light a fire before turning up the thermostat. When I get a car, I am planning on hybrid for now, but want to go electric when a good one comes out for a reasonable price, or fuel cell.

Oh and since I am studying to be an electrician, I am trying to learn photo-voltaic systems (Solar panels) and wind power systems, as well as more efficient lighting and all that. This summer I am going to start redoing my house so A.) its up to code and B.) so its more green

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We only have one Earth, take care of her and she will take care of you. ~ probably someone else

Thats excellant Brain, you are so on the right track Cool

I am wanting a Hybird car myself for my next vehicle. They are still kind of expensive but i think i can get one thats acouple of years old, maybe ?, lol, most people that have one have no intent on selling.

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Good idea for a thread.

In class we're studying biofuels. Doesn't look like we're going to have the cars of the future too soon. It's like the chicken and the egg. What comes first, the cars or the fueling station. Nobody wants to step up and do anything right now. Confused

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Hmmmm, i think if the car companys keep putting together Hybirds/Electric & Other vehicles, they will start to see it really does sell & they can make money with them. Fuel stations will start to cater to them.
So far the Hybirds are starting to take off, & its a start to cleaning up this Planet Cool

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

	Drummer Dave wrote:
	Hmmmm, i think if the car companys keep putting together Hybirds/Electric & Other vehicles, they will start to see it really does sell & they can make money with them. Fuel stations will start to cater to them. So far the Hybirds are starting to take off, & its a start to cleaning up this Planet

Yeah, hybrids are good. They can make a car out of carbon fiber, and it will get way better gas mileage. On the videos they said that less than 1% of the energy used in the car is used to propell the driver. Confused

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Mystik Spiral wrote:

	Drummer Dave wrote:
	Hmmmm, i think if the car companys keep putting together Hybirds/Electric & Other vehicles, they will start to see it really does sell & they can make money with them. Fuel stations will start to cater to them. So far the Hybirds are starting to take off, & its a start to cleaning up this Planet

Yeah, hybrids are good. They can make a car out of carbon fiber, and it will get way better gas mileage. On the videos they said that less than 1% of the energy used in the car is used to propell the driver. Confused

> ^ Man, thats insane or what hey ? Rolling Eyes

we have so much to learn, meaning all of man kind, oh, & woman kind Wink

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

What you can do: At Home

Reduce your home heating and electricity use. A more energy-efficient home will lower your utility bills and reduce the emissions that cause climate change. Find out how you can increase energy efficiency in your home through the EnerGuide for Houses program.

Choose energy-efficient appliances. New refrigerators, for example, use 40 per cent less energy than models made just 10 years ago. Find out more

Check the Canadian government’s Auto Smart ratings for the next car you intend to buy to make sure it’s fuel efficient and low polluting. A typical SUV uses almost twice the fuel – and releases nearly twice the emissions – of a modern station wagon, although both seat the same number of passengers. Visit the Canadian Annual Office of Energy Efficiency EnerGuide Awards to find the most fuel-efficient vehicles.

Walk, bike, carpool or take transit to get to one of your regular destinations each week.

Learn about the impacts of air travel and consider vacationing close to home.

If you are moving, choose a home within a 30-minute bike, walk or transit ride from your daily destinations. A convenient place to live reduces the amount you drive, which means you’ll lower your greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants.

Take care of your trash. Composting all organic waste – and recycling paper, cardboard, cans and bottles – will help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with landfills.

Eat wisely. Choose foods that are local, organic and low on the food chain whenever possible. Make the most of seasonal foods.

Go Carbon neutral!

Did you know?

Standard light bulbs give off 90 per cent of their energy as heat. New compact fluorescent "spiral" bulbs are 75 per cent more efficient and fit in standard sockets.

If you combined all the "heat leaks" in an average Canadian home, you would have a hole the size of a basketball! Proper weather stripping and caulking of doors and windows can reduce heating bills by 25 per cent.

A typical car produces three times its weight in carbon dioxide emissions – a major greenhouse gas. Light cars produce fewer emissions and cost less. Annual fuel costs average $648 for a new Volkswagen Jetta and $2,067 for a Ford Expedition 4x4.

Refrigerators are an energy-hogging home appliance. Replacing a 10-year-old refrigerator with a new EnergyStar-approved model would save enough energy to light your home for more than three months.

Encourage your local government to move towards energy efficient communities. Encourage your city to expand transit and other alternatives, make city operations more energy efficient and encourage compact development instead of sprawl. Tips on contacting political representatives.

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

I saw on a commercial that 25% of your energy bill goes to appliances that are plugged in but turned off. Shocked

Simple thing to do is to unplug things when you're not using them. Cool

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Yup, i used to always leave my charger for my phone pluged in & my battery charger for my camera.
Not no more Cool

Its amazing when you start to learn about all the stuff that sucks energy even when not in use.

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

I use Compact Fluorescent light bulbs only when it's dark. I use blankets more then my heater.and if it to cold I turn it to 65. I recycle my plastic bottles and cans.only do a full load of dishes and laundry. I don't own a car so I walk or take a bus or carpool wherever I go.oh I recycle my magazines and papers. Very Happy

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I just heard something big crackï¿½.. holy crap!-Les Stroud

^ Excellant Linsleyk Cool

I as well recycle my papers, plastics. Also Oil, when i do an oil change on my car i take it down to the Transfer station were they take it to a recycler. Smile

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

We are starting to grow organic fruits and vegetables in a small garden, see how it goes this year to adjust for the future.

Oh and here, a new Honda Civic Hybrid gets 45 mpg Highway/ 43 city estimated and costs about $24, 000. Not a bad price for a hybrid, especially one with such good gas mileage. Other option is of course in warmer months drive a motorcycle which can get upwards of 100 mpg.

This winter I am going to try and get my family to seal the house up properly and see how much our energy bill changes.

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We only have one Earth, take care of her and she will take care of you. ~ probably someone else

I recycle can's,Bottles and old magazines and newspapers as well.

Use the light bulbs like others have talked about...lol

I have a truck,but don't drive unless I really need too and then try to make all trips at one time all together . Cool

^ Excellant Lara. I try to think of all the things ineed to pick up on my outings. But dang, some times ive gottin home and 20 minutes later i realize i forgot something ! ... Evil or Very Mad

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

I bought canvas bags for my groceries instead of paper or plastic. Very Happy

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I just heard something big crackï¿½.. holy crap!-Les Stroud

Don't let the "green" label fool you guys.
The compact florecent bulb contains enough mercury to contaminate over 8000 gallons of water, and if you break one, the fun really starts.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, if you break one you must evacuate the house immediately, especially if there is a pregnant woman around. Open all windows and doors for ventalation, and when you pick up the pieces use gloves and a dust mask.
Don't just throw them away either, they must be disposed of in special hazerdous waste containers.
Go with the LED lights, far more efficient than florecents, and they are made from Silicon, (sand) so they don't pollute the entire neighborhood.

As for Hybrid cars, the lead, Zinc and Mercury in the batteries alone are far more damaging than carbon to the environment, Plus, the batteries wear out in just a few years and must be replaced. Far better to use a car with decent gas milage, and either a bicycle or motor bike in the summer. Also, the trade in value is non existant. The hybrids only make about 5 mpg better than the standard versions of the same car.

I don't advocate giving up or just consuming with no thought to the future, I just wish there was a little common sense in the mix. In the US right now, we can't build nuclear plants, or use clean coal technology because of the rabid greens. No advances are good enough. As an example, in Montana the new clean water act has standards so high, the equipment available can't even test for complience because the equipment isn't sensative enough!
The background contamination from natural sources is far beyond the standards. Really guys, we can't live in a sterile environment.

Do what you can, just don't be fooled by the church of the almighty algore!

The "green" culture that is springing up like kudzu is playing on peoples fears. A clean healthy environment is what everybody wants, but what is happening now is more of a pop culture craze. For example, Ethenol is proving to be far worse on not just the environment due to more cultivation to feed the distilleries, and the fossil fuels and fertilizers needed to grow it, but it is raising the cost of food and creating shortages in places that can least afford higher food costs.

I raise most of my own garden stuff, I hunt and fish for meat, I gather berries and other edibles from the wild, I use very few lights and my heating bill is really pretty low with a pellet stove with low emmisions. I read the news paper off the web, so no paper to recycle, (by the way, the ink from recycled newspaper is also classified as hazerdous waste), and I design and build new solar, wind and hydro powersystems. I designed an engine I am working to paten for that makes 210 Miles to the gallon in a full size 3/4 ton 4x4 pickup and up to 420 miles in a standard sedan.

I do have a degree in Industrial Electronics Engineering, so I know that standard solar cells are only about 17% efficent at full sun, which is the sun at high noon on the equator. Most of us live where the days get a lot shorter in the winter and the sun is nowhere near as powerful as the equator. Boron-Germainium cells are much more efficent, but deadly toxic if cracked. And they still only reach about 30% efficency.
Wind doesen't blow all the time, and wind turbines need an average wind speed of 16 miles an hour to operate at 20% efficency. Hydro is the best, but the technology in use today needs dams to maximize and control flows for constant power.
Plus, you have to have banks of batteries to store the power for when the sun is down at night, or cloud cover, or with windmills for when the wind isn't blowing.

Carbon fiber cars would be fine if there weren't dangerous drivers on the roads. Your protection in those cars is about the same as on a motorcycle. Your liability insurance would be significantly higher!

I look at conservation as a way to maintain a good lifestyle, without paying through the nose for items that won't last or do more damage than the items they are supposed to replace.
Many of the items that are "green" are just a mirage to entice people to buy things not because they are responsible, but to cater to an image.

I live very close to the bone out in the wild, I respect nature, and I understand my environment. I leave no footprints when I am out, but I do not kow-tow to the church of algore who is running one of the greatest scams of all times.

Everybody has the right to their beliefs, Please just make an informed decision before you look for the end of the rainbow.

You may not believe it, but I think that consiousness of the natural world is a good thing, and I am not looking to start any fights here, I just want both sides of the argument addressed.
That is how good decisions are made.

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All gave some, Some gave all.

Good post

Positives & Negatives seem to go together. Everyone has the right to voice there opinion.

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Last edited by Drummer Dave on Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:19 pm; edited 1 time in total

Here is a cool little Vid i found. The video just kind of belongs in this thread Cool

Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYcLemHk7WM

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing