Who is "doing their bit"? - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**lauren313** · 07-26-2007, 11:23 AM

I was wondering what you all think on the whole climate change issue that's going on at the minute, and whether anyone is trying to cut down their "carbon footprint"?

So the Live Earth shows were on recently, and aimed to raise people's awareness and get them to make small changes to their lives. Has this happened for anyone?

I guess maybe I was influenced by Live Earth in a way, because in the last couple of weeks I've been trying to do little things like switching everything off at the plug, turn lights off when I don't really need them on, only boiling as much water as I need (honestly, I was terrible really, I'd leave everything on standby, boil a whole kettle, etc).

Just wondered about everyone else? Or have you always been good? Any other small changes that you guys have made that you could suggest for me?

**Canadian Bacon** · 07-26-2007, 01:28 PM

Hmm...good question:

-I try to use tupperware and bring my lunch whenever I can

-I bring my own cup to work so I don't use styrofoam

-I walk to work and everywhere (but that's more for exersize and convenience and concern for the world)

-I re-use my plastic grocery bags as trash bags. I will assume everyone does this.

-When I big bottles of wine, I just put it in my backpack, because those long thin bags for wine are utterly useless.

**omisan** · 07-26-2007, 03:57 PM

I bike to work, I recycle, and when possible buy food from sustainable/organic sources.

**aliz** · 07-26-2007, 05:26 PM

yeah i had this strange realisation a few weeks ago that this really is a problem that can only be fixed by people actively doing something.. you can't just wait around for some billionaire to donate money... so i've been turning things off at the wall, turning of lights, I don't even own a car so i walk everywhere, recycling.. and.. um.. only doing laundry every few weeks. but thats more just cause i'm a lazy grubby student. but i'm putting it down to saving the world!

**TheJake** · 07-26-2007, 05:32 PM

I take long hot showers
I leave the water running when I brush my teeth
I do my laundry every day whether or not I need to
I leave all my lights on 24/7
I drink only un-broken seal bottled water and never refill them
I drive a hummer

So yeah... but on a positive note
I reuse condoms...

Seriously though I taught Environmental Education for a few years and there are so many little things that would add up if everyone did them. Things like this...
http://ecoiron.blogspot.com/2007/01/...megawatts.html

as can be seen I am doing my part on www.findthejake.com

so browse findthejake.com daily and use blackle.com instead of google.com

**DC_Jessica** · 07-26-2007, 05:43 PM

I just ate at an eco-friendly restaurant. It seemed like EVERYTHING was green. I drank my organic lemonade with a biodegradable straw. They offset their carbon footprint with wind power.

Anyone wants to come to DC, your soy milkshake is ON ME!

http://www.javagreen.net/html/about_us.html

**joe7f** · 07-26-2007, 07:31 PM

I am driving a little less, but that has more to do with gas prices than what little CO2 I am pumping out into the atmosphere.

We have switched to CFL for all lamps in our house, but again mostly because of price.

Of course, if you can lower your "carbon footprint" and save money at the same time, why not?

--Joey

Edit: Recycling paper is a questionable exercise (most of our paper comes from tree farms where we grow trees for the explicit purpose of generating paper...if there is less paper demand, there are less trees planted, and therefore less CO2 taken out of the air), recycling cans though is definitely worthwhile

**marc873** · 07-26-2007, 07:48 PM

I ditched my car for an Italian scooter. I recycle everything, and do my part on the water and electric, I really hope I am as earth conscious as I try to be

**lauren313** · 07-27-2007, 01:21 AM

I wish I could recycle, but living in university accommodation makes that quite difficult. For some reason, my uni doesn't offer recycling facilities (which strikes me as quite strange) so in the shared kitchen, everything goes into one bin. It's not even as if I could get my own recycling bins and leave those of for the rubbish collectors, as we don't get the usual collectors coming here, I guess they're on contract. So that's a bit annoying.

Thanks for all the replies by the way!

**c0urt** · 07-27-2007, 09:07 AM

i worked in a bike shop and mostly rode my bike everywhere, and was an activist to get more people on bikes,

then i tried to die

**blinkchick2134** · 07-27-2007, 12:55 PM

Honestly, I don't believe too much in this whole global warming excitement. The earth has been changing for millions...billions....of years, I'm sure we weren't to blame for the ice ages or periods of continent shifts. However, I do support the idea because it has gotten so many people to start recycling, taking public transit, cut down on lots of excess things, etc.

I haven't driven a car in 2 months, mainly it's been public transit (chicken bus) or carpooling.

Our farm recycles the staple things and burns paper (and other burnables) for adding the ashes to the soil (for nutrients).

We don't use a lot of electric, mainly only when it's dark because our cabin has wide windows that open to the Costa Rican air.

Water, however, we do waste a bit. Our water supply that we water gardens and wash clothes with comes from a stream...and goes back out into the same stream (we use bio-friendly soap, no worries). Our drinking water comes from a water processing plant but we don't use more than we need mostly.

**juliagulia** · 07-27-2007, 03:08 PM

I always took columbia for granted, i guess. here, everyone pretty much recycles. there's a separate trash and recycle day, and they don't take your paper if they see plastic/aluminum and vice versa.

when i stayed at my aunts house for a summer, i practically went crazy. i felt so guilty putting banana peels and plastic bags in the same bin :-\

**The Monsignor** · 07-29-2007, 10:27 AM

I'm not a huge believer in the hype about our impact on climate - we're currently in the middle of the earth's usual climate shifts (ice age to hot age and back) and by the geological clock, we're on the normal warm shifting cycle. I think it's being used by certain politicians as a distraction from other more significant issues (geopolitical, as well as environmental). When the chief global warming instigator has a mansion with power bills in excess of $10k per month, I have a hard time listening to anything he says about what I should be doing to protect the earth from global warming.

'Carbon offsets' really bug me as well - you can't buy back your pollution, and investigation has proven that most of these projects that people are buying offsets in would have been done regardless of their investment. (Gore, by the way, is a major stockholder in one of these companies selling offsets, and his company in particular has been cited as particularly crooked in their dealings)

NASA, who happens to have the worlds largest database on climate studies, has made statements concerning global warming and the fact that all the hype has essentially obscured the real research and created a scientific witch hunt, where criticism and peer review is stifled in favor of sensationalism and activism. The head of NASA has publicly stated that the impact of humanity on the climate has been grossly overstated and that the assumption that the current climate is somehow 'ideal' or proper is sheer hubris...

Given all that, I'm still interested in minimizing my impact on the environment, regardless. I ride a motorcycle when I can, I drive a fuel-efficient car (not a hybrid, there's a whole ton of other hazardous materials involved in the manufacture of those, and the batteries have a limited lifespan, leaving you with huge disposal problems just as soon as they wear out - worn out cars are mostly recyclable anymore, worn out batteries aren't) I recycle - paper is questionable, but since it tends to end up in the landfill, capped off with clay, it's not really going to degrade quickly and we're much better off putting it back into use. I reduce my consumption in general (economically it makes sense as well) and I have lowered my electricity consumption by 30% over last year by replacing my appliances with more efficient ones, lowering my hot water temperature, using a water-saving washer, etc... unfortunately it's made little impact on my bill, since the energy prices have skyrocketed...

I would use public transportation, but that's simply not feasible where I live.

**TheJake** · 07-29-2007, 11:37 AM

yeah. I think regardless of whether or not global warming is a reality or not, I can look out the window here in phoenix and see the pollution in the air. That disgusts me. And we can't just keep burying our trash forever. We all know that nuclear really isn't safe and if we can get our energy from the tide, the sun and the wind, then why the hell not?!?!

Strip mining has ruined so many amazing mountain ranges out east and now those god damn coal companies are trying to start shredding down the majestic Rockies. I might not be a monkey wrench gang member yet but damn it if they lay a finger on any of the mountains I love I swears I will tear their equipment apart. Seriously eco-friendly power sources just make sense, at least to everyone who isn't getting a piece of the fossil fuel pie.

**Delaney** · 07-30-2007, 11:39 AM

I signed up for renewable power for my house, recycle everything, use CFL bulbs, turn the shower off when I shave, etc...

I try to do all the little things. I am also going back to school to study the affects of urbanisation on the Chesapeake Bay watershed... in hopes to finding some answers to the depleting water quality.

**joe7f** · 07-30-2007, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheJake

Seriously eco-friendly power sources just make sense, at least to everyone who isn't getting a piece of the fossil fuel pie.

I thought I posted a reply but I don't see it so I guess it is in preview purgatory.

While it makes since to tap eco-friendly power sources, it is not feasible to rely on them for most of our energy consumption with one exception. Nuclear. It is quite environmentally friendly and fairly safe contrary to what the Jake says.

--Joey

cruzintoDK · 07-30-2007, 07:21 PM

I poop outside.

...but that's about it.

**TheJake** · 07-30-2007, 08:31 PM

the jake is never wrong joe.

davidd · 07-31-2007, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joe7f

I thought I posted a reply but I don't see it so I guess it is in preview purgatory.

While it makes since to tap eco-friendly power sources, it is not feasible to rely on them for most of our energy consumption with one exception. Nuclear. It is quite environmentally friendly and fairly safe contrary to what the Jake says.

--Joey

yeah I'm for a nuclear/wind combo or perhaps using tidal power instead of wind if feasible.

**MeTurk** · 08-01-2007, 03:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monsignor

I drive a fuel-efficient car (not a hybrid, there's a whole ton of other hazardous materials involved in the manufacture of those, and the batteries have a limited lifespan, leaving you with huge disposal problems just as soon as they wear out - worn out cars are mostly recyclable anymore, worn out batteries aren't)

It's also not fuel efficient. You'll find that allot of European Diesels are just as good if not better according to Top Gear.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe

While it makes since to tap eco-friendly power sources, it is not feasible to rely on them for most of our energy consumption with one exception. Nuclear. It is quite environmentally friendly and fairly safe contrary to what the Jake says.

You can make allot of power out of shit. When I heard about this I thought it was a revelation. All human poop and food waste can be put into a big vat and turned into Methane and fertilizer. It makes perfect sense I don't know why we don't switch to it now straight away, the worlds full of shit! there's more than enough for everybody, in a power crisis we'd just have to eat more.

I think there's a town in China that runs off shit and I know there's a farm up the north but that's about it.

Shit power is the way forward, it's ten times cheaper than Nuclear, doesn't have any waste, and contibutes back to the land so there's a natural cycle involved.