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BottomlessFilth · 02-01-2010, 03:35 PM

I'm not going to sit here telling everyone to revamp their houses, sift through every piece of trash for recycling, planting more trees, installing water conserving shower heads, etc... Who has the money, the patience or the time for that? Not very many people.
I just think we should all pick 1-2 things that would make us more environmentally friendly to help preserve mother Earth, and chose to focus on doing those few things. If each person did a few little changes, there would be some major beneficial changes that would come from the combined efforts of everyone.
It's not so much about are we hurting the Earth by our current actions, but should really be about NOT wanting to hurt our Earth; taking measures to prevent damage of any kind.

dirty dog · 02-01-2010, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BottomlessFilth

I'm not going to sit here telling everyone to revamp their houses, sift through every piece of trash for recycling, planting more trees, installing water conserving shower heads, etc... Who has the money, the patience or the time for that? Not very many people.
I just think we should all pick 1-2 things that would make us more environmentally friendly to help preserve mother Earth, and chose to focus on doing those few things. If each person did a few little changes, there would be some major beneficial changes that would come from the combined efforts of everyone.
It's not so much about are we hurting the Earth by our current actions, but should really be about NOT wanting to hurt our Earth; taking measures to prevent damage of any kind.

Nice sentiment and I agree, but unfortunately the Climate Change bill or cap and trade as its called calls for any house being sold to meet government enviromental standards which may result in thousands of dollars being spent by somone wanting to sell their home.

BottomlessFilth · 02-01-2010, 07:37 PM

DD:
All while the economy is in the shitter LOL. Recently most people are probably trying to sell their homes to get into something more affordable. Which would lead me think they probably don't have the money to spend on those kind of repairs to begin with....

Longermonger · 02-03-2010, 01:24 AM

DD, what's most likely to happen is that the naysayers will deny and delay long enough until it is too late. Then we're in for a ride. Most naysayers are too old and too insulated from the effects that they might even die thinking that they were right all along.

Until then there is no political force strong enough to stand up to peoples' own self-destructive behavior. Next time you're stopped at a stoplight (with your vehicle idling) look at the other drivers around you. Then do the math. How much do the vehicles weight? How many passengers are in them? I bet you're surrounded by SUV's and pickup trucks with single drivers. Now count them. How many cylinders in total? How many minutes were you all stopped at the red light? How many times did you stop and do nothing but pollute the air? It adds up quickly. Now consider that there are 800 BILLION cars and trucks in the world. That's about a TRILLION times more pollution than your car alone. Do you really think that driving around a trillion cars every day has NO effect on the (finite) atmosphere?

Now, if the world can build a trillion passenger vehicles...if can build a few hundred thousand wind turbines. No problem. Then you just need to add solar, hydro, and geo to the mix. Mixed together, they work quite well. There is plenty of solar power to tap into. We just need a fraction to power all human energy needs. The wind blows at night. The sun shines when there is no wind. You fill in the gaps with hydro and geo (because they can be throttled). Basically, free clean unlimited energy is all around you. Look up...there it is. Look down...there it is. Look around...there it is. We just need to build machines to capture it.

If you're waiting until all of the scientists in the world agree on it 100% and explain it to you in a way that you can understand and accept...you'll never get it. But if you look at what the overwhelming majority of the best and the brightest say...it is crystal clear.

lacrew_2000 · 02-03-2010, 12:10 PM

"if can build a few hundred thousand wind turbines. No problem. Then you just need to add solar, hydro, and geo to the mix"

Q: Why does wind power cost five times as much as coal power?

A: Cost of the wind turbine and transmission lines (and the majority of any product cost is energy - to make the exotic materials, mine the TONS of copper for the windings, transport, produce the HUNDREDS of TONs of concrete, etc.)

Same goes with solar. A free market is a telling indicator. If wind power costs more to make, it really is less efficient. When I look at a turbine or solar panel, I don't see green gumdrops in my head, I see massive mining trucks, or giant flame tubes melting silicone.

Like electric cars? - research how much lithium there really is in the world for the batteries

Its hard to get more efficient than drilling a hole in the ground and sucking the oil out. We have made great strides in fuel efficiency and emmisions reductions...but now are Distracted with schemes that simply cannot work, to reduce harmless CO2.

dirty dog · 02-03-2010, 12:23 PM

"Like electric cars? - research how much lithium there really is in the world for the batteries"

Then what do you do with the batteries when they are used up.

But Monger Iam not against all of these new technologies. In fact I am all for them. BUt does it have to be government funded which costs the tax payer 3 times what it used to cost. Also to be honest my desire to see these new technologies has less to do with climate change and more to do with dependence on foriegn oil. If you want to sell me on this stuff thats the angle to use. I also think that there is a place for more nuclear power, especially with the new technologies like "nuclear pebbles"

kcbigpapa · 02-03-2010, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Longermonger

Now consider that there are 800 BILLION cars and trucks in the world.

Is this a typo? There are not 800 billion cars.

Guest052813-01 · 02-03-2010, 02:32 PM

While I am against all of these so-called "green" policies that are forced upon the public (the "cap-and-tax" farce, Copenhagen, Kyoto treaty, etc.), I do agree that anything that technology can develop that will conserve resources without putting a financial burden on those that use it is a positive. And, if you voluntarily participate in conservation measures, that's OK with me - as long as I have the choice to not participate as a matter of principle. I have changed all of my light bulbs from incandescent to CFLs because they last 5 times longer than an incandescent and use 1/4 the wattage of its corresponding incandescent. I did this to save on my electric bill each month - not because I think it is the "green" thing to do.