Why Are We Wasting Energy on Idiotic Practices?

[JaredJames]

Oh and surely paving over every garden would increase flood problems. We have the problems now where water can't drain fast enough due to the tarmac roads etc. So removing large areas of grass which provide some absorption is a very bad idea. In fact, the grass out front is the only reason my house doesn't flood. The run-off from the drive itself in heavy weather is enough to cause a 6 inch build up of water when the drains get overwhelmed.

 

[Topher925]

I'm guilty of not using reusable grocery bags. My local grocer charges $8 a bag, offers no discount, and the bags are so small they can barely hold on a gallon of milk. So far I have been recycling the plastic ones though but I need to find a decent reusable ones.

Cyrus and Penguino, the Love Shack called, your room is ready.

 

[JasonRox]

A lot of people with no lives actually go through all the junk mail. I'm serious, so they would get mad. And then the government would be afraid to ban it cause they can lose votes. I'm serious.

Well, the grass... I don't have any right now. None of our family used chemicals. Who the hell uses chemicals?!

If there was no grass and we just paved everything... wouldn't that be worse for the environment... like much worse?

 

[JaredJames]

Well, the grass... I don't have any right now. None of our family used chemicals. Who the hell uses chemicals?!

Yeah, if you fail at growing grass you should just give up the gardening game right now!

If there was no grass and we just paved everything... wouldn't that be worse for the environment... like much worse?

See my previous post.

 

[turbo]

You can sign up with Catalog Choice and opt out of receiving catalogs from many retailers. That alone cut our junk mail significantly because the person that we bought the place from was getting every catalog you can imagine - mostly loaded with overpriced gimmicks and junk (like the Topsy-Turvey planter - yech!). Now when we get junk mail, it is mostly small cards or flyers from businesses, or pleas from charitable organizations. The money spent by the latter is dismaying. We have more personalized address stickers, note-pads, and adhesive gift tags than we will ever use in our lives. My wife and I made the mistake of making non-anonymous donations to a couple of charities and were suddenly swamped with non-profit beggars. If you want to minimize these mailings and still make donations, pay an extra buck to get a cashier's check from your credit union or bank and send that to them with NO return address.

 

[Office_Shredder]

Lemme try this

Point 1: I can get really angry and feel self-righteous about other people's lifestyles. It's easy to question how other people live their lives without trying to put real understanding into why they do some of the things they do, or even any of the possible drawbacks to stopping those things.

Point 2: Just because I'm angry and self-righteous doesn't mean I'm correct. This is an important point to understand, so you don't make the mistake of paving over every patch of grass in the world

Point 3: After considering the possibility of being wrong, I should do some research on google to see whether my assumptions about how the world works in grocery stores is correct. Furthermore, I might realize that things like the cost of a paper bag are negligible and the energy and time cost of making this post outstrip that.

 

[JasonRox]

If all humans stopped farting, that could help the environment.

 

[turbo]

If all humans stopped farting, that could help the environment.

You first.

 

[JasonRox]

You first.

We must all work together as a team. I'll start but I'm known to cheat.

Regardless, join me now.

 

[Cyrus]

As for the street lights, you could do that. Put motion sensors on them. When someones walking by, they turn on.

There is a bit of a practicality issue with this though, since street lights use fluorescent tubes they don't just turn on at the flip of a switch.

 

[humanino]

There is a bit of a practicality issue with this though, since street lights use fluorescent tubes they don't just turn on at the flip of a switch.

Don't worry, it's easily fixable. Use a switch. As you know, they're more efficient.

 

[Cyrus]

Don't worry, it's easily fixable. Use a switch. As you know, they're more efficient.

A switch on an outdoor lamppost?

 

[chroot]

Cyrus,

Your arguments are good, but they aren't original ideas. Out here in Cali, at least, sustainability is a major economic driver. (Paradoxically, the green movement actually creates more jobs and grows the total economy and infrastructure, making the problem... worse. But, I digress. At least they mean well.)

I'd say about half of the people out here use canvas bags for groceries. Plastic grocery bags are banned in San Francisco, and other communities are sure to follow. Most grocery stores charge you for using their bags (or, equivalently, they give you a discount for using your own).

Sustainable landscaping is huge out here. Everyone wants to use native plants for ground-cover and decoration. These plants thrive in the natural environment here, need no irrigation or maintenance, and in many cases are very pretty. My girlfriend is a commercial real estate developer, with an emphasis on sustainable design and operations, so I hear quite a lot about this.

I have to take issue with some of the things being said about street lights, though. The truth is that lighting and crime are not directly related. The International Dark Sky Association, a group focusing on light pollution and its effect on astronomical research, has done countless studies on crime that corroborate this fact.

I also have a big problem with disposable plastic water bottles, since a reusable metal bottle is almost always a better choice. Many people have a misconception that using a plastic bottle, then recycling it, is pretty much the same as not having ever used it at all.

- Warren

 

[JasonRox]

Cyrus,

Your arguments are good, but they aren't original ideas. Out here in Cali, at least, sustainability is a major economic driver. (Paradoxically, the green movement actually creates more jobs and grows the total economy and infrastructure, making the problem... worse. But, I digress. At least they mean well.)

I'd say about half of the people out here use canvas bags for groceries. Plastic grocery bags are banned in San Francisco, and other communities are sure to follow. Most grocery stores charge you for using their bags (or, equivalently, they give you a discount for using your own).

Sustainable landscaping is huge out here. Everyone wants to use native plants for ground-cover and decoration. These plants thrive in the natural environment here, need no irrigation or maintenance, and in many cases are very pretty. My girlfriend is a commercial real estate developer, with an emphasis on sustainable design and operations, so I hear quite a lot about this.

I have to take issue with some of the things being said about street lights, though. The truth is that lighting and crime are not directly related. The International Dark Sky Association, a group focusing on light pollution and its effect on astronomical research, has done countless studies on crime that corroborate this fact.

I also have a big problem with disposable plastic water bottles, since a reusable metal bottle is almost always a better choice. Many people have a misconception that using a plastic bottle, then recycling it, is pretty much the same as not having ever used it at all.

- Warren

In our area, stores must charge for grocery bags. Minimum 5 cents. City hopes some peoples start using canvas bags, and then they plan on banning plastic bags in some cities in the new region.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Many areas now cycle the street lights off for periods of time so that out of any four lights, for example, at any time, one of them is off.

One thing that annoys me is the energy wasted by refrigerators. In the summer, we run the fridge which then blows hot air that has to be cooled again by the air conditioner. In the winter, we heat house, which in turn puts a greater load on the fridge. The condenser coil should be cooled using air from under or outside of the house, and exhuasted out again. I had the chance to implement this idea in new modular [steel] homes, but the company making them just went bankrupt.

 

[JasonRox]

Many areas now cycle the street lights off for periods of time so that out of any four lights, for example, at any time, one of them is off.

One thing that annoys me is the energy wasted by refrigerators. In the summer, we run the fridge which then blows hot air that has to be cooled again by the air conditioner. In the winter, we heat house, which in turn puts a greater load on the fridge. The condenser coil should be cooled using air from under or outside of the house, and exhuasted out again. I had the chance to implement this idea in new modular [steel] homes, but the company making them just went bankrupt.

Now that's a valid thing to argue. Or the heat the fridge produces can help warm the water... who knows. I'm no engineer.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I also think that that new homes could be designed to utilize ground temperature sinking and sourcing for climate control. They are doing this with the active systems [heat pumps], but it seems to me that a semi-passive system might work well during some months of the year, and in areas having a relatively mild climate.

 

[Cyrus]

Cyrus,

Your arguments are good, but they aren't original ideas. Out here in Cali, at least, sustainability is a major economic driver. (Paradoxically, the green movement actually creates more jobs and grows the total economy and infrastructure, making the problem... worse. But, I digress. At least they mean well.)

I'd say about half of the people out here use canvas bags for groceries. Plastic grocery bags are banned in San Francisco, and other communities are sure to follow. Most grocery stores charge you for using their bags (or, equivalently, they give you a discount for using your own).

Sustainable landscaping is huge out here. Everyone wants to use native plants for ground-cover and decoration. These plants thrive in the natural environment here, need no irrigation or maintenance, and in many cases are very pretty. My girlfriend is a commercial real estate developer, with an emphasis on sustainable design and operations, so I hear quite a lot about this.

I have to take issue with some of the things being said about street lights, though. The truth is that lighting and crime are not directly related. The International Dark Sky Association, a group focusing on light pollution and its effect on astronomical research, has done countless studies on crime that corroborate this fact.

I also have a big problem with disposable plastic water bottles, since a reusable metal bottle is almost always a better choice. Many people have a misconception that using a plastic bottle, then recycling it, is pretty much the same as not having ever used it at all.

- Warren

Oh, I'm not claiming originality to my ideas. I'm just ranting about things I notice.

Point 5

SUVs. You don't need to drive your kids in one to soccer practice. No one did in the 80s/early 90s. Did kids suddenly become 10x bigger? There should be a law that states to get an SUV you must show a NEED for one and get a special license (Like a truck license) since people who have them don't seem to know how to drive.

SUV drives who don't have a need for one should get a special tax.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Did kids suddenly become 10x bigger?

Yes. See Supersize Me.

There should be a law that states to get an SUV you must show a NEED for one and get a special license (Like a truck license) since people who have them don't seem to know how to drive.

SUV drives who don't have a need for one should get a special tax.

I keep telling you guys the way to kill SUVs. Regulate them [say any vehicle over 3000 or 4000 Lbs] like heavy trucks and require that they drive at 55 mph in the rightmost lanes. If you have ever been next to one of those $50K monsters while driving a Corolla, the logic in such a law is immediately obvious - SUVs and other large vehicles are dangerous to those of us who choose make responsible automobile purchases. I shouldn't have to put my life in imminent jeopardy in order to drive a high-mileage vehicle.

 

[Cyrus]

I keep telling you guys the way to kill SUVs. Regulate them like heavy trucks and require that they drive at 55 mph in the rightmost lanes.

WRONG: The correct answer is run people you see driving SUVs off the road. BYE BYEE

 

[Ivan Seeking]

WRONG: The correct answer is run people you see driving SUVs off the road. BYE BYEE

Cyrus, are you a nut or do you just like to pretend to be one?

 

[JasonRox]

WRONG: The correct answer is run people you see driving SUVs off the road. BYE BYEE

 

[turbo]

WRONG: The correct answer is run people you see driving SUVs off the road. BYE BYEE

Ah, yes! Vigilante in a Corolla tries to run a Hummer off the highway. Occupants of Corolla: "Aiee!" (crumple of metal and crackle of flames) Occupants of Hummer: "Honey, did you feel something back there?"

 

[Pupil]

Today's rant is on energy consumption, and what I view to be idiotic consumer/societal practices.

Point 1:

The mail. I get lots of crap in the mail. Every day, I get mail for deals on Pizza, lawn care, Value Packs, Credit Cards, Insurance. I throw away nearly half of my mail every day. All this crap goes straight to trash. More to the point, all this crap takes a lot of energy to make and print on that nice glossy paper. A lot of chemicals go into those nice vibrant inks - that wind up straight in the recycling bin. On top of that, all that crap has to get trucked around by the mail man.

So, we wasted energy:
-Making It
-Shipping It
-My Energy throwing it away
-More energy to Recycle it

How about not sending this crap out to begin with! I never signed up for any of this, why are they even sending it. Make a law against it!

The other points I could see a debate for, but the first point I totally agree with. I hate going to the mailbox to find 80% of my mail is glossy, bright, flashy ads screaming "BUY NOW!" Then walking up to my front door to see a bunch of ads dangling from my door handle and littering the ground around my doorstep. Now I have to weed out the ads in my mail and clean up the small junk yard of ads accumulated throughout the day by what looks like an army of jackasses taking bets on how much crap they can fit by my door. It's insane. I never read the ads. No one I know ever reads the ads. You know what I do when I want to go somewhere to eat or to buy product X? I go to the internet and find out what the best reviewed/priced store is or check out a place a friend told me about. I do a few quick Google searches or rely on word of mouth, I don't read the hundreds of shiny ads being stuffed down my throat.

Oh, and if I'm gone for a few days, I can be sure any thiefs would know, too. The four day old pile of ads on my door step will tell them all about it. Thanks generic Italian pizza place!

Screw you, Cyrus. Got me all worked up and pissed off.

 

[cristo]

Right, all posts triggered by one insult have now been removed. If insults/"sarcasm" continue, then more punitive action will be taken.

 

[Cyrus]

Hooary its back!

Hmmmm, I've exhausted things to rant about concerning energy. I'll think of something later when it strikes me.

 

[Pengwuino]

Yes. See Supersize Me.

Damn it you beat me to it!

As for the street lights, hell, what Fresno does is they just turned every other street light off. Simple. WIN. It seems like a lot of conservation efforts remind me of the story (true or not) of the US and USSR developing a pen that could write in space. The US is the environmentalists making a bunch of complicated BS while I, the USSR, make simple WIN. No one wants to just face the reality of nuking large population centers. Sigh.

 

[Cyrus]

Damn it you beat me to it!

As for the street lights, hell, what Fresno does is they just turned every other street light off. Simple. WIN. It seems like a lot of conservation efforts remind me of the story (true or not) of the US and USSR developing a pen that could write in space. The US is the environmentalists making a bunch of complicated BS while I, the USSR, make simple WIN. No one wants to just face the reality of nuking large population centers. Sigh.

I'm all for nuking your community.

 

[Cyrus]

Hahhaa, that pictures so funny. But you don't get the reference to the joke in my post, which was for Ivan.

 

[FredGarvin]

I thought Al Gore created the paperless society right after he invented the internet.

I'd like to start saving the planet by sacrificing the annoying wench that insists on leaving Avon catalogs in my mail box.

 

[Topher925]

I hate people that go out of there way to not recycle. At my apt. complex we have 5 recycling bins about 20 feet in front of the garbage dumpster. I always see people walking the extra 20 feet to through paper away instead of recycling it. Next time I see someone doing it, I'm going to punch them in the face.

 

[Huckleberry]

I have to take issue with some of the things being said about street lights, though. The truth is that lighting and crime are not directly related. The International Dark Sky Association, a group focusing on light pollution and its effect on astronomical research, has done countless studies on crime that corroborate this fact.

- Warren

I was wondering about this. I think criminals are just as afraid of being blind as everyone else, or at least as inconvenienced by it. (Oh no, I can't see. Something must be after me!) As a night owl myself I've learned to avoid people who hang out under street lights at night. Sometimes in the middle of the night I'll be driving around town and have to check to see if my headlights are on. There is a lot of energy being spent to light up empty streets so people 'feel' safer. I believe its largest contribution is to people's paranoia.

@Cyrus,
Yeah, all that junk mail is a huge waste. The quantity of it is annoying also.

When I was living in Arizona I never understood why so many people wanted grass lawns. I can understand it if it is a region where grass grows naturally and has water to spare, but not in the desert. They picked the wrong place to live if they need green lawns and AC for 3/4ths of the year.

I fear that the whole world will become LA, though it looks like most of the world is smarter than the US. What, you mean I can't just buy a clean environment?!?

 

[Mech_Engineer]

It seems to me that many water "shortages" are pretty much artificial and/or self-inflicted... In California all it takes is a few dozen gigantic (possibly nuclear) desalination plants and voila! No more water shortage. For inland spots, canals.

In my opinion everything comes back to energy and how the heck do we make enough of it (I have my own opinions on the matter). With enough energy available, pretty much anything is achievable; including turning a desert city like Phoenix into a lush garden oasis with palm trees and grass.

 

[RonL]

If anyone wants to cut down on their water bill a little, they can redirect the condensation from the AC unit and pipe it into a water barrel, then use it to water plants or fill all those things around the yard, like bird baths and water ponds.

 

[Argentum Vulpes]

For junk mail just black out your address and write return to sender. Utterly pointless but I still get a chuckle every time I do it.

As for mowing you grass how about getting a nice new reel mower. I have about a quarter of an acer to mow and I can get it done in about 15 min using my reel mower.

As for trees I'm in an older section of the town I live in so I'm surrounded by large trees, my front yard gets about an hour of direct sun at about noon and my back yard is in constant deep shade. It's all just a matter of where you live.