How Green Are You?

[dcrowell]

I'm car-free because I enjoy the lifestyle.
I mow my yard and don't worry about weeds for simplicity's sake, not to avoid using the chemicals.
I turn off lights when not in use to avoid wasting money on the electric bill.
I keep the heat turned to a reasonable temperature in the winter to avoid wasting money on the gas bill.
I rent a small house. I have no need for a large one, as I live alone (other than my two dogs) and I don't own a lot of "stuff", except bike "stuff".

So, none of this is to be "green", yet I'm probably "greener" than average.

[Booger1]

Green? What's that? Oh,you mean be a caveman...but without fire.

You want to be green?...Start by getting rid of your cell phone......

[Roody]

Green? What's that? Oh,you mean be a caveman...but without fire.

You want to be green?...Start by getting rid of your cell phone......

Actually, I think the most advanced technology these days is stuff that will help us be greener. Like solar panels, wind turbines, highly efficient engines and so forth. "Green" people embrace sensible technology.

[Roody]

I'm car-free because I enjoy the lifestyle.
I mow my yard and don't worry about weeds for simplicity's sake, not to avoid using the chemicals.
I turn off lights when not in use to avoid wasting money on the electric bill.
I keep the heat turned to a reasonable temperature in the winter to avoid wasting money on the gas bill.
I rent a small house. I have no need for a large one, as I live alone (other than my two dogs) and I don't own a lot of "stuff", except bike "stuff".

So, none of this is to be "green", yet I'm probably "greener" than average.

Well, "green" is about using fewer resources, so naturally you're going to save money!

[MattFoley]

Moderately green, I'd say. My fiancé and I have one car that we drive pretty much only on weekends if we have to haul stuff or take the dog somewhere. I commute about 2/3 by bike and 1/3 by motorcycle, although I take the car every few weeks if I have an offsite meeting or need to haul clothes in. We recycle, but aren't religious about it, use CFLs throughout the house, and use the HVAC only when it's super hot or super cold. We do, however, have probably more space than we need and aren't picky about food and what not.

[pick]

... I'm simply curious about your lives. ... .

I have my recycle bins set-up for all the required classes of recyclables here in CA - the only problem is those recyclers that take all the classes separated are at this point to far to ride to safely. Right now I take our clear #1 plastics and the opaque #2 to the recycler dude right next to our Post Office, makes it an easy trip since we ride to the P.O anyway. The newspapers and the other classes have to wait their turn in the car (which I have been putting off). We have plans for a raised garden - plenty of room for it, just short on $$ to get it going, currently. We, as a family have cut way back on our red meat consumption and hope to go even further. I am currently in school for my AA in Sustainable Energy and once I have more networking in, we will add solar and wind power to help ease us off the power grid. We have done our grocery shopping by bikes and trailers in the previous years and once I am fully recouped from my elbow and hand surgeries (and with some promising local road construction coming up this summer) we will be back to doing the vast majority of our errands via utility bikes and trailer. It's baby steps for us, but we are taking them!

[Mos6502]

I do have a garden though, it's mostly green, so that counts for something. My bike has green paint on it too.

[Mobile 155]

I wonder how much the quality of foods has to do with the nutrition issues? I was reading an article the other day about it. I do know that some people need different foods than others to remain healthy, part of it is genetics. I have yet to see too many studies that support the intake of massive amounts of supplements, most indications are that many peoples bodies have problems processing synthesized supplements. I also question the massive amount of preservatives, as well as the other supposedly "safe" chemicals that our foods contain or are exposed to. I am fortunate to live in an area where I can purchase many foods directly from the source. We have one local small grocery chain that owns it's own meat packing plant as well as a cannery, they purchase the bulk of their raw product from farms within a 50 mile radius of the plants. That has to save on the long haul shipping costs.

The single biggest thing any individual can do is to make as many reasonable choices as they can for their specific situation. As a family our carbon foot print is horrendous due to our jobs. My bride is a Senior Flight Attendant with a major US carrier. Anybody want to guess what her carbon foot print is for flying some 500,000 miles a year? My job is not much better, requiring some 50,000 miles of driving. My personal vehicle was driven a grand total of 4,000 miles last year. I put about 2,000 on my bicycles and another 200 or so walking.



Aaron

I agree with everything you said, I just had a knee jerk reaction to a knee jerk solution to making the world green.


I have no clue as to the quality of the vegan diet effects the success rate on things like the Gandhi quote, I should say I didn't read the quote directly only second hand. But I have also read a book on diets by blood types indicating some of us have different dietary needs. A good friend of mine talked me into trying a vegetarian diet and I did for about 90 days. After the first month I complained that on long rides I was running pretty low on energy. My best times on my favorite long rides suffered and my doctor told me to add at least some meat to my diet. It didn't work for me. I understand why the founding vegans were against bad treatment of anamals to the point of not eating them and not wearing any animal products. I simply don't believe they are any greener than people eating fish, poltry, eggs or milk.

I posted the Livestrong site because I know they are big into scientific training and diets.


What I wanted to point out is there is no real evidence the a vegan is greener than a carnivore. We don't know how far the food has to travel to either group and we don't know the lifestyle of either person.

I used to drive a big rig and know what you are talking about because of your job. I don't do that anymore and I do put in about 6500 miles on my bikes and less than 4000 by car. This year it was less than 2500 miles by car, zero miles by bus, zero miles by train and zero miles by ship. I simply don't fly anymore. I recycle everything and use nothing but energy saving lights and devices. 3 to 4 ounces of meet 3 times a week simply isn't going to raise my carbon foot print as much as driving a hummer to work every day as the poster suggested.

[chasm54]

No car, last year I hired one three times for a total of less than 1000 miles. Bikes my main mode of transportation, but use buses and trains as necessary - maybe two or three times a month on average?

Occasional flights. Last year, to and from Spain once and a return trip to Toronto for a cycle tour. A seriously non-green indulgence.

Lowish use of fossil fuels for heating. House properly insulated, principal means of heating natural gas, probably had the central heating on for a total of less than a month this past winter.

Neither vegetarian nor vegan but eat virtually no meat. Fish, yes, with an effort made to stick to that which is sustainably sourced. And eggs, and dairy, but almost exclusively organic free-range stuff.

Volunteer and trustee at local charity that refurbishes unwanted or abandoned bikes and sells some of them back into the local community, using the revenue gained to donate others locally to disadvantaged (refugees, asylum seekers, very low income) and still others to sub-Saharan Africa.

Recycle glass, metal, plastic bottles, paper, cardboard. (not especially difficult to do here, the local authority collects and sorts it).

Generally don't go in much for consumerism - at least not by Western standards, so that isn't saying much. And I do make a slight exception with regard to my bikes, I have to concede that I own more of them than I need.


EDiT. With regard to the vegan/vegetarian debate, there is no real doubt that intensive livestock farming is a massive polluter, as well as being fantastically inefficient in terms of feeding people. It takes many times the acreage to produce a pound of animal protein that it takes to produce the same amount of protein in pulses, vegetables etc. And it is perfectly possible, with a little care, to get all the nutrition one needs from a vegan diet. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_ZabriskieDavid Zabriskie does supplement his vegan diet with fish sometimes, but to be fair the protein needs of a cyclist riding the TdF far exceed what most of us require. And there are other notable pro cyclists who have been vegetarian.

[Llamero]

I live car free because I hate the stress, hassle and expense of car ownership/dependence (I have better things to spend my money on).

I live in a small apartment because I hate cleaning, and the expense of more living space just isn't worth it to me (again, I have better things to spend my money on).

I eat meat and drink almost 4 gallons of a milk per week. I like the idea that my life-style is probably more green than most, but my primary motivation is the freedom that comes with having much more money coming in than what goes out. Retirement, here I come

[Ekdog]

Neither vegetarian nor vegan but eat virtually no meat. Fish, yes, with an effort made to stick to that which is sustainably sourced. And eggs, and dairy, but almost exclusively organic free-range stuff.

Your diet is similar to mine. I try to eat as low on the food chain as possible. No meat, some small fish like sardines, an egg or two a week and a very small amount of cheese. I went over to this diet a couple of years ago, and my doctor (whom I failed to mention this to) has been amazed at how my cholesterol levels have dropped.

[wahoonc]

Your diet is similar to mine. I try to eat as low on the food chain as possible. No meat, some small fish like sardines, an egg or two a week and a very small amount of cheese. I went over to this diet a couple of years ago, and my doctor (whom I failed to mention this to) has been amazed at how my cholesterol levels have dropped.

I eat a modified Mediterranean diet, which is a lot of beans, grains and veggies, very little meat. I do like my seafood, but I buy locally sourced (from the boat ) my only downfall is craft brewed beer We have chickens on the property and will be adding goats to the mix before long.

Aaron

[fietsbob]

I'm more Red and Black .. it's what Im wearing ...

[Fasteryoufool]

Ps. I'm growing to dislike the word "green" and also the word "sustainable". What exactly do they mean?

It's a very valid point... but the idiots that call their food "organic" are just as bad. All food is organic, otherwise it wouldn't be food. If you want to say "produced without pesticides or processed fertilizer" say so.

[Roody]

It's a very valid point... but the idiots that call their food "organic" are just as bad. All food is organic, otherwise it wouldn't be food. If you want to say "produced without pesticides or processed fertilizer" say so.

Well the word was coined a long time ago and most people have a fair understanding of what it means, so changing it now would porobably be a waste of time and resources. And BTW, there is a lot more to it than avoiding chemicals on the food. I like organic food less because it's good for me as I really do think organic methods put a little less stress on the local environment.

[gerv]

It's a very valid point... but the idiots that call their food "organic" are just as bad. All food is organic, otherwise it wouldn't be food. If you want to say "produced without pesticides or processed fertilizer" say so.

I admit "organic" could easily turn into a weasel word. Except that there's a government enforced certification process which is very demanding. http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/...C_CERTIFICATIO

Although I do hear that some corporate entities are stretching their muscles to get some of the standards relaxed.

If we could set standards for what "green" or "sustainable" means, I'd be willing to retract what I said earlier. It would be a great thing to have a word that actually meant something substantive... rather than... well... weasly.

It would also set some kind of standard for people's lives. We wouldn't be turning it into a marketing term.

[Ekdog]

It's a very valid point... but the idiots that call their food "organic" are just as bad. All food is organic, otherwise it wouldn't be food. If you want to say "produced without pesticides or processed fertilizer" say so.

From Merriam-Webster :

Definition of ORGANIC

1
archaic : instrumental

2
a : of, relating to, or arising in a bodily organb : affecting the structure of the organism

3
a (1) : of, relating to, or derived from living organisms<organic evolution> (2) : of, relating to, yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides <organic farming> <organic produce>



http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/organic

[Fasteryoufool]

See definition 2. All food is organic. Or else it wouldn't be food.

BTW, you might want to investigate what is and is not "chemical processes". Basically if it's in the universe, it's produced by chemical processes and is chemical in nature.

[Roody]

See definition 2. All food is organic. Or else it wouldn't be food.

BTW, you might want to investigate what is and is not "chemical processes". Basically if it's in the universe, it's produced by chemical processes and is chemical in nature.

While you're at it, look up "nit-picking."

[DX-MAN]

How green am I? I USED to be "Army Green", but that was 20+ years ago.....

[Fasteryoufool]

How green am I? I USED to be "Army Green", but that was 20+ years ago.....

I last wore Army green 18 years ago.

[Fasteryoufool]

While you're at it, look up "nit-picking."

Am I nit-picking, or picking on nit-wits?

[gerv]

Am I nit-picking, or picking on nit-wits?

Feel free not to waste your time posting here if that's how you feel. We won't be offended.

[DeadheadSF]

So you're saying that I should save a cow and eat a vegan?

Try me with hot sauce. Yum.

[cabledawg]

I wouldnt consider myself green, but based on what others here have mentioned about lifestyle choices, I guess I have become more green than I thought.

We have six in our family so naturally we go through alot of stuff, but because of this we try to reuse/recycle as much as possible. Very little of our clothes have been bought new. When we have stuff our kids grow out of, we send it to Goodwill or friends/relatives as long as it's still in good shape (I hate people who take trash to donation centers). Likewise for stuff like sporting goods. We are fortunate that our trash folks have a wonderful recycling program and we can send them glass, plastic, wood, paper, cardboard, styrofoam, cans and yard debris. We've replaced all the lights with CFL's and soon to replace those with LED's. I bought a programmable thermostat to replace the old mercury switch one and that alone has saved us about 25% on our electric bill. We dont use the a/c until its unbearable (we're usually outside during the day anyways). We bought our house in a neighborhood that was close to shopping so we can use the bikes more often. In fact, we dont eat out unless the kids are willing to ride for it. And when it comes to food, we've cut way back on premade stuff. I keep some around for those times I dont feel like cooking, but it's far and few between. We want to start a garden, but have too many other projects going to get one started this year.

In short, I cant stand waste. I deal with it soooo much in my job that I've changed our family habits to eliminate waste as much as possible.