Sometimes, it's not easy being a tree-hugger

[prius04]

Anlther place for shopping bags to use forever.

http://www.reusablebags.com/store/

[Robert Taylor]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Areometer\";p=\"74282)</div>

So I want to drive around 60 - 65 mph on the highway, but do others let me?  The slowest car on Rt 3 (NH) usually races at around 75 mph easily (driven by elderly people too).  Sure I can make a scene and be the ultimate slowest, but I don't want others to relate extreme sluggishness w/ the Prius so I catch up to their speed always.

I want to use 100% recycled toilet paper.  But why does it cost so much more than regular toilet paper when in Asia the exact opposite is true?

I want to use as few plastic bags as possible, but supermarket clerks insist to double bag everything that is over 1-lb, I actually have to beg them to use less bags and their facial expression is like:  Don't sue us if it breaks & hurts you.
[/b]

Plastic bags ought to be outlawed, they do not degrade, are floating in the ocean streams in quantity and choke the fish.

Many of you need to realize that replacement of plastic with paper is actually quite environmentally friendly, its all biodegradeable (some better than others, the slick stuff comes to mind) and is not part of the flotsam of modern living that kills the fish in the sea.

Face it, trees are a renewable resource and since a certain percentage of people are going to trash up the land and sea, paper would be better than plastic.

Ever think that a landfill with paper and construction tearout is going to be coal in a few hundred years? Its the stuff of chemicals, plastic, acids, etc. that scares me.

Most recycle programs do not account for the dangerous to the environment stuff, paint, pesticide, cleaners, chemical compounds, batteries, disposal of electronic stuff. We worry about the harmless like glass, newpaper.

[bookrats]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jayman\";p=\"74402)</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bookrats\";p=\"74294)

He then starts to blink his lights on and off at me, as if he wants me to move to a slower lane.[/b]

Jeff:

Maybe he was already near his truck's top speed, but still wanted to be ahead of you by 0.000217 seconds. Or maybe he was "drafting" you to ease his fuel bill??
[/b][/quote]

:lolup:

That, or he was sending me a message in morse code with his headlights, alerting me to the presence of terrorists in the back of his truck. His later shaking his fist at me was to provide cover.

If only I had been as smart as Nancy Drew/The Hardy Boys/Sydney Bristow, maybe I would have gotten his message to the proper authorities by now.

Oh, well. :mrgreen:

[jayman]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bookrats\";p=\"74862)</div>

If only I had been as smart as Nancy Drew/The Hardy Boys/Sydney Bristow, maybe I would have gotten his message to the proper authorities by now.

Oh, well. :mrgreen:[/b]

Jeff:

Maybe Toyota will offer the James Bond Option Package on the next Prius: the rear hatch will open and either the machine gun, the rocket launcher, or the flame thrower will take care of whatever pesky thing is behind you.

I'm kinda partial to the flame thrower, call me old fashioned. Of course, it would operate on recycled deep frier oil, with just enough dimethylether to keep the viscosity correct.

[Areometer]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(oxnardprof\";p=\"74407)</div>

There are other simple steps in the vein of every little bit helps:
Use compact fluorescent bulds where possible.[/b]

Or better yet, use LED bulbs for your household lighting needs. LED bulbs consume much less energy than even compact fluorescent ones. Conventional filament bulbs should be banned.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(oxnardprof\";p=\"74407)</div>

Turn lights off when you leave the room.[/b]

One may also use motion sensor.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(oxnardprof\";p=\"74407)</div>

Turn off TV, other devices when no one is watching.[/b]

Many devices' 'stand-by' mode (aka phantom mode) consume quite a bit of energy. You may unplug the device or put everything on a power strip & switch off the power strip for zero electricity consumption. Yes, you will need to reset the clock every time you use these devices again ...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(oxnardprof\";p=\"74407)</div>

Compost kitchen scraps (not meat products.)  We gain a benefit of volunteer tomato plants each Spring.[/b]

I wish I could. I live in an apartment. Am migrating to a house soon.

Thanks.

[jayman]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Areometer\";p=\"75970)</div>

Or better yet, use LED bulbs for your household lighting needs.  LED bulbs consume much less energy than even compact fluorescent ones.  Conventional filament bulbs should be banned.[/b]

I heartily agree on this! I use LED lamps from LEDTronics for non-task lighting in my condo and at my hobby farm. The biggest advantage - asides from the *huge* power savings - is the +100,000 hour lamp life.

They're not at the point where they can do task lighting, as the specific light output isn't high enough. There is a lot of promise with OLED's (Organic LED). The June 2004 issue of Laser Focus World has an article on this, but they require site registration.

When you compare that most filament lamps operate at under 20 lumens/W, most florescent lamps at +60 lumens/W, high pressure sodium at 100 lumens/W, and low pressure sodium - and most LED sources - at 150 lumens/W, that is a tremendous difference in lighting efficiency.

According to the DOE, around 20% of total US power consumption is for lighting. So every little bit that we do results in enormous savings.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Areometer\";p=\"75970)</div>

Many devices' 'stand-by' mode (aka phantom mode) consume quite a bit of energy.  You may unplug the device or put everything on a power strip & switch off the power strip for zero electricity consumption. [/b]

This is why our individual power consumption keeps creeping up despite the "fact" we have more efficient appliances. Those "brick" style power transformers are the absolute worst, they *always* use at least 1-2 watts even at 0 load.

When you sum it up for the entire country, those hidden power losses are outrageous. LIke you said, unplug those d*** things. If you simply can't wait 15-20 secs for a television to come to life, get an LED television.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Areometer\";p=\"75970)</div>

I wish I could.  I live in an apartment.  Am migrating to a house soon.[/b]

A house uses far more energy - on average - than an apartment. The duplication of effort (Individual heating, A/C, structure) of a standalone bungalow vs a high-rise apartment or condo is substantial.

Around 4 years ago I sold my house in the burbs. At the time it was only 2 years old, but being single I saw no need whatsoever for a 1,700 sq ft bi-level, a lawn to mow, and a much longer commute in to work.

Despite the most efficient HVAC I could find at the time, I was lucky to have utility bills under $100/month. The entire structure is exposed to the elements.

I'm now in a high-rise condo, around 1,600 sq ft. Admittedly it's still too big for me, but it was an estate sale and a d*** good bargain. The only catch I had to wait 6 months for possession as Probate was still creeping along.

My condo is sandwiched in with only one wall facing the elements - faces east. Everything is solid cement with foam insulation so it's *very* quiet and energy efficient. Tri pane windows too.

Oddly enough, it has an air handler for A/C, as there is a chiller on the roof, but baseboard electric heat. Seems odd they didn't package an electric element into the air handler. My highest electric bill is $45 in winter, around $8 in summer.

I think a MDU (Multiple Dwelling Unit) is far more efficient for heating, cooling may be a tossup unless there is a central chiller. One chiller that is professionally maintained vs individual window units, no comparison in unit and overall efficiency.

I built a super efficient ICF construction 1,400 sq ft bungalow at my hobby farm around 3 years ago, and my utility bills are far higher, at least 50% more.

I don't think we have to make painful sacrifices to enjoy higher energy efficiency. It takes a change of attitude. Of course, if the price of gasoline and electricity should double or triple, that would tend to enforce higher efficiency.

[Areometer]

I have been living in a condo for the past 16 years, I just can’t stand it any more. May be once I live in a house for long, I will miss the condo days, but not now.

Living in a house undoubtedly has higher electricity, gas & water bills. But living in a house may enable you to install & experiment with wind turbines, geothermal water pump, solar panels, etc. If you generate more energy than you need, you can even sell back to the grid. This is my dream. Unless I own the whole condo complex myself, I doubt that I am allowed to do all these.

[jayman]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Areometer\";p=\"76012)</div>

I have been living in a condo for the past 16 years, I just can’t stand it any more.  [/b]

Oh. I guess there are good ones and bad ones out there, and I'm lucky enough to be in a good one.

I just got sick and tired of all that extra work my burb home needed: snow shoveling, lawn mowing, leaf raking, noisy bastard neighbor kids treating my backyard like their own, dogs always squatting and ruining the lawn, noisy block parties, etc etc etc.

I think what I like best about the condo I'm now in is the very strict Association rules. Almost 4 years now and I've never been bothered by noise. If you want a party, fine, but you then reserve the specially-insulated "party room" next to the mechanical room.

If you have acerage and a house in BFE, then sure you can experiment with wind turbines, solar, etc etc. The average burb home that really isn't practical.

Of course, a home in BFE entails a very long commute too. All those long commutes in single-occupancy SUV's is part of the reason why we're now in the mess we're in.