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depends on just how green you are talking... Posted by nicknick [Email]  (#731) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from nicknick) on Tue, 8 Apr 2008 08:31:13
In Reply to: Is it hard being green?, Noel, Mon, 7 Apr 2008 07:10:36 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
the western world consumes 13-14 times what we produce, in real terms.
so, savings of 10%here and there don't make a difference. then you have places like china throwing in a coal fired station every week, with no incentive to sequesture (spelling?) the CO2.
i love driving my C900's, but i am aware that while not inefficient (30mpg), they do churn out the CO2.
i saw a 'whole house switch' recently, to kill the 'phantom' loads that drain a massive amount of power for doing nothing at all (that cell phone charger still plugged in?).
diesels are only now getting to be enviro friendly, with the measures being taken by the germans on particulates, which makes the 60-70mpg really attractive.
electric cars, or plug-in hybrids, would help some, especially if the power came from an enviromentally sound source.
but, as a few have mentioned in this thread, where you live possibly has the biggest impact.
if you need to work outside your home, then living near your place of work and walking/cycling/driving on wet days would be better than a car that could do 200mpg for most people.
if you like the heat, move somewhere hot. if you like to be colder, move somewhere cold. we, as humans, have the remarkable ability to overcome our surroundings, regardless of whether it is a good idea in the log run or not.
i also have a home that runs solar electric, with solar hot water to come this year. it is backed up by fossil fuels, unfortunately. however, from march to november, i use almost nothing except the sun for the house.
if solar panels (PV) suddenly get a whole lot cheaper (which they just might), electric cars could become a reality sooner rather than later. i hope to see a world where we maintain the 'grid', most houses have PV and solar hot water, with passive solar design, and an elecric car that uses it's battery pack to back up the grid when needed-this eliminating several power staions that are only required to cover the surge. i have heard others suggest the same thing recently, so i know i am not alone.
retrofitting cars with electric power is problematic, but if the technology and energy supply were improved, it could help with the problems of building millions of new cars to replace the IC fleet.
i personally am open minded about climate change-i don't think we really know what is in store in the near future for us (time machine, anyone?), and as such i don't know just how drastic the need is to make a 'change' in our habits.
reuse, recycle, rebuild, reduce, resist (the need for new stuff!)...
i think i said all that without getting political, right?
posted by 70.193.148...
, Tue, 8 Apr 2008 14:45:45
, Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:48:17
, Tue, 8 Apr 2008 20:54:44, Wed, 9 Apr 2008 06:54:02, Tue, 8 Apr 2008 15:00:03, Tue, 8 Apr 2008 11:01:44, Tue, 8 Apr 2008 08:31:13 <-- Viewing This Message, Tue, 8 Apr 2008 07:57:49, Wed, 9 Apr 2008 15:29:05, Mon, 7 Apr 2008 15:27:06, Mon, 7 Apr 2008 16:00:40
, Mon, 7 Apr 2008 07:16:43
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