So, what do you do? <Tree-hugging thread alert>

I was passing by a section of the office earlier this week and passed by the "collection of vendor gifts no body wants" pile/basket. (Our company is a trading company dealing with aircraft parts and we receive useless gifts like pens, notebooks, t-shirts from vendors all the time).

Of one of them, I saw one of those tumbler-thermoses. I took one, and decided "heh, if I'm too poor to buy a hybrid car, at least I can try saving the Earth, one paper cup at a time!"

So since then, I've been carrying around this tumbler with me most of the time. Around the office (to avoid using the styrofoam(sp?) cups the company provides), and in my car, so if I feel like stopping by Starbucks on my way home or when hanging out w/ friends, I have it with me. When I go to any coffee shop, I ask they use my cup to fill coffee/tea with. I look ridiculous, but at least I'm decreasing my share of coffee-cup trash and my coffee is 10 cents cheaper.

So other than the usual recycling, what else do YOU do to be environmentally-friendly?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

When I drive my car down the hill, I don't put the pedal to the metal. That way, I save a lot of gasoline.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Shorty

...hybrid car, at least I can try saving the Earth

Joke of the century, trying to say that hybrid cars are environmentally safe!

How ya doing, buddy?

I'm a nature-loving guy. However, I haven't really done much to help the environment that wasn't court ordered.

I was told that everyone should plant at least 7 trees in the course of their life because that's how much oxygen a human uses, on average, during their lifetime. I'm not exactly sure if this is true, but I had no reason to dispute it, so I planted a a wealth of trees during last year's Earth Day.

My best friend is a maniac when it comes to littering, though. Anytime he sees someone littering he goes right up to them and says, "Imma fight you, because mother Earth can't."

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Best you can do for environment is voting HILLARY 2008. YAY, HILAARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT!!!! Woooooooo!!!

I was speaking idiomatically.

I dunno what I've done for the environment as of late... >__> But I put my foot down recently and said I'm not giving my alma mater (Texas A&M) any money in the future. Why? They cut down five gorgeous 90+ year old trees (they sat outside my old building) just so they could expand an already worthless road Makes me angry. I may be a bit of a rightward moderate, but I love nature. And trees

Kind of a lol thing in this thread, most definitely. But I love outdoorsy stuff. Houston's gonna suffocate me but at least there are large trees surrounding my apartment complex.

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Gechmir

But I put my foot down recently and said I'm not giving my alma mater (Texas A&M) any money in the future.

Dude, that's pretty unsocial, man! Think about all the students, what will they do without money?

FELIPE NO

I'm referring to donating as a former student. It's a pretty common thing over here. Not saying it's a ZOMG CHANGING TEH WURLD kinda thing. But I'm mad about them lopping down some gorgeous pieces of history without even trying to move them.

I'm fourth-generation at this university, so it's seen as commonplace to donate by this point. But amid other things, this tree problem was the straw that broke the camel's back.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I'm sorry to say that I don't do much other than the regular recycling. I avoid using disposable dishes whenever possible and I have slowly been replacing the light bulbs in our house with those energy-saving ones that last a really long time. When I have the option I buy recycled things, such as spiral notebooks made of recycled paper and stuff like that. As for planting trees, do my baby avocado trees in the backyard count? I'm not specifically planting them to offset the pollution I and others make because I'm a greedy girl who just wants the avocados (even though it takes forever for them to make fruit), but I did plant them.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Adara

I'm sorry to say that I don't do much other than the regular recycling.

Well so you do more than the average American, good job.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Shorty

(to avoid using the styrofoam(sp?) cups the company provides)

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2004...p_coffee_c.php

Quote:

It seems that a ceramic cup is a real greedy vessel when it comes to energy and water consumption and not much better as a contributor to air pollution and solid waste.

With energy you'd have to use the ceramic cup 640 times before it would equal a polystyrene cup and 294 times to equal a paper/cardboard one. With air pollution it takes 1,800 uses to beat the polystyrene and 48 to thrash the paper/cardboard. Likewise you would have to drink 126 and 99 cups respectively for the ceramic to compete with polystyrene and paper/cardboard on the waste issue. And water? Sorry, just the use of a ceramic cup totals more than the entire life cycle water consumption of the other two.

Of course, it also states a ceramic cup can be used 3,000 times. But you have to be one of those people who uses a ceramic cup 3,000 times. Most people I know have several coffee mugs that they rotate for a couple years, never getting those 1,800 (or even 640) uses out of it.

Originally Posted by Adara

I have slowly been replacing the light bulbs in our house with those energy-saving ones that last a really long time.

So you love mercury poisoning.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by BlueMikey

So you love mercury poisoning.

Not particularly. I had no clue there was a link between the bulbs and mercury poisoning. All I've heard is that they need to be disposed of properly because of the mercury they contain. Does the poisoning happen from regularly using them like you're supposed to or just if you break the glass and expose yourself to the mercury inside?

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Only if you break them and then decide to eat the broken glass or rub it all over your body.

lol mercury poison lol

I was speaking idiomatically.

I've come to the conclusion that really, no matter what you do, you're polluting. The very existence of life is polluting.

Doesn't stop me from trying to pollute less or support measures to lessen impact though.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Stop polluting my forums with preachy posts, Dull~

FELIPE NO

Apart from general recycling, I use those bags supermarkets sell for 10p instead of plastic carrier bags, and if I have to use plastic ones I take them to the recycle bin outside our local store. I also buy recycled notebooks and the likes. I never litter either; I make sure I dispose of rubbish properly. That's pretty much it.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Gechmir

Kind of a lol thing in this thread, most definitely.

Eh, hence the reason why it's entitled: "...<tree hugging thread alert>"

And Merv: yeah, the hybrid car thing IS a joke, I'm sorry you can't take a joke unseriously.

But point of the thread is more of, how concious are you about the environment you're in, and what can you start doing to help slow down the effects of pollution. Yeah, it's a fact like Dullen has said, so long as humans live, we all pollute the environment, one way or another. But, there's some things you can take initiative to help pollute less, or at least slow down the rate of the effects. It's the thought that counts.

Carry on.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Oh. I just turn all the lights from 6 AM - 5 AM and turn them off for one hour.

Okay, I try to commute when going around the city instead of driving. And recycling. The usual.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Adara

Not particularly. I had no clue there was a link between the bulbs and mercury poisoning. All I've heard is that they need to be disposed of properly because of the mercury they contain. Does the poisoning happen from regularly using them like you're supposed to or just if you break the glass and expose yourself to the mercury inside?

Well, either if you break it or when it finally goes out. Who knows how to dispose of mercury correctly?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Well I burn tires in a pit fire, I dump oil on the ground and I feed antifreeze to small animals and children! I also shoot squirrels, pidgins, duck, geese, turtles, cows, pigs, chickens, cats, and dogs with a .306 because those dirty animals are polluting the world! Especially the cows! I also make sure to throw all of my garbage (especially recycling and the polluting animals I shoot) into a large pit and set it on fire to cook my dinner. I'm reusing it! BBQ. Toilets are bad, they get poop and chemicals into our drinking water, so I make sure to shit directly in mother earth to ensure I am returning as much to her as I can! No chemicals involved! I make a point to water a tree when ever I feel nature calling.

In all seriousness I try to minimize my energy usage, mostly because I don’t want to pay extra, not because really I care about tree huggers. Those fuckers here in Oregon keep burning down our industrial buildings and logging companies, sometimes causing wildfires which destroy the very thing they said they were trying to protect! wtf.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by BlueMikey

Well, either if you break it or when it finally goes out. Who knows how to dispose of mercury correctly?

So I started buying these 7 year Energy Star lightbulbs too. Not the compact fluorescence twirly ones, but these:


Is there mercury in those too. Ugh.

But you know, we have thermometers in the house that have mercury in them (yes, we never buy new ones), and we stick that shit in our mouths. A light bulb doesn't seem to be TOO harmful, I guess.

Apart from that, I use shit over and over and over again. Water bottles, for example. When I could be using and ditching 7 bottles a week at the office (to refill), I use one bottle per week and just keep refilling it.

I also use plates instead of this paper shit. I mean, I don't know if that is CURRENTLY the good thing to do? But it makes more sense to me - wash, don't toss.

I was speaking idiomatically.

You know what sucks about those florescent light bulbs? Their brightness degrades over the life of the bulb. One of my bulbs in my bathroom has started emitting a faint red color and has become extremely dim it isn't even a year old. I've never had one of those bulbs last more than 2 years... something always goes wrong where they stop working or get unusable because they get so dim, always well before their "rated" lifetime.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Sassafrass

So I started buying these 7 year Energy Star lightbulbs too. Not the compact fluorescence twirly ones, but these:


Is there mercury in those too. Ugh.

But you know, we have thermometers in the house that have mercury in them (yes, we never buy new ones), and we stick that shit in our mouths. A light bulb doesn't seem to be TOO harmful, I guess.

Apart from that, I use shit over and over and over again. Water bottles, for example. When I could be using and ditching 7 bottles a week at the office (to refill), I use one bottle per week and just keep refilling it.

I also use plates instead of this paper shit. I mean, I don't know if that is CURRENTLY the good thing to do? But it makes more sense to me - wash, don't toss.

There's a small amount of mercury vapor in all fluorescents. That's how they work. Without it they wouldn't light. The electricity excites the mercury in other gases which creates light. Which in turn causes the phosphor coating on the tube to emit visible light.. etc etc..

From the big long ones to the small tiny compact ones, they all use it and always have. Fearing the mercury inside them is a bit silly. Especially when it's just a tiny drop of it.

EDIT: It also isn't hard to clean up a broken one either. Instead of a vacuum you just use a wet towel. Sweep up any glass or white powder and wipe up any remaining powder/glass with a wet towel. That's it. Yes, the mercury is toxic. But unless you go out of your way to somehow expose yourself to lots of it nothing is going to happen.

FELIPE NO

Just several little things:

- using the labelled "environmentally friendly" hand dryers instead of paper towels in public restrooms, even though I still feel they're wasting electricity instead of trees
- reusing water bottles at home instead of expending water to wash glass cups
- cereal boxes as book holders

Of course, paper never touches my garbage bins, water taps are never untightened, and lights shouldn't be left on when unnecessary, and all the other obvious stuff. I like to think of it as either picking up the slack for one lazy person in the world or making up for my inefficiencies in conservation.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I realize that anything I do on my own for the environment won't amount to much but I also don't like coming off as a hypocrite when I complain about how dirty people are when it comes to litering.

I throw my trash in the garbage when I'm outdoors. I don't litter. I don't spit out my gum to the ground or leave cigarette butts on the ground. Haha, paper cups aren't even much of an option in this country so I naturally just carry about my liter and a half bottle of water and refill it here at home or at the purifier at work. So, with me, it's not so much what I do for the environment but more about what I don't do.

Jam it back in, in the dark.