Going green

[onyxhotel08]

Ok, I admit I suck at thinking about what to buy when it comes to the environment. I don't recycle. I don't buy green bags for grocery shopping. I o, however, try to keep energy costs down by turning off lights right when they aren't needed and washing clothes in mostly cold water. I TRY and not litter but do frequently spit my gum out everywhere. So, since this whole "going green" idea has started, what have YOU done? Who have you helped convert? Are you better than in 2007, 06, 05'? What is your biggest bad habit you can't break?

P.S. According to a recent study, those "green" house cleaners are just as bad for the world and they actually work WORSE than regular household cleaners.

[Coaster Justin]

Well As the Tree Hugger, I i've been called, I do alot of things:

- Every Lightbulb is Compact Florescent
- We Recycle paper and Cans every Week
- We have a fan for Heating and Cooling
- We open curtains daily
- Our least MPG Car is a Van (18+mpg however)
- Just shy of every lamp is Energy Efficiant
- We have about 4 Cloth Bags for Groceries
- We have an Economy Toilet
- I have (2) 1 Liter Bottles of Water that I've had for the last 6+ Months
- My Mom's Company (Abbott) Recycles Used Batteries

[onyxhotel08]

What does opening curtains daily do?

[bigb7965]

warms the house so the heat doesn't always have to be on

[[jonrev]]

[rant]I'm so tired of "green" being crammed down my throat. Ever since Al Gore made his movie, everywhere I go I get reminded that the Earth is screwed up and that I need to help make it better somehow... [/rant]

But since you asked...
-We recycle whatever we can
-My mom has a bunch of those "green bags" for grocery shopping
-My Fiero is the most fuel efficient car in the family (somewhere around 25 mpg, not bad for a 80s sports car)
-Most of the lights in my house are CFL's
-We use fans whenever possible
-My parents usually re-use plastic water bottles once or twice

[Galvan]

^ It is to be expected that a propaganda film like Gore's would make people go crazy.

Did you know that those compact Light bulbs actually contain extremely high levels of Mercury and should one of those things break your in a lot more trouble then anything that a regular light bulb could have done in the first place.

Also if you constantly reuse plastic bottles, you can give yourself serious health risks as well.

But of course Gore doesn't tell you about those things.

[Nystagmus]

The idea that a CFL breaking in your home is severely dangerous is bunk. Each CFL varies in the amount of mercury it contains. But, on average, I believe they contain 4-5mg. This is not enough to cause harm to a human. Prolonged exposure (8+ hours) of mercury vapor of at least 0.05mg/m^3 is where you'd have a problem. (The average vapor concentration from a CFL breaking would be around 0.01-0.02mg/m^3, and that would quickly decrease as it spreads).

If you do break a CFL, you still need to be careful as you want to limit any exposure to mercury. It's just not as bad as everyone thinks it is. But, the idea that CFLs contain extremely high levels of mercury causing serious health risks is simply sensationalism.

There are steps to follow to ensure a proper clean up. However, when people begin to dispose their used, unbroken CFLs in the trash, that's where we will have a problem. We have to worry about the mercury leaking into the soil, air, and other organisms. People are notorious for not properly disposing/recycling anything that requires them to do any work.

[Galvan]

^

Well I guess i learned something new today. Thank you for the information

[Nystagmus]

You're welcome, Galvan.

As for the plastic bottle scare...

The NIEHS posted their report of the possible dangers of Bisphenol A (BSA--what most people were worried about) and concluded that there is some concern of health risks from exposure. Quoting their report, "The NTP has some concern for effects on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures to bisphenol A."

How does this apply to our everyday water bottles? It really doesn't. Most plastics that contain BSA are usually found in the higher numbered plastics. If you look on the bottom of a bottle, you should see the recycling symbol and a number. That number indicates the type of plastic the bottle is made from. 7 is more likely to contain BSA. Whereas 1 and 2 are not. Most bottles are made from 1, 2, or 3.

From what I found, there doesn't seem to be conclusive evidence on the dangers of BSA to adults. Rather, most reports are concerned about exposure of BSA to fetuses, infants, and children.

It seems that in 2007, Americans became very concerned about the "dangers" of leaching chemicals from water bottle plastics. This study was done by a masters student. Apparently, the results were not confirmed nor were they peer reviewed.

So, the biggest concern here is bottles for infants, not bottles for adults. For adults? Some scientists, doctors, and researchers believe that cooking on Teflon, using canned food, and drink from aluminum containers is more likely to be dangerous than plastic containers. If you are to worry about anything, be worried that you're not properly cleaning the bottles you're reusing. You're more likely to be harmed by bacteria on an uncleaned bottle.

[Coaster Justin]

I also use rechargable Batteries. (Double A and Triple A)