Living greener

[Ghoulish Delight]

We're going to plant the giant sequoia cone that my parents brought back from Yosemite* in the back patio of our condo





* No, they did not take one from the park, which would be illegal. They purchased it in a gift shop

[Alex]

We went to Tahoe a couple weekends ago for the day (gas wasteful, we drove 300 miles total for about 5 hours of entertainment) but because the trip back is mostly downhill (after the initial climb) we did get from South Lake Tahoe to Sacramento (about 90 miles) on 1.1 gallons of gas. And the whole 150 miles drive home we got 62 miles per gallon.

So, another tip: buy a hybrid and then only drive downhill.

[Alex]

When it comes to energy efficient appliances check into discount and refund programs offered by your local electric company. They frequently subsidize them either directly with the retailer or as rebates to the consumer.

[Not Afraid]

Yes! We got some nice discounts when we bought our new W/D.

[SzczerbiakManiac]

I saw this on Unrwapped last night. Biota is a bottled spring water whose botle is made from corn not crude oil which will (under the right conditions) biodrgrade in ~12 weeks. I haven't tried it, but it sounds nifty.

[flippyshark]

Lisa, be glad that this is not your cat:

Environmentally Unconscientious Cat

[Matterhorn Fan]

I read (in this month's Vegetarian Times, I think) that Stonyfield Farms is recycling their yogurt cups to make toothbrushes and razor handles. Of course, you have to mail the cups to them.

[BarTopDancer]

The biggest thing I've done recently is get rid of my Explorer and bought a compact car. I didn't do it to be greener persay, but I was tired of how much it was costing me to fill up and it felt wasteful to drive. And even after 2 years of payments, the car is cheaper than the Explorer.

I re-use paper bags and recycle plastic bags. When possible boxes are re-used for moving or storage.

But I've read and heard (too tired looking for links) that recycling just causes more pollution. The recycling plants release fumes and waste that would not be there if they were not in operation.

[Matterhorn Fan]

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

But I've read and heard (too tired looking for links) that recycling just causes more pollution. The recycling plants release fumes and waste that would not be there if they were not in operation.

But are those fumes and waste better or worse than having more trash in the landfills?

[Alex]

Everything pretty much involves some pollution. The question that has to be asked is not "does this produce no pollution\damage" but "does this produce less pollution\damage than the alternative."