Top 10 Ways to Make a Difference Now

[GardenGirl]

Hi...

I'm new here.
Joined because I'm tired of hearing myself complain about how terrible Americans are at polluting, without making enough significant changes myself.

Change has to start with ourselves, right?

I wish we had viable energy sources that would allow us to live our lives without killing the planet. But we are so dependent on our cars, on the grid, and on products wrapped in plastic and/or transported to our stores by fossil fuel burning vehicles... the solution to eliminating all this impact still seems to be very far away.

But, as we wait for technology and government policy to provide us with more responsible ways to simply live, I would love some help on what we can do RIGHT NOW to reduce our carbon footprints.

Would love to hear your ideas. Maybe we can collectively come up with a "Top 10" list of affordable, doable ways to adjust our lifestyles to make a difference.

Hope to hear from you.
Thanks!

[mbrownn]

Hi...

I'm new here.
Joined because I'm tired of hearing myself complain about how terrible Americans are at polluting, without making enough significant changes myself.

Change has to start with ourselves, right?

I wish we had viable energy sources that would allow us to live our lives without killing the planet. But we are so dependent on our cars, on the grid, and on products wrapped in plastic and/or transported to our stores by fossil fuel burning vehicles... the solution to eliminating all this impact still seems to be very far away.

But, as we wait for technology and government policy to provide us with more responsible ways to simply live, I would love some help on what we can do RIGHT NOW to reduce our carbon footprints.

Would love to hear your ideas. Maybe we can collectively come up with a "Top 10" list of affordable, doable ways to adjust our lifestyles to make a difference.

Hope to hear from you.
Thanks!

First is education.

The earth is in a period of low CO2 which has slowed plant growth. We need to increase our carbon footprints by breaking down all the plastics that are locking up carbon for millions of years. I am not promoting the oil industry at all, in fact the opposite, we need to free ourselves from dependance on this and its toxic ways.

Paying carbon tax to al gore will not do anything except make him richer.

Renewable and sustainable production is key, throughout history we have operated this way until the big corporations sold us on their way.

Stop promoting and supporting them. draw all your money out of the banks and insist people pay you in cash. ask for natural packaging and not plastic. promote small farms and businesses, grow food and trees for a sustainable future.

Modern environmentalism is the enemy of sustainability. Just listen to what they say, reuse plastic bags. This means more plastic will have to be produced so that everyone can have one. No, use paper, hemp or any organic material because that will create a demand for organic goods and will create jobs producing them and growing the raw materials. They say close the old power plants and build nuclear, WHAT I think Fukushima answers that one. Coal plants are steam generators, they can be adapted to use renewable resources, as can gas plants. New alternative power plants could easily supply the extra power we need, like tidal turbines. They have a low environmental impact and are much cheaper than nuclear.

Consumerism is take, make and throw away. It requires unending growth which is not sustainable, leads to slave labor and misery. Rant Rant Rant

Sorry, didn't want to give you a lecture but its something that is on my mind

Love and peace as they say

[Farmhand]

GardenGirl, First thing I did with a small budget was bought some
small solar panels and a cheap charge controller I already had some batteries so I
also bought a 300 watt sine wave inverter, I use the battery power every night
to light lights and also to power fans to save a bit of power. One thing with solar
is you have to use less than you can get so the batteries get well charged
and stay in good order.

I thought about my own convenience first so when the grid power fails at night
which it does often here I can still turn on a light and watch TV propaganda.
I've since bought more panels and a larger inverter by saving up the
money, I'm not a fan of grid tie solar setups.

On a side note we just had a hail storm here last night and all my panels seem
to be fine maybe bigger panels are easier to break too.

Cheers

[malohnes]

One can start by growing your own food, or at least growing a good percentage of it. Learn about foraging and the medicinal uses of plants, funguses and other remedies to treat ailments. Becoming more self reliant makes you less dependent on the system in more ways than one.

Next, try to learn to live off-grid. I live in a 30 foot travel trailer in alaska with 2 young children and I can tell you that moving into it was a real shock to the system. I have a wind generator, some solar panels and run all my lights on LED's and we are learning to use new/old technology to tap into the vast energy around us to live completely off the grid. There is a lot to learn, but learning is fun, especially when you have lil ones to teach and so willing to grow.

In applying these things I was quick to discover that the more I got rid of junk and learning some self-suffiency the happier we became...hence my quality of life increased as I learned what I really needed vs wanted.

I live healthier and happier on a shoe string budget than I ever did making big bucks in the corp ladder...been there done that.

My .02 worth.

[angeloB]

One way to make a difference especially in the environment is the use of Solar energy. It helps to solve the major environmental concerns we face and it will also lower your power bill. The basic idea of a solar cell is to convert light energy into electrical energy. Solar cells are used as a means to produce energy utilizing a renewable resource which is the sun rather than depending on less eco-friendly methods. Renewable power has always had a price issue, because it is more costly than fossil fuels. Researchers have now created a solar cell that is efficient enough to be monetarily competitive with fossil fuels. Article source: New solar cells could make solar power mass-market cheap

[GardenGirl]

First is education.

The earth is in a period of low CO2 which has slowed plant growth. We need to increase our carbon footprints by breaking down all the plastics that are locking up carbon for millions of years. I am not promoting the oil industry at all, in fact the opposite, we need to free ourselves from dependance on this and its toxic ways.

Wait... what??

I thought that CO2 levels were rising cuz of all the fossil fuels we burn, and that that was the main problem contributing to global warming. There are probably lots of sources that reference this, but here's one:

CO2 Now | CO2 Home

Do you have references to back up what you are saying here??

[GardenGirl]

First is education...

Renewable and sustainable production is key...

ask for natural packaging and not plastic. promote small farms and businesses, grow food and trees for a sustainable future...

use paper, hemp or any organic material because that will create a demand for organic goods and will create jobs producing them and growing the raw materials....

I think Fukushima answers that one...

Consumerism is take, make and throw away. It requires unending growth which is not sustainable, leads to slave labor and misery...

Totally agree with all of that!

[GardenGirl]

GardenGirl, First thing I did with a small budget was bought some
small solar panels and a cheap charge controller I already had some batteries so I
also bought a 300 watt sine wave inverter, I use the battery power every night
to light lights and also to power fans to save a bit of power. One thing with solar
is you have to use less than you can get so the batteries get well charged
and stay in good order.

I thought about my own convenience first so when the grid power fails at night
which it does often here I can still turn on a light and watch TV propaganda.
I've since bought more panels and a larger inverter by saving up the
money, I'm not a fan of grid tie solar setups.

On a side note we just had a hail storm here last night and all my panels seem
to be fine maybe bigger panels are easier to break too.

Cheers

Thanks!

Wow, that's impressive. The kind of stuff I keep saying would be great, but haven't done yet.

Can you direct me to a website to show me what you used to do that?

Sounds like your solar panels supply some of your power needs, but that you also still use the grid for some of it?

[GardenGirl]

One can start by growing your own food, or at least growing a good percentage of it. Learn about foraging and the medicinal uses of plants, funguses and other remedies to treat ailments. Becoming more self reliant makes you less dependent on the system in more ways than one.

Next, try to learn to live off-grid. I live in a 30 foot travel trailer in alaska with 2 young children and I can tell you that moving into it was a real shock to the system. I have a wind generator, some solar panels and run all my lights on LED's and we are learning to use new/old technology to tap into the vast energy around us to live completely off the grid. There is a lot to learn, but learning is fun, especially when you have lil ones to teach and so willing to grow.

In applying these things I was quick to discover that the more I got rid of junk and learning some self-suffiency the happier we became...hence my quality of life increased as I learned what I really needed vs wanted.

I live healthier and happier on a shoe string budget than I ever did making big bucks in the corp ladder...been there done that.

My .02 worth.

Good for you!!!
I envy the lifestyle you have created for yourself. So great for your kids to be growing up with that, too!

So far, at least, I have been a "change from within the system" person... live in suburbia, have a corporate boyfriend...

I think if we are going to save the planet, we have to somehow get the masses to understand that they need to make some serious changes. I keep thinking that my time on the Earth is well spent, if I can live among the mainstream, and help get average people to understand and act~ (still seems like it's just a small minority of people who have adopted a sustainable life like you have... meanwhile, the vast majority of people keep over-consuming and over-polluting our planet).

I guess I've had some influence on a few people who would otherwise still be throwing recyclables into the trash, and keeping lights on in rooms they're not using.... but in the long run, I don't think that my influence makes much difference... and my heart would probably be happier if I moved away from the rat-race and lived closer to my value system, the way you have.

I do farm a little community garden plot... and make tinctures of nettles that I forage for in the woods near me.

Maybe one day, I'll get it together to shock my suburban neighbors by putting some solar panels on my roof~ They may think they are an eye sore, but then again maybe some people will be inspired to do likewise.

[nueview]

my personnel favorite is methane there is allot of it and its detrimental.
if it could be burned it has a high energy potential and breaks down vegetation to usable fertilizers.
it can be burned with thermal electric modules to convert it directly to electric or in engines for motive power.
it can be liquefied for high energy density as well
there are new processes that can break down vegetation and garbage at rates up to twenty times faster than have been done in the past.
if ever there was a fuel source like this without using eatable crops I'd buy in but to date i haven't seen it.
Martin

[mbrownn]

Wait... what??

I thought that CO2 levels were rising cuz of all the fossil fuels we burn, and that that was the main problem contributing to global warming. There are probably lots of sources that reference this, but here's one:

CO2 Now | CO2 Home

Do you have references to back up what you are saying here??

Its a huge subject to try and cover in one post so I wont attempt it but ill give you some pointers. Just google the bits in bold and you will find the info you need. alternatively just go to the reports I have linked to below.

Fossil fuels are a renewable resource. It is made up of decomposed, cooked and compressed organic matter. Agreed the process takes millions of years and we are using it at an incredible rate that is most certainly faster than it is being created. Organic oils are easily broken down by living organisms.

Adiabatic oil which may be the largest source of oil is produced by a natural chemical process within the earth. It is more toxic than organic oils and not easily broken down by living organisms.

If we just burned all this oil it would turn into CO2 etc and would increase the worlds airborne CO2 levels but we don't. Much of this oil is turned into plastics, fluorocarbons and other non degradable chemicals and pollutants that lock up carbon indefinitely.

The carbon cycle is the cycle of life on earth and requires carbon to be freely available. The vast majority of life on earth requires this carbon to be available in the form of CO2, namely plants.

Global warming is a myth, the earth is actually cooling at this time and has been for over ten years. 1000 years ago the earth was on average 4 degrees Celsius warmer than it is today, see the medieval warm period, something denied by the warmists. Warming and cooling are natural cycles of the earth.

Climate change is taking place and is a natural cycle of the earth. The cause of climate change is, strangely enough, that huge yellow ball in the sky, yes it's the sun and its natural cycles, plus the earths orbital cycles.

Humans are not the largest source of CO2 in the atmosphere, far from it. Volcanoes produce many times more CO2 than mans activities.

A good place to start your research is here SPPI Collection of Papers as of October 2011, UPDATED | Originals

There are many studies and reports on the subject, many of which are peer reviewed.

Mans impact on earth IS being devastating. and some of the most dangerous of these ale listed below. Any one of these has a far greater impact on earth than than our CO2 footprint

GMO's and changing the DNA of life on earth.

Nuclear pollution.

Steralants and hormones in the water.

Chem-trails geoengineering the planet

Codex alimentarius.

BPA and hormone mimicking plastic.

"Rise like Lions after slumber
In unvanquishable number,
Shake your chains to earth like dew
Which in sleep had fallen on you -
Ye are many - they are few." - Shelly

[mbrownn]

Good for you!!!
I envy the lifestyle you have created for yourself. So great for your kids to be growing up with that, too!

So far, at least, I have been a "change from within the system" person... live in suburbia, have a corporate boyfriend...

I think if we are going to save the planet, we have to somehow get the masses to understand that they need to make some serious changes. I keep thinking that my time on the Earth is well spent, if I can live among the mainstream, and help get average people to understand and act~ (still seems like it's just a small minority of people who have adopted a sustainable life like you have... meanwhile, the vast majority of people keep over-consuming and over-polluting our planet).

I guess I've had some influence on a few people who would otherwise still be throwing recyclables into the trash, and keeping lights on in rooms they're not using.... but in the long run, I don't think that my influence makes much difference... and my heart would probably be happier if I moved away from the rat-race and lived closer to my value system, the way you have.

I do farm a little community garden plot... and make tinctures of nettles that I forage for in the woods near me.

Maybe one day, I'll get it together to shock my suburban neighbors by putting some solar panels on my roof~ They may think they are an eye sore, but then again maybe some people will be inspired to do likewise.

It sounds to me that you are a genuine greenie, good for you. I am trying to get some money together to make myself a small organic farm which can subsidize my food needs as well as grow medicine.

Just don't let yourself get misdirected by the political shills.

[Shadesz]

my personnel favorite is methane there is allot of it and its detrimental.
if it could be burned it has a high energy potential and breaks down vegetation to usable fertilizers.
it can be burned with thermal electric modules to convert it directly to electric or in engines for motive power.
it can be liquefied for high energy density as well
there are new processes that can break down vegetation and garbage at rates up to twenty times faster than have been done in the past.
if ever there was a fuel source like this without using eatable crops I'd buy in but to date i haven't seen it.
Martin

Nueview,

You caught my eye. Can you guide me to more information about the bold text? I assume it is still a form of biodigestion?

Thanks,

Shadesz

[nueview]

Shadesz
i am sure with a bit of searching you can find this information.
but i will relay it as i got it from the articles.
the first thing the bacteria do is to begin creating CO2 this purges the oxygen and nitrogen from the enviroment and promotes the grouth of the anaerobic bacteria.
in order for the bacteria to move about they need some sturing process and so they circulate the CO2 through the material from bottom to top while adding water to the top. the total water content is kept at 30% because to much water impedes the flow of the methane from around the bacteria and tends to retard the process due to killing the bacteria.
India is promoting small residential methane plants for cooking and water sterilization by boiling and they are having great success though they are not using the above process.
Small methane power plants have been developed for the government for powering individual soldier electronic equipment and can easilly out perform solar for battery recharging.
the methane can also be stored in ice by a process that puts water under pressure and injects methane while freezing this allows the methane to be stored with less chance of it escaping and causing any explosions. this was a major problem with useing it for vehicles because of the storage tanks being ruptured in a crash.
Martin

[willy96]

hiya !



move north ...

what is it you want to acheive i put my heart and soul in to my work .. and i have not even bairly cracked the door open !

how good is your green thumb?

your in good hands on this site .. many advanced souls here to assist you .. i have a short fuse .. and thats just me .. but i know many here got this licked !

W

all i can say is its so real it will scare you !