What do you you do for our Earth ?

[Kusa-San]

Hello everyones

I open this topic to discuss about what each of us do for our Earth. I think it's important that everyone do something because as I said many times, a little thing is better than a big nothing.

So what do you do ?

Personnaly I do many things :

- I give 7euro to an NGO each month which help to develop sustainable development in many different country.

- I also buy local food or bio food

- I don't take bath anymore. I only use shower.

- I use public transport

- I sort the wastes

- I talk as much as I can about all of this (and it's very imoprtant) .

[LeoXiao]

Except for the first and last things, I do all of those by lifelong habit. I do the last one to a certain extent. But I don't consider it as being for our Earth, but rather as the logical way to live.

[C.A.]

We have been recycling stuff like cans, newspaper and other materials for a long time.

I take the train, my parents walks to their workplace.

I've never bathed in a bathtub before lol

I subscribe to National Geographic.

I don't litter.

[Issac]

Originally Posted by Kusa-San

- I don't take bath anymore. I only use shower.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't taking a shower consume more water than taking a bath? Depending on how long you shower, really. Some people use as much as 3 tub's worth of water when showering, depending on your shower head and length of time.

You can always do the japanese thing and rinse yourself off real quick before jumping in shared bathwater.


When I think about it, I don't do much for the environment.
Maybe I should get on that.

[Dilla]

Originally Posted by LeoXiao

Except for the first and last things, I do all of those by lifelong habit. I do the last one to a certain extent. But I don't consider it as being for our Earth, but rather as the logical way to live.

Same for the most part, at least. I don't think I could keep my sanity using transit, especially in southern Jersey where I am right now, it can get pretty crazy on occasion.

[Circular Logic]

I sit in the hope that someone will invent a clean source of energy which won't run out for thousands of years.

After all, cutting usage isn't going to do much in the long run, what with China and India's projected growth in energy usage and our own fondness for modern luxuries.

[C.A.]

We can only hope that China and India get into green technology along with their growth.

[klowny]

I thought taking showers was more environmentally friendly

i take showers but not to save water, i take the bus because i don't have a car or motorcycle, i recycle can's because i drink alot of soda

i litter sometimes

[Claies]

Recycling, avoiding unnecessary use of electricity, showering, public transport. Those aren't really exemplary things, I do it just because it's logically more efficient. There's no reason for me to dress it up as if I'm doing it for the planet as some significant sacrifice, because it really isn't.

So I voted "I don't care," because I don't need to relate it that way.

[chikorita157]

Hmmmm.... This is what my family have done:

- I use laptops over desktop computers since laptops use less energy.
- Ditched all the power-sucking CRTs with LCD Monitors
- Got rid most of the old-fashioned light bulbs with CCFL lightbulbs that uses less energy (and also have mercury)
- Turn off electronics that are not in use
- Replace most of the old appliances with ones that are Energy Star compliant
- Got rid of the gas-guzzling mini-van and replaced it with a car that is fuel efficient

[Dist]

I don't do anything, neither do I care. In the long run it's not really gonna affect me or people who live atm as we live only for so long. Well I use public transportation but that's only cause I'm too lazy to get a car, and around here it's easier to use public transportation anyway.

[C.A.]

The next 50 years is the crucial years for global warming and we'll also use up all the available natural gas.

I wonder what's this 'long run' and how its not going to affect people.

People don't realise we're already in it.

[Let'sFightingLove]

Originally Posted by Kusa-San

- I don't take bath anymore. I only use shower.

I don't bathe or shower!

[Irenicus]

Originally Posted by C.A.

I wonder what's this 'long run' and how its not going to affect people.

This?

I can't ever forget that song ever since my Econ professor played that song as a background for his lecture on Classical Economics. =_=

But yes, more seriously: the "this isn't going to affect me" is an utterly naive, foolish, and short-sighted view of things. It *will* affect us. It's already affecting us.

Yet, I'll admit I really don't do much for the environment either. I'm not extremely wasteful, but that's not because of a highly conscious position but rather because I tend to keep to myself anyway. Mind, I did get rather angry at my parents for buying an SUV. They didn't understand why I was so angry, but what the hell, being uninterested is one thing, but a fucking SUV?

[Dist]

Originally Posted by C.A.

The next 50 years is the crucial years for global warming and we'll also use up all the available natural gas.

I wonder what's this 'long run' and how its not going to affect people.

People don't realise we're already in it.

Yeah yeah but it's slow and all that. First of all, I hear people talking about global warming and whatnot but I don't see how is that gonna affect us anyway.. like omg.. it's getting warmer ? ( Or w/e it means.. ).

And second, what I meant is that probably not big changes will happen during the 50-70 years that most people in these forums too will live, and even if I '' take care of Earth '', the change is so minimal it's no use.

Maybe in 500 years it will be something really bad but that's not our problem .

Originally Posted by Let'sFightingLove

I don't bathe or shower!

You're probably the guy I had to sit next to at school. He apparently never washed himself so he smelled so horrible I thought I would die. Please die or wash yrself.

[wingdarkness]

Fecal matter...I think I do something good for Earth regarding fecal matter...

[Ledgem]

Originally Posted by Dist

Yeah yeah but it's slow and all that. First of all, I hear people talking about global warming and whatnot but I don't see how is that gonna affect us anyway.. like omg.. it's getting warmer ? ( Or w/e it means.. ).

It's called "global warming" because the temperature of the Earth, on average, is rising. However, people are foolish and only think of themselves, so many people will claim that their most recent winters were the coldest on record, or that their summer was exceptionally cool, and therefore global warming must be false.

"Global climate change" is a more appropriate term, then. It means that life on the planet, and perhaps some of the planet's surface, will undergo potentially drastic changes - changes that don't necessarily benefit humans.

The first example is pretty easy to comprehend: things all around get warmer. This phases out certain species of trees and animals (or more appropriately, pushes them northward or to higher altitudes) while allowing others to spread in their place. What this really means for humans is a change in the landscape of disease. Diseases like malaria may not be a problem in many areas because mosquitoes have defined seasons or cannot propogate like crazy, but if you bump the average temperature up by a few degrees you may be introducing conditions ripe for those lovely tropical diseases.

The second example shows how the Earth is a bit more complex than a single variable. Again, start with the fact that the average temperatures are rising. The arctic ice floes will experience a net melt as a result. This does more than just raise the sea level and wipe out some coastal homes and cities. Due to the melting, there will suddenly be a great amount of cool, fresh water flowing south. This has the potential to send much of Europe into an "ice age" of sorts, because the ocean currents and ocean temperatures impact weather patterns and land temperatures rather heavily. It isn't necessarily that the cold water would chill everything else, but rather that the ocean has a number of currents that haven't changed much throughout time and that are at least partly responsible for our predictable weather. The surge of cool water has the potential to disrupt those currents.

It probably doesn't need to be said, but for the less creative (or the overly optimistic) I'll also mention that shifts in the weather patterns have the potential to really mess up our agricultural abilities.

Originally Posted by Dist

And second, what I meant is that probably not big changes will happen during the 50-70 years that most people in these forums too will live, and even if I '' take care of Earth '', the change is so minimal it's no use.

Maybe in 500 years it will be something really bad but that's not our problem .

I don't say this to be mean, but I'm calling it as I see it: that's a rather selfish attitude, and while you're entitled to it I certainly hope that you're not proud of it. It's also rather short-sighted. You may have children some day, or encounter someone that you really care about who is much younger than yourself. Facing an environmental apocalypse is not likely something that we'll have to deal with, that's true. Just because that's true doesn't mean that you can't exert even a little effort to try and ensure that the planet you live on remains nice and hospitable to your potential future offspring, and at the very least, to the society that is sure to outlive you.

[Dist]

But one can only do so much. In other words, barely nothing. Even if I dedicated my life to taking care of the earth, it would barely, if at all have any change. So why bother when it's useless, people like you will do my '' share ''.

I know it's selfish, but I am not ashamed of it. And I do know I will not have any children, so that is not a problem either. But the point here was, like I said before, why bother when your actions will have little to nothing effect anyway ?

[C.A.]

Originally Posted by Dist

Yeah yeah but it's slow and all that. First of all, I hear people talking about global warming and whatnot but I don't see how is that gonna affect us anyway.. like omg.. it's getting warmer ? ( Or w/e it means.. ).

And second, what I meant is that probably not big changes will happen during the 50-70 years that most people in these forums too will live, and even if I '' take care of Earth '', the change is so minimal it's no use.

Maybe in 500 years it will be something really bad but that's not our problem .

You're extremely selfish and you have no idea why, because you're really ignorant.

50 years is 'slow' and 'nothing big' happens. What does 'us' mean to you? You and your family?

It was reported that Greenland and the Arctic ice is lowest in the entire human history. Glaciers have also had the highest melt rates ever recorded.

The melting of ice has not only risen sea levels, threatening lots of coastal cities, but its also causing changes to the composition of the sea. The sea temperatures and salt concentrations of various areas of the sea has changed, causing major shifts in ocean currents and threatens lots of marine life. This in turn causes more severe and erratic atmospheric conditions, extending monsoon seasons and floods, more severe drought due to less cloud formation in some areas etc.

You think you're unaffected, that's only because you're ignorant to the state of the planet. Rising fuel prices, crops, livestock prices, crashing economies, everything is linked and it will affect you.

[Mushi]

I don't own a car. I walk everywhere and take a bus when I need to. I occasionally sort recyclable stuff... I could improve on that.

It may not effect us, but our children will pay for the exploitation of our planet that has already taken place. Humanity is in a rat race of "economic growth" that will lead to hard times for Earth.