According to the May BBC Focus Magazine we could save 630 million tonnes of atmospheric CO2 per year if we held every 3rd breath.
Highly amusing? No.
Are we now to feel guilty about simply living? Because virtually everything else we do was cast into the same negative light.
One ray of hope however was that last year a Jeep Wrangler was found to be the most "green" vehicle in Britain - when the full carbon lifecycle was considered.
One ray of hope however was that last year a Jeep Wrangler was found to be the most "green" vehicle in Britain - when the full carbon lifecycle was considered.
Lies, damn lies and statistics. Having scanned the report, it is particularly biased against hybrids because it bases its statistics on current average usage, suggesting that because Prius's are only driven half the distance that Jeeps are driven, the cost of building the car is essentially twice as much per mile.
It also makes the bizarre argument that if you own both an SUV and a hybrid, you are more likely to drive the SUV and therefore the environmental benefits of the hybrid are minimal.
But the main "reason" why the Jeep "wins" is because there are more jeeps and because no development has been spent on them for years. Hence the development costs, and factory setup overheads, are divided between more vehicles.
Now that the hybrid (or any other modern technology) car has been developed, and the factory has been set-up, buying the modern car will give a lower dust-to-dust cost than a jeep (or any other ancient car technology).
In reply to the thread title though, lots of people live very happy "green" lives, so I guess the answer is yes.
Use only publicly available transport inc taxis and no flying. Share you're home ie don't live alone in a 3 bed house (would sort the housing problem in one fell swoop as well as creating lots of rich pensioners). Wear extra clothes if you are cold before putting on the heating (woolly hats are marvelous). Use low energy light bulbs (recessed lighting is so yesterday Jocasta). Turn off standbys. Turn off lights when not in the room. Don't use tumble dryers. Shower don't bath. Insulate the loft. Don't waste money on wind turbines and solar panels on the roof as the people that sell them buy gas guzzling cars and foreign holidays with the proceeds. Get your council to ensure the items they say they are recycling don't end up in a landfill. Work only 4 days a week. Manage your life to make all the above easy.
Originally posted by Son of Mulder: What is a green life?
Use only publicly available transport inc taxis and no flying....
Don't use tumble dryers.........
Shower don't bath..................
Life not worth living. Quite apart from anything else, it would mean I couldn't visit my favourite city, New York, again, and trips to mainland Europe would become difficult. I have no wish to pay exorbitant UK hotel prices for lousy service.
JL, I'm sure 4 day cruises to New York would become popular again and affordable with much larger liners (nuclear powered of course). A more relaxed life with more time to do your own thing. 100 carriage trains between hubs that are currently major airports across Europe and beyond......etc etc. Bring it on I say.
A fairly green lifestyle is not really that difficult is it? To learn to recycle, and to cut down on flying, walking or cycling instead of driving etc. The occasional trip abroad wouldn't be so costly to the earth if it were only occasional. If we all did our little bit it would have a huge impact.
Truth is we're won't consider giving up our excesses. The question should be will our future life be worth living? Not at this rate if we carry on as we are.
Originally posted by little_bird: A fairly green lifestyle is not really that difficult is it? To learn to recycle, and to cut down on flying, walking or cycling instead of driving etc. The occasional trip abroad wouldn't be so costly to the earth if it were only occasional. If we all did our little bit it would have a huge impact.
Truth is we're won't consider giving up our excesses. The question should be will our future life be worth living? Not at this rate if we carry on as we are.
Little Bird, they catch monkeys in the far east by placing food in coconut shells fixed to the ground. The shells have a hole just wide enough to allow an empty hand in, but too small to allow a hand full of food out !
The trick works because the monkey's value system does not allow it to release the food even in the face of impending captivity.
Bit like the sort of values expressed here really?
Originally posted by Son of Mulder: JL, I'm sure 4 day cruises to New York would become popular again and affordable with much larger liners (nuclear powered of course). A more relaxed life with more time to do your own thing. 100 carriage trains between hubs that are currently major airports across Europe and beyond......etc etc. Bring it on I say.
Don't hit me with those negative waves, I was starting to look forward to the Green Way Bus, Taxi, Shipping and Railway Corp. A new age of enlightenment powered by the green revolution.
I suppose I won't even be allowed to wittle because it requires wood.
Don't hit me with those negative waves, I was starting to look forward to the Green Way Bus, Taxi, Shipping and Railway Corp. A new age of enlightenment powered by the green revolution.
I suppose I won't even be allowed to wittle because it requires wood.
Well, can you seriously see the greenies allowing a nuclear powered liner? Or extending the platforms to allow 100 coach trains - they'd make sure it never got planning permission.
They don't want such things - in their muddle-headed way, they want to revert to a pre-industrial age (providing, of course, that they are the Lords. I'm not sure they ever contemplate being the peasants)
They don't want such things - in their muddle-headed way, they want to revert to a pre-industrial age (providing, of course, that they are the Lords. I'm not sure they ever contemplate being the peasants)
Preindustrial sustained fewer than 3 million people, mostly in poverty in the UK. We're now 60 million. So what will it be, green sterilisation, green euthanasia at 35 etc to get back to their idyll? Well I'll continue to back innovative use of technology and believe that most people will be "sensible" when it comes down to achieving sustainable progress.
I'd agree with you on that. Although I'm far from convinced by the AGW argument, I still don't see any purpose served by inefficient (and/or wasteful) use of resources.
They don't want such things - in their muddle-headed way, they want to revert to a pre-industrial age (providing, of course, that they are the Lords. I'm not sure they ever contemplate being the peasants)
Preindustrial sustained fewer than 3 million people, mostly in poverty in the UK. We're now 60 million. So what will it be, green sterilisation, green euthanasia at 35 etc to get back to their idyll? Well I'll continue to back innovative use of technology and believe that most people will be "sensible" when it comes down to achieving sustainable progress.
Sustainable progress - with a population of about 1 billion worldwide? Sounds good to me. Its not the technology or a desire to go back n hundred years, its the excessive consumption that concerns me - it just plain dumb. Which if you don't mind me saying can be seen by the defensive criticisms of the so called greenies.
I definitely think it could be, and should be, but our culture and society seems to do all it can to convince us otherwise.
I watched "How green is your high street" on BBC last week, and it's clear that for all supermarkets are trying to do (whether for profit or ethics), they are always going to be compromised by the business ethic of growth year on year. There's no standing still in current corporate life, and until this changes, all their attempts at being "green" are just hot air!
I'd love to get away from the constant nagging feeling I have that I'm not earning enough to save for the future, or enough to justify my education, and yet that I'm consuming too much. There was an item in the news recently about the lack of social mobility in the UK, and that this was a concern... To be truly green, should we not be heading down the social scale (earning less, consuming less) and not up?
Not only is it not worth living it's also impossible!
OK lets assume the alarmists get there way and we revert back to extremely basic ways of life i.e. hunting for food when we need it and eating wild crops... obviously this is a bit extreme but I have seen alarmists actively encourage movement in this direction. OK so where all basically hunter gatherers, there are OVER 6 BILLION HUMANS!!! if we returned to this way of life massive wild stocks of animals would disappear, almost all edible wild crops would be gone eventually massive famines and not to mention destruction of the human social and educational systems or even eventual extinction of humans. by build huge farms and rearing massive live stock facilities we are IN FACT helping the planet as we are producing and sustain our own food instead of destroying wild stocks....
This may all be quite extreme but is realistic rather than the over romanticised image of a "green" life. but I am 100% sure that noting will be done by humans as with every time before humans like to rant about doing the right thing but when it comes to there door step they will NEVER take the leap!! So basically the green life is not worth living because it WILL NEVER HAPPEN!!
Originally posted by Geowizard: Not only is it not worth living it's also impossible!
OK lets assume the alarmists get there way and we revert back to extremely basic ways of life i.e. hunting for food when we need it and eating wild crops... obviously this is a bit extreme but I have seen alarmists actively encourage movement in this direction. OK so where all basically hunter gatherers, there are OVER 6 BILLION HUMANS!!! if we returned to this way of life massive wild stocks of animals would disappear, almost all edible wild crops would be gone eventually massive famines and not to mention destruction of the human social and educational systems or even eventual extinction of humans. by build huge farms and rearing massive live stock facilities we are IN FACT helping the planet as we are producing and sustain our own food instead of destroying wild stocks....
This may all be quite extreme but is realistic rather than the over romanticised image of a "green" life. but I am 100% sure that noting will be done by humans as with every time before humans like to rant about doing the right thing but when it comes to there door step they will NEVER take the leap!! So basically the green life is not worth living because it WILL NEVER HAPPEN!!
Agreed, I'm the only person I know who's done anything. Everyone else is flying and driving more than ever. People's brows furrow when they think about global warming, then they pick up the phone and book another flight.
A "Green" life is something only individuals can choose to do for themselves.
I don't drive, I recycle etc, I buy local in preference. I've done all I can do and plan to do more, now I'm just sitting back watching it unfold in horrified fascination.
Umm. I tried to buy local a few days ago - admittedly over the internet - from a company fairly close to where I live (in the middle of nowhere). But I was shocked to discover that although I am only 60 miles (and that's local round here) from the company concerned, due to the way things get delivered, my goods ended up doing in excess of 265 miles to reach me, and the delivery drivers probably did twice that to fulfil the order.
Originally posted by CobblyWorlds: That doesn't surprise me. But we can all still only do what we can do.
Well, I've let those companies that use these delivery services know how far the goods have travelled. Maybe I'll get some sort of favourable response. I hope so. They are trying to sell stuff on the back of good green credentials. But then maybe we should just stop buying things, or going anywhere, or doing anything at all that uses any sort of energy - good excuse for just staying in bed!
due to the way things get delivered, my goods ended up doing in excess of 265 miles to reach me, and the delivery drivers probably did twice that to fulfil the order.
That's nothing compared to the CO2 that will be wasted this week-end on Live Earth as the Green heroes of planet earth fly all over the place to promote their next CD / Book / Film (delete as applicable).
Umm. I tried to buy local a few days ago - admittedly over the internet - from a company fairly close to where I live (in the middle of nowhere). But I was shocked to discover that although I am only 60 miles (and that's local round here) from the company concerned, due to the way things get delivered, my goods ended up doing in excess of 265 miles to reach me, and the delivery drivers probably did twice that to fulfil the order.
Maybe I should just stop feeding the birds...
I'm certanly not a big fan of flying beans in from Kenya and Strawberries from Israel but I'm wondering that if all goods were produced locally wouldn't we end up with alot more factories that operate without the efficiencies of large scale that we currently enjoy.
It may seem silly driving stuff around 1/2 the country but this is perhaps better than having 15 extra plants operating on a small and less efficient scale.
In short I think like everything else what we've got is naturally (by economic evolution) the most efficient form of production.
