I thought this would be the ideal place to introduce the celebration of Earth Day...If it gets moved who cares...I know many here are pro-environment and pro-earth activists, so in honor of the 4/22 day, I like to have a discussion on Earth friendly products you recently bought which you are excited about. It may be new energy star windows with ultra low-E and argon gas which will help you use less energy for utility bills (the U-factor and SHGC must be .30 or less)...OR you joined the Arbor Day foundation and you are excited about the 10 free trees to plant... I will start first, I just received a new shoe that the best way I can describe it as the 3rd generation Prius of shoes...Totally a "green" product, light weight, ultra comfortable and a host of advanced features such as gore-tex, and ortholite...It has a footprint rating of 6....Great product and highly recommended...More here:...http://www.earthkeeper.com/Gear/TMA Have a great day everyone!
I am pro-Earth Day, but Gore is rubbish...He is a hot head...Trust me, you would be better suited being behind Obama who doesn't scream like an idiot. I have met people who have met Gore, and it has been confirmed that he is bonafide rubbish ...Everyday people are more inspirational to me... Grow hierloom tomatoes!..Shut up and do something!
Will someone post the Earth Day predictions starting with Earth Day, Year One in the 1970s? Earth Day comes down to earth! Rocked! Soiled! Watered down! Clouded! Scorched! (And I'm a believer in protecting the environment, just not an alarmist.)
Thanks for introducing Al Gore to the thread. I was worried Rox posted in the wrong forum . The bnb household is going super-green this yr! Not so much buying more 'enviro' stuff -- but a much greater emphasis on not buying stuff and a very strong local focus. I've been car-less now for almost a year! (what I love best about the environmental movement, is that is allows a cheapskate like myself, rebrand as 'green.').
Walk or bike? P.S. Nothing wrong with saving money...my household is putting off large purchases to pay off debt first. P.S.S. don't engourage the gore non sense,...actually that probably kept it from going to hangout where it would disappear in 2 hours, so ..er, nevermind...
I'd venture to say global warming is cyclical and the human race affects it much less than people believe, and Gore is putz.
But even if we do something little like buying indoor plants or putting a feature tree in the front yard, it adds to the wonder of nature...and we benefit...My kids benefit... I understand some might question global warming, but I think we can only add benefit to ourselves and others when we get into landscape, gardening, trees, and conservation...saving money is a side benefit to many earth friendly ventures...
When did i say anything about air and water dumbass. I have no problem with green thumb programs, just jackasses like Gore. Go suck his nuts some more if you want for all I care.
I got a couple of these on the house with the aim of conserving water for shtf scenarios to assist the bunker functions, but bottom line is consider rain barrels, it's about water conservation...Especially if you have a house and need to water the landscape... Can't drink tho... http://sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/50-gallon-green-rain-barrel.aspx?a=618791
Nice thread, ROXRAN. * So we don't do rain barrels (even though they would have rocked this year in NoCal), but I ran a drip irrigation system all over our little yard. I love that thing, and once you put in the initial work, yard watering is taken care of. This might be hard for a lot of Texas yards though, which are very large and grass-centric. (We just do all sorts of plants in the back yard.) * Toilet with a sink on top! This is the coolest thing ever. Have an old victorian water closet type of thing with just a toilet. Could never figure out how to fit a little sink in there, and viola: http://www.caromausa.com/profile-smart So the water that refills the tank goes through the little sink first, so when you flush it just runs for a while and you can wash your hands right there. Very efficient. * The poop bags we use for the dog biodegrade now which kind of helps me sleep better. While we're putting less plastic in landfill, I mean... it's still dog crap. * Mrs. B-Bob got these little meshy produce bags, b/c we get a lot of local veggies (farmer's market) and now we don't have to get a new round of plastic bags every time. Meh. Have been new car shopping and thought about hybrid, but too much money, and even for global warming alarmists (which I allegedly am here, whatever) cars account for very little CO2 compared to jets and power generation globally. Beyond a thread like this, I don't really like Earth Day. A bunch of people go outside and party and generate a TON of trash -- or that's what usually happens.
The toilet you have is very interesting, I may replace ours with dual flush types since we already have sinks. Your support of local farmer's market is a very good thing... I definitely plan on getting a compost tumbler which will help decrease trash collection and since I'm into gardening this will help. I have had good results growing hierloom tomatoes such as the awesome Cherokee purple type over the last 2 seasons...Got my seeds from this site: http://store.tomatofest.com/
We've got a compost tumbler and a couple of small cisterns for catching rainwater. We have a little garden, shop at the farmer's market, and subscribe to a coop that delivers baskets (more like tubs) of locally grown stuff every week from specialty farms. The cool thing about the latter is that you never know what's in it... could be blueberries and grapes or leaks and lettuce. We don't use plastic grocery bags anymore. We try to reduce, reuse, and definitely recycle. Besides the garden, we planted only native species in the backyard with a focus on providing refuge for butterflies (some of which are declining quickly). I've met Al Gore a couple of times and found him to be courteous and gracious. He even autographed Earth in the Balance to me and Mrs. rimrocker. Whenever I hear the word opportunist applied to him, I wonder what people mean by that? He's founded a number of companies, but I thought the critics appreciated entrepreneurship and capitalism. He's also given away huge amounts of wealth to charities and started several of his own. One of his great interests is providing venture capital to businesses that have the potential to change the way industry and the environment interact. He also spends a lot of time teaching at universities. Also, the guy has done more than any other politician to make this board and the Internet we enjoy today possible. If Gore was an opportunist, he probably wouldn't have endorsed Dean like he did and he could have most likely brokered a deal with Obama where he would again be VP. He could have had the Dem nomination in 2004 and probably 2008 if he had wanted it. Doesn't sound like too much of an opportunist.
For those out in the country or who just want to add an extra "half-bath," try an Envirolet toilet -- there are several styles and varieties to meet your needs. Also, it is not too difficult to convert your non-sewage water (gray water) to one directed drain to water a greenhouse or two. http://www.envirolet.com/models.html
Al Gore is still rubbish...Al Gore gives money away because he has money, just like other politicians. He is a failed politician who screams and gets frothy at the mouth. That was his undoing. I live in Nashville not far from his very big home...very big, with many, many bathrooms. A near infinitely oversize house is not needed, but that is another story. I have met those who have met Gore and I trust this person with his word that Gore is condescending, vile and rubbish... Obama is clearly one million times the person Gore is...At least Obama speaks with more integrity and humility ...At least Obama has NOT succumbed to the hardliners of the left to violate the 2nd admendment the way Gore surely would have...(yet).. In fact, Obama has done more to help the gun industry than Bush, Reagan, and Carter put together, (Just ask Ottomaton) and to that I am very gratefu!!!l...Obama has proven himself thus far to have a moderate approach and influence...Even the HCR as we now know it has Republican influence as a modeled approach (Obama has admitted this...) Gore, and Kerry would be too proud and elitist to have the same speak... I am very proud of Obama thus far...
