Apart from the necessary switching off of all appliances and light when they are not needed and recycling. i think a good way to assist each other to fight global warming is to share what other bit we did to help the environment.

here is mine:

- since i drink a lot of water everyday, i bough a water filter and 1 bottle of 750ml mineral water and simply refill it with filtered water everyday before going for work. that helps me recycle my bottle, spend less and drink clean water everyday.

that avoids me trowing away 15 plastic bottle of water each weeks!

[johntheexpat]

I must confess to having installed a separate switch and multisocket for the adaptors that go with my PC, so they are normally off. This means the speakers and scanner and printer are only on when I want them. Don't really know how much an adaptor uses in 'standby', but they used to be on 24/7, but now only rarely.
I also specifically bought a car without aircon. Took it for a test drive on a very hot June day two years ago, found that windows work for a bit of cooling and went for it.
I'll now go an polish my halo with some environmentally unfriendly cleanser

[Corey USA]

Marie: I do the same with one minor difference. In place of the porous one time use bottle your using, I bought a reusable NON-porous Container that has a glass like surface made of plastic. This prevents the Health hazard from bacteria that can not be washed out of one time use bottles or other porous plastic containers. My container is made from the same plastic used by the large water containers that are reused by companies like Culligan man.

I have gotten sick before, using those one time use containers.

I also unplug everything when not using it with exception of stove and refrigerator.

I use No batteries with exception of the one in the laptop and I don't even Use that I always plug into the wall. If the power connector wasn't faulty I would even remove the battery from the laptop.

I buy as much food locally as possible. I cut the amount of meat I eat by a factor of 5.

I use 10 gal water a day or less when average is 46-100 gal a day for American.

I wear my clothing Till they no longer stay on or cover key areas.

I try to buy all Used clothing with exception of shoes. For shoes I get the simplest design with the least steps involved in making them (Slipper style)
I wear those shoes till the bottom falls off before buying a new pair.
Now that I don't work I only have two pair One pair is work boots left over from when I work I seldom wear those except for winter outside.

I limit the amount of soap and other chemicals Due to the fat that I learned recently that the soap and chemicals that goes down the drain can not be filtered out at the reclamation plant and winds up in the river system.

Bike is my sole means of transport. Only time I actually get in a Gas power vehicle is to get Cat litter that last me for 4 - 6 months in one trip.

I never travel as well.

[Nimby]

I am a little confused as to your mention of one time use containers.

Clear plastic drinks bottles are cleaned and recycled in Denmark.

It takes some getting used to seeing a heavily scuffed plastic bottle in the supermarket where it has been through the system several times.

Not that we ever buy or even consume such drinks.

Your lifestyle is exemplary in a self-flagellation sort of way.

Originally Posted by Nimby

I am a little confused as to your mention of one time use containers.

i would prefer to say weekly container usage (1 container every week)

Originally Posted by Nimby

Clear plastic drinks bottles are cleaned and recycled in Denmark.

It takes some getting used to seeing a heavily scuffed plastic bottle in the supermarket where it has been through the system several times.

Not that we ever buy or even consume such drinks.

Your lifestyle is exemplary in a self-flagellation sort of way.

maybe in denmark your government installed a perfect system to recycle mineral water bottle, but in uk we have just begun the recycling race and plenty of plastic bottles are still being thrown away not only mineral water but also washing liquid bottles and the like...

additionally, i did not ask whose method of recycling is best, but how else YOU contribute to the fight? do you have any?

[Nimby]

Originally Posted by marie33

but how else YOU contribute to the fight? do you have any?

I think I've posted something like this before: I have heavily insulated our home myself. Built a lean-to greenhouse to heat the house when the sun shines and to help protect the house from the prevailing wind and weather year round. Planted hundreds of trees. Sheltered the house with hedges and trees to reduce heat loss due to wind effects. Double glazed with energy glass or secondary glazed all windows. Have used glazed doors throughout the house to allow natural light to enter thus avoiding artificial lighting as much as possible. We collect rainwater and recycle everything. We heat the house and domestic water using locally grown logs in a woodburning stove. Use CF bulbs. We switch everything off when not in use at home and I often go round switching things off at work. I work for a company whose sole purpose is reducing energy consumption worldwide. I live within a short travelling distance of work to avoid wasteful energy consumption by commuting. We furnish the house with secondhand or antique furniture to avoid trans-globe transport and production impacts. We dress according to the weather and temperature. Instead of overheating the house all year round just so we can wear short-sleeved t-shirts and shorts.

Nimby, that is quite impressive... :lol: ... my bit seems tiny next to yours but you also have to consider that it is sometimes very expensive to be green for example when you say you live within a short travelling distance of work to avoid wasteful energy consumption by commuting some of us do not have that luxury of finding a job close to home... but still, keep up the good work!

[johntheexpat]

Originally Posted by Nimby

I work for a company whose sole purpose is reducing energy consumption worldwide.

Mass Murder Inc?
Or perhaps at TV production company whose progs are so bad everyone falls asleep?
I could really run with this....

[welshy]

We bought a topsy turvy (not sure if spelling is correct) house where the living room and kitchen are on top (3 floor house) and the bedrooms and bathrooms are on the lower two floors. We don't like heat in the bedrooms so never have the heating on there. The only heating is in the lower floors halls and landing which rise to keep the living room warm (cold months only). Works really well and saves on fuel.

[Wild Weasel]

Well I don't buy into this man made global warming racket, however I don't like waste. I've put energy efficient light bulbs where I can, I switch off stuff I'm not using and I recycle glass, cans, newspapers and compostable stuff like grass cuttings, cardboard & vegetable waste. I never buy mineral water because it's a rip off and where I live the tap water is nice. I don't use a filter because I'm not a soft southerner.

Oh and my car does have air con, but like most car air con it stopped working after 2-3 years anyway. So did my dad's BTW. It needs expensive pipework doing, not just regassing, so I've decided to live without it.

Originally Posted by Wild Weasel

Well I don't buy into this man made global warming racket, however I don't like waste.

why not? apart from us who or what else could have done it?

[city fan]

Originally Posted by marie33

why not? apart from us who or what else could have done it?

The Moose of course..

Climate Change - The big hits...

What is the plural of moose?

The plural of moose is moose.

[city fan]

Originally Posted by stratagem

The plural of moose is moose.

Post duly amended

[johntheexpat]

Originally Posted by stratagem

The plural of moose is moose.

OT apologies all round, but is this also true of chocolate moose?

I think it's chocolate mousse and chocolate mousses in this case, could be wrong, I don't cook.

[MikeTV]

Originally Posted by Corey USA

I limit the amount of soap and other chemicals Due to the fat that I learned recently that the soap and chemicals that goes down the drain can not be filtered out at the reclamation plant and winds up in the river system.

Well done. I really agree with this one. We all use far too many detergents. I am always amazed to see the amount of soap people at the gym use when showering - it's as though they have never washed before. And 99% of it goes straight down the drain, of course, and into our rivers. Not that I spend a lot of time watching guys showering at the gym

A splash of water will wash off most dirt, unless you have been fixing the motor car or something. Everyone is shampooing daily - "rinsing and repeating" as per the instructions. What a waste. First we remove all those natural oils with detergent, and then we put them back again with artifical conditioners. It's nuts. No wonder we have so many allergies these days, with all those chemicals. Everyone should cut down on the soaps and shampoos. People's skin and hair would benefit. It is all just misguided hygiene fanaticism.

As for bathroom cleaning, I use dilute distilled vinegar. It's very cheap and very effective (especially for descaling), and of course environmentally friendly. Admittedly I do still use bleach for certain hygiene jobs, but only in very small amounts. If you must use detergent, soap and warm water is tried and tested. Cleaniness is by definition hygenic, without the need for any fancy chemicals/products.

[MikeTV]

Originally Posted by Wild Weasel

Oh and my car does have air con, but like most car air con it stopped working after 2-3 years anyway. So did my dad's BTW. It needs expensive pipework doing, not just regassing, so I've decided to live without it.

Likewise. Mine blew up spectacularly, with smoke pouring out of the bonnet. Now I just open a window.

[Wild Weasel]

Originally Posted by marie33

why not? apart from us who or what else could have done it?

Al Gore did, with his 3 huge houses, executive jets & shares in oil companies.

[simonoaks]

Originally Posted by marie33

Apart from the necessary switching off of all appliances and light when they are not needed and recycling. i think a good way to assist each other to fight global warming is to share what other bit we did to help the environment.

here is mine:

- since i drink a lot of water everyday, i bough a water filter and 1 bottle of 750ml mineral water and simply refill it with filtered water everyday before going for work. that helps me recycle my bottle, spend less and drink clean water everyday.

that avoids me trowing away 15 plastic bottle of water each weeks!

I just drink tap water

Originally Posted by simonoaks

I just drink tap water

I also do not need my water plastic wrapped.

[simonoaks]

I am also not convinced on the whole MMGW thing, however, I have still very recently made some changes. I thought it doesn't do any harm and was easy enough not to impact my life too much.

therefore, I now :

1. use the recycling containers (black and green) provided by the council instead of using them as storage containers in my garage.
2. Have changed cars from a petrol to s diesel (X5).
3. Do not use the aircon in car, just lower the window.
4. Turn off TV and light when i leave the house.
5. buy lose items in supermarket and not as much pre (over) packaged stuff.

[simonoaks]

Originally Posted by stratagem

I also do not need my water plastic wrapped.

I think bottled water is a rip off forget any green issues, it is just such a con!
I find it laughable that people will pay over a quid for .001p worth of water !!

I drink about 10-12 pints a day, and all of it tap water.

[city fan]

Originally Posted by simonoaks

I drink about 10-12 pints a day, and all of it tap water.

Wow, hope you don't flush after every visit

[johntheexpat]

Originally Posted by simonoaks

I think bottled water is a rip off forget any green issues, it is just such a con!
I find it laughable that people will pay over a quid for .001p worth of water !!

I drink about 10-12 pints a day, and all of it tap water.

Originally Posted by city fan

Wow, hope you don't flush after every visit

The amount of chlorine in the water these days his waste water will be like bleach anyhow

But his teeth, if the water is fluorinated, will be like industrial diamonds

Originally Posted by simonoaks

3. Do not use the aircon in car, just lower the window.

In my experience, if you don't use it, it breaks, I buy the car, switch on the AC never turn it off, hence never had any problems at all with it.

[city fan]

Originally Posted by stratagem

In my experience, if you don't use it, it breaks, I buy the car, switch on the AC never turn it off, hence never had any problems at all with it.

Yeah, never used mine much, and it broke. Didn't want to spend anything to fix it.

Any as to the thread title. I have bought a chillie plant

With the amount of hot food eaten in our house, gotta be doing something good

[Nimby]

Cars usually heat up most when left standing in the sun. All car parks should be fully furnished with shade trees to avoid this problem. This would also increase leafy CO2 absorption in the towns and combat overheating of tarmac surfaces. With care the water absorption could also be greatly increased. If I have choices of parking places I always park in the shade. I do the same at home. When I want the car to be warmed in winter I leave it where it can feel the warmth of the sun. I have shade when I don't went the car heated up before I drive away. A carport can manage the same thing but is usually composed of poisonous materials to avoid rot. When a car is in motion a draught can usually be arranged to cool the occupant. If you regularly get stuck in a traffic jam then your route is unwise.

I don't really understand the reluctance to use automotive AC, the effect on fuel consumption on a reasonable run is pretty much negligable these days, in fact opening a window and destroying the streamlining would cost much more.

The advantage of using it all the time is particularly noticable in the winter months, the dehumidifying instantly clears all windows of fog and keeps it that way, in the summer a fairly short burst of cooling, followed by maintaining a reasonable temperature and removing humidity makes for a relaxed comfortable drive.

You don't have to try and turn the car into a fridge, just make it a little more pleasant, perhaps it also depends on what you are / do, if you're wearing flipflops and teeshirt maybe it doesn't matter if you're hot, sweaty and windswept, however if it's suit and tie on the way to a business meeting 50 miles away it's a different matter.

There's not much data on this, I have read that AC can add up to 14%, whereas driving a 80mph instead of 70mph can add up to 40%, and opening a window up to 30%.

[Nimby]

All good points.

Isn't it time that car windows were reflective rather than absorbent?

I checked my tinted rear windows and found the glass gets very warm in sunshine.

Switchable reflective window coatings would be of major benefit to mankind for vehicles as well as buildings.

It would solve all sorts of problems.