Re: What can we do to be more Green?? (Save money and energy)
It isn't difficult to live more efficiently. Think about how society has become Use-Once-And-Destroy. It used to be that a person would buy a car and keep it for years. Now the auto makers design new cars practically every other year, dupping people into believing they need this newer model. Its bollocks, modern cars can last 20 years or more, but not a lot of people want to keep a car for twenty years. Never mind the resources used to make these new cars that with the exception of a few get worse economy than the equivelant model from a decade ago. The term SUV comes to mind. Needless for most, but still being pushed onto us because they are high profit.
Use a laptop computer instead of a desktop, it takes less resources to build, and consumes less energy to operate. Turn the lights off in rooms you are not it. My average summer energy bill is $30, because I turn crap off when I am not using it, and the only fluorescent bulb I have is the porchlight because I do leave that on at night.
Carpooling doesn't work for most people due to conflicting schedules. Say you have to run errands after work, but the rest of the carload wants to go home. So you go home with them, then get in your car and go back to run the errands, Just defeated the purpose of carpooling because more fule and time was spent than if you just drove your own vehicle. Mass transit won't happen in this country outside of large cities, just too much area to cover.
Buy an efficient, used car. It has already been built, costs less to purchase and repair, and is more efficient. I am one to talk, I have a 95 Ford truck that gets horrid fuel economy, but my commute to work is three miles. I could ride a bicycle, but I am honest enough with myself to admit that I hate riding in the rain, and I often run errands after work so I need the truck anyway. I don't spend much in gas.
I plan my boating and fishing to burn the least amount of gas, its the best I can do.
I try to buy less fluff items than I used to, like DVDs and other things.
The main problem with conservation is it flies right in the face of capitolism. We all know if we cut back on usage and spending the resources would go farther, but then jobs would go away and less money would be made. Basically, as long as we have to live in a society that is based on money, we have to burn our resources at an alarming rate just to survive. You want to have a world for your great grandchildren to live in, you have to eliminate the human need to be better than your neighbor, which right now is accomplished with money. Get rid of money, you get rid of the problem.
Now that will happen.....
d
