Personal opinions only, as I don't want this to end up in Politics.

When I moved across the Pond from Germany/Pfalz to California it was a Culture shock.
Gasgusslers, driving to a neighbors house a block away, TV on all day, driers
I could go on all day.

I have been a Greeny all my life. I would just like to know, what little thing/s you do to help Mother Earth.

Yes I own a Gssgussler, but it is for a specific reason and at 3,000k or so a year, I don't polute much.
Never owned a dryer, plenty of Sunshirne in CA.
TV, leaves me cold, I much rather read a book.
I applaud the watering restrictions in California.
Sorry a bit of a polical issue, but I so glad, that Jerry finally found a way to butt in with regards to lawn maintenance.
I have been a great recyler of grocery store bags too.


Anyway, what do you do to be Green?

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Pluto will always be a planet to me.

Seti Ambassador
Not to late to order an Anni Shirt

Not intentional and the cause of much heartbreak, but I suspect that by not having had children Eric and I are relatively "green". You really cannot have a discussion about being "green" without mentioning population control.

Ok I drive a 1999 Ford Escort zx2 sport hot coupe, normally it gets about 30mpg, but right now the car gets 18mpg, so I'm planning on a small tune up in November to fix that, 4 Motorsport Platinum sparkplugs and an oil change.

My TV is off when I'm either not here or when I'm asleep.

I use and own a whirlpool gas dryer, it's too windy and too dusty outside and I can't erect a clothes line, so a dryer is a must and inside can be very humid and cold thanks to the swamp cooler.

I don't use much water and there is gravel surrounding My place.

First the plastic bags are Free, then the plastic bags are better and don't rip, but they're still Plastic and they are not wash and dry, at least not easily, yeah I have a few plastic bags that I bought over 1 year ago, stored in a part of My kitchen, unused, why unused? I keep forgetting to take them with Me, I have concentration problems, if the stores want to sell bags they should only be cloth that is washable, not more plastic, but then the ban is motivated by store chains wanting something to sell and sell and sell, adinfinitum is the old Roman word and it applies here with gusto...

I also weatherproofed much of this place, except for one small bedroom, now if only the gas heater's blower motor was fixed, winter is coming and cold nights will start arriving soon, yeah I mentioned that to the manager today when I paid the rent and She wrote something down, last time the heater ran, the cost was less than $50 for November 2013, in December My gas bill became like in Summer or $17.93($49.96 Nov2013, a decrease of $32.03), My electric shot up to $103.32($42.21 Nov2013, an increase of $61.11), in short My bill went up by $29.08... I also told Her that the blower would only turn on by itself, if I tried to activate the blower from the thermostat like normal, nothing would happen, the blower that is in there was a used one that no heating company would install or guarantee, cause it ain't much better than nothing. The park did let Me use an electric heater with the advisory that New blowers were on order, I may have to call the INLAND FAIR HOUSING AND MEDIATION BOARD - VICTORVILLE BRANCH... Yeah I have their number. I'd rather do this as a last resort, I don't want to be evicted out of retaliation, where would I go?

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

I don't really do anything special. I still get a newspaper delivered to the house every day and run a lot of modern conveniences. My plumbing is a water hog, too. The Green police would be after me. :~(

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Oh this could go on for a long time.
My life has been devoted to being and doing green. I was president of the Environmental Club in High school and of the Washington State Environmental Law Caucus.
On a personal level I have always tried to get the max work out of each gallon of fuel. My current car can get over 60 miles to the gallon and is extremely low emissions. My homes have always had high levels of insulation and passive solar.
Work, well I am nearly complete building the world’s largest solar power plant. It already is producing over 500 MW and will produce in excess of 600 when done. That is the power used by 160,000 homes. My last project was a housing development where I designed features to encourage walking and discourage driving. I included a regional mass transit hub, linked up regional bike paths and created a community garden for people to grow their own food.
The project before that won awards for it’s water recharge feature. By diverting storm drains and gray water all leading to recharge basins, after passive filtration, I created a housing track that recharges more water than it uses. Even this year with no rain, the basins are still holding water. I recently was featured in a local news story for my forethought. The project is the only area in the county that is not suffering a water shortage.
Those are just some of the big ones. My degree is environmental law and the wise use of natural resources had been my passion.

Not intentional and the cause of much heartbreak, but I suspect that by not having had children Eric and I are relatively "green". You really cannot have a discussion about being "green" without mentioning population control.

We're childless (at least 2 legged children) so I suppose this goes for us too.

We're dutiful recyclers.

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Recycling my soda cans and the cartons they come in instead of chucking them in the trash.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Not eating meat.

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Reality Internet Personality

I grow my own food on allotment chickens free range looked after by me and dog Cabane a Douglas setter. I use bicycle most trips hire car for holidays or use buses. shopping for what I can not grow, I dry washing out side in shed if weather is bad don't need dryer, most water is reuse on garden composting take care of a lot of waste. but I am not intentionally green I just don't like wasting things

The county where I live has had mandatory recycling since 1990. And the state has had a beverage can and bottle refund program shortly after that. And at first it was a pain to rinse out the food cans and jars. And keep all the bottles and cans separate. But I got used to it. And it does save on the garbage load to the dump. We pay 5 cents a can or bottle (Soda and beer mostly but some other cans and or bottles are included) When you return them you get your 5 cents back. I know some folks who just throw them in the trash.

I have replaced all my CFL bulbs with LED lights except for two torch lights. One wont except the currant LED bulbs the way the bases are shaped. The other is a halogen bulb. That was a wedding present from a friend who is dying. I only use it at night and only when I have to use that particular computer.
Plus When I leave a room the lights go out. It took me quite a few years to train my wife to do that also. Maybe train is not the word, I think she got tired of me getting on her case.
As for TV's once they are turned on I leave them on. Unless nobody is in the house. Maybe its an old wifestail but I think turning a tv on and off all day shortens its life. Has there ever been a study done on that?

I dont waste water by spraying it on my lawn. I figure if it dont rain and the grass dies I dont have to mow it. But its rained so much that my grass is still green:(

So I might be a some what green.

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Old James

The other thing besides LED bulbs that works for me is occupancy sensing light switches. They turn on automatically when you walk into the room, and shut the lights off if they detect nobody there after a programmable amount of time.

Very handy, and green as well.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

The other thing besides LED bulbs that works for me is occupancy sensing light switches. They turn on automatically when you walk into the room, and shut the lights off if they detect nobody there after a programmable amount of time.

Very handy, and green as well.

I like that idea. How much do they cost. And are they easy to use?

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[/quote]

Old James

The other thing besides LED bulbs that works for me is occupancy sensing light switches. They turn on automatically when you walk into the room, and shut the lights off if they detect nobody there after a programmable amount of time.

Very handy, and green as well.

I like that idea. How much do they cost. And are they easy to use?

They are not inexpensive. Not like a couple of bucks for a standard switch.
And you either have to be knowledgeable enough electricity wise to install them yourself or hire a licensed electrician to install them for you. They replace the standard wall switch currently in place.
I think they are in the $20.00 range, give or take. Very readily available at Home Depot or Meownards.

I used to leave the lights on in the bathroom quite often. Now, they are on a 1 minute time delay, and turn themselves off after I have vacated the room.

I also have one just inside my front door, which turns on a ceiling light as soon as I enter. And stays on for 5 minutes.
That give me enough time to turn on other lights and not trip over the computers or kitties...LOL.
And if I am still roaming for over the 5 minutes they stay on until I am done rambling about.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Thanks Mark for the info. I might check them out for my bathrooms.

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Old James

Growing your own food or breeding your own animals is not being green, it is simply being financially economic, and preferring the taste to mass produced stuff. So much B*ll*x is talked these days about being green it makes me quite cross. It is currently being seen as "in" and "PC" to be "green", but half the world don't have a clue what it really means.

I disagree.

Growing your own food and breeding your own animls is green.
No chemicals in use and antibiotics and growing pills just as an example.
We have special green farms in germany.
Of course such food is more expensive but its heavily used now.

Also eating more local food is green.
Do we need strawberries from china ?

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With each crime and every kindness we birth our future.

Respect for every living being on the planet (and in the Universe...). May it be a mosquito, an Oak tree, a human being, a dog, a bird or even a bacteria.

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rOZZ
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That is an Ideology Julie, and one that I personally fully subscribe to, but it is not being Green!

If that ideology helps the planet, that seems Green to me. :~)

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

That is an Ideology Julie, and one that I personally fully subscribe to, but it is not being Green!

If that ideology helps the planet, that seems Green to me. :~)

+1000

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With each crime and every kindness we birth our future.

That is an Ideology Julie, and one that I personally fully subscribe to, but it is not being Green!

If that ideology helps the planet, that seems Green to me. :~)

Thanx Gordon!! Same here:)

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rOZZ
Music
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Just a reminder, Uli's question was

Anyway, what do you do to be Green?

Not discussions about what you consider to be green, that is for the politics forum.

Thank you.

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