# are you green?

Category: Let's talk

## Post 1 by sugarbaby (The voice of reason) on Wednesday, 29-Jun-2005 8:43:21

Recently a survey was done in this country to see how many people recycled their rubbish, and also to see how many local councils offered recycling facilities. The results were astounding. The majority of people just don’t bother, and in most areas, the councils do little or nothing to encourage recycling. But this debate as escalated into a much wider one, and that is how “green” we are as a nation. They interviewed some people who had solar panels on their houses, and they said that having solar panels actually cuts their electricity bills by up to a quarter every year, and although the initial outlay is a lot, long term, the benefits are great. So why is it that we are so reluctant to do things that are more environmentally friendly. After all, if we all bought organic, the prices would come down, if we recycled then there wouldn’t have to be so many land fill sights all over the place, and if we utilised the natural resources more we would preserve the environment for perhaps this bit longer. So, how green are you?

## Post 2 by Texas Shawn (The cute, cuddley, little furr ball) on Wednesday, 29-Jun-2005 14:04:42

it's call time, people don't want to take the extra time to do it, so it doesn't happen. I got a trash and recycling bin and I hardly ever use the recycle bin unless my trash bin is full! lol oh wait let me take that back, the recycle does have wheels on it so I did use it a few weeks ago to hall junk out of the garage! it's a good dolly!
I doubt organic would be cheaper if more people baught it, isn't that the same logic on gas?
.

## Post 3 by Twinklestar09 (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Wednesday, 29-Jun-2005 14:38:30

I try to recycle everything I can. It's that Captain Planet cartoon that I guess has influenced me on that. *smiles* But yeah, I'll save trash to throw away in the trash can, save plastic utencils and containers to wash and reuse later, and am even sometimes reluctant to throw away things that break (such as pottery or glass) as I wonder if it can't somehow be reused/made into something else. (I eventually do throw the broken things away though anyway, since I don't know about that. I've also heard that batteries can be recycled and have really been wanting to get rid of my dead ones by sending them to wherever they do that, as well as dropping off old magazines at the recycling place too, but I'm not sure how I could get there since I don't know exactly how to get around them, plus knowing whether the paratransit/Starshuddle vans would allow medium-small boxes. My parents I think get annoyed that I'm so determined to put things in recycle or save them to reuse. My dad says to just throw things in the trash, and my mom nags at me when I want to save something. Usually, I just ignore them though and recycle or reuse things anyway. We have a recycle box outside, but I don't think my dad and brothers use it, but me and my mom do, although I think I'm the most obsessed with recycling than they are. *smiles* Also, I get really annoyed when they leave the lights on and I don't know until later. (My room is just outside the house and has the laundry room in the back, so the laundry room light could be left on, or one of the 2 lights for the back yard.) Since my computer and other things are hooked up to a power strip, and my TV and radio are hooked up to another, if I know I won't be in my room using them, I shut off the strips themselves through the switches as I think it would make them not use any electricity at all. I also won't use my fans or air conditioner if the weather outside isn't too uncomfortable, and don't use my heater much during cold weather because it really doesn't freeze here much anyway. So yeah, I'm pretty much into that stuff. I think if I had my own place, all that would help my electricity bill, and my recycle boxes would probably get filled quickly all the time. *smiles* I've also been wondering about a generator, and would probably end up getting one eventually, when I have my own house.
Leilani

## Post 4 by elmira (Veteran Zoner) on Wednesday, 29-Jun-2005 15:29:13

## Post 5 by Texas Shawn (The cute, cuddley, little furr ball) on Thursday, 30-Jun-2005 9:09:47

and they call the garbage men over there dustmen? that's interesting!

## Post 6 by sugarbaby (The voice of reason) on Thursday, 30-Jun-2005 9:11:06

yeh, there's an amusing song about a dustman .. now how did it go ...

## Post 7 by sugarbaby (The voice of reason) on Thursday, 30-Jun-2005 10:01:20

I say I say I say, my dustbin is absolutely full of toadstools! how'd you know it's full? cause there's not mushshshshshshshroom inside

## Post 8 by Goblin (I have proven to myself and the world that I need mental help) on Thursday, 30-Jun-2005 13:33:45

I recycle paper glass and garden rubbish by donating it my uncle, who has a monstrous compost heap, affectionately known as Ben Nevis... the rubbish problem in Scotland is immense, with plastic everywhere, personally I can't stand finding that stuff discarded in the wilds of Torridon...

## Post 9 by elmira (Veteran Zoner) on Thursday, 30-Jun-2005 13:46:04

But he doesn't put the glass onto the compost heap, does he? I wouldn't like to use compost with glass in it in my garden...?

## Post 10 by Star (Honorary Bitch of the Zone) on Thursday, 30-Jun-2005 22:36:27

When I lived in Amsterdam I would collect the glass and paper (magazines, newspapers, etc) separately and take it to the nearest public bins which were marked for glass (2 sorts for green glass and white glass) and the paper bin. These were huge bins built under the ground with just a top part protruding from the ground where one could place the bottles or paper stuff that woul dslide in to the bin. Once a month the municipality would send special cars around to empty them. I did not have a garden so I just took some of the organic stuff to a park where they had disposal bins. I also collected old batteries and disposed to the appropriate site, usually by a supermarket or something like that. Here in the USA, I don't do any of that. I have not seen any of my neighbors do that either so I just throw everything and anything in the same garbage bag that goes to the main garbage bins near our building. I find that very sad. So much otherwise usable material goes wasted and no one here seems to care much. The American society is very lazy and selfish. They don't really care that their garbage is wasted and they have a lot of garbage polluting the Earth. Items that are small are usually packed in boxes 3 or 4 times the size of the item cause they are afraid if they don't do that people will end up stealing the item so they create unnecessary garbage instead! Star

## Post 11 by Goblin (I have proven to myself and the world that I need mental help) on Friday, 01-Jul-2005 10:24:24

LOL! no sorry the glass goes into a large bin the council placed at the bottom of our road. Each bin has a seperate use..paper in 1, glass in the other...

## Post 12 by shea (number one pulse checking chicky) on Friday, 01-Jul-2005 10:42:57

hmmm, it's not all americans that are lazy and don't recycle. I know a lot of people in my town I live in recycle! And why is it you can call americans lazy but your not doing your part? Is it lazieness? hmmm, would like to know!

## Post 13 by Twinklestar09 (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Friday, 01-Jul-2005 13:30:35

Exactly. *smiles* You can't really generalize about all American society, as I really care about the environment too and try to do what I can by recycling and reusing products. I know that a lot of American society might be too busy worrying about other things or just not paying as much attention as they could, but some do. I don't know about the people in my neighborhood, but most of my immediate family, and even my older sister who lives several blocks away from us just throw everything away. So you could still do something, even if it feels like your the only one who cares in that neighborhood. *smiles*
Leilani

## Post 14 by Star (Honorary Bitch of the Zone) on Saturday, 02-Jul-2005 1:52:41

If my neighbors who are Americans don't care to recycle and the management of the apartments don't care to place separate bins for the different kinds of garbage I will not 'break my neck' about it. If it was my country, or my own apartment I would make sure to protect the environment but it is not. When I am in Amsterdam I follow the rules as I did always. Star

## Post 15 by sugarbaby (The voice of reason) on Saturday, 02-Jul-2005 6:57:29

wow if it was your country? going off topic a tad here now but surely, if you have made a conscious decision to go and live in another country to the one you were born in, you should also respect that country and treat it as if it were your own. I'm not saying you should show allegiance to that country, fight its wars etc, but at least care about it enough to protect its environment?

## Post 16 by Nem (I just keep on posting!) on Saturday, 02-Jul-2005 6:59:42

When in rome, do as the romans do? Interesting argument. I personally don't recycle because there arn't any bins near my apartment. But really what is recycleing if I decided to use a milk jug to hold my lemonaid then have I done my part?

## Post 17 by sugarbaby (The voice of reason) on Saturday, 02-Jul-2005 7:01:15

that depends, would you have thrown the milk jug away otherwise?