Conservation and Common Sense

[innerslytherin]

I missed Blog Action Day on Monday, but I found a few great ways to make an environmental impact without spending too much money or effort, so I wanted to share them with y'all.

Did you know you can recycle your used CDs? I routinely throw away CDs I've burned or scratched CDs, but I'm going to start collecting them to recycle from now on. Yeah, you have to mail them, but they might qualify for media rate (I haven't checked on this) and it's worth spending a few bucks to help be ecologically forward-thinking.

We're also switching to spiral fluorescent light bulbs at our house, which have a longer life and use far less energy than your normal ones. According to this government website, "[i]f every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars."

I have to say I don't buy into all the global warming hype. I seem to recall my Earth Science classes talking about how all of Indiana used to be under a tropical ocean, and that the Earth's climate is cyclical, going from Ice Age to tropical and back. So my personal thoughts are that we're just on a swing towards the tropical, and that global warming isn't a man-made thing. (I'm not arguing that global warming is a myth, just that it's not our fault; I'll also grant that our emissions probably aren't helping, but they're certainly not causing.)

But that doesn't mean I'm not an environmentalist. I believe in taking care of the Earth, and that involves recycling. I also get annoyed when people complain about the deer population but argue against reintroducing the natural predators that used to keep the deer populations down. I get pissed off at people who flip cigarette butts out the window or throw other trash onto the side of the road. I carry a trash bag with me when I go hiking and clean up after other people. We're using geo-thermal energy to heat and cool our house, as of this year. Heck, I'm such a conservationist that I make the supreme sacrifice of sleeping in every other day and skipping my shower. Saving water to help out in this time of drought. ^_~

The thing is, I believe in conservation, but I also believe in common sense. So maybe it's a good thing I didn't post this on Blog Action Day. *grin*

Comments

[krycek-chick.livejournal.com]

Those light bulbs are awesomeness. I love them because they give pure white light instead of sickly fluorescent or incandescent light. They do start off a bit dim when you first flick them on, but once the gas warms up inside they're faboo and brilliant and awesome.

[innerslytherin]

Yes, they are cool!

Conservation is sexy

[rimwalker.livejournal.com]

I love those lightbulbs!

I had no idea about the CD recycling. Interesting, I'll read into it.

If everyone tried to practice Conservation and used and wasted less, it would really help with all environmental ills. Performing conscious acts of conservation in our daily lives would help with both energy-costs, fuel concerns and gaseous emissions worries.

Hahaha, "gaseous emissions."

Re: Conservation is sexy

[innerslytherin]

I have a sudden urge to snicker like Beavis and say "your mom makes gaseous emissions".

[dwlikeebeinlost.livejournal.com]

All I have are the spirally light bulbs!

They ROCK! (and they give off less HEAT!)

[corvus-coronis.livejournal.com]

I've switched completely over to those bulbs a few montyhs ago, took my energy bill down by a third.